Podcasts about ascribing

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com“I am still waiting for my bathrobe, and until you give it to me, I am going to be forced to do this podcast in the nude,” Kat Rosenfield tells Nancy and Sarah, who really need to move on this gift they keep promising her for repeat appearances. Kat is here to discuss her recent Free Press column on Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, “a turducken of a story” about alleged misbehavior and creative control on the set of It Ends With Us. The stars' dueling legal documents lit up social media over the holidays, but it's … confusing. Kat sees it less as a “he said/she said," and more of a battle of PR narratives.Also discussed:* But who is Colleen Hoover?* “I have a series of really hot takes…”* Justin Baldoni: sexy or nah?* Nancy likes a dad bod* Is asking someone what they weigh “fat-shaming”?* “I have been taken on a journey of eroticism and repulsion, and that's what I count on you for…”* Shades of Depp-Heard* Megan Twohey strikes again* “Astro-turfed pseudo-consensus”; rolls right off the tongue* How to pronounce “simulacram”?* Reflexive outrage: what is it good for?* Wait, that's not Markle's kitchen?* Ascribing a richness of interior life to people that they neither have nor deservePlus, dry cake, Nancy's failing face, a movie trailer that gives all the cringes, and much more!

Worship may seem out of place during a crisis. When things are falling apart, this is the time for solutions and actions. But Psalm 29 demonstrates the centrality of worship - especially when things are hard. Ascribing glory to God in troubled times keeps us focused aright and plants hope against our fears and worries. Prayers for Deliverance: How should we pray when under pressure? One might think that "Help!" would suffice. In this 5-message series, Dr. John walks through Psalms 28-32 to teach us how to pray when assailed by trouble. A call for help is a start, but there is so much more. 

Ascribing intent, assuming motives, and guessing about someone else's emotional state hurts the ones we love. Listen in for some encouragement today! Would you like to schedule a session with Rose? Click here: https://www.thriveonlinecounseling.com/product/individual-sessions/ To schedule with Jay, click here: ⁠⁠ https://www.thriveonlinecounseling.com/contact-2/ Do you want to be part of the next group? Great! Click here: https://www.thriveonlinecounseling.com/support-groups-2/ Do you want to join the B2B Community? Click here: ⁠⁠https://fromb2b.mn.co/⁠⁠ Please remember that this podcast or the B2B Community is not a replacement for therapy or clinical services. We are mindset coaches and want to offer this content for the betterment of the BPD community. We offer mindset coaching only for individuals nationally and internationally. Jump start your recovery today! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rose-skeeters/support

PreludeWelcome & News of the ChurchCall to WorshipOpening Hymn - (#337) "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty"Praise SongsConfession, Assurance, and Gloria PatriChoral AnthemSermon - "Messiah-splain'" (Luke 24:36b–48) - by Rev. Jason GrifficeHymn of Response - (#352) "Blessed Be the Name" (verses 1, 3, & 4)Receiving of Our Tithes and OfferingsOffertoryDoxologyPrayers of the PeopleSending Hymn - (#360) "You Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim"BenedictionPostludePraise to the Lord, the AlmightyPraise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near; Join me in glad adoration! Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth, Shelters thee under His wings, yes, so gently sustaineth! Has thou not seen How all thy longings have been Granted in what He ordaineth?Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder anew What the Almighty can do, If with His love He befriend thee. Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him. Let the Amen Sound from His people again: Gladly for aye we adore Him. AmenBlessed Be the NameAll praise to Him who reigns aboveIn majesty supremeWho gave His Son for man to die, That He might man redeem! CHORUS: Blessed be the name! Blessed be the name! Blessed be the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name! Blessed be the name! Blessed be the name of the Lord! Redeemer, Savior, friend of manOnce ruined by the fall, Thou has devised salvation's plan, For Thou hast died for all. [CHORUS]His name shall be the Counselor, The mighty Prince of Peace, Of all earth's kingdoms conqueror, Whose reign shall never cease. [CHORUS]You Servants of God, Your Master ProclaimYou servants of God, your Master proclaim, And publish abroad His wonderful name; The name, all victorious, of Jesus extol: His kingdom is glorious, He rules over all. God ruleth on high, almighty to save, And still He is nigh, His presence we have; The great congregation His triumph shall sing, Ascribing salvation to Jesus, our King. "Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!" Let all cry aloud and honor the Son; The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim, Fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb. Then let us adore and give Him His right All glory and power, all wisdom and might, All honor and blessing, with angels above, And thanks never ceasing, and infinite love. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

God's revelation drives us to a humble acknowledgement of who he is and who we are without him. In Psalm 19, God, through David, offers us self-revelation, which causes us to ascribe greatness to him. We will consider this text under three broad headings: 1. ⁠The General Revelation through God's Creation (vv. 1–6) 2. ⁠⁠The Specific Revelation through God's Word (vv. 7–11) 3. ⁠⁠The Response after the Revelation (vv. 12–14)

Summary In this episode, the hosts discuss the importance of the Sacred Echo podcast and the impact it has on listeners. They also reflect on the New Wine series and the invitation to discipleship. The conversation explores the concept of sitting at the feet of Jesus and the difference between learning about Jesus and learning from Jesus. The hosts also discuss the challenges of maintaining faith during difficult times and the need for partnership with God. The conversation explores the importance of community in discipleship and relationships. It emphasizes the need for partnership with God and each other, as well as the commitment and intimacy required in relationships. The concept of propinquity is discussed, highlighting the significance of occupying the same space and time. The model of discipleship and community is explored, emphasizing the long obedience in the same direction. The challenges of creating and maintaining community are acknowledged, along with the need for forgiveness and grace. The conversation also addresses the complexities of navigating difficult church environments and the importance of ascribing to God what is truly His. Takeaways The Sacred Echo podcast is valued by listeners and serves as a resource for spiritual growth. Discipleship involves sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning from him. Maintaining faith can be challenging, especially during times of success and comfort. Partnership with God is essential for navigating the ups and downs of life. Real discipleship is communal, involving a partnership with God and relationships with others. Commitment and intimacy are essential in relationships, requiring a daily commitment to the relationship even during challenging times. The concept of propinquity emphasizes the importance of occupying the same space and time in order to build meaningful connections. Creating and maintaining community can be challenging, but it is crucial for growth and support. Navigating difficult church environments requires discernment and the recognition of toxic relationships, while also acknowledging the need for forgiveness and grace. Ascribing to God what is truly His helps to avoid misattributing human characteristics to Him and fosters a deeper understanding of His nature. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Listener Feedback 02:00 The Importance of the Sacred Echo 04:30 The New Wine Series 08:30 Invitation to Discipleship 10:50 Learning from Jesus 19:38 Sitting at the Feet of Jesus 25:36 Remaining in Faith 32:31 Challenges in Maintaining Faith 38:07 Partnership with God 38:56 The Importance of Community in Discipleship 40:10 Commitment and Intimacy in Relationships 41:50 The Concept of Propinquity 43:01 The Model of Discipleship and Community 44:29 Challenges of Creating Community 45:29 Navigating Difficult Church Environments 48:18 Ascribing to God What is God's

Knowledge of God leads to bearing fruit for God. The end goal of knowledge is to display the worth of the Lord. The more we know about the Lord the more worth we ascribe to him. We cannot praise what we do not know. Ascribing worth to the Lord isn't less than knowledge, but it is more than knowledge.   Colossians 1:9-14 Preaching: Pastor Dave Pack Visit our website at www.fremontpres.org Email us at podcast@fremontpres.org

The streimel that sold for 1.8 Million dollars    The Chazon ish, the Steipler, R Aryeh Levin, and R' Elyashiv: the origin story behind R Chaim's streimel    Reb yehuda Hanasi's plea to marry R Elazar Ben R Shimon's widow    Retiring the artifacts of great people   “Chassidishe Genievus”: R shlomo Bobever's story about the Baal Hatanya's attempted Murder   The Tenke rebbe and R Chaim's gartel swap   “Maklei shel R Meir”: The mikor from the Yerushalmi and many other Talmudic sources   The Satmer rebbe's final request: The obsession with the Divrei Chaim's possessions   The Vietzner Rav's incredible survival of the holocaust and the Yitav Leiv's Attarah              

In this episode, I talk about why you should remove any perceived intention from someone's behavior toward you. If you like my thoughts and insights follow me on my socials below for more! To be clear, I am not a therapist! I am just very interested in and passionate about self-awareness and personal growth :)Book a 1:1 session ☕️

Friday September 29, 2023 Rabi al-Awwal 13, 1445   The third episode of the final module in the Fard 'Ayn program, covering miscellaneous issues that are obligatory for Muslims to know, discusses the meaning of 'Ibada and the importance of knowing what worship is a shirk is, having a sound and accurate understanding as expressed by the classical scholars of Islam.   Checkout the webpage for the course: http://mccgp.org/fard-ayn-certificate-course.html   The slides and notes for this class are available at: https://tinyurl.com/4m8adxp4   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/nd-9xbM1KA4   Donate to support this and other programming at MCCGP: http://mccgp.org/donate

Allah is the source of all blessings, so if people are to be truly happy they should live their lives in accordance with His teachings. Unfortunately, many people ignore this and instead seek happiness in boasting of their possessions and competing with others in wealth and children. This leads to unhappiness, as they never feel satisfied and develop strained relationships with those around them. Thankfully, Allah reminds us of the consequences of this misbehavior, so we should remind ourselves of the real purpose of life and be grateful for the blessings we have been given. Allah has given people everything they need for life, but some are not content and strive to acquire more and more in order to be happy. This leads to an ungrateful attitude towards Allah, and selfishness in society. The desire to possess the blessings of the world harms both the individual and the community, with some people clinging to their possessions and encouraging others to do the same, despite the fact that Allah has warned that this is not the path to true happiness. In order to understand the real nature of life, Allah has compared it to a rain shower - transient and beautiful, but soon gone. Such a person's love is directed towards those who are not worthy of it, and the unhappiness caused by this can never be removed. Allah is the one true deity who should be feared, obeyed, and loved. Ascribing partners to Allah is a grievous wrong and is never forgiven, and leads to unhappiness in life. Loving other than Allah, despite His infinite might, leads to disappointment and pain. Therefore, it is important to love Allah and follow His instructions in order to have a fulfilling life. Allah is the only divine being with power and intelligence. A person who accepts Allah as their only God will strive to gain His approval and love, unlike someone who has adopted several false gods and is left in a state of psychological turmoil, dealing with conflicting interests and never obtaining the best result. Allah gives us this wise example to help us understand the difference between these two types of person and protect ourselves from setting up false gods. Fate is in Allah's hands, and He is the only One Who can help us and make us well. We must remember that it is Allah Who causes everything to be done and no creature has any power of its own. Allah is the only one with power and fate, not any beings or objects. People are heedless and deceived if they expect help from anything other than Allah, as all their efforts are in vain. This wrong path of ascribing partners to Allah will only result in regret and psychological collapse on the Day of Judgment with no hope of happiness in their lifetimes. To be free from this deception, people should turn towards Allah, listen to their conscience, and praise His power and omnipotence. This person, who does not believe in fate, will be full of anxiety and tension during the examination. He will be in a state of inner conflict, because he knows that the result of the examination is very important for his life, and that even the slightest mistake could cause him to fail. This person will be in a state of constant worry and fear. Allah informs us of this in the Qur'an: Belief in Allah and submission to fate is essential for a person to experience happiness and peace. Allah is All-Strong, Almighty, and if He helps you, no one can vanquish you. Everything in a person's life has been planned by Allah before they are even born, and it is impossible to escape or change one's fate. With trust in Allah and a proper understanding of fate, a person can be at ease and accept the outcome of their life with peace, whether it is good or bad.

One of the most important errors that the Prophet has warned against is ascribing partners to God or shirk. God is the one and only and all other entities are solely what he has created. The Prophet explained these truths to his people and attempted to free them from idolatry. This is revealed as follows in verses from the Quran. Say: ''I call only upon my Lord and do not associate anyone else with Him.'' (Surat al-Jinn:20) The Prophet has warned all Muslims against idolatry in the Hadith and has stated that ascribing partners to God is a grievous sin. "The most severe sin is to associate partners with God (known as shirk), while He has created you.'' (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)

Teaching on Prayer What is prayer? How do I approach prayer? What should I expect?Recounting God's Goodness Thinking back and thanking God for all He has done and given.Ascribing to God His Character Praying Scripture regarding His sovereignty, faithfulness, protection.Praying for our Community Praying over our community, its leaders, and community ministries. Luke 18:9-141. PRAYER IS UNDERSTANDING WHO GOD IS AND WHO WE ARE.2. PRAYER IS TRUSTING IN GOD'S POWER AND CONFESSING OUR POWERLESSNESS.3. A LACK OF PRAYER IS A LACK OF HUMILITY. Recounting God's Goodness Thinking and thank. Times of PrayerAscribing to God His Character Reading Scripture regarding His sovereignty, faithfulness, protection.Praying for our Community: Praying for Mayor Meek, City Manger Ford, Police Chief Victorian and for Community Ministries

In the interpretation of Parmenides of Elea, there is a certain vulgate, one widely represented in general histories of philosophy and indeed assumed by philosophers broadly. The metaphysical tenor and thrust of the philosophy of Parmenides, according to this vulgate, is holistic monism: "all things are one," in Greek, hen to pan. As it may be recalled, Parmenides reached his metaphysical conclusions by initially reflecting on the language of to mē on or to ouk on (either of which may be translated as "what is not," or "non-being," or "not being"). Famously, or notoriously, he did rule that there is something conceptually and logically unacceptable in speaking or thinking of "not being." Ascribing that initial philosophical move to Parmenides is certainly beyond dispute. The vulgate, however, adds that he must also have reflected on the language of "different" (heteron) and "other" (allo); and then he proceeded to draw powerful metaphysical inferences in the following way: If, with respect to some A and some B, we are to hold that A is "different from" (or "other than") B, or vice versa, then we are committed to holding that "A is not B" and "B is not A." But if grasping "not-being" is inherently impossible, it should likewise count impossible that we should conceive more narrowly of "A's not being B," or of "B's not being A." Once distinctions of any sort are logically disallowed, the metaphysical conclusion seems inevitable: hen to pan, "all things are one." The epistemological corollary of holistic monism is that the world humans experience, fraught as it is with plurality and pervasively splintered by distinctions, is ultimately and fundamentally an illusion. Alexander P. D. Mourelatos is Professor Emeritus in Philosophy and in Classics at The University of Texas at Austin, where in 1967 he founded and for twenty years directed, the Joint Classics-Philosophy Graduate Program in Ancient Philosophy. He is the author of The Route of Parmenides (1970; 2nd edn., 2008), and editor of The Pre-Socratics: A Collection of Critical Essays 1974; 2nd edn., 1993). Scholarly articles of his have appeared in journals in: philosophy; classics; ; history of science; and linguistics. On more than 170 occasions, he has delivered invited lectures at academic venues in North and South America, Europe, and Australasia. He received all his academic degrees from Yale University (Ph.D., 1964), and has been awarded two honorary doctorates in his native Greece (University of Athens, 1994; University of Crete, 2017). Students of his and colleagues have presanted him with two collections in his honor: in 2002, Presocratic Philosophy—Essays in Honour of Alexander Mourelatos; and in 2019, a special double issue of the periodical Philosophical Inquiry. He has held research appointments at: the University of Wisconsin, Madison; the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, NJ); the Center for Hellenic Studies (Washington, DC, Harvard University); Cambridge University; and the Australian National University. This podcast is an audio recording of Dr Mourelatos's talk - "Parmenides of Elea and Xenophanes of Colophon: the Conceptually Deeper Connections" - at the Aristotelian Society on 23rd May 2022. This recording was produced by the Backdoor Broadcasting Company.

This is a devotional taken from "Daily Devotions From The Psalms" written by Rev. John A. Heys. Published by the Reformed Book Outlet in Hudsonville Michigan.

Ascribing diseases to the evil-doing of enemies is an old human habit that can be traced in a wide range of historical injustices, from the witchcraft trials to the Holocaust. One would think that in this age of science and rationality, we would have moved beyond casting unproven recriminations, at least at state level, but apparently not. Take the so-called Havana Syndrome, a mysterious condition said to be afflicting American diplomatic and military personnel abroad – it's barely diagnosed but widely assumed to be an act of aggression. What is that symptomatic of? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Robert Bartholomew, honorary senior lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland and author of ‘Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Mass Hysteria'.

84. Moreh Nevukhim 1:60 - The Dangers of Ascribing Positive Attributes to God with Rabbi Daniel Korobkin at Bayt

In Elihu’s final speech he uses God’s power displayed in the weather as a reminder for Job and all of us to trust God, especially in times of affliction. - Sermon Transcript - Turn in your Bibles this morning. We continue our study in Job; looking at chapters 36 and 37, conclude the speeches of Elihu. And as you do, I want to ask you, think in your mind your experience: what is the most awesome display of weather you've ever seen, of weather? When we were missionaries in Japan, I went with my brother-in-law to the coastline there to see the after effects of a massive tsunami. Basically, their version of a hurricane. The wind had whipped the sea into a frothy frenzy and one angry wave after another pummeled the rocky shores. We stood there and watched. The clouds were spectacular. They were mounting higher and higher into the heavens with differing layers, layer upon layer of dark and light clouds. The clouds seemed to be alive, writhing and moving and undulating and crashing into one another. The sound of the winds and its evident force was terrifying, and we struggled to maintain our footing on the rocky cliff where we are standing overlooking this spectacular scene. And all of this was the aftermath of the storm, of the tsunami. The full force of the storm had already passed by. I've seen myself many breathtaking displays of weather that would vie for the top spot in my memory. I remember on a cross country trip, I came to the state of Montana, which claims on their license to be big sky country. I didn't really know what that meant until one day I experienced an electrical storm there, and I realized that the sky did seem bigger than anything I ever saw in my little state of Massachusetts. The states are just little there up in New England. Across the Mississippi they get really big. And the horizon just seemed to be far, far away. And, during this electrical storm, the terror of that storm was greater than anything I'd ever seen before, because I could see the traverse of a single bolt of lightning from one end of the sky to the other. As Jesus talked about it in his second coming glory, "As lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Now as we come to these two chapters in Job 36, 37, we come, as I said, to the final speech of Elihu, the mysterious man of God who just drops into this account. And he comes to speak on God's behalf. He's going to use the staggering power of God displayed in weather, displayed in the clouds, in wind and thunder and lightning to remind Job and all of us to trust God, especially in times of affliction. Today, we're going to find that the basic message from Elihu in these last two chapters will be essentially the same message that what almighty God himself will say to Job in chapters 38-41. Central thesis is this: God is a wise and loving teacher. He uses creation to teach us his nature. And then he uses trials to teach us our own sinfulness and dependency on him, God, the teacher. Therefore, the best we can do in times of suffering is to humble ourselves before him, and trust him more than ever. Look at the wonders of God and creation. Understand the God behind those wonders. Understand that same God is managing your life, and he knows how to do it. So trust him. That's the message. It's going to be the same that we see in Job 38-41, God's speeches. I. Ascribe Righteousness to Our Maker (Job 36:1-4) Let's begin by walking through what Elihu says, and we'll start with ascribing righteousness to our Maker. This is going to be probably the central theological idea in this sermon. Ascribing righteousness to our Maker. Look at verses 1-4, “Elihu continued, ‘Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God's behalf. I get my knowledge from afar. I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. Be assured that my words are not false. One perfect in knowledge is with you.’" I believe as we look at this statement, "I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker," there's a very clear reason why Elihu feels the need to do this. We come to the theological topic of theodicy, or the justification of God, the vindication of God. What do I mean by that? Well, human suffering, or the problem of evil, the problem of wickedness in a world that God runs, is one of the great issues, one of the offensive issues for people who question the existence of God. They're going to bring it up. They regularly accuse God of non-existence even, because of the magnitude of human suffering in the world. They say it is impossible for the God you say that exists, a God who is wise, a God who is loving, a God who is powerful, those are the three attributes all the time on this issue, his wisdom, his power, his love to exist. It's impossible for such a God to exist because of all the suffering we see in the world, all the wickedness we see in the world. So either God is not wise, or perhaps he's not loving, or perhaps he's not powerful, or perhaps he doesn't exist at all. So, Christians, seeking to win a lost world to faith in Christ, have sought to defend the honor of God, to vindicate his ways to a vicious and skeptical world. This is theodicy, the justification of God, or vindication of God. Amazingly, I believe this is the very thing Elihu is determined to do here, verse 3, "I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker." Notice he speaks of God as my Maker; that is appropriate because the centerpiece of his evidence here will be God's activity in creation, in making and sustaining and ruling over everything in the universe. And so, here we want to take Elihu's words and turn it around to all of us who read this text. This is the application for us. Ascribe righteousness to your Maker, and especially do it when you're suffering. When you're tempted to think God is being unfair, or God's being unjust to you, ascribe righteousness to your Maker. That's the main idea. The God who knit you together in your mother's womb, the God who has sustained your life every day since that time. That God, who not only made you, but actually made all things in the universe, that God is righteous. He doesn't make mistakes, this mighty God. "When you're tempted to think God is being unfair, or God's being unjust to you, ascribe righteousness to your Maker." Elihu, as he begins to talk, he introduces himself again with this preface and he asks for patience, because he has more to say. "Bear with me a little longer," he says. "I want to speak on God's behalf. I want to speak a word for God." As the theologian and writer said, “Who speaks for God?” We, his people in this world, should speak for God. Who speaks for him? Elihu wants to do that. And Elihu claims to gain wisdom or get his wisdom from afar, afar. He really is claiming to get his wisdom from God himself. He claims his words are not false. He even actually claims to be one who is perfect in knowledge. Now, here, the rubber meets the road on our hermeneutic on Elihu. If you're going to band him together with one of his friends and kind of cast him out in that regard, though there's no biblical reason to do so, but you're going to band him together, then you're going to walk through Elihu's statements and find fault with things he says. You may say, “What an arrogant individual! ‘One perfect in knowledge is here with you.’” Imagine saying that to your friends, “I want you to know one perfect in knowledge is here talking to you right now.” But it's a whole different matter, isn't it? If you believe in the office of a prophet or in prophecy. A prophet under the control of the Spirit actually is perfect in knowledge. You are hearing, when you hear a prophet speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are hearing, not the word of man, but the word of God through a man. Scripture throughout testifies at this. Apostle Paul said this to the Thessalonicans: “You heard the word from us as the word of God as it really is, not the word of men.” So that's how I hear Elihu here. He's speaking under the power and the influence of the Holy Spirit as a prophet would. We're going to see much similarity between Elihu's approach and God's approach, very similar. It's like they have the same script. By the way, that happened at the time of Jesus' resurrection. The angels come to the empty tomb. Mary is there weeping. And the angels, though she doesn't think they're angels, but the angels say, "Why are you weeping?" A few moments later Jesus shows up. What's the first thing he says to her? "Why are you weeping?" It's interesting how the messengers of God, the ones that are truly from God, and God himself say the same thing. So it is here with a Elihu. He's going to give us natural theology. He's going to give us creation theology. We'll talk more about that in a moment. What may be learned about God from creation to make his point? And God's going to do the same thing. He's going to walk through a lot of the same material and many other things besides. And the basic idea is this: a human being should never, ever question a God who can make all of that, all of the things that we see with our eyes, this incredible creation. A God who made that, you should never question him or accuse him of wrongdoing, even if you're suffering greatly. II. God Uses Suffering to Test Us (Job 36:5-15) All right. Point two: God uses suffering to test us, verses 5-15. Almighty God does not despise any person. This isn't God despising people. Look at verse 5, "Behold, God is mighty and does not despise any. He is mighty in strength of understanding." That's what the text says. I think our minds might put a disjunction in there. “God is mighty, but he doesn't despise anyone.” I think that would be okay. Although we keep the text just the way it is. It would be easy for suffering people to accuse the mighty God, this awesome powerful God, of playing with people like a vicious young boy who likes to torture insects. "God is mighty," says Elihu. "He's more mighty and powerful than we can possibly imagine, but he doesn't despise any human being." Why is that? Because he knows better than we do the significance of every human being. The significance of everyone created in the image of God. He knows how important that is, so he doesn't despise anyone. Many rulers and Nobles and the mighty ones on planet Earth, they lorded over the lowliest of people, lorded over them. They despise them. They don't hate them; they just think very little of them. That's what the word means here. They think little of them. They can't be bothered. Those people have no access to that mighty person. Can't get in. He doesn't listen to them. He ignores them. He just lives his high and mighty life. Well, that's not God. God despises no one. And he is mighty in understanding. He understands everything on Earth. He understands what you're going through. He understands your life situation. He understands you and what you need. He understands everything. And he doesn't despise you. Just because we are so limited, because we are so small, you could say, “What is man that you're mindful of him?” We're just small, puny in strength. Yet God doesn't despise any one of us. Think about how angry Jesus got with his disciples when parents were bringing little children to Jesus. Remember, the disciples were rebuking those people and they couldn't get access and Jesus got angry at them. Their approach is, “Jesus is an important man he doesn't have time for children.” and Jesus became indignant with them and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth. Anyone who will not be converted and transformed to be like a little child will not receive the kingdom of God.” That's how we receive it. And he took the children in his arms and he put his hands on them and blessed them. That's him living out what Elihu says about God. He doesn't despise even the smallest among us. God does cut off the wicked, verse 6. He's active in cutting off the wicked. Here, Elihu only briefly addressed that lamentation we saw back in Job 21, remember how he is refuting his friends, saying their basic premises. As soon as you're wicked, God crushes you. That's the thing. Job said, "Actually not. There are wicked people that do very well, and they make it to the end of their lives surrounded by all of their loved ones. And they die in their sleep." Job 21. Elihu says, "Actually, the wicked don't escape justice. God sees to it that they get justice. Eventually, he brings the hammer down." Verse 6. But concerning the righteous, God uses suffering to teach them. Verse 7-10: “He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with Kings and exalts them forever. But if men are bound in chains, held fast by chords of affliction, he tells them what they have done- that they have sinned arrogantly. He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil.” So God exalts righteous people. He puts them in key positions in society. Even better, someday he'll exalt all of the righteous into heavenly glory and give them thrones, and we will consort with one another with the great ones in history. But along with that, he sometimes afflicts his people with great suffering. Elihu likes it to being held with chains of affliction, cords of affliction, but think of somebody battling chronic illness, like cancer, and wave upon wave of tests and diagnostics come back. It's very, very difficult. It's like they're bound, lashed down by this trial. They can't escape it. They can't sever that cord. It's holding them fast. They can't run and leap and fly and sing. They're held down, they feel, by this chain of affliction. God brings chains of affliction on people, he says to expose their sinfulness. Sometimes it comes as a direct chastisement for sin. Elihu speaks in this case of people sinning arrogantly. There's a certain arrogance, isn't there, to all sin? We're just arrogant when we sin. Prideful. And he brings those individuals, the righteous that are suffering, he brings them to repentance. He convicts them. He takes them back to their own actions. He shows them what they did, “Don't you remember? You did this. You said that. This is what happened.” He shows them their actions, and he makes them take ownership of their choices, “This is what you decided to do.” verse 10, “He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil.” So, I understand you're like, “Well, this sounds a lot like the friends,” but here's the fact of the matter: we don't have Job's resume of righteousness. Don't you think it's wise for us, whenever we go through affliction, to get before God humbly and quietly to go into our room and close the door and pray to our Father whose unseen and say, “God, what sin is there in my life that has resulted in this affliction? Are you chastising me for sin?” It is right for us to do that. Some cases, the answer is no; that, like Job, you're suffering for other purposes. That may be the case. We open that up in our minds. We know the case of Job tells us that. But often it may be, there is a direct chastisement that the Father is bringing into our lives. We should not assume that set is zero, empty; we would never be chastised for our sins. I think we often are. And that's Hebrews 12. So we should go to God. He makes us listen to correction and own our own actions. He commands us to repent of our choices, of our sin, of our evil. The trial then, therefore, sifts people and tests them. The suffering puts people at a fork in the road, and God is testing them to see how they'll respond. Verses 10-12, “He makes them listen to correction, commands them to repent of their evil. If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge.” So, trials come to all kinds of people, everybody really. When they come, how those people respond sifts them out. There's a sifting that goes on. Shows a lot about the state of your soul. Now, wicked people, when they go through the exact same afflictions, stubbornly refuse to cry out to God. They actually use it as an excuse to get even angrier at God than they were before. Look at verse 13-14, “The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them,” there's that chain of affliction, that bondage of affliction, “when he fetters them, they do not cry for help. They die in their youth among male prostitutes of the shrines," the text says. Many say there are no atheists in foxholes. In other words, when you're in the battle you're going to cry out to God. You're going to find God in that foxhole. Well, actually that doesn't always happen. In fact, it often doesn't happen. Frequently, when wicked people go through these exact same afflictions, they double down on their rebellion, actually. They feel strong in their rebellion because of their suffering. Isaiah 8:21 speaks of this exact same issue, these are wicked people going through affliction: “Distressed and hungry they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God." Isaiah 8:21. You see the same thing in the afflictions that happen in the book of Revelation. These punishments and judgments come on the Earth, and the people don't repent. They get even angrier at God. Revelation. Conversely, godly people enduring the exact same trials will use them wisely. Look at verse 15, "those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their afflictions." God speaks to them in their afflictions. He's telling them many things. He's using the affliction to communicate with them. And point three in my outline, God is wooing them. He's wooing them toward himself. III. God is Wooing Us, but so is Evil (Job 36:16-21) But along with that comes a warning. So also is evil. There's a siren call of evil. So God is wooing you in the affliction, but so also is evil wooing you, enticing you, verses 16-21. So we get competing enticements, competing voices. On the one hand, God is willing his people to come closer to him, to draw near to him, to ask him for forgiveness and for help. God is telling you, "Use the affliction wisely. Draw closer to me in repentance. Ask me for forgiveness. Ask me for help." On the other hand, though, evil is alluring you. Evil is enticing you, pulling on you with a deadly siren call of rebellion. Who are you going to listen to? The future of your soul depends on how you react when you're at that fork in the road. So God is wooing his people, verses 15-16, “But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.” So in your suffering, God is speaking his wisdom into your life. He's speaking his purpose into your life and your love into your life. He's wooing you to himself. He's talking you down from the ledge, from the ledge of rebellion, from the ledge of sin and destruction, from the jaws of distress. He's enticing you, wooing you away from that, he says, to a place of richness, to a banquet table laden in his presence. Ultimately, this will be fulfilled in heaven's banquet table to sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the kingdom of heaven and feast. God prepares a table before us in the presence of our afflictions and he feeds us. That's going to happen. I already decided, church, what the title of my last sermon in Job will be. I'm going to write it, I think God willing, this week, number of weeks ahead. The happy ending. Does that sound good? I'm looking forward to the happy ending. You guys have read ahead. You know what happens, don't you? I'm not going to tell you now. Another sermon, another day, God willing. But there is a happy ending for us at the end of all of these afflictions. But at the same time, evil is alluring. It's wooing. It's enticing. It's a warning here. Now, Elihu is speaking, I think, directly to Job here, and he's not accusing him of sin, but he's warning him. "Don't give into resentment. Don't give into bitterness. Don't give into rebellion against God." Look at verses 17-21. "But now you are laden with the judgment due to the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you. Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a bribe turn you aside. Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so that you would not be in distress? Do not long for the night so you can drag people away from their homes. Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction." These are sharp words, words of rebuke, words of warning. “Don't go in that direction.” Some people, when they're in the midst of affliction, begin to question the way they've been living their lives up until now. I mean, in piety, in righteousness. “What good has it been to me to serve God all this time? How has it benefited me? I'm here now suffering the same afflictions as the wicked. What good has all my praying done? If this is how God treats his friends, it's no wonder he has so few of them," some have said. Or we hear that bitter wooing or enticing from Job's wife, "Are you still holding onto your integrity? Curse God and die." That's the voice of evil. “Are you holding onto your piety, to your godliness, to all your praying, your righteous? Are you holding onto that?” So evil is saying, “I've got a better way. Why don't you just forget all that piety and religion and follow us and we'll share a purse together,” so to speak, “We will lay in wait for souls and drag them off,” Proverbs 1. Elihu is saying don't do it. Don't give into that siren call of evil. Now, Elihu turns to his main message: the God of creation gives you everything you need for life. He also will give you everything you need to endure this affliction. He is worthy of your full trust in the midst of your suffering. So point four, God uses creation to teach us his nature. IV. God Uses Creation to Teach Us His Nature (Job 36:22-37:18) So Elihu fills Job's mind and ours with majestic thoughts of God. So for me, I'm not just along for the ride. I like reading good poetry. I like reading descriptions of nature, but I am asking, what is this here for? Why is this in the book of Job? We have to ask that question. I think the point is that God of creation knows you, is wise and loving, and you can trust him in the midst of your affliction. So first, God is an exalted teacher. Verse 22, “God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?” I love that. That's a helpful little reminder. Just put this weapon in your arsenal for when you go through affliction. God is a teacher. God is going to use it to teach you himself. So we should think God is just generally teaching you about himself all the time in creation, but he's also going to teach you in the midst of affliction. And the lesson is always the same, God himself. God is the lesson. We will learn God in all of this. We will learn God by looking at nature. We will learn God by looking at him in the midst of our sufferings. That's what he's saying. "Just put this weapon in your arsenal for when you go through affliction. God is a teacher. God is going to use it to teach you himself." So, how majestic is God? Well, he's infinitely majestic. He is a majestic sovereign king. He is an independent king. Look at verse 23, “Who has prescribed his ways for him?” I went back yesterday as I was practicing a sermon, working on this. I looked at this word in multiple translations, “Who has prescribed his ways for him?” There are a lot of different aspects, but they all get about the same thing. “Who has assigned God his ways?” You like that? “Who has told God what to do?” You could look at it, “who has been his counselor?” You heard those words before. “Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him? Who taught him the right way?” Isaiah 40:13-14. That's the kind of thing. Who did God turn to when he said, “I don't know what to do.” That never happened. No one assigns God his ways. And secondly, no one can say to him, “you have done wrong.” God is accountable to no one. I'm going to zero in on this concept, God willing, in a later sermon. God is not accountable to us. He doesn't have to give any explanation to us for what he's done, verse 23. Point of the universe is that God's glory would be on display. That we would see his glory. That we would study his glory. That we would savor his glory and celebrate his glory. That's our job, “The Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” It's our job to be the knowing ones. We know his glory and celebrate him. Look at verses 24-26, “Remember to extol his work, which men have praised in song.” That's just a call to praise him. Just remember to extol him, praise him, which others have written songs about. You should sing. In the midst of your affliction, sing. Verse 25, “All mankind has seen it. Men gaze on it from afar. How great is God- beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.” And so, Elihu then just waxes eloquently concerning the glories of God and creation. This is what we call natural theology. We're going to be swimming in it over the next number of weeks, God willing. Natural theology. What does that mean? What you can learn about God from what he has made. Romans 1:20, "Since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." So by looking at creation, you can learn what God is like. God is the infinite, the unsearchable creator and sustainer of everything in the universe. Visible and invisible. He is all sufficient. He doesn't need anything from the creation or the creature. But he actually gives to the creation everything it needs to continue to exist. He sustains all of creation by his powerful word. And he sustains creation in the function for which he created it. That's what God does. Then he talks about weather. As I began the sermon, clouds, rain, thunder, and lightning. Look at verses 27-30: “He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams.” So he evaporates them, lifts them up off the Earth. He gathers them, and then he drops them down where he wants them. Verse 28, "The clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea." Clouds are really astonishing, aren't they? Have you ever entertained yourself on a summer afternoon just by looking at clouds? Is that something only children do? I must tell you honestly, I haven't done it in a while. Oh, I know I wrote about it in the sermon here, but I remember when I was a kid, you would just look up at the clouds and try to turn them into shapes. Did you ever do that? Like an elephant with a big trunk, really big trunk on that elephant. Or I don't know, some palace with spires going up, or some mountain range, or I don't know, a squirrel. I never saw a squirrel in clouds. You know, they look like fluffy whiffs of cotton, but they're actually immensely heavy. They're very heavy. They're made up of evaporated water, and water is heavy. Water rises from the surface of the Earth. Clouds rise up. They're carried by thermals, like rising columns of heated air. The average fair weather cloud can weigh well over 1 million pounds. A million pounds, one of those fair weather clouds. What about one of those massive thunderstorm clouds that I was describing? Well, that's billions of pounds of water. How does it defy gravity? Do you ever wonder about that? It's amazing. And they just float over the surface of the Earth. And then God's storms are terrifying. Verses 29-30, "Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? See how he scatters his lightning about him bathing the depths of the sea.” bathing them in light, crackling light. You ever seen an electrical storm over the water, it's just impressive. By these clouds, Elihu says, God controls the water of the Earth. And he actually even controls the direction of human history by weather. Verses 31-33, “This is the way he governs the nations and provides food and abundance. He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. His thunder announces the coming storm. Even the cattle make known its approach." That's a fascinating concept. God controls, governs nations by weather. Not only by weather, but sometimes by weather, like battles have been influenced decisively by a sudden rainstorm that hinders the movement of troops from one place to another. It happens. And how much more the economy, how withholding water from one place or giving suitable or appropriate water to another place causes food to grow and a balance of wealth that affects the unfolding history of nations. It's amazing. And then we come to the terror of thunder and lightning. You could say, “Look, pastor, I've outgrown all that. I'm not afraid of thunder and lightning at all.” Have you ever had one strike literally right over your head? What's happening to your heart rate at that moment, dear friends? Especially if it was unexpected, it's unbelievably loud. It's terrifying. Chapter 37:1-5, "At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place." Yes. That's you in an electrical storm, "Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. After that comes the sound of his roar. He thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back. God's voice thunders in marvelous ways. He does great things beyond our understanding." Elihu acknowledges that his own heart pounds whenever he sees an electrical storm. And the thunder and lightning go together, for thunder is caused by the rapid expansion of air surrounding the path of a lightning bolt. Lightning is the discharge of the static electricity that's happening between the clouds as they rub against each other. A lightning bolt takes only a few thousands of a second to make its journey to the surface of the Earth, but its effects are overwhelming. Lightning bolts heat the air around the bolt to a temperature as high as 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's five times hotter than the surface of the sun. The combination of thunder and lightning always has the power to strike terror into the hearts of people. The wicked emperor, Caligula, was so terrified of electrical storms, thunder and lightning, that he would run into a corner or literally hide under a bed. He was the Emperor of Rome hiding under a bed at an electrical storm. And then there's Martin Luther, who is a law student making his way across a field in Germany, electrical storm traps him. He's hundreds and hundreds of yards from the forest or from any safety. He falls down in the mud and makes a vow to the patron saint of minors. "Help me, Saint Anne. I shall become a monk." Medieval Catholic theology. He was going to earn his way out of hell by becoming a monk, but that led him on a journey to discovering the gospel. But it was electrical storm. Brilliant, jagged, blinding light, coupled with overpowering deep rolling sound. Our senses reel with the power. They're designed by God, among other things, dear friends to strike terror in the hearts of arrogant, rebellious human beings. And he does it easily. You remember Exodus 19, the 10 commandments? Remember God descending in a cloud and fire to the top of Mount Sinai? And do you remember how the Earth shook beneath their feet? And there was an electrical storm. Exodus 19:16, "On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled." The book of Hebrews tells us something we didn't know. Moses was so terrified at the site that he said, "I am terrified with fear." Everyone was afraid. 10 times in the book of Revelation, 10 times, thunder and lightning are used to show the terrifying power of the presence of God. Thunder and lightning. So Revelation 11:19, "Then God's temple in heaven was open. And within his temple was seen the arc of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peels of thunder and earthquake in a great hailstorm." Elihu calls thunder the voice of God. Beyond this, Elihu talks about God's control of weather. Verses 5-14, "God's voice thunders in marvelous ways. He does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth.' And to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' so that all men that he has made may know his work. He stops every man from his labor." They have to stop working because it's a downpour, “The animals take cover. They remain in their dens. The tempest comes out from its chamber, the cold from the driving winds. The breath of God produces ice. The broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture. He scatters his lightning through them. At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole Earth to do whatever he commands them. He brings the clouds to punish men or to water the Earth and show his love.” verse 14, "Listen to this, Job. Stop and consider God's wonders." The range of precipitation, all of which God controls. The volume of rain, differing levels. Like, there's a sprinkle, ever been in a sprinkle? And then a spring shower. Then there's a downpour. Then there's sheets of rain. I like to talk about the car wash effect. Have you ever been in one of those? I don't know what it is about this region. I never saw this in the state I grew up in, but you can have this pocket of rain and drive through. It takes about a minute to drive through, but it's like a car wash. And then the other side the road is literally dry, bone dry. But in that car wash, it's hard to drive. You can't see much beyond the hood of the car. Then there's the temperature that God controls. Sometimes it's warm, sometimes colder, sometimes freezing. And then different types of precipitation. There's rain, there's snow, there's hail, hail storms. And then there's the effect of the precipitation. As he says, men have to stop working. Animals take cover. So God uses the clouds, he says, both to punish men, but also to water the Earth and to show his love for people, verse 13. All of these are done at the will and bidding of God for his inscrutable purposes. And man is powerless over the weather. I don't know of any research being done to control weather patterns. I mean, I think we know to wave the white flag on that one. What could we do to stop the massive movements of air over the surface of the Earth? Nothing. Powerless. So God's activity and all of this should humble us. Verses 14-18, "Listen to this, Job. Stop and consider God's wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised? Those wonders of him who has perfect in knowledge, you who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hush beneath the south wind. Can you join him in spreading out the skies hard as a mirror of cast bronze?" Now this is the very approach that God is going to take with Job in chapters 38-41. "You are limited in knowledge. You are limited in power. You are limited in longevity, in lifespan. Who are you to question me?" He's going to take this exact approach that Elihu is taking here. Such a mighty God of creation is worthy of our adoration and trust. Even in times of suffering. V. Consider God’s Wonders and Revere Him (Job 37:19-24) Fifth point. Consider God's wonders then and revere him. Verses 19-24, "Tell us what we should say to him that we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness. Should he be told that I want to speak? Would any man ask to be swallowed up? Now no one can look at the sun, bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean. Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty. The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. Therefore, men revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?" So let's just get to the point here. Elihu is warning Job to stop preparing his court case. You know how Job wants to have his day in court with God as his legal opponent? He thinks he can walk boldly into the presence of God with his legal arguments about his righteousness and accuse God of injustice concerning him, but the God of thunder and lightning, the God who sends every drop of rain that has ever fallen on earth, the God of creation of glory will not be impressed with any of Job's credentials or any of his arguments. None of them. And would not a mortal man be swallowed up by the infinitcy of God's majesty? "We cannot look at the sun directly when the clouds are gone," Elihu says, “We'd be instantly blinded. But God created and sustains the sun. His glory's greater than the sun. God comes out of the north with gold splendor riding on the clouds of awesome glory. He speaks in a voice of thunder. Almighty God then is infinitely above our reach. Hear that Job and hear that all suffering people. God's righteousness is perfect. So here's my final advice,” verse 24, "Fear him for he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit. Fear him." That's just his way of saying: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” He's not going to look at you if you are arrogant. So you better humble yourself before him and he'll give you grace. VI. Lessons All right, so that's Elihu, chapters 36, 37. What lessons can we take from this? Well, the central lesson we've said throughout the sermon: the God of this glorious creation is worthy of your full trust. When you are suffering afflictions, realize that this mighty God cannot, will not, do wrong in your case. He knows what he's doing. You need to trust him. When you're suffering afflictions draw near to him in humble worship. Humbly ask him for relief, ask him for wisdom, ask him how have I sinned and expect that there is some answer, and then repent of that sin. But don't accuse God of unrighteousness, of injustice. As Elihu said, realize that God is a teacher. He's using creation every day to teach you his nature, but he's also using afflictions to teach you. And what should you learn? That you're a creature and he's the creator. He's infinitely above you. And secondly, that you're a sinner in need of repentance. You have sinned and need to repent. And so like Job at the end of this book, so will you. When you have this encounter with God, you're going to feel that sinfulness and you're going to repent. And use the trial. You're at the fork in the road. Use it to get closer to God, not to hear that evil sirens song to get further away from God. Beware of evil. Beware of murmuring against God, seething in rebellion, questioning the goodness of God or the justice of God or mercy of God. Don't do that. Ultimately, all roads in scripture lead to Christ. Now, let's look at what the basic issue is here. Elihu is here to speak on God's behalf. God will tell very clearly what he's angry at Job at: "How can you accuse me of injustice, of unrighteousness?" Now here's what I want to say to you. You can't really see the righteousness of God in creation. It's hard to see righteousness. I can see power. I can see wisdom. I can see love. It's hard to see righteousness there. No friends, the greatest display of righteousness there has ever been is the death of his only begotten Son. That's where you see righteousness. "The greatest display of righteousness there has ever been is the death of his only begotten Son. That's where you see righteousness." God presented Christ as a propitiation, a sacrifice of atonement for our sins. “He did this,” Romans 3:25-26, “to demonstrate his justice, his righteousness. Because in his forbearance, he'd left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.” You look at history, you look at how God treats different people, you'll get confused. You won't see that God is always, like, smacking the wicked as soon as they do injustice. It's confusing. What you have to do is look to what God did in his only begotten Son, the only pure man that has ever lived. He crushed him on the cross. And why? Because he is our sin bearing substitute. God made him, Christ, who had no sin to be sin for us, and then crushed him so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. That is the single greatest display of the righteousness of God there ever has been or ever will be. God did it to demonstrate his justice, his righteousness. So if you ever want to question the righteousness of God, look to the cross. And then secondly, know that the one who died there is there to be a merciful and faithful high priest to help you through your trials. He's not distant. He is God with us. He walks with you through the trial. He knows what it is to be tempted. He knows what it is to suffer. And so it says in Hebrews 2:17-18, "Christ is a merciful and high priest and service to God. That he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Finally, I don't know if you're ever going to get out to Montana, but picture in your mind: big sky country. Picture in your mind the lightning flashes from the east visible even in the west, "And at that time,” Jesus says, "the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. And all the nations of the Earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming in power and great glory on the clouds of the sky." That's what we're looking forward to, a display of the justice and righteousness of God and the salvation that waits for all of us. Close with me in prayer. Lord, thank you for what we learn from scripture. It's deep. It's complicated. It's not easy to walk through these verses. Father, give us the ability to hear these lessons and take them to heart. Help us to realize, not with any sense of dread or ominousness, but you are in fact right now preparing us for suffering and infliction that you will bring wisely into our lives later. Help us, oh Lord, not to turn away in rebellion, but to turn to you in love and in faith. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Worship is the Spirit-Empowered work of Ascribing worth to God 1. Early Church - Singing - the centrality of the Word 2. Pre-Reformation -believers receive grace from God 3. Reformation & After

Worship is about ascribing value or worth to someone or something. The more you encounter Jesus, the more you become aware of His immeasurable worth and the more worship pours from your being. When we worship, it reminds us of the One who has already conquered every problem we will ever face. It repositions our heart to see God for who He truly is! In this podcast we'll discuss what worship is and all of its many benefits. For more information and resources: Learn more about Hunter and Allison https://www.hunterandallisonfowler.com/about Listen to Synergy Worship Music https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIVL65y1mlV1_kwW7QiLKew Listen to Escapade's Music (Christian Rap) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpKebgiKyYIHnurJZ1teTIw Read Allison's Newest Blog https://www.hunterandallisonfowler.com/blog Buy Allison's Book “Birthing Isaac: Prepare for Your Promise” https://www.hunterandallisonfowler.com/shop Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram as Hunter Fowler, Allison Fowler, Between Realms and Synergy Worship.

Fact-Checking the Fact-Checkers: What Anti-Critical Race Theory Legislation Actually Does   Conn Carroll / June 28, 2021 After the House of Representatives voted 415-14 to make Juneteenth a national holiday, New York Times national political reporter Astead Herndon tweeted, “its kinda amazing: juneteenth is gonna be a federal holiday for reasons teachers won't be allowed to explain to their students out of fear critical race theory backlash.” Herndon's claim is outrageously false, as many on twitter quickly pointed out, including WFAA Dallas reporter Chris Sadeghi who responded, “This is the type of tweet that gets shared a lot and many will use similar logic to support their stance. But there's nothing banning the teachings of emancipation. In fact, the Texas law mandates the history of slavery/white supremacy be taught. Please don't fall for this.” The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies does in fact require the teaching of “the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation,” as Sadeghi notes. Herndon's false claim about what is taught in our nation's schools is understandable, however, when you consider how his employer, The New York Times, covered recent Texas legislation that sought to ban the use of critical race theory in Texas schools. Under the headline “Texas Pushes to Obscure the State's History of Slavery and Racism,” the Times claims that “nearly a dozen other Republican-led states” are seeking “to ban or limit how the role of slavery and pervasive effects of racism can be taught.” “Idaho was the first state to sign into law a measure that would withhold funding from schools that teach such lessons,” the Times continues. “And lawmakers in Louisiana, New Hampshire and Tennessee have introduced bills that would ban teaching about the enduring legacies of slavery and segregationist laws, or that any state or the country is inherently racist or sexist.” Everything the Times published in this paragraph is false, except its claim that some of these states banned the teaching “that any state or the country is inherently racist or sexist.” That part is true. Here is what the legislation from each of these states actually does: Texas Senate Bill 2202 forbids any teacher, administrator, or other employee in a state agency from requiring any of the following concepts in their course work: (1) One race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex. (2) An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. (3) An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex. (4) Members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex. (5) An individual's moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex. (6)  An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex. (7) Any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex. (8) Meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by members of a particular race to oppress members of another race. Idaho House Bill 377 forbids any public school or public institution of higher education from directing or otherwise compelling any student to adopt the following tenets: (i) That any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior. (ii) That individuals should be adversely treated on the basis of their sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin. (iii) That individuals, by virtue of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin, are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by other members of the same sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin. Louisiana House Bill 564 forbids any trainings provided to students or employees that promote “divisive concepts,” which the legislation then specifically defines as: (a) That one race or sex is inherently superior or inferior to another race or sex. (b) That either the United States of America or the state of Louisiana is fundamentally, institutionally, or systemically racist or sexist. (c) That an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, is inherently or systemically racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, or has negative or positive characteristics that inhere in the individual's DNA. (d) That an individual should be discriminated against, favored, or receive differential treatment solely or partly because of the individual's race or sex. (e) That an individual of one race or sex should be treated disrespectfully regarding that individual's race or sex. (f) That an individual's moral character is anyway defined, described, or determined by the individual's race or sex. (g) That an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, bears responsibility or is to be held accountable for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex. (h) That any individual should feel or be made to feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological or emotional distress on account of that individual's race or sex. (i) That the concept of meritocracy or traits such as a strong work ethic are racist or sexist or were created by a particular race or sex to oppress another race or sex. (j) That the concepts of capitalism, free markets, or working for a private party in exchange for wages are racist and sexist or oppress a given race or sex. (k) That the concepts of racial equity and gender equity, meaning the unequal treatment of individuals because of their race, sex, or national origin, should be given preference in education and advocacy over the concepts of racial equality and gender equality, meaning the equal treatment of individuals regardless of their race, sex, or national origin. (l) Any form of race or sex scape goating or race or sex stereo typing. New Hampshire  House Bill 544 forbids the teaching, instruction, or training of any employee or student to adopt or believe any “divisive concepts,” which the legislation specifically defines as: (a) One race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex. (b) The state of New Hampshire or the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist. (c) An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. (d) An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex. (e) Members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex. (f) An individual's moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex. (g) An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex. (h) Any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex. (i) Meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to oppress another race. (j) The term “divisive concepts” includes any other form of race or sex stereotyping or any other form of race or sex scapegoating. Tennessee Senate Bill 623 prohibits any local education association or public charter school from “including or promoting the following concepts as part of a course of instruction”: (1) One race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex. (2) An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously. (3) An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of the individual's race or sex. (4) An individual's moral character is determined by the individual's race or sex. (5) An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex. (6) An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or another form of psychological distress solely because of the individual's race or sex. (7) A meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist, or designed by a particular race or sex to oppress members of another race or sex. (8) This state or the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist. (9) Promoting or advocating the violent overthrow of the United States government. (10) Promoting division between, or resentment of, a race, sex, religion, creed, nonviolent political affiliation, social class, or class of people. (11) Ascribing character traits, values, moral or ethical codes, privileges, or beliefs to a race or sex, or to an individual because of the individual's race or sex. The Times Is Plain Wrong As you can see, after actually reading the bills, none of them “ban teaching about the enduring legacies of slavery and segregationist laws,” as the Times claims. What they do do is reaffirm America's core commitment to equality: that “no sex, race, ethnicity, color, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior”; that no individual should be “adversely treated on the basis of their sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin”; and that no individual should be held responsible “for actions committed in the past by other members of the same sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin.” These core American concepts of equality and individual responsibility are antithetical to critical race theory just as they are antithetical to Marxism. Where Marxism asked Americans to understand history as a struggle between classes, critical race theory asks Americans to understand history as a struggle between races. This is a fundamentally un-American idea and state legislators have every right to make sure it is not being taught in our nation's schools. >>> WATCH: Christopher Rufo breaks down what critical race theory in “Critical Race Theory: Coming to a School Near You?“ The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.  Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we'll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  Print

The tribes question Phineas' act, ascribing it to a cruel streak that he supposedly inherited from Jethro, who fattened calves only to have them slaughtered for idols. What impels us to ascribe negative motivation to the good acts of others? And what can we do about it? Also, what do you do when nobody seems to be doing anything?

The Bible talks about how the heart 'gathers iniquity to itself'. I found a parallel with cognitive bias. This is where we automatically filter out information that challenges our presuppositions. I explore finding cognitive bias in ourselves and how we can have fruitful conversations with people that may have cognitive bias. Heart gathers iniquity on autopilot Ps 41:6 ; Cessationists and atheists ignore what Pentecostals don't; Demonizing people we disagree with; Consequences of demonizing the enemy; I used to be a New Ager so I understand their perspective; People we disagree with believe they have valid points; Winning an argument versus the 'bigger picture'; Solutions; Seek first to understand and then to be understood; Ascribing noble intent; Consider the impact of what you may say; Be open to new and challenging ideas; Find common ground and work from there; Follow me here: https://www.facebook.com/conrad.carriker https://www.instagram.com/conradcarriker/ https://www.conradrocks.net/p/podcast.html https://twitter.com/MostRadicalMan Get two free months with Scribd HERE: https://www.scribd.com/g/8ngrjd

The Bible talks about how the heart 'gathers iniquity to itself'. I found a parallel with cognitive bias. This is where we automatically filter out information that challenges our presuppositions. I explore finding cognitive bias in ourselves and how we can have fruitful conversations with people that may have cognitive bias. Heart gathers iniquity on autopilot Ps 41:6 ; Cessationists and atheists ignore what Pentecostals don't; Demonizing people we disagree with; Consequences of demonizing the enemy; I used to be a New Ager so I understand their perspective; People we disagree with believe they have valid points; Winning an argument versus the 'bigger picture'; Solutions; Seek first to understand and then to be understood; Ascribing noble intent; Consider the impact of what you may say; Be open to new and challenging ideas; Find common ground and work from there; Follow me here: https://www.facebook.com/conrad.carriker https://www.instagram.com/conradcarriker/ https://www.conradrocks.net/p/podcast.html https://twitter.com/MostRadicalMan Get two free months with Scribd HERE: https://www.scribd.com/g/8ngrjd

Idolatry means considering a person or another being, or a concept as equal to or higher than Allah in terms of estimating, attributing significance, preference, and holding superior, and to act with this distorted point of view. Allah describes this situation as “associating with Allah any other God”. In other words, to claim that somebody or something else has any of the attributes of Allah means ascribing a partner to Allah. Allah has proclaimed in the Quran that idolatry will not be forgiven: Allah does not forgive anything being associated with Him but He forgives whoever He wills for anything other than that. Anyone who serves gods other than Allah is guilty of a terrible crime. (Surat an-Nisa: 48)

Intersect is a one-minute nugget of insight drawn from Todd's teaching at First Family Church aimed at connecting biblical truth and practical action. It's 60 seconds of fleshed-out theology to help you practice what is preached.

Scripture Readings: Mark 11:1-11 ESV Hymn: Hail to the Lord's Anointed (HWB 185) Text: James Montgomery Music: John Farmer Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoustonMennonite Website: https://houstonmennonite.org

Ascribing soul stiring eulogies to the all-worthy name of God

Mark 12:29-31 The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.” A heart fully alive by God, is a heart that lives with passion. Worship is the act of expressing through song and actions, the affection within your heart. Ascribing worth to God. Aligning your full attention on God. Practice of Worship shapes a congregation. Gathering, assembly, body, Family...called out ones We are a worshiping congregation.

Mark 12:29-31 The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” A heart fully alive by God, is a heart that lives with passion. Worship is the act of expressing through song and actions, the affection within your heart. Ascribing worth to God. Aligning your full attention on God. Practice of Worship shapes a congregation. Gathering, assembly, body, Family...called out ones We are a worshiping congregation.

How do you get credible talent in your business for a second opinion? What are the right questions you should be asking so you're never afraid that you've made the wrong hire? We address: • The key to successful business relationships • Ascribing value to your time • Common questions and challenges faced by female business owners • Reframing your perception of sales • Fostering a productive relationship with the right consultant More and more, big companies and even startups are looking to employ experts to help them in their business, but hold off because of buyer's remorse from previous relationships. They wonder about the actual credentials of the people that they might hire as consultants, or small agencies, or one-off thought leaders. To help answer these common concerns, Karen welcomes innovator and serial entrepreneur Kathryn Rose. She is the Founder and CEO of wiseHer, a global knowledge marketplace that helps women business owners and professionals overcome unique challenges to access one-on-one, on-demand service from executives, coaches, mentors, and other educational resources that can accelerate either their business or their own career growth. Listen in as Kathryn discusses how wiseHer helps female entrepreneurs and professionals get practical and tactical advice to get unstuck and succeed in their careers. 3 MAJOR POINTS DISCUSSED “Free” is not a strategy. One big mistake that a lot of consultants make is to give free advice. There is, quite literally, no value if it's free. The value one ascribes to their time is directly proportional to their marketability. As Kathryn says: “It's easier to get from any number to your real number than zero to any number.” Selling isn't about selling, but about buying. Selling isn't about you or even your product. Selling is about solving your buyer's challenges. When people struggle with sales, it's usually because they're so focused on selling someone on the features of a product, instead of actually asking the potential customer what they value and then, if there is indeed a need, demonstrating the benefits of the product. Relationships are built around expectations. When working with a consultant, it almost doesn't matter what your growth strategy is. A good consultant will meet you at the level you're currently at, and move at the pace that you both agree is most comfortable, even if it means taking baby steps. By having expectations set, you “deliver value on both sides” of the relationship. RESOURCES wiseHer Kathryn Rose on LinkedIn Kathryn Rose is the Founder and CEO of wiseHer, a global knowledge marketplace that helps women business owners and professionals overcome unique challenges to access one-on-one, on-demand service from executives, coaches, mentors, and other educational resources that can accelerate either their business or their own career growth. Kathryn is a former Wall Street Executive Sales Leader and the author of nine books. She has been featured in Forbes Inc., CBS, Marketwatch, Fox News, and more. Karen Morales is founder and brand champion at Marketing Magnet. Marketing Magnet was founded by Karen and her lean team of Fortune 500 marketing and advertising talent. We're a world-class marketing department that has decided to take our big brand experience and direct it at the clients we want to serve: purpose-driven enterprises. Our secret sauce is our ability to focus companies on three marketing pillars to create great impact. If you are looking for a solution to a marketing challenge, a specific project to be completed or a team to drive marketing on your behalf, we can help. More about Karen Find us on Facebook Visit our website Find us on Instagram

What a beautiful psalm to invite us into God's will. That all of creation will come to honor and please God. This hope is a beautiful display of God's goodness in heaven and on earth. Let's rejoice that God sees us and engages with us daily!May this podcast give you strength and the ability to do amazing work today!Blessings,Haunn"An Archaeologist of HopeSupport the show (https://paypal.me/pools/c/8vMwddmHGM)

The will of God, divine will, or God's plan is the concept of a God having a plan for humanity. Ascribing a volition or a plan to a God generally implies a personal God (God regarded as a person with mind, emotions, will).Our past has changed, because, in God's eyes, we have no past, only a great future. In Jeremiah 29:11, He says: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

From the Unitarian Universalist Tradition | “Dark and Light,” by Jacqui James Read by Alex Jensen, MDiv III Seasons of Light is hosted by Harvard Divinity School's Office of Religious and Spiritual Life under the direction of Christopher Hossfeld, Director of Music and Ritual, and Kerry A. Maloney, Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life. The full video recording of Seasons of Light 2020 can be found on the HDS YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVuYb9d7tCc&t=587s TRANSCRIPT: Blackmail, blacklist, black mark. Black Monday, black mood, black-hearted. Black plague, black mass, black market. Good guys wear white, bad guys wear black. We fear black cats, and the Dark Continent. But it’s okay to tell a white lie lily-white hands are coveted, it’s great to be pure as the driven snow. Angels and brides wear white. Devil’s food cake is chocolate; angel’s food cake is white! We shape language and we are shaped by it. In our culture, white is esteemed. It is heavenly, sun-like, clean, pure, immaculate, innocent, and beautiful. At the same time, black is evil, wicked, gloomy, depressing, angry, sullen. Ascribing negative and positive values to black and white enhances the institutionalization of this culture’s racism. Let us acknowledge the negative connotations of whiteness. White things can be soft, vulnerable, pallid, and ashen. Light can be blinding, bleaching, enervating. Conversely, we must acknowledge that darkness has a redemptive character, that in darkness there is power and beauty. The dark nurtured and protected us before our birth. Welcome darkness. Don’t be afraid of it or deny it. Darkness brings relief from the blinding sun, from scorching heat, from exhausting labor. Night signals permission to rest, to be with our loved ones, to conceive new life, to search our hearts, to remember our dreams. The dark of winter is a time of hibernation. Seeds grow in the dark, fertile earth. The words black and dark don’t need to be destroyed or ignored, only balanced and reclaimed in their wholeness. The words white and light don’t need to be destroyed or ignored, only balanced and reclaimed in their wholeness. Imagine a world that had only light—or dark. We need both. Dark and light. Light and dark. — from Been in the Storm So Long (2015) eds. Mark Morrison-Reed and Jacqui James. https://www.uua.org/worship/words/meditation/dark-and-light

Episode 322:  Empath and narcissist - such profoundly relevant terms in today's world. Regardless of personal beliefs on the existence of empaths (those with a paranormal ability to apprehend the mental and emotional state of another person) it can be dangerous to one's own emotional state to assume feelings experienced are the result of being an empath, versus one's own emotions. In this episode Madelyn explores the overlap of empath and narcissist, with a deep case study of The Bachelorette for good measure. Show Notes: Madelyn's life has been a bit transient since her last personal update. The uncertainty of her ungrounded situated also resulted in some physical manifestations/health consequences. Reviewing the podcast on various platforms is the best way to support and get the podcast higher on the listings: iTunes: https://maddymoon.com/itunes Spotify: https://maddymoon.com/spotify YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MaddyMoonTV Empath definition: "A person with the paranormal ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of another person." Ascribing your deep feelings to a self-identity as an empath may be an exhibition of poor mental self-care. Externalizing the root cause of emotions may be deflecting real self-actualization that has to happen. Madelyn walks through an extensive breakdown of The Bachelorette and the expression of these interactions, and projecting your own feelings onto others and label it being an "empath." True empathy is not about making others' experiences about you being able to feel what they feel. Madelyn has experience with someone she was raised with who considered themselves to be an empath. Red flags are using emotions to control others: "You made me feel this way." "You don't really care about me." COACHING: Receive personalized, 1:1 coaching from Maddy Moon to create your own feminine and masculine embodiment. Heal your heart, build confidence, create an online business (if that’s a goal!) or simply feel happier. 6 month and 12 month coaching containers available. Apply here: http://maddymoon.com/coaching SISU SOCIETY: Madelyn's *New* Monthly Membership Program includes two live teachings per month, a private Facebook community, resources and access to lessons on Devotional Love, Feminine Embodiment, Polarity, Relationships, Harnessing Higher Truths, Pleasure and so much more. If you'd like to be a part of the Society, learn more and join for $44/month here: http://maddymoon.com/sisu-society

Zechariah 8:17, I Corinthians 13:5 | August 12, 2012

Trail runner, ultramarathoner & explorer, Christina Vincent can be found logging well over 100 miles a week where the pavement ends and the dirt path begins. It is her daily prayer in motion, an adventurous celebration for a life that was nearly taken too soon. At the age of 32, she was diagnosed with Psuedomyxoma Peritonei (PMP), a rare abdominopelvic cancer whose highly aggressive treatment included multiple organ removal and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.Having survived the multi-year gauntlet of PMP with her spirit fully intact and then some, Christina recognizes the disease as her grandmaster sensei whose lessons have lead her to a life steeped in ritual, simplicity, and integrated embodiment. She has lived the experience of doing nearly everything right, and finding that still things can go wrong. The question then becomes, what will we make of our new situation? She challenges you to find the silver linings, even on your darkest of days. They are there. Get curious and just open your eyes. And if you do, be prepared, spontaneous bursts of joy and wonder await you...Show Notes:Intro: Arman sets the stage and provides background on Christina, her fight with cancer, and who she is today. [00:20]Reimagination of time as a result of the pandemic. [05:33]Arman and Christina get into a discussion about gifts of the quarantine, finding the silver lining and being more intentional about relationships. [06:40]The glorification of being busy. [09:52]What’s happening on a collective/humanity level? [10:44]How sharing ideas gives them a chance to be more real and a rising of consciousness. [12:44]Christina talks about her healing process and her personal journey through cancer. [15:40]Viewing cancer as a master teacher. [18:43]Living deeply in the richness of your consciousness is a choice. [22:15]Physically adapting to breathe differently and how Christina got wildly curious about her physical form. [24:48]Mechanical failure from all the surgery done to her. [30:08]Reframing pain. [34:12]Impermanence and its dual aspect. [35:40]Death. [36:27]Trail running as a celebration of life. [43:00]Taking a moment to recognize what lights us up. [46:50]How to experience multi-sensory moments in one’s body. [48:23]Christina opens up about her childhood and the beautiful insights she gained from her family. [53:20]Living to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. [56:20]Ascribing meaning to the world. [01:05:17]Arman talks about failure and enjoying the present moment. [01:08:48]Navigating through challenges. [01:10:10]Being mindful of how you speak to yourself. [01:12:15]Beautiful closing thoughts. [01:16:54]Learn more about Christina VincentConnect with Christina on InstagramText Arman at 619-825-2595 and let Arman know what you enjoyed most about this episode. Text him #bta to access Arman’s free quiz and discover your unique Brain Type™.***If you enjoy the show please subscribe and leave a short 17-second review on Apple Podcasts here. It means a lot to me and really supports the podcast. Text me directly at: 619-825-2595Follow and chat with me on: Instagram FacebookTwitterFor show notes and more visit: armanassadi.com/podcast

Do you ever wonder how your skills and experience could lead you to your higher purpose? Amy Yeung’s soul journey from corporate fashion designer to social entrepreneur shows that inside each of us lies the ability to create positive change in the world. Owner of the Orenda Tribe lifestyle brand, Amy lives and works with artisans in the Navajo community to create upcycled clothing and share indigenous culture.Growing up in rural Indiana, with her Native American heritage and obsession with fashion, Amy felt like an outsider. When she moved to New York to pursue her career in fashion, she knew she’d found her path and never looked back. As a mother, Amy desired to leave a legacy focused on sustainable design and solving the social problems plaguing her native community. She left her corporate job behind and retraced her family history back to the Navajo reservation of her birth, where her studio is now based. In this episode, Amy models reconnecting with ourselves by connecting with the land, sky, and water. She shows us that, while we can step into our true calling at any point in life, the best time to align with your greater purpose is right now.Show Notes- Learn about Amy’s Diné heritage and growing up in a small rural town in Indiana. - The historical context that played into her mother’s decision to have her adopted. - The difficulty of trying to translate your passion into a career in a community that is unlike you. - Feeling like an outsider as a Native American artsy kid who made her own clothes. - Starting with studies in pharmacy before convincing her parents to let her apply for fashion. - The sink-or-swim experience of moving to New York and creating a life there. - Ascribing her success to a deep understanding of being loved by her parents.- How motherhood made her more community-oriented and invested in sustainable design.- Responding to the call to consciousness by turning her back on the corporate measures of success. - Rethink, revive, rebirth, and other re-words that form the foundation of Orenda Tribe.- Learning about environment genocide, fracking, and other problems on her journey of reintegrating with her tribe.- Advice for crafting the life you want: simplify, eliminate the noise, and connect to the earth. - How the meditative processes in indigenous cultures brings us closer to ourselves.- Reclaiming her ancestry, learning about the native community, and educating others.- Find out which Navajo community service projects Amy is currently working on. ReferencesAmy Yeung on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyyeung/Amy Yeung on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lilacreative/Orenda Tribe - https://www.orendatribe.com/Inc. - https://www.inc.com/leigh-buchanan/orenda-tribe-amy-yeung-navajo-reservation-albuquerque-new-mexico-main-street.htmlMajo Molfino - https://majomolfino.com/HEROINE (Podcast) - https://majomolfino.com/podcast

Do you ever wonder how your skills and experience could lead you to your higher purpose? Amy Yeung’s soul journey from corporate fashion designer to social entrepreneur shows that inside each of us lies the ability to create positive change in the world. Owner of the Orenda Tribe lifestyle brand, Amy lives and works with artisans in the Navajo community to create upcycled clothing and share indigenous culture.Growing up in rural Indiana, with her Native American heritage and obsession with fashion, Amy felt like an outsider. When she moved to New York to pursue her career in fashion, she knew she’d found her path and never looked back. As a mother, Amy desired to leave a legacy focused on sustainable design and solving the social problems plaguing her native community. She left her corporate job behind and retraced her family history back to the Navajo reservation of her birth, where her studio is now based. In this episode, Amy models reconnecting with ourselves by connecting with the land, sky, and water. She shows us that, while we can step into our true calling at any point in life, the best time to align with your greater purpose is right now.Show Notes- Learn about Amy’s Diné heritage and growing up in a small rural town in Indiana. - The historical context that played into her mother’s decision to have her adopted. - The difficulty of trying to translate your passion into a career in a community that is unlike you. - Feeling like an outsider as a Native American artsy kid who made her own clothes. - Starting with studies in pharmacy before convincing her parents to let her apply for fashion. - The sink-or-swim experience of moving to New York and creating a life there. - Ascribing her success to a deep understanding of being loved by her parents.- How motherhood made her more community-oriented and invested in sustainable design.- Responding to the call to consciousness by turning her back on the corporate measures of success. - Rethink, revive, rebirth, and other re-words that form the foundation of Orenda Tribe.- Learning about environment genocide, fracking, and other problems on her journey of reintegrating with her tribe.- Advice for crafting the life you want: simplify, eliminate the noise, and connect to the earth. - How the meditative processes in indigenous cultures brings us closer to ourselves.- Reclaiming her ancestry, learning about the native community, and educating others.- Find out which Navajo community service projects Amy is currently working on. ReferencesAmy Yeung on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyyeung/Amy Yeung on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lilacreative/Orenda Tribe - https://www.orendatribe.com/Inc. - https://www.inc.com/leigh-buchanan/orenda-tribe-amy-yeung-navajo-reservation-albuquerque-new-mexico-main-street.htmlMajo Molfino - https://majomolfino.com/HEROINE (Podcast) - https://majomolfino.com/podcast

Acts: New Family, New Mission Ascribing Glory to God - Acts 14:8-20

Kate Torgersen is the founder of Milk Stork, the first and only breast milk travel solution for working moms. In this episode, we discuss the challenges working moms face going back to work just weeks after having a child or going back at 12 weeks, which is some arbitrary number, and in either case, means the baby is not eating solid foods yet. She wants to know why we don’t have federally regulated paid leave for parents. We also discuss the need for affordable, universal, federally supported child care. After the stay at home order it's obvious to us, that high quality child care, higher paid teachers and higher paid care givers is imperative to help level the playing field and support working parents in our corporate culture. Kate also explains her personal reason for founding Milk Stork. After the birth of her twins, she needed and wanted to travel for work but it proved to be immensely difficult. She faced a dilemma, either travel for her job OR breast feed her babies. There was no way to do both without compromising her career, her breast-milk production, or her well-being. She thought, "I can't believe other women haven't experienced this or this problem hasn't been solved before". Ascribing to the belief that necessity is the mother of invention, she further said to herself, “If not me, then who ? If not now, then when?". She felt compelled to figure out an answer and opened an operation that allows for all working moms to travel and breastfeed efficiently. Kate shares all this wisdom and more, in our rich discussion. Born out of necessity since the stay at home order, she now offers products made with love by Moms, for Moms! Find them at The Mothershop™ https://www.milkstork.com/shop

Today's Bible reading for January 12 is Genesis 13, Nehemiah 2, Matthew 12 and Acts 12. Our focus passage will be Matthew 12, and we are asking a big Bible question today: What is the Blasphemy of the Spirit, the unforgivable sin? SHOUT OUT TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMMENTED AND LEFT REVIEWS!!! On Apple Podcasts: Monte O, Kerri P, Cortney and Angel. And also people who have commented on the blog that they were listening: Angie from Knoxville, Og from Salinas, Cortney J. from Birmingham and Ms. Judy Bloom from parts unknown. THANK YOU! So - let's read our first chapter, and then get into our discussion. What is the Unforgivable sin??  It's a terrifying reality: Jesus warned His disciples and the Pharisees that there was a sin that could be committed that was unpardonable – unforgivable for all eternity. People have speculated and worried about this teaching of Jesus for hundreds of years. What precisely is the unpardonable sin? How can we know whether or not we've done it? Let's dive in! The Didache First century – RIGHT after the NT: Now concerning the apostles and prophets, deal with them as follows in accordance with the rule of the gospel. (4) Let every apostle who comes to you be welcomed as if he were the Lord. (5) But he is not to stay for more than one day, unless there is need, in which case he may stay another. But if he stays three days, he is a false prophet. (6) And when the apostle leaves, he is to take nothing except bread until he finds his next night's lodging. But if he asks for money, he is a false prophet. (7) Also, do not test or evaluate any prophet who speaks in the spirit, for every sin will be forgiven, but this sin will not be forgiven.35 Michael William Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, Updated ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 263–265. ANDREAS Andreas of Caesarea (Greek: Ἀνδρέας Καισαρείας; 563 – 637) : It is the sin of heresy, or of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which leads to death. If one man sins against another, pray for him. But if he sins against God, who is there who can pray on his behalf? And if even after all this, our opponents are still unwilling to learn and still unable to understand, they should at least stop speaking evil. They should not divide the Trinity lest they be divided from life.82 They should not classify the Holy Spirit with the creatures, lest, like the Pharisees of old who ascribed the works of the Spirit to Beelzebul,83 they too, on account of equal audacity, incur along with them the punishment which is unpardonable both now and in the future. Athanasius Works on the Spirit: Athanasius's Letters to Serapion on the Holy Spirit,  Grave-robbing, or the opening of graves, is divided into two kinds too, like theft, according to the present Canon, to wit, into pardonable and into unpardonable grave-robbing. For if the fellow opening the grave does not denude the dead person's body, thus refraining from dishonoring (for that is what is meant by the expression “sparing devoutness”) the dead, but only takes the stones found in the grave, in order to use them in the building of any other work that is preferable and more beneficial to the community, though this too is by no means anything to be praised, yet custom has made it pardonable.2 St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain – 1700s, Greek Orthodox church.  Swearing is a dreadful and harmful thing; it is a destructive drug, a bane and a danger, a hidden wound, a sore unseen, an obscure ulcer spreading its poison in the soul; it is an arrow of Satan, a flaming javelin, a two-edged sword, a sharp-honed scimitar, an unpardonable sin, an indefensible transgression, a deep gulf, a precipitous crag, a strong trap, a taut-stretched net, a fetter that cannot be broken, a noose from which no one escapes. 19. Are these enough, and do you believe that swearing is a dreadful thing and the most harmful of all sins? Believe me, I beg you, believe me! But if someone does not believe me, I now offer proof. This sin has what no other sin possesses. If we do not violate the other commandments, we escape punishment; on the other hand, in the matter of oaths, we are punished just the same both when we guard against transgressing and when we transgress. St. John Chrysostom, 300s AD St. John Chrysostom: Baptismal Instructions,  Hilary of Poitiers actually points us in a more biblical direction, in discussing the unpardonable sin: Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven.67 With a very grave qualification, he condemns the view of the Pharisees and the perversion of those who also think like them. He promises pardon of all sins but refuses pardon for blasphemy of the Spirit. While other words and deeds are treated with a generous pardon, there is no mercy if it is denied that God is in Christ. 68 And in whatever way one sins without pardon, he is gracious to us and reminds us again that sins of every kind can be completely forgiven, though blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. For who is so completely beyond pardon as one who denies that Christ is of God, or repudiates that the substance of the Spirit of the Father resides in him Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on Matthew, ed.  Spurgeon – Nobody knows what that sin is. I believe that even God's Word does not tell us, and it is very proper that it does not. As I have often said, it is like the notice we sometimes see put up, “Man-traps and spring gun set here.” We do not know whereabouts the traps and guns are, but we have no business over the hedge at all. So, “there is a sin unto death;” we are not told what that sin is, but we have no business to go over the hedge into any transgression at all. That “sin unto death” may be different in different people; but, whoever commits it, from that very moment, loses all spiritual desires. He has no wish to be saved, no care to repent, no longing after Christ; so dreadful is the spiritual death that comes over the man who has committed it that he never craves eternal life. C. H. Spurgeon, Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress: A Commentary on Portions of John Bunyan's Immortal Allegory (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 73–74. Billy Graham:   The sin of the religious leaders, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, was a refusal to accept the witness of the Holy Spirit to who Jesus was and what He had come to do, and then submit their lives to Him… Once again, the unpardonable sin is not some particularly grievous sin committed by a Christian before or after accepting Christ, nor is it thinking or saying something terrible about the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is deliberately resisting the Holy Spirit's witness and invitation to turn to Jesus until death ends all opportunity. Billy Graham is echoing the Augustinian (300s AD) view: Now the man who, not believing that sins are remitted in the Church, despises this great gift of God's mercy, and persists to the last day of his life in his obstinacy of heart, is guilty of the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, in whom Christ forgives sins. Augustine of Hippo, “The Enchiridion,” in St. Augustin: On the Holy Trinity, Doctrinal Treatises, Moral Treatises, ed.  Augustine was reflecting the Origen view (early 300s): The Spirit dwells in those who live by faith. But those who once having been counted worthy to share in the Holy Spirit and then having finally and decisively turned their backs from grace are by this act said to have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit (ORIGEN  Who, then, is not amazed at the exceeding majesty of the Holy Spirit when he hears that he who speaks a word against the Son of man may hope for forgiveness, but that he who is guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has no forgiveness—either in the present world or in that which is to come. Origen What then is it? The unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an act of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power so that we are never able to repent and be forgiven. – John Piper.  Lee ann penick MODERN: There is only one “unpardonable sin” that can separate us from God for eternity. It is the ongoing, willful refusal to accept Christ as Lord and Savior and the forgiveness He offers. Jacob Arminius defined it as “the rejection and refusing of Jesus Christ through determined malice and hatred against Christ”. Nancy Hardesty  “Ultimately the refusal to allow women to fully use their gifts in the church and in the world is a form of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”   Pope John Paul II writes “‘blasphemy' does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross”, and “If Jesus says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven either in this life or in the next, it is because this “non-forgiveness” is linked, as to its cause, to “non-repentance,” in other words to the radical refusal to be converted. This means the refusal to come to the sources of Redemption, which nevertheless remain “always” open in the economy of salvation in which the mission of the Holy Spirit is accomplished. SO – What is The unforgivable sin?? – is it, as Origen, Augustine, Billy Graham, Pope John Paul 2 Lee Ann Penick suggest – the rejection of the Holy Spirit/not becoming a follower of Jesus?? Is it, as John Chrysostom claimed, swearing oaths?  Is it the robbing of graves in a thieving manner? Is it not letting women use their spiritual gifts in the church? Is it Heresy? Is it, as Athanasius and many other church fathers declared, being wrong on the Trinity and calling the Holy Spirit a created being, rather than God Himself?  Is it testing prophetic utterances of prophets?? (NO! – 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 Don't stifle the Spirit. 20 Don't despise prophecies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good.) Confused? You should be!! People talk about this issue all of the time, but it doesn't appear that all of them get their views from the Bible, so let's begin there in seeking our answer.  Matthew 12:24 24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “The man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 29 How can someone enter a strong man's house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. 30 Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.31 Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. Mark 3: 22 The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul in Him!” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!” 23 So He summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished! 27 “On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man's house and rob his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he will rob his house. 28 I assure you: People will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they may blaspheme. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Luke 12: 8 “And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God, 9 but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.10 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. So, I see two major ways we need to answer this question. Contextually and grammatically.  What does the CONTEXT of the usage of ‘unpardonable sin' tell us, and what does the grammar/word meanings tell us?   We find a massively important clue in Mark 3:30, where Mark tells us precisely WHY Jesus warned the Pharisees and Scribes about this sin. “Because they were saying, He has an unclean spirit.”   The exact same situation is described in Matthew 12:31 “31 Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven”  The scribes and pharisees are accusing Jesus of doing miraculous things – specifically driving out demons – by the power of Beelzebul rather than by the power of God.  Therefore, we know at least this: Ascribing something like an exorcism that is factually done by the power of God and His Holy Spirit to Demonic influence is AT BEST dangerously close to Blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and could, in fact, be blaspheming the Holy Spirit. (Jesus does not make it crystal clear that the scribes and pharisees were actually committing this sin, or merely getting close to committing it. It would seem like the latter is the best option.)  Practically speaking, what does this mean?? It means we need to be extremely careful about stating confident opinions on spiritual matters that we don't have 100 percent clarity from Scripture on. Let me give a couple of examples:  Pushed over at Brownsville.  Charles Carrin praying for us at GVAG.  Flamboyant preachers on tv wadding up their coats and throwing them on people, who pass out. Blowing on people, who pass out. Etc.  Most of this is probably fraudulent, some of it horribly so. BUT – we should be incredibly careful about pronouncing opinions on what God's spirit would do, and wouldn't do.   For instance, there was a revival going on in the 90s that became very well known and reached a lot of people. I heard about some of the things going on at that revival that were disturbing, and sounded – quite frankly – ridiculous. So, I assumed that the movement wasn't of God, but was just flaky people doing flaky things – at best. HOWEVER…a few years later, I met the leader of the movement, and spent some time with him. He struck me as a genuine follower of God – a man who loved Jesus, and who was humble.  I still don't know what to think about that revival. God does, and I leave it to Him. It's outside of my realm of influence. According to Jesus – there is grave danger in ascribing the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan. You better be 100 percent sure you're right before doing such thing…and you'd better ask the question – HOW Do i Know FOR SURE that my opinion is right on this matter? If you can't answer that question with extreme clarity, then be careful saying what the Holy Spirit will or will not do, and be careful saying whether or not something is of Satan, or not. Contextually, that is at least a large part of what blaspheming the Holy Spirit is about.  What is blasphemy, exactly? More on that in a moment…. Side question – is Beelzebul = Satan?? It's a great question, and I have a fairly lame answer…'maybe.'  Beelzebub (“Lord of the flies”) and Beelzebul (“Lord of the skies/heavenly realms”) both refer to the same entity.  In the Testament of Solomon, 1st century, non-Scripture, pseudoepigraphic text.  Beelzebul (not Beelzebub) appears as prince of the demons and says (6.2) that he was formerly a leading heavenly angel who was (6.7) associated with the star Hesperus (which is the normal Greek name for the planet Venus (Αφροδíτη) as evening star). Seemingly, Beelzebul here is synonymous with Lucifer. the text describes how Solomon was enabled to build his temple by commanding demons by means of a magical ringthat was entrusted to him by the archangel Michael.  The Bible reference comes from 2 Kings 1: 1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2 Ahaziah had fallen through the latticed window of his upper room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers instructing them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will recover from this injury.” 3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?' 4 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not get up from your sickbed—you will certainly die.'” Then Elijah left.The name also appears in Luke 11, where we can see the clearest connection between Beelzebul and Satan: Luke 11:14 Now He was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon came out, the man who had been mute, spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,the ruler of the demons!” 16 And others, as a test, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls.18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. So, Jesus mentions Satan and Beelzebul in the same context, but not in a way that indicates that they are the same entities.  My best guess is that Beelzebul is a separate entity from Satan, but I confess that I do not know, and my guess is based on the fact that the Bible never clearly identifies the two as the same entity.  What exactly is Blasphemy?  Luke 12:10 points us in the right direction – anyone who ‘speaks a word against the son of man will be forgiven.' but the one who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Matthew 12:32 makes it even more clear: 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. Similarly: Isaiah 37:23 Isaiah 37:23 Who is it you have mocked and blasphemed? Who have you raised your voice against and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! The Word itself, Greek Blasphemos, is a combo of two words. Blaptō, which means, ‘to HURT' and Pheemay, which means fame, report, or something like ‘reputation.' So, etymologically, the word  has a root meaning of injuring somebody's fame, or good name. The word can mean ‘defame' or ‘revile' and isn't always used of a deity. Paul speaks of being ‘defamed' or blasphemed by people for being an apostle. Paul commands the church in Titus 3:2 not to slander/Speak evil of (or BLASPHEME) any person, which is a command that Christians would do well to take far more seriously than we do.  2 Peter 2:10 and Jude vs 8 both warn against blaspheming angels, demons, and other spiritual beings.  So- blasphemy is speaking evil of someone. Hurting them with your words, harming their reputation. Thus, blaspheming the Holy Spirit is speaking evil of Him, reviling Him, defaming Him, seeking to harm His reputation. The Pharisees and Scribes were doing that – or coming dangerously close – when they said that it was Satan/Beelzebul empowering Jesus, when it was factually the Spirit of God Himself.  R.C. Sproul: Their statements were directed against Jesus. So, He said to them: “You can blaspheme Me and be forgiven, but when you question the work of the Spirit, you are coming perilously close to the unforgivable sin. You are right at the line. You are looking down into the abyss of hell. One more step and there will be no hope for you.” He was warning them to be very careful not to insult or mock the Spirit. Is it really unforgivable, and WHAT IF I HAVE COMMITTED IT?!  AUGUSTINE: It is not that this was a blasphemy which under no circumstances could be forgiven, for even this shall be forgiven if right repentance follows it Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Mark, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 48. I'm worried that I have committed the unforgivable sin??  Graham: Many Christians have heard that there is an unpardonable sin and live in dread that something grave they have done before or after conversion might be that sin. Their fears are unfounded. While there is an unforgivable sin, it is not one that a true believer in Jesus Christ can commit. Sproul:  Humanly speaking, everyone who is a Christian is capable of committing the unforgivable sin. However, I believe that the Lord of glory who has saved us and sealed us in the Holy Spirit will never let us commit that sin. I do not believe that any Christians in the history of the church have blasphemed the Spirit. As for those who are not sure they are saved and are worried they may have committed the unpardonable sin, I would say that worrying about it is one of the clearest evidences that they have not committed this sin, for those who commit it are so hardened in their hearts they do not care that they commit it. Thanks be to God that the sin that is unpardonable is not a sin He allows His people to commit. I don't share Graham and Sproul's assurances, though I respect them both deeply. The Bible NEVER says a believer is unable to commit the unpardonable sin. Jesus NEVER indicates that, and I see no other passage that promises such…just a sober warning.  I think Piper strikes a better balance when talking about it:  Piper: The fact that there is an unforgivable sin — that there comes a point in a life of sin after which the Holy Spirit will no longer grant repentance — that fact should drive us from sin with fear and trembling. None of us knows when our toying with sin will pass over into irrevocable hardness of heart. Very few people feel how serious sin is. Very few people are on the same wavelength with Jesus when he said in Mark 9:43, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.” Instead, many professing Christians today have such a sentimental view of God's justice that they never feel terror and horror at the thought of being utterly forsaken by God because of their persistence in sin. They have the naïve notion that God's patience has no end and that they can always return from any length and depth of sin, forgetting that there is a point of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power, leaving them never able to repent and be forgiven. They are like the buzzard who spots a carcass on a piece of ice floating in the river. He lands and begins to eat. He knows it is dangerous because the falls are just ahead. But he looks at his wings and says to himself, “I can fly to safety in an instant.” And he goes on eating. Just before the ice goes over the falls he spreads his wings to fly but his claws are frozen in the ice and there is no escape — neither in this age nor the age to come. The Spirit of holiness has forsaken the arrogant sinner forever. Another of the devil's fiery darts is this, “You have committed the unpardonable sin.” Ah! this arrow has rankled in many a heart, and it is very difficult to deal with such cases. The only way in which I argue with a person thus assailed is to say, “I am quite certain that, if you desire salvation, you have not committed the unpardonable sin, and I am absolutely sure that, if you will now come and trust Christ, you have not committed that sin, for every soul that trusts Christ is forgiven, according to God's Word, and therefore you cannot have committed that sin.” C. H. Spurgeon, Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress:  My close – God the Holy Spirit is all powerful. Tremble:  I don't want to blunt the warnings of Jesus with false assurance. It is likely that – if you are worried you've committed the unpardonable sin, that you haven't because only the Spirit's work in your life would make you fear the Lord. But the way that Jesus addressed this is with the highest level of seriousness…so must we. This passage RIGHTLY inspires fear in us, and that's ok, it should. It is obviously recorded in the Scripture for that purpose.  Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 2:5 you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. Rev 14:6  6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead,(I) having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.(J)7 He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” The word for fear there has the same meaning as our word fear. It means FEAR.   Luke 12: In the same breath that Jesus speaks about the unpardonable sin, He says this:  4 “And I say to you, My friends, don't fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! 6 Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. 7 Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows! Treat the Holy Spirit with great – remarkable sobriety – fear and wisdom. Fear the Lord, as Jesus said, and don't be afraid to trust Him – He who knows all of the sparrows and numbers our hairs, counts us as of great worth and Loves the World enough to send His son to rescue it.  Here's the good news: GREEAR: False gods mutilate us; the true God mutilated himself for us. The prophets of Ba'al begin by dancing around their altar. They end by slashing at themselves until their blood runs (1 Kings 18:28). False gods always push us toward destruction: “Work harder. Do better. Obtain more. You still aren't getting my attention. Slash yourself!” So we slash at our bodies by going through crash diets to attain that perfect figure. We slash at our families by overworking to make extra money. We slash at our souls by compromising our integrity to get someone's affection. False gods push us to mutilate ourselves, because we desperately want to win their approval. But only one God was ever mutilated for us—Jesus Christ. This story ends with a magnificent fire coming from heaven, but as Jesus himself points out to his first disciples, the fire was not intended for sinful humanity (Luke 9:51–56). It was ultimately intended for him: of all the characters in this story, Jesus is not Elijah, calling down fire; he is the sacrifice who receives the fire of judgment. At the cross, Jesus took into his body the fire of God's justice so that we could take into our lives the fire of God's love. Other gods demand dancing, slashing, mutilation. But Jesus Christ is the only God who was slashed and mutilated for us. As Tim Keller has said, “Every other god will make your blood run; only the true God bleeds for you.”

Today's Bible reading for January 12 is Genesis 13, Nehemiah 2, Matthew 12 and Acts 12. Our focus passage will be Matthew 12, and we are asking a big Bible question today: What is the Blasphemy of the Spirit, the unforgivable sin? SHOUT OUT TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMMENTED AND LEFT REVIEWS!!! On Apple Podcasts: Monte O, Kerri P, Cortney and Angel. And also people who have commented on the blog that they were listening: Angie from Knoxville, Og from Salinas, Cortney J. from Birmingham and Ms. Judy Bloom from parts unknown. THANK YOU! So - let's read our first chapter, and then get into our discussion. What is the Unforgivable sin??  It's a terrifying reality: Jesus warned His disciples and the Pharisees that there was a sin that could be committed that was unpardonable – unforgivable for all eternity. People have speculated and worried about this teaching of Jesus for hundreds of years. What precisely is the unpardonable sin? How can we know whether or not we've done it? Let's dive in! The Didache First century – RIGHT after the NT: Now concerning the apostles and prophets, deal with them as follows in accordance with the rule of the gospel. (4) Let every apostle who comes to you be welcomed as if he were the Lord. (5) But he is not to stay for more than one day, unless there is need, in which case he may stay another. But if he stays three days, he is a false prophet. (6) And when the apostle leaves, he is to take nothing except bread until he finds his next night's lodging. But if he asks for money, he is a false prophet. (7) Also, do not test or evaluate any prophet who speaks in the spirit, for every sin will be forgiven, but this sin will not be forgiven.35 Michael William Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, Updated ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 263–265. ANDREAS Andreas of Caesarea (Greek: Ἀνδρέας Καισαρείας; 563 – 637) : It is the sin of heresy, or of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which leads to death. If one man sins against another, pray for him. But if he sins against God, who is there who can pray on his behalf? And if even after all this, our opponents are still unwilling to learn and still unable to understand, they should at least stop speaking evil. They should not divide the Trinity lest they be divided from life.82 They should not classify the Holy Spirit with the creatures, lest, like the Pharisees of old who ascribed the works of the Spirit to Beelzebul,83 they too, on account of equal audacity, incur along with them the punishment which is unpardonable both now and in the future. Athanasius Works on the Spirit: Athanasius's Letters to Serapion on the Holy Spirit,  Grave-robbing, or the opening of graves, is divided into two kinds too, like theft, according to the present Canon, to wit, into pardonable and into unpardonable grave-robbing. For if the fellow opening the grave does not denude the dead person's body, thus refraining from dishonoring (for that is what is meant by the expression “sparing devoutness”) the dead, but only takes the stones found in the grave, in order to use them in the building of any other work that is preferable and more beneficial to the community, though this too is by no means anything to be praised, yet custom has made it pardonable.2 St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain – 1700s, Greek Orthodox church.  Swearing is a dreadful and harmful thing; it is a destructive drug, a bane and a danger, a hidden wound, a sore unseen, an obscure ulcer spreading its poison in the soul; it is an arrow of Satan, a flaming javelin, a two-edged sword, a sharp-honed scimitar, an unpardonable sin, an indefensible transgression, a deep gulf, a precipitous crag, a strong trap, a taut-stretched net, a fetter that cannot be broken, a noose from which no one escapes. 19. Are these enough, and do you believe that swearing is a dreadful thing and the most harmful of all sins? Believe me, I beg you, believe me! But if someone does not believe me, I now offer proof. This sin has what no other sin possesses. If we do not violate the other commandments, we escape punishment; on the other hand, in the matter of oaths, we are punished just the same both when we guard against transgressing and when we transgress. St. John Chrysostom, 300s AD St. John Chrysostom: Baptismal Instructions,  Hilary of Poitiers actually points us in a more biblical direction, in discussing the unpardonable sin: Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven.67 With a very grave qualification, he condemns the view of the Pharisees and the perversion of those who also think like them. He promises pardon of all sins but refuses pardon for blasphemy of the Spirit. While other words and deeds are treated with a generous pardon, there is no mercy if it is denied that God is in Christ. 68 And in whatever way one sins without pardon, he is gracious to us and reminds us again that sins of every kind can be completely forgiven, though blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. For who is so completely beyond pardon as one who denies that Christ is of God, or repudiates that the substance of the Spirit of the Father resides in him Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on Matthew, ed.  Spurgeon – Nobody knows what that sin is. I believe that even God's Word does not tell us, and it is very proper that it does not. As I have often said, it is like the notice we sometimes see put up, “Man-traps and spring gun set here.” We do not know whereabouts the traps and guns are, but we have no business over the hedge at all. So, “there is a sin unto death;” we are not told what that sin is, but we have no business to go over the hedge into any transgression at all. That “sin unto death” may be different in different people; but, whoever commits it, from that very moment, loses all spiritual desires. He has no wish to be saved, no care to repent, no longing after Christ; so dreadful is the spiritual death that comes over the man who has committed it that he never craves eternal life. C. H. Spurgeon, Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress: A Commentary on Portions of John Bunyan's Immortal Allegory (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 73–74. Billy Graham:   The sin of the religious leaders, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, was a refusal to accept the witness of the Holy Spirit to who Jesus was and what He had come to do, and then submit their lives to Him… Once again, the unpardonable sin is not some particularly grievous sin committed by a Christian before or after accepting Christ, nor is it thinking or saying something terrible about the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is deliberately resisting the Holy Spirit's witness and invitation to turn to Jesus until death ends all opportunity. Billy Graham is echoing the Augustinian (300s AD) view: Now the man who, not believing that sins are remitted in the Church, despises this great gift of God's mercy, and persists to the last day of his life in his obstinacy of heart, is guilty of the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, in whom Christ forgives sins. Augustine of Hippo, “The Enchiridion,” in St. Augustin: On the Holy Trinity, Doctrinal Treatises, Moral Treatises, ed.  Augustine was reflecting the Origen view (early 300s): The Spirit dwells in those who live by faith. But those who once having been counted worthy to share in the Holy Spirit and then having finally and decisively turned their backs from grace are by this act said to have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit (ORIGEN  Who, then, is not amazed at the exceeding majesty of the Holy Spirit when he hears that he who speaks a word against the Son of man may hope for forgiveness, but that he who is guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has no forgiveness—either in the present world or in that which is to come. Origen What then is it? The unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an act of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power so that we are never able to repent and be forgiven. – John Piper.  Lee ann penick MODERN: There is only one “unpardonable sin” that can separate us from God for eternity. It is the ongoing, willful refusal to accept Christ as Lord and Savior and the forgiveness He offers. Jacob Arminius defined it as “the rejection and refusing of Jesus Christ through determined malice and hatred against Christ”. Nancy Hardesty  “Ultimately the refusal to allow women to fully use their gifts in the church and in the world is a form of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”   Pope John Paul II writes “‘blasphemy' does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross”, and “If Jesus says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven either in this life or in the next, it is because this “non-forgiveness” is linked, as to its cause, to “non-repentance,” in other words to the radical refusal to be converted. This means the refusal to come to the sources of Redemption, which nevertheless remain “always” open in the economy of salvation in which the mission of the Holy Spirit is accomplished. SO – What is The unforgivable sin?? – is it, as Origen, Augustine, Billy Graham, Pope John Paul 2 Lee Ann Penick suggest – the rejection of the Holy Spirit/not becoming a follower of Jesus?? Is it, as John Chrysostom claimed, swearing oaths?  Is it the robbing of graves in a thieving manner? Is it not letting women use their spiritual gifts in the church? Is it Heresy? Is it, as Athanasius and many other church fathers declared, being wrong on the Trinity and calling the Holy Spirit a created being, rather than God Himself?  Is it testing prophetic utterances of prophets?? (NO! – 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 Don't stifle the Spirit. 20 Don't despise prophecies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good.) Confused? You should be!! People talk about this issue all of the time, but it doesn't appear that all of them get their views from the Bible, so let's begin there in seeking our answer.  Matthew 12:24 24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “The man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 29 How can someone enter a strong man's house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. 30 Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.31 Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. Mark 3: 22 The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul in Him!” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!” 23 So He summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished! 27 “On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man's house and rob his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he will rob his house. 28 I assure you: People will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they may blaspheme. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Luke 12: 8 “And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God, 9 but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.10 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. So, I see two major ways we need to answer this question. Contextually and grammatically.  What does the CONTEXT of the usage of ‘unpardonable sin' tell us, and what does the grammar/word meanings tell us?   We find a massively important clue in Mark 3:30, where Mark tells us precisely WHY Jesus warned the Pharisees and Scribes about this sin. “Because they were saying, He has an unclean spirit.”   The exact same situation is described in Matthew 12:31 “31 Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven”  The scribes and pharisees are accusing Jesus of doing miraculous things – specifically driving out demons – by the power of Beelzebul rather than by the power of God.  Therefore, we know at least this: Ascribing something like an exorcism that is factually done by the power of God and His Holy Spirit to Demonic influence is AT BEST dangerously close to Blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and could, in fact, be blaspheming the Holy Spirit. (Jesus does not make it crystal clear that the scribes and pharisees were actually committing this sin, or merely getting close to committing it. It would seem like the latter is the best option.)  Practically speaking, what does this mean?? It means we need to be extremely careful about stating confident opinions on spiritual matters that we don't have 100 percent clarity from Scripture on. Let me give a couple of examples:  Pushed over at Brownsville.  Charles Carrin praying for us at GVAG.  Flamboyant preachers on tv wadding up their coats and throwing them on people, who pass out. Blowing on people, who pass out. Etc.  Most of this is probably fraudulent, some of it horribly so. BUT – we should be incredibly careful about pronouncing opinions on what God's spirit would do, and wouldn't do.   For instance, there was a revival going on in the 90s that became very well known and reached a lot of people. I heard about some of the things going on at that revival that were disturbing, and sounded – quite frankly – ridiculous. So, I assumed that the movement wasn't of God, but was just flaky people doing flaky things – at best. HOWEVER…a few years later, I met the leader of the movement, and spent some time with him. He struck me as a genuine follower of God – a man who loved Jesus, and who was humble.  I still don't know what to think about that revival. God does, and I leave it to Him. It's outside of my realm of influence. According to Jesus – there is grave danger in ascribing the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan. You better be 100 percent sure you're right before doing such thing…and you'd better ask the question – HOW Do i Know FOR SURE that my opinion is right on this matter? If you can't answer that question with extreme clarity, then be careful saying what the Holy Spirit will or will not do, and be careful saying whether or not something is of Satan, or not. Contextually, that is at least a large part of what blaspheming the Holy Spirit is about.  What is blasphemy, exactly? More on that in a moment…. Side question – is Beelzebul = Satan?? It's a great question, and I have a fairly lame answer…'maybe.'  Beelzebub (“Lord of the flies”) and Beelzebul (“Lord of the skies/heavenly realms”) both refer to the same entity.  In the Testament of Solomon, 1st century, non-Scripture, pseudoepigraphic text.  Beelzebul (not Beelzebub) appears as prince of the demons and says (6.2) that he was formerly a leading heavenly angel who was (6.7) associated with the star Hesperus (which is the normal Greek name for the planet Venus (Αφροδíτη) as evening star). Seemingly, Beelzebul here is synonymous with Lucifer. the text describes how Solomon was enabled to build his temple by commanding demons by means of a magical ringthat was entrusted to him by the archangel Michael.  The Bible reference comes from 2 Kings 1: 1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2 Ahaziah had fallen through the latticed window of his upper room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers instructing them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will recover from this injury.” 3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?' 4 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not get up from your sickbed—you will certainly die.'” Then Elijah left.The name also appears in Luke 11, where we can see the clearest connection between Beelzebul and Satan: Luke 11:14 Now He was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon came out, the man who had been mute, spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,the ruler of the demons!” 16 And others, as a test, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls.18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. So, Jesus mentions Satan and Beelzebul in the same context, but not in a way that indicates that they are the same entities.  My best guess is that Beelzebul is a separate entity from Satan, but I confess that I do not know, and my guess is based on the fact that the Bible never clearly identifies the two as the same entity.  What exactly is Blasphemy?  Luke 12:10 points us in the right direction – anyone who ‘speaks a word against the son of man will be forgiven.' but the one who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Matthew 12:32 makes it even more clear: 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. Similarly: Isaiah 37:23 Isaiah 37:23 Who is it you have mocked and blasphemed? Who have you raised your voice against and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! The Word itself, Greek Blasphemos, is a combo of two words. Blaptō, which means, ‘to HURT' and Pheemay, which means fame, report, or something like ‘reputation.' So, etymologically, the word  has a root meaning of injuring somebody's fame, or good name. The word can mean ‘defame' or ‘revile' and isn't always used of a deity. Paul speaks of being ‘defamed' or blasphemed by people for being an apostle. Paul commands the church in Titus 3:2 not to slander/Speak evil of (or BLASPHEME) any person, which is a command that Christians would do well to take far more seriously than we do.  2 Peter 2:10 and Jude vs 8 both warn against blaspheming angels, demons, and other spiritual beings.  So- blasphemy is speaking evil of someone. Hurting them with your words, harming their reputation. Thus, blaspheming the Holy Spirit is speaking evil of Him, reviling Him, defaming Him, seeking to harm His reputation. The Pharisees and Scribes were doing that – or coming dangerously close – when they said that it was Satan/Beelzebul empowering Jesus, when it was factually the Spirit of God Himself.  R.C. Sproul: Their statements were directed against Jesus. So, He said to them: “You can blaspheme Me and be forgiven, but when you question the work of the Spirit, you are coming perilously close to the unforgivable sin. You are right at the line. You are looking down into the abyss of hell. One more step and there will be no hope for you.” He was warning them to be very careful not to insult or mock the Spirit. Is it really unforgivable, and WHAT IF I HAVE COMMITTED IT?!  AUGUSTINE: It is not that this was a blasphemy which under no circumstances could be forgiven, for even this shall be forgiven if right repentance follows it Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Mark, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 48. I'm worried that I have committed the unforgivable sin??  Graham: Many Christians have heard that there is an unpardonable sin and live in dread that something grave they have done before or after conversion might be that sin. Their fears are unfounded. While there is an unforgivable sin, it is not one that a true believer in Jesus Christ can commit. Sproul:  Humanly speaking, everyone who is a Christian is capable of committing the unforgivable sin. However, I believe that the Lord of glory who has saved us and sealed us in the Holy Spirit will never let us commit that sin. I do not believe that any Christians in the history of the church have blasphemed the Spirit. As for those who are not sure they are saved and are worried they may have committed the unpardonable sin, I would say that worrying about it is one of the clearest evidences that they have not committed this sin, for those who commit it are so hardened in their hearts they do not care that they commit it. Thanks be to God that the sin that is unpardonable is not a sin He allows His people to commit. I don't share Graham and Sproul's assurances, though I respect them both deeply. The Bible NEVER says a believer is unable to commit the unpardonable sin. Jesus NEVER indicates that, and I see no other passage that promises such…just a sober warning.  I think Piper strikes a better balance when talking about it:  Piper: The fact that there is an unforgivable sin — that there comes a point in a life of sin after which the Holy Spirit will no longer grant repentance — that fact should drive us from sin with fear and trembling. None of us knows when our toying with sin will pass over into irrevocable hardness of heart. Very few people feel how serious sin is. Very few people are on the same wavelength with Jesus when he said in Mark 9:43, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.” Instead, many professing Christians today have such a sentimental view of God's justice that they never feel terror and horror at the thought of being utterly forsaken by God because of their persistence in sin. They have the naïve notion that God's patience has no end and that they can always return from any length and depth of sin, forgetting that there is a point of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power, leaving them never able to repent and be forgiven. They are like the buzzard who spots a carcass on a piece of ice floating in the river. He lands and begins to eat. He knows it is dangerous because the falls are just ahead. But he looks at his wings and says to himself, “I can fly to safety in an instant.” And he goes on eating. Just before the ice goes over the falls he spreads his wings to fly but his claws are frozen in the ice and there is no escape — neither in this age nor the age to come. The Spirit of holiness has forsaken the arrogant sinner forever. Another of the devil's fiery darts is this, “You have committed the unpardonable sin.” Ah! this arrow has rankled in many a heart, and it is very difficult to deal with such cases. The only way in which I argue with a person thus assailed is to say, “I am quite certain that, if you desire salvation, you have not committed the unpardonable sin, and I am absolutely sure that, if you will now come and trust Christ, you have not committed that sin, for every soul that trusts Christ is forgiven, according to God's Word, and therefore you cannot have committed that sin.” C. H. Spurgeon, Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress:  My close – God the Holy Spirit is all powerful. Tremble:  I don't want to blunt the warnings of Jesus with false assurance. It is likely that – if you are worried you've committed the unpardonable sin, that you haven't because only the Spirit's work in your life would make you fear the Lord. But the way that Jesus addressed this is with the highest level of seriousness…so must we. This passage RIGHTLY inspires fear in us, and that's ok, it should. It is obviously recorded in the Scripture for that purpose.  Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 2:5 you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. Rev 14:6  6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead,(I) having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.(J)7 He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” The word for fear there has the same meaning as our word fear. It means FEAR.   Luke 12: In the same breath that Jesus speaks about the unpardonable sin, He says this:  4 “And I say to you, My friends, don't fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! 6 Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. 7 Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows! Treat the Holy Spirit with great – remarkable sobriety – fear and wisdom. Fear the Lord, as Jesus said, and don't be afraid to trust Him – He who knows all of the sparrows and numbers our hairs, counts us as of great worth and Loves the World enough to send His son to rescue it.  Here's the good news: GREEAR: False gods mutilate us; the true God mutilated himself for us. The prophets of Ba'al begin by dancing around their altar. They end by slashing at themselves until their blood runs (1 Kings 18:28). False gods always push us toward destruction: “Work harder. Do better. Obtain more. You still aren't getting my attention. Slash yourself!” So we slash at our bodies by going through crash diets to attain that perfect figure. We slash at our families by overworking to make extra money. We slash at our souls by compromising our integrity to get someone's affection. False gods push us to mutilate ourselves, because we desperately want to win their approval. But only one God was ever mutilated for us—Jesus Christ. This story ends with a magnificent fire coming from heaven, but as Jesus himself points out to his first disciples, the fire was not intended for sinful humanity (Luke 9:51–56). It was ultimately intended for him: of all the characters in this story, Jesus is not Elijah, calling down fire; he is the sacrifice who receives the fire of judgment. At the cross, Jesus took into his body the fire of God's justice so that we could take into our lives the fire of God's love. Other gods demand dancing, slashing, mutilation. But Jesus Christ is the only God who was slashed and mutilated for us. As Tim Keller has said, “Every other god will make your blood run; only the true God bleeds for you.”

Melvin Gaines

Episode 4: What is the Unforgivable sin??  It's a terrifying reality: Jesus warned His disciples and the Pharisees that there was a sin that could be committed that was unpardonable - unforgivable for all eternity. People have speculated and worried about this teaching of Jesus for hundreds of years. What precisely is the unpardonable sin? How can we know whether or not we've done it? Let's dive in! The Didache First century - RIGHT after the NT: Now concerning the apostles and prophets, deal with them as follows in accordance with the rule of the gospel. (4) Let every apostle who comes to you be welcomed as if he were the Lord. (5) But he is not to stay for more than one day, unless there is need, in which case he may stay another. But if he stays three days, he is a false prophet. (6) And when the apostle leaves, he is to take nothing except bread until he finds his next night's lodging. But if he asks for money, he is a false prophet. (7) Also, do not test or evaluate any prophet who speaks in the spirit, for every sin will be forgiven, but this sin will not be forgiven.35 Michael William Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, Updated ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 263–265. ANDREAS Andreas of Caesarea (Greek: Ἀνδρέας Καισαρείας; 563 – 637) : It is the sin of heresy, or of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which leads to death. If one man sins against another, pray for him. But if he sins against God, who is there who can pray on his behalf? And if even after all this, our opponents are still unwilling to learn and still unable to understand, they should at least stop speaking evil. They should not divide the Trinity lest they be divided from life.82 They should not classify the Holy Spirit with the creatures, lest, like the Pharisees of old who ascribed the works of the Spirit to Beelzebul,83 they too, on account of equal audacity, incur along with them the punishment which is unpardonable both now and in the future. Athanasius Works on the Spirit: Athanasius's Letters to Serapion on the Holy Spirit,  Grave-robbing, or the opening of graves, is divided into two kinds too, like theft, according to the present Canon, to wit, into pardonable and into unpardonable grave-robbing. For if the fellow opening the grave does not denude the dead person's body, thus refraining from dishonoring (for that is what is meant by the expression “sparing devoutness”) the dead, but only takes the stones found in the grave, in order to use them in the building of any other work that is preferable and more beneficial to the community, though this too is by no means anything to be praised, yet custom has made it pardonable.2 St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain - 1700s, Greek Orthodox church.  Swearing is a dreadful and harmful thing; it is a destructive drug, a bane and a danger, a hidden wound, a sore unseen, an obscure ulcer spreading its poison in the soul; it is an arrow of Satan, a flaming javelin, a two-edged sword, a sharp-honed scimitar, an unpardonable sin, an indefensible transgression, a deep gulf, a precipitous crag, a strong trap, a taut-stretched net, a fetter that cannot be broken, a noose from which no one escapes. 19. Are these enough, and do you believe that swearing is a dreadful thing and the most harmful of all sins? Believe me, I beg you, believe me! But if someone does not believe me, I now offer proof. This sin has what no other sin possesses. If we do not violate the other commandments, we escape punishment; on the other hand, in the matter of oaths, we are punished just the same both when we guard against transgressing and when we transgress. St. John Chrysostom, 300s AD St. John Chrysostom: Baptismal Instructions,  Hilary of Poitiers actually points us in a more biblical direction, in discussing the unpardonable sin: Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven.67 With a very grave qualification, he condemns the view of the Pharisees and the perversion of those who also think like them. He promises pardon of all sins but refuses pardon for blasphemy of the Spirit. While other words and deeds are treated with a generous pardon, there is no mercy if it is denied that God is in Christ. 68 And in whatever way one sins without pardon, he is gracious to us and reminds us again that sins of every kind can be completely forgiven, though blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. For who is so completely beyond pardon as one who denies that Christ is of God, or repudiates that the substance of the Spirit of the Father resides in him Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on Matthew, ed.  Spurgeon - Nobody knows what that sin is. I believe that even God's Word does not tell us, and it is very proper that it does not. As I have often said, it is like the notice we sometimes see put up, “Man-traps and spring gun set here.” We do not know whereabouts the traps and guns are, but we have no business over the hedge at all. So, “there is a sin unto death;” we are not told what that sin is, but we have no business to go over the hedge into any transgression at all. That “sin unto death” may be different in different people; but, whoever commits it, from that very moment, loses all spiritual desires. He has no wish to be saved, no care to repent, no longing after Christ; so dreadful is the spiritual death that comes over the man who has committed it that he never craves eternal life. C. H. Spurgeon, Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress: A Commentary on Portions of John Bunyan's Immortal Allegory (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 73–74. Billy Graham:   The sin of the religious leaders, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, was a refusal to accept the witness of the Holy Spirit to who Jesus was and what He had come to do, and then submit their lives to Him… Once again, the unpardonable sin is not some particularly grievous sin committed by a Christian before or after accepting Christ, nor is it thinking or saying something terrible about the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is deliberately resisting the Holy Spirit's witness and invitation to turn to Jesus until death ends all opportunity. Billy Graham is echoing the Augustinian (300s AD) view: Now the man who, not believing that sins are remitted in the Church, despises this great gift of God's mercy, and persists to the last day of his life in his obstinacy of heart, is guilty of the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, in whom Christ forgives sins. Augustine of Hippo, “The Enchiridion,” in St. Augustin: On the Holy Trinity, Doctrinal Treatises, Moral Treatises, ed.  Augustine was reflecting the Origen view (early 300s): The Spirit dwells in those who live by faith. But those who once having been counted worthy to share in the Holy Spirit and then having finally and decisively turned their backs from grace are by this act said to have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit (ORIGEN  Who, then, is not amazed at the exceeding majesty of the Holy Spirit when he hears that he who speaks a word against the Son of man may hope for forgiveness, but that he who is guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has no forgiveness—either in the present world or in that which is to come. Origen What then is it? The unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an act of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power so that we are never able to repent and be forgiven. - John Piper.  Lee ann penick MODERN: There is only one “unpardonable sin” that can separate us from God for eternity. It is the ongoing, willful refusal to accept Christ as Lord and Savior and the forgiveness He offers. Jacob Arminius defined it as "the rejection and refusing of Jesus Christ through determined malice and hatred against Christ". Nancy Hardesty  “Ultimately the refusal to allow women to fully use their gifts in the church and in the world is a form of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”   Pope John Paul II writes "'blasphemy' does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross", and "If Jesus says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven either in this life or in the next, it is because this "non-forgiveness" is linked, as to its cause, to "non-repentance," in other words to the radical refusal to be converted. This means the refusal to come to the sources of Redemption, which nevertheless remain "always" open in the economy of salvation in which the mission of the Holy Spirit is accomplished. SO - What is The unforgivable sin?? - is it, as Origen, Augustine, Billy Graham, Pope John Paul 2 Lee Ann Penick suggest - the rejection of the Holy Spirit/not becoming a follower of Jesus?? Is it, as John Chrysostom claimed, swearing oaths?  Is it the robbing of graves in a thieving manner? Is it not letting women use their spiritual gifts in the church? Is it Heresy? Is it, as Athanasius and many other church fathers declared, being wrong on the Trinity and calling the Holy Spirit a created being, rather than God Himself?  Is it testing prophetic utterances of prophets?? (NO! - 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 Don't stifle the Spirit. 20 Don't despise prophecies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good.) Confused? You should be!! People talk about this issue all of the time, but it doesn't appear that all of them get their views from the Bible, so let's begin there in seeking our answer.  Matthew 12:24 24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “The man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 29 How can someone enter a strong man's house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. 30 Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.31 Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. Mark 3: 22 The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul in Him!” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!” 23 So He summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished! 27 “On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man's house and rob his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he will rob his house. 28 I assure you: People will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they may blaspheme. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Luke 12: 8 “And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God, 9 but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.10 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. So, I see two major ways we need to answer this question. Contextually and grammatically.  What does the CONTEXT of the usage of ‘unpardonable sin' tell us, and what does the grammar/word meanings tell us?   We find a massively important clue in Mark 3:30, where Mark tells us precisely WHY Jesus warned the Pharisees and Scribes about this sin. “Because they were saying, He has an unclean spirit.”   The exact same situation is described in Matthew 12:31 “31 Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven”  The scribes and pharisees are accusing Jesus of doing miraculous things - specifically driving out demons - by the power of Beelzebul rather than by the power of God.  Therefore, we know at least this: Ascribing something like an exorcism that is factually done by the power of God and His Holy Spirit to Demonic influence is AT BEST dangerously close to Blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and could, in fact, be blaspheming the Holy Spirit. (Jesus does not make it crystal clear that the scribes and pharisees were actually committing this sin, or merely getting close to committing it. It would seem like the latter is the best option.)  Practically speaking, what does this mean?? It means we need to be extremely careful about stating confident opinions on spiritual matters that we don't have 100 percent clarity from Scripture on. Let me give a couple of examples:  Pushed over at Brownsville. Charles Carrin praying for us at GVAG. Flamboyant preachers on tv wadding up their coats and throwing them on people, who pass out. Blowing on people, who pass out. Etc.  Most of this is probably fraudulent, some of it horribly so. BUT - we should be incredibly careful about pronouncing opinions on what God's spirit would do, and wouldn't do.   For instance, there was a revival going on in the 90s that became very well known and reached a lot of people. I heard about some of the things going on at that revival that were disturbing, and sounded - quite frankly - ridiculous. So, I assumed that the movement wasn't of God, but was just flaky people doing flaky things - at best. HOWEVER...a few years later, I met the leader of the movement, and spent some time with him. He struck me as a genuine follower of God - a man who loved Jesus, and who was humble.  I still don't know what to think about that revival. God does, and I leave it to Him. It's outside of my realm of influence. According to Jesus - there is grave danger in ascribing the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan. You better be 100 percent sure you're right before doing such thing...and you'd better ask the question - HOW Do i Know FOR SURE that my opinion is right on this matter? If you can't answer that question with extreme clarity, then be careful saying what the Holy Spirit will or will not do, and be careful saying whether or not something is of Satan, or not. Contextually, that is at least a large part of what blaspheming the Holy Spirit is about.  What is blasphemy, exactly? More on that in a moment…. Side question - is Beelzebul = Satan?? It's a great question, and I have a fairly lame answer…'maybe.'  Beelzebub (“Lord of the flies”) and Beelzebul (“Lord of the skies/heavenly realms”) both refer to the same entity.  In the Testament of Solomon, 1st century, non-Scripture, pseudoepigraphic text.  Beelzebul (not Beelzebub) appears as prince of the demons and says (6.2) that he was formerly a leading heavenly angel who was (6.7) associated with the star Hesperus (which is the normal Greek name for the planet Venus (Αφροδíτη) as evening star). Seemingly, Beelzebul here is synonymous with Lucifer. the text describes how Solomon was enabled to build his temple by commanding demons by means of a magical ring that was entrusted to him by the archangel Michael.  The Bible reference comes from 2 Kings 1: 1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2 Ahaziah had fallen through the latticed window of his upper room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers instructing them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will recover from this injury.” 3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?' 4 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not get up from your sickbed—you will certainly die.'” Then Elijah left. The name also appears in Luke 11, where we can see the clearest connection between Beelzebul and Satan: Luke 11:14 Now He was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon came out, the man who had been mute, spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,the ruler of the demons!” 16 And others, as a test, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls.18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. So, Jesus mentions Satan and Beelzebul in the same context, but not in a way that indicates that they are the same entities.  My best guess is that Beelzebul is a separate entity from Satan, but I confess that I do not know, and my guess is based on the fact that the Bible never clearly identifies the two as the same entity. What exactly is Blasphemy?  Luke 12:10 points us in the right direction - anyone who ‘speaks a word against the son of man will be forgiven.' but the one who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Matthew 12:32 makes it even more clear: 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. Similarly: Isaiah 37:23 Isaiah 37:23 Who is it you have mocked and blasphemed? Who have you raised your voice against and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! The Word itself, Greek Blasphemos, is a combo of two words. Blaptō, which means, ‘to HURT' and Pheemay, which means fame, report, or something like ‘reputation.' So, etymologically, the word  has a root meaning of injuring somebody's fame, or good name. The word can mean ‘defame' or ‘revile' and isn't always used of a deity. Paul speaks of being ‘defamed' or blasphemed by people for being an apostle. Paul commands the church in Titus 3:2 not to slander/Speak evil of (or BLASPHEME) any person, which is a command that Christians would do well to take far more seriously than we do.  2 Peter 2:10 and Jude vs 8 both warn against blaspheming angels, demons, and other spiritual beings.  So- blasphemy is speaking evil of someone. Hurting them with your words, harming their reputation. Thus, blaspheming the Holy Spirit is speaking evil of Him, reviling Him, defaming Him, seeking to harm His reputation. The Pharisees and Scribes were doing that - or coming dangerously close - when they said that it was Satan/Beelzebul empowering Jesus, when it was factually the Spirit of God Himself.  R.C. Sproul: Their statements were directed against Jesus. So, He said to them: “You can blaspheme Me and be forgiven, but when you question the work of the Spirit, you are coming perilously close to the unforgivable sin. You are right at the line. You are looking down into the abyss of hell. One more step and there will be no hope for you.” He was warning them to be very careful not to insult or mock the Spirit. Is it really unforgivable, and WHAT IF I HAVE COMMITTED IT?!  AUGUSTINE: It is not that this was a blasphemy which under no circumstances could be forgiven, for even this shall be forgiven if right repentance follows it Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Mark, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 48. I'm worried that I have committed the unforgivable sin??  Graham: Many Christians have heard that there is an unpardonable sin and live in dread that something grave they have done before or after conversion might be that sin. Their fears are unfounded. While there is an unforgivable sin, it is not one that a true believer in Jesus Christ can commit. Sproul:  Humanly speaking, everyone who is a Christian is capable of committing the unforgivable sin. However, I believe that the Lord of glory who has saved us and sealed us in the Holy Spirit will never let us commit that sin. I do not believe that any Christians in the history of the church have blasphemed the Spirit. As for those who are not sure they are saved and are worried they may have committed the unpardonable sin, I would say that worrying about it is one of the clearest evidences that they have not committed this sin, for those who commit it are so hardened in their hearts they do not care that they commit it. Thanks be to God that the sin that is unpardonable is not a sin He allows His people to commit. I don't share Graham and Sproul's assurances, though I respect them both deeply. The Bible NEVER says a believer is unable to commit the unpardonable sin. Jesus NEVER indicates that, and I see no other passage that promises such...just a sober warning.  I think Piper strikes a better balance when talking about it:  Piper: The fact that there is an unforgivable sin — that there comes a point in a life of sin after which the Holy Spirit will no longer grant repentance — that fact should drive us from sin with fear and trembling. None of us knows when our toying with sin will pass over into irrevocable hardness of heart. Very few people feel how serious sin is. Very few people are on the same wavelength with Jesus when he said in Mark 9:43, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.” Instead, many professing Christians today have such a sentimental view of God's justice that they never feel terror and horror at the thought of being utterly forsaken by God because of their persistence in sin. They have the naïve notion that God's patience has no end and that they can always return from any length and depth of sin, forgetting that there is a point of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power, leaving them never able to repent and be forgiven. They are like the buzzard who spots a carcass on a piece of ice floating in the river. He lands and begins to eat. He knows it is dangerous because the falls are just ahead. But he looks at his wings and says to himself, “I can fly to safety in an instant.” And he goes on eating. Just before the ice goes over the falls he spreads his wings to fly but his claws are frozen in the ice and there is no escape — neither in this age nor the age to come. The Spirit of holiness has forsaken the arrogant sinner forever. Another of the devil's fiery darts is this, “You have committed the unpardonable sin.” Ah! this arrow has rankled in many a heart, and it is very difficult to deal with such cases. The only way in which I argue with a person thus assailed is to say, “I am quite certain that, if you desire salvation, you have not committed the unpardonable sin, and I am absolutely sure that, if you will now come and trust Christ, you have not committed that sin, for every soul that trusts Christ is forgiven, according to God's Word, and therefore you cannot have committed that sin.” C. H. Spurgeon, Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress:  My close - God the Holy Spirit is all powerful. Tremble:  I don't want to blunt the warnings of Jesus with false assurance. It is likely that - if you are worried you've committed the unpardonable sin, that you haven't because only the Spirit's work in your life would make you fear the Lord. But the way that Jesus addressed this is with the highest level of seriousness...so must we. This passage RIGHTLY inspires fear in us, and that's ok, it should. It is obviously recorded in the Scripture for that purpose.  Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 2:5 you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. Rev 14:6  6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead,(I) having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.(J) 7 He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” The word for fear there has the same meaning as our word fear. It means FEAR.   Luke 12: In the same breath that Jesus speaks about the unpardonable sin, He says this:  4 “And I say to you, My friends, don't fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! 6 Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. 7 Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows! Treat the Holy Spirit with great - remarkable sobriety - fear and wisdom. Fear the Lord, as Jesus said, and don't be afraid to trust Him - He who knows all of the sparrows and numbers our hairs, counts us as of great worth and Loves the World enough to send His son to rescue it.  Here's the good news: GREEAR: False gods mutilate us; the true God mutilated himself for us. The prophets of Ba'al begin by dancing around their altar. They end by slashing at themselves until their blood runs (1 Kings 18:28). False gods always push us toward destruction: “Work harder. Do better. Obtain more. You still aren't getting my attention. Slash yourself!” So we slash at our bodies by going through crash diets to attain that perfect figure. We slash at our families by overworking to make extra money. We slash at our souls by compromising our integrity to get someone's affection. False gods push us to mutilate ourselves, because we desperately want to win their approval. But only one God was ever mutilated for us—Jesus Christ. This story ends with a magnificent fire coming from heaven, but as Jesus himself points out to his first disciples, the fire was not intended for sinful humanity (Luke 9:51–56). It was ultimately intended for him: of all the characters in this story, Jesus is not Elijah, calling down fire; he is the sacrifice who receives the fire of judgment. At the cross, Jesus took into his body the fire of God's justice so that we could take into our lives the fire of God's love. Other gods demand dancing, slashing, mutilation. But Jesus Christ is the only God who was slashed and mutilated for us. As Tim Keller has said, “Every other god will make your blood run; only the true God bleeds for you.”

Episode 4: What is the Unforgivable sin??  It's a terrifying reality: Jesus warned His disciples and the Pharisees that there was a sin that could be committed that was unpardonable - unforgivable for all eternity. People have speculated and worried about this teaching of Jesus for hundreds of years. What precisely is the unpardonable sin? How can we know whether or not we've done it? Let's dive in! The Didache First century - RIGHT after the NT: Now concerning the apostles and prophets, deal with them as follows in accordance with the rule of the gospel. (4) Let every apostle who comes to you be welcomed as if he were the Lord. (5) But he is not to stay for more than one day, unless there is need, in which case he may stay another. But if he stays three days, he is a false prophet. (6) And when the apostle leaves, he is to take nothing except bread until he finds his next night's lodging. But if he asks for money, he is a false prophet. (7) Also, do not test or evaluate any prophet who speaks in the spirit, for every sin will be forgiven, but this sin will not be forgiven.35 Michael William Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, Updated ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 263–265. ANDREAS Andreas of Caesarea (Greek: Ἀνδρέας Καισαρείας; 563 – 637) : It is the sin of heresy, or of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which leads to death. If one man sins against another, pray for him. But if he sins against God, who is there who can pray on his behalf? And if even after all this, our opponents are still unwilling to learn and still unable to understand, they should at least stop speaking evil. They should not divide the Trinity lest they be divided from life.82 They should not classify the Holy Spirit with the creatures, lest, like the Pharisees of old who ascribed the works of the Spirit to Beelzebul,83 they too, on account of equal audacity, incur along with them the punishment which is unpardonable both now and in the future. Athanasius Works on the Spirit: Athanasius's Letters to Serapion on the Holy Spirit,  Grave-robbing, or the opening of graves, is divided into two kinds too, like theft, according to the present Canon, to wit, into pardonable and into unpardonable grave-robbing. For if the fellow opening the grave does not denude the dead person's body, thus refraining from dishonoring (for that is what is meant by the expression “sparing devoutness”) the dead, but only takes the stones found in the grave, in order to use them in the building of any other work that is preferable and more beneficial to the community, though this too is by no means anything to be praised, yet custom has made it pardonable.2 St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain - 1700s, Greek Orthodox church.  Swearing is a dreadful and harmful thing; it is a destructive drug, a bane and a danger, a hidden wound, a sore unseen, an obscure ulcer spreading its poison in the soul; it is an arrow of Satan, a flaming javelin, a two-edged sword, a sharp-honed scimitar, an unpardonable sin, an indefensible transgression, a deep gulf, a precipitous crag, a strong trap, a taut-stretched net, a fetter that cannot be broken, a noose from which no one escapes. 19. Are these enough, and do you believe that swearing is a dreadful thing and the most harmful of all sins? Believe me, I beg you, believe me! But if someone does not believe me, I now offer proof. This sin has what no other sin possesses. If we do not violate the other commandments, we escape punishment; on the other hand, in the matter of oaths, we are punished just the same both when we guard against transgressing and when we transgress. St. John Chrysostom, 300s AD St. John Chrysostom: Baptismal Instructions,  Hilary of Poitiers actually points us in a more biblical direction, in discussing the unpardonable sin: Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven.67 With a very grave qualification, he condemns the view of the Pharisees and the perversion of those who also think like them. He promises pardon of all sins but refuses pardon for blasphemy of the Spirit. While other words and deeds are treated with a generous pardon, there is no mercy if it is denied that God is in Christ. 68 And in whatever way one sins without pardon, he is gracious to us and reminds us again that sins of every kind can be completely forgiven, though blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. For who is so completely beyond pardon as one who denies that Christ is of God, or repudiates that the substance of the Spirit of the Father resides in him Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on Matthew, ed.  Spurgeon - Nobody knows what that sin is. I believe that even God's Word does not tell us, and it is very proper that it does not. As I have often said, it is like the notice we sometimes see put up, “Man-traps and spring gun set here.” We do not know whereabouts the traps and guns are, but we have no business over the hedge at all. So, “there is a sin unto death;” we are not told what that sin is, but we have no business to go over the hedge into any transgression at all. That “sin unto death” may be different in different people; but, whoever commits it, from that very moment, loses all spiritual desires. He has no wish to be saved, no care to repent, no longing after Christ; so dreadful is the spiritual death that comes over the man who has committed it that he never craves eternal life. C. H. Spurgeon, Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress: A Commentary on Portions of John Bunyan's Immortal Allegory (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 73–74. Billy Graham:   The sin of the religious leaders, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, was a refusal to accept the witness of the Holy Spirit to who Jesus was and what He had come to do, and then submit their lives to Him… Once again, the unpardonable sin is not some particularly grievous sin committed by a Christian before or after accepting Christ, nor is it thinking or saying something terrible about the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is deliberately resisting the Holy Spirit's witness and invitation to turn to Jesus until death ends all opportunity. Billy Graham is echoing the Augustinian (300s AD) view: Now the man who, not believing that sins are remitted in the Church, despises this great gift of God's mercy, and persists to the last day of his life in his obstinacy of heart, is guilty of the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, in whom Christ forgives sins. Augustine of Hippo, “The Enchiridion,” in St. Augustin: On the Holy Trinity, Doctrinal Treatises, Moral Treatises, ed.  Augustine was reflecting the Origen view (early 300s): The Spirit dwells in those who live by faith. But those who once having been counted worthy to share in the Holy Spirit and then having finally and decisively turned their backs from grace are by this act said to have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit (ORIGEN  Who, then, is not amazed at the exceeding majesty of the Holy Spirit when he hears that he who speaks a word against the Son of man may hope for forgiveness, but that he who is guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has no forgiveness—either in the present world or in that which is to come. Origen What then is it? The unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an act of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power so that we are never able to repent and be forgiven. - John Piper.  Lee ann penick MODERN: There is only one “unpardonable sin” that can separate us from God for eternity. It is the ongoing, willful refusal to accept Christ as Lord and Savior and the forgiveness He offers. Jacob Arminius defined it as "the rejection and refusing of Jesus Christ through determined malice and hatred against Christ". Nancy Hardesty  “Ultimately the refusal to allow women to fully use their gifts in the church and in the world is a form of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”   Pope John Paul II writes "'blasphemy' does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross", and "If Jesus says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven either in this life or in the next, it is because this "non-forgiveness" is linked, as to its cause, to "non-repentance," in other words to the radical refusal to be converted. This means the refusal to come to the sources of Redemption, which nevertheless remain "always" open in the economy of salvation in which the mission of the Holy Spirit is accomplished. SO - What is The unforgivable sin?? - is it, as Origen, Augustine, Billy Graham, Pope John Paul 2 Lee Ann Penick suggest - the rejection of the Holy Spirit/not becoming a follower of Jesus?? Is it, as John Chrysostom claimed, swearing oaths?  Is it the robbing of graves in a thieving manner? Is it not letting women use their spiritual gifts in the church? Is it Heresy? Is it, as Athanasius and many other church fathers declared, being wrong on the Trinity and calling the Holy Spirit a created being, rather than God Himself?  Is it testing prophetic utterances of prophets?? (NO! - 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 Don't stifle the Spirit. 20 Don't despise prophecies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good.) Confused? You should be!! People talk about this issue all of the time, but it doesn't appear that all of them get their views from the Bible, so let's begin there in seeking our answer.  Matthew 12:24 24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “The man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 29 How can someone enter a strong man's house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. 30 Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.31 Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. Mark 3: 22 The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul in Him!” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!” 23 So He summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished! 27 “On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man's house and rob his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he will rob his house. 28 I assure you: People will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they may blaspheme. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Luke 12: 8 “And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God, 9 but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.10 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. So, I see two major ways we need to answer this question. Contextually and grammatically.  What does the CONTEXT of the usage of ‘unpardonable sin' tell us, and what does the grammar/word meanings tell us?   We find a massively important clue in Mark 3:30, where Mark tells us precisely WHY Jesus warned the Pharisees and Scribes about this sin. “Because they were saying, He has an unclean spirit.”   The exact same situation is described in Matthew 12:31 “31 Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven”  The scribes and pharisees are accusing Jesus of doing miraculous things - specifically driving out demons - by the power of Beelzebul rather than by the power of God.  Therefore, we know at least this: Ascribing something like an exorcism that is factually done by the power of God and His Holy Spirit to Demonic influence is AT BEST dangerously close to Blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and could, in fact, be blaspheming the Holy Spirit. (Jesus does not make it crystal clear that the scribes and pharisees were actually committing this sin, or merely getting close to committing it. It would seem like the latter is the best option.)  Practically speaking, what does this mean?? It means we need to be extremely careful about stating confident opinions on spiritual matters that we don't have 100 percent clarity from Scripture on. Let me give a couple of examples:  Pushed over at Brownsville. Charles Carrin praying for us at GVAG. Flamboyant preachers on tv wadding up their coats and throwing them on people, who pass out. Blowing on people, who pass out. Etc.  Most of this is probably fraudulent, some of it horribly so. BUT - we should be incredibly careful about pronouncing opinions on what God's spirit would do, and wouldn't do.   For instance, there was a revival going on in the 90s that became very well known and reached a lot of people. I heard about some of the things going on at that revival that were disturbing, and sounded - quite frankly - ridiculous. So, I assumed that the movement wasn't of God, but was just flaky people doing flaky things - at best. HOWEVER...a few years later, I met the leader of the movement, and spent some time with him. He struck me as a genuine follower of God - a man who loved Jesus, and who was humble.  I still don't know what to think about that revival. God does, and I leave it to Him. It's outside of my realm of influence. According to Jesus - there is grave danger in ascribing the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan. You better be 100 percent sure you're right before doing such thing...and you'd better ask the question - HOW Do i Know FOR SURE that my opinion is right on this matter? If you can't answer that question with extreme clarity, then be careful saying what the Holy Spirit will or will not do, and be careful saying whether or not something is of Satan, or not. Contextually, that is at least a large part of what blaspheming the Holy Spirit is about.  What is blasphemy, exactly? More on that in a moment…. Side question - is Beelzebul = Satan?? It's a great question, and I have a fairly lame answer…'maybe.'  Beelzebub (“Lord of the flies”) and Beelzebul (“Lord of the skies/heavenly realms”) both refer to the same entity.  In the Testament of Solomon, 1st century, non-Scripture, pseudoepigraphic text.  Beelzebul (not Beelzebub) appears as prince of the demons and says (6.2) that he was formerly a leading heavenly angel who was (6.7) associated with the star Hesperus (which is the normal Greek name for the planet Venus (Αφροδíτη) as evening star). Seemingly, Beelzebul here is synonymous with Lucifer. the text describes how Solomon was enabled to build his temple by commanding demons by means of a magical ring that was entrusted to him by the archangel Michael.  The Bible reference comes from 2 Kings 1: 1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2 Ahaziah had fallen through the latticed window of his upper room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers instructing them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will recover from this injury.” 3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?' 4 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not get up from your sickbed—you will certainly die.'” Then Elijah left. The name also appears in Luke 11, where we can see the clearest connection between Beelzebul and Satan: Luke 11:14 Now He was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon came out, the man who had been mute, spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,the ruler of the demons!” 16 And others, as a test, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls.18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. So, Jesus mentions Satan and Beelzebul in the same context, but not in a way that indicates that they are the same entities.  My best guess is that Beelzebul is a separate entity from Satan, but I confess that I do not know, and my guess is based on the fact that the Bible never clearly identifies the two as the same entity. What exactly is Blasphemy?  Luke 12:10 points us in the right direction - anyone who ‘speaks a word against the son of man will be forgiven.' but the one who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Matthew 12:32 makes it even more clear: 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. Similarly: Isaiah 37:23 Isaiah 37:23 Who is it you have mocked and blasphemed? Who have you raised your voice against and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! The Word itself, Greek Blasphemos, is a combo of two words. Blaptō, which means, ‘to HURT' and Pheemay, which means fame, report, or something like ‘reputation.' So, etymologically, the word  has a root meaning of injuring somebody's fame, or good name. The word can mean ‘defame' or ‘revile' and isn't always used of a deity. Paul speaks of being ‘defamed' or blasphemed by people for being an apostle. Paul commands the church in Titus 3:2 not to slander/Speak evil of (or BLASPHEME) any person, which is a command that Christians would do well to take far more seriously than we do.  2 Peter 2:10 and Jude vs 8 both warn against blaspheming angels, demons, and other spiritual beings.  So- blasphemy is speaking evil of someone. Hurting them with your words, harming their reputation. Thus, blaspheming the Holy Spirit is speaking evil of Him, reviling Him, defaming Him, seeking to harm His reputation. The Pharisees and Scribes were doing that - or coming dangerously close - when they said that it was Satan/Beelzebul empowering Jesus, when it was factually the Spirit of God Himself.  R.C. Sproul: Their statements were directed against Jesus. So, He said to them: “You can blaspheme Me and be forgiven, but when you question the work of the Spirit, you are coming perilously close to the unforgivable sin. You are right at the line. You are looking down into the abyss of hell. One more step and there will be no hope for you.” He was warning them to be very careful not to insult or mock the Spirit. Is it really unforgivable, and WHAT IF I HAVE COMMITTED IT?!  AUGUSTINE: It is not that this was a blasphemy which under no circumstances could be forgiven, for even this shall be forgiven if right repentance follows it Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Mark, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 48. I'm worried that I have committed the unforgivable sin??  Graham: Many Christians have heard that there is an unpardonable sin and live in dread that something grave they have done before or after conversion might be that sin. Their fears are unfounded. While there is an unforgivable sin, it is not one that a true believer in Jesus Christ can commit. Sproul:  Humanly speaking, everyone who is a Christian is capable of committing the unforgivable sin. However, I believe that the Lord of glory who has saved us and sealed us in the Holy Spirit will never let us commit that sin. I do not believe that any Christians in the history of the church have blasphemed the Spirit. As for those who are not sure they are saved and are worried they may have committed the unpardonable sin, I would say that worrying about it is one of the clearest evidences that they have not committed this sin, for those who commit it are so hardened in their hearts they do not care that they commit it. Thanks be to God that the sin that is unpardonable is not a sin He allows His people to commit. I don't share Graham and Sproul's assurances, though I respect them both deeply. The Bible NEVER says a believer is unable to commit the unpardonable sin. Jesus NEVER indicates that, and I see no other passage that promises such...just a sober warning.  I think Piper strikes a better balance when talking about it:  Piper: The fact that there is an unforgivable sin — that there comes a point in a life of sin after which the Holy Spirit will no longer grant repentance — that fact should drive us from sin with fear and trembling. None of us knows when our toying with sin will pass over into irrevocable hardness of heart. Very few people feel how serious sin is. Very few people are on the same wavelength with Jesus when he said in Mark 9:43, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.” Instead, many professing Christians today have such a sentimental view of God's justice that they never feel terror and horror at the thought of being utterly forsaken by God because of their persistence in sin. They have the naïve notion that God's patience has no end and that they can always return from any length and depth of sin, forgetting that there is a point of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power, leaving them never able to repent and be forgiven. They are like the buzzard who spots a carcass on a piece of ice floating in the river. He lands and begins to eat. He knows it is dangerous because the falls are just ahead. But he looks at his wings and says to himself, “I can fly to safety in an instant.” And he goes on eating. Just before the ice goes over the falls he spreads his wings to fly but his claws are frozen in the ice and there is no escape — neither in this age nor the age to come. The Spirit of holiness has forsaken the arrogant sinner forever. Another of the devil's fiery darts is this, “You have committed the unpardonable sin.” Ah! this arrow has rankled in many a heart, and it is very difficult to deal with such cases. The only way in which I argue with a person thus assailed is to say, “I am quite certain that, if you desire salvation, you have not committed the unpardonable sin, and I am absolutely sure that, if you will now come and trust Christ, you have not committed that sin, for every soul that trusts Christ is forgiven, according to God's Word, and therefore you cannot have committed that sin.” C. H. Spurgeon, Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress:  My close - God the Holy Spirit is all powerful. Tremble:  I don't want to blunt the warnings of Jesus with false assurance. It is likely that - if you are worried you've committed the unpardonable sin, that you haven't because only the Spirit's work in your life would make you fear the Lord. But the way that Jesus addressed this is with the highest level of seriousness...so must we. This passage RIGHTLY inspires fear in us, and that's ok, it should. It is obviously recorded in the Scripture for that purpose.  Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 2:5 you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. Rev 14:6  6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead,(I) having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.(J) 7 He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” The word for fear there has the same meaning as our word fear. It means FEAR.   Luke 12: In the same breath that Jesus speaks about the unpardonable sin, He says this:  4 “And I say to you, My friends, don't fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! 6 Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. 7 Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows! Treat the Holy Spirit with great - remarkable sobriety - fear and wisdom. Fear the Lord, as Jesus said, and don't be afraid to trust Him - He who knows all of the sparrows and numbers our hairs, counts us as of great worth and Loves the World enough to send His son to rescue it.  Here's the good news: GREEAR: False gods mutilate us; the true God mutilated himself for us. The prophets of Ba'al begin by dancing around their altar. They end by slashing at themselves until their blood runs (1 Kings 18:28). False gods always push us toward destruction: “Work harder. Do better. Obtain more. You still aren't getting my attention. Slash yourself!” So we slash at our bodies by going through crash diets to attain that perfect figure. We slash at our families by overworking to make extra money. We slash at our souls by compromising our integrity to get someone's affection. False gods push us to mutilate ourselves, because we desperately want to win their approval. But only one God was ever mutilated for us—Jesus Christ. This story ends with a magnificent fire coming from heaven, but as Jesus himself points out to his first disciples, the fire was not intended for sinful humanity (Luke 9:51–56). It was ultimately intended for him: of all the characters in this story, Jesus is not Elijah, calling down fire; he is the sacrifice who receives the fire of judgment. At the cross, Jesus took into his body the fire of God's justice so that we could take into our lives the fire of God's love. Other gods demand dancing, slashing, mutilation. But Jesus Christ is the only God who was slashed and mutilated for us. As Tim Keller has said, “Every other god will make your blood run; only the true God bleeds for you.”

Episode 6 : John Godwin of Duck Dynasty In this episode of The Build Guild Podcast, the guys have the privilege of interviewing John Godwin of the wildly popular A&E tv show Duck Dynasty. Godwin is part of the Duck Commander Family. Godwin grew up in the heart of Louisiana and had childhood ties to the Robertson family after participating in a duck calling contest where Phil Robertson was a judge. As he grew up, Godwin recalls going down the wrong path and feeling like he needed to straighten up his act, but struggled to do so until Phil convinced him to follow Jesus. Godwin quickly recognized a need in his life, and chose to follow the Savior Phil talked about so easily and with such conviction. Godwin’s life has always centered on the outdoors, cultivating a love for hunting and fishing from an early age. He began working for Duck Commander in 2002 until the present. He is one of two members of the Duck Commander crew who is not a member of the Robertson family, and has recently launched Fin Commander, the fishing branch of Duck Commander. Ascribing to the ideology of “Don’t sell it till you’d hunt with it,” the Duck Commander brand emerged as a necessity for any outdoorsman. As Duck Commander’s popularity grew, the market for television appearances grew, with the team gearing up for hunting shows or outdoor channels. When the Duck Commander crew was initially approached by A&E, however, the show was a bit different from what they had in mind. A&E wanted Duck Dynasty to focus on a successful business that centered on three things: God, family, and ducks. With over 130 episodes spanning 11 seasons, the show was wildly successful. Originally the crew would film after business hours, but as the show became more popular, filming during business hours became necessary. One week’s worth of work is the shop was roughly an episode, and Godwin was a part of it all, starring in over a hundred episodes. Godwin’s story is an example of finding a vocation, honing a craft, and, better yet, finding a family along the way. Godwin’s life has been changed tremendously by the influence of Phil and the Robertsons. In this episode, The Build Guild talks with John about faith, family, and fame. From foot tattoos, wild Saturday nights, and NASCAR, this episode is an example of family and diversity within the making community that can lead to lasting friendships and change lives for the better. Thank you for listening, and if you wanted to check out the duck call John mentions in the show, check below: https://store.duckcommander.com/duck-calls/classic-commander-duck-call/ Find John Godwin Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Gev_nIYf_a1U2Ocz_V0Dg https://www.facebook.com/GodwintheWalrus/ https://twitter.com/GodwintheWalrus https://www.instagram.com/godwinjohn316 Follow The Build Guild on all of our social media platforms: https://www.facebook.com/groups/402217757048040/ https://www.facebook.com/thebuildguildpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/arganicwoodwork/ https://www.facebook.com/MyersWoodshop/ https://www.facebook.com/fierysquirrelart/ https://www.instagram.com/arganic_woodwork/ https://www.instagram.com/myerswoodshop/ https://www.instagram.com/fierysquirrelart/ If you want to fuel The Build Guild’s snack craving after the podcast: https://amzn.to/2XtyAnP --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thebuildguildpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thebuildguildpodcast/support

Jesus Christ is a Central and revered figure in the Islamic faith. A fundamental pillar of Islam involves the fundamental belief in all of God’s Prophets and Messengers, that He has sent down to relay His Message to humanity. Anyone who does not believe in any of God’s Messengers or Prophets is considered a disbeliever in Islam. Muslims hold all Prophets of God in high esteem, including Jesus peace be upon him. Muslims love and admire Jesus peace be upon him and will not speak the name of Jesus, or Isa in Arabic, without respectfully adding the words ‘peace be upon him’ following the reference. Aside from Christianity, Islam is the only other religion that requires followers to believe in Jesus Christ. God’s last and final Prophet, Muhammad narrated, ‘He who bears witness that there is no true god except Allah, alone having no partner with Him, that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, that 'Isa (Jesus) is His slave and Messenger, and he (Jesus) is His Word which He communicated to Maryam (Mary) and His spirit which He sent to her, that Jannah (Paradise) is true and Hell is true; Allah will make him enter Jannah accepting whatever deeds he accomplished.’ Jesus Christ is mentioned over 25 times in the Holy Quran. The mother of Jesus is Mary (Mariam in Arabic). She was a very pious and righteous woman. According to the Quran, she is the holiest and greatest of all women that ever lived. Mary has the great honor to be the only female mentioned by name in the Holy Quran and even has a whole Chapter named after her. "And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds" (Quran 3:42) The mother of Mary, Hannah, was at one time a barren woman who longed for a child. She made a vow to God that if He gifted her with a child, then she would consecrate him to His service in the Holiest of all Temples, the Temple of Solomon, to be a scholar or a priest. God answered her prayers and gifted her with a girl child. Hannah was saddened at the child’s gender, as usually only male children were given in service. Following her promise to God, she instructed that Mary is raised at the Temple. Her Uncle Zechariah, who was a Prophet of God raised her. As Mary got older, Prophet Zechariah would visit her in her chamber at the Temple, where only he had access, and he would observe that she feasted on the best of foods and cold drinks. He would ask who had delivered these feasts when no one else had keys to the chamber. She then would respond, ‘Allah!’ She was blessed by miracles from God, even before the birth of Jesus Christ. According to the Quran, Angel Gabriel walked into Mary’s chamber. Terrified that someone had come to harm her or to remove her chastity, she cried out, ‘I seek refused from Allah!’ Angel Gabriel responded, ‘I am not an enemy, I am Allah’s servant and a messenger who came to deliver glad tidings to you, that Allah would bestow upon you a child.’ She replied, ‘How can I have a child if I don’t have a husband, and no man has touched me?’ Angel Gabriel then responded: “Allah creates what He Wills. If He decrees a thing, He says unto it only: Be! and it is.” (Quran 3:47) Jesus’ real name is Esau (Hebrew) or Yeheshua (Classical). The Christians of the West gave the Latin name, Jesus,. The letter ‘J’ does not exist in Aramaic, so Jesus himself would not recognize the name, Jesus. Mary gave birth to Jesus in the valley of Bethlehem, away from the people, after which she then returned. The Quran confirms that Jesus was born of a virgin woman. When they saw her with her newborn child Jesus, they said: "…O Mary, you have certainly done a strange thing. O sister of Aaron, your father, was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste" (Quran 19:27-28) Mary didn’t speak but pointed at her child. "So she pointed to him. They said, ‘How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?’ [Jesus] said, ‘Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me Prayer and Zakah as long as I remain alive and [made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And peace is on me the day I was born, and the day I will die, and the day I am raised alive’" (Quran 29-33) The Quran references the miracles that Jesus performed by the power and will of God, even in his infancy, when he spoke in the cradle to defend his mother’s chastity and innocence. The word Messiah is the title of Jesus. The word Messiah comes from the Arabic and Hebrew word mesaha, which means to rub, to massage, to anoint. In religious context, the word translates to mean ‘the one that has been anointed.’ It was common to appoint or anoint a King or Judge of Israel on the head with oil when taking office, as a sign of his inauguration. In the law of previous nations, they would rub a person’s head with special water when they converted to their religion. This practice lives on today, in the form of a Baptist ritual. Prophet Jesus was anointed as the next Prophet by his cousin, John the Baptist, the preceding Prophet. Jesus peace be upon him is called by four noble titles: The Messiah, the Messenger of Allah, A Word from Allah, and A Spirit from Allah. Muslim’s belief and understanding of Prophet Jesus stands in accordance with God’s final Book, the Holy Quran, and narrations of God’s last Prophet, Muhammad peace be upon him. Jesus Christ was a mere prophet of God; whose mission was to confirm the Torah which was revealed before him. He did not come bearing a new law, but only abrogated some laws to make life easier for the Children of Israel—the nation that lived before us. Jesus was sent to teach the same general Message, which was taught by all the previous prophets of God; that we must worship and follow the One God and shun every false god. God created Jesus Christ without a human father, just as Prophet Adam peace be upon him was born without either a human father or mother; Allah just said Be, and it Was. Declining to call Jesus the son of God is not done to belittle or insult Jesus; instead, it is done to Glorify and Magnify God. Allah is the One and Only, and He is far above having a child or a partner in His divinity. One should realize that Jesus never claimed to be the son of God, let alone God Himself. Through a careful study of the Bible, one would conclude that Jesus never called himself a god or God’s son. Nowhere does it state in the Bible that Jesus proclaimed himself as God. Instead, others made that proclamation after Jesus’ departure. Jesus, peace be upon him, only preached the teachings he received from God the Almighty. Prophet Jesus was only a servant and slave of God. He is not the son of God in the sense he was the begotten Son of God, instead; he is—metaphorically -the son of God in the sense that all righteous people are the sons of God. Yet this title is not to be taken literally as many Christians have done in error. There are many individuals labeled ‘sons of God’ in the Bible including Prophet Jacob, Solomon, and Adam peace be upon them as this was a common saying amongst the children of Israel. As Jesus Christ grew into adulthood, he began to travel and preach God’s Message throughout the land of Palestine to the children of Israel. He taught the scripture that God sent to him, known as the Injeel, which translates to mean ‘Good News’ or ‘Gospel’; confirming the truth of previous Holy Books of God. "And [I have come] confirming what was before me of the Torah and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. And I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear Allah and obey me"(Quran 3:50) To reinforce his Message, God granted Prophet Jesus peace be upon him the ability to perform miracles; such as fashioning birds from clay, then blowing into them to turn them into real birds—healing lepers and the blind, and even resurrecting the dead, all by the will and power of God the Almighty. Never did Prophet Jesus peace be upon him take credit for performing the miracles by himself, without the power of God. According to the Bible, many verses show that Jesus never took credit nor stated that he could perform miracles on his own: ‘…All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth’ (Matthew 28:18) ‘I can of mine own self do nothing …’ (John 5:30) ‘…I with the Finger of God cast out devils…’ (Luke 11:20) Prophet Jesus peace be upon him preached and stressed that no deity is worthy of worship except the One true God; and only through Him (the One true God, Allah, which is the unique name of God) can one obtain salvation in the hereafter. Prophet Jesus peace be upon him attracted an inner circle of devoted followers who listened to his teachings with humility; a ring known as the disciples. Jesus Christ peace be upon him preached the same general Message as the Messengers and Prophets before him. According to the Bible, ‘One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ “The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one’ (Mark12:28-29) Never did Prophet Jesus, nor any other Prophet, preach that God is part of a Trinity. Because the Children of Israel had gone astray from the straight path of God, Allah, the Glorious, sent them their final Prophet, Jesus Christ, to remind them that this is their last chance to fulfill God’s commandments. When Jesus Christ continued to preach God’s Message, commanding them to do certain things and to avoid certain things, instead of believing him and following him, they got frustrated by him; turning their backs on him and rejecting him, plotting against him. According to the new testament, a group of hypocritical and self-serving men of the Children of Israelites plotted against Prophet Jesus peace be upon him. They complained to the Roman authorities, who were pagan idol worshipers who had political power at the time; this because the children of Israel were only a minority. The Children of Israel complained that Prophet Jesus peace be upon him was preaching something new, and they provoked the Romans to rise against him; making the Roman governor believe that the call of Jesus Christ conveyed direct threats against the Roman power. His people claimed that Jesus Christ was an agitator speaking against the emperor which was not true. The Roman governor issued an order that Prophet Jesus peace be upon him is arrested, then crucified by hanging him on a cross and starving him; a common form of shame killing.    According to the Christian narrative, which Muslims do not believe, the Roman authorities found Jesus Christ, arrested him, then put him on the Roman cross—where he died. They eventually buried him, only to see him resurrected and returned from the dead. He announced to everyone he was the son of God. However, in reality, according to the Holy Quran, God states: "And [for] their saying (in boast), ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.’ And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise." (Quran 4:157-158) So according to the Holy Quran, they neither killed nor crucified Prophet Jesus peace be upon him; rather, God placed a resemblance of Prophet Jesus peace be upon him on another person to make him like Prophet Jesus. The Christians were differing amongst themselves as to the truth of the matter, as they themselves were in doubt and had no certainty what happened. In all actuality, God rescued His Prophet by raising Prophet Jesus’ soul and body up to Himself. The Israelites and the Roman authorities never could harm him, crucify him or kill him; this version of events was only an assumption. According to some Islamic scholars, God punished Judas, the traitor by casting him in a resemblance to Prophet Jesus peace be upon him. So, they crucified him instead, assuming it was Jesus Christ. According to the New Testament, Jesus Christ returned to his followers. Whereas Christians believe that he returned from the dead, Muslims believe that he never died. His followers were terrified at his reappearance, as they thought he had been crucified. Then Prophet Jesus said: ‘Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have’ (Luke 24:39) Jesus Christ then asked for food, so he could eat before them like a human being would, not a spirit or a ghost. After he proved his existence, he told them God had willed him to leave; and that in his absence they should preach and teach his Message and be faithful to God. He promised them finally that another would come after him. Whereas Christians believe that Prophet Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit in the context of this statement, Muslims believe that his words referenced the Prophet, Muhammad peace be upon him. Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is mentioned and prophesied in Scriptures of all major world religions. In the Old Testament, God the Almighty speaks to prophet Moses: ‘’I will raise up for them (the Israelites) a Prophet like you from among their brethren (the Israelites); I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them (the Israelites) everything I command him.’ (Deuteronomy 18:18) This verse is referencing Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, who came after Prophet Moses and after Prophet Jesus peace be upon them. Prophet Muhammad is also mentioned by name in Song of Solomon Verse 5:16 in Hebrew. The Hebrew word used there is ‘Muhammuddim.’ The letters ‘im’ in the end indicates a plural variation of a term that translates to mean respect majesty and grandeur. Without the 'im’ suffix, the name would be ‘Muhamud’; translated to mean ‘the praised one’ or ‘altogether lovely’ in the Authorized Version of the Bible. Gospel of John 16:12-14 Jesus Christ states: ‘I have much more to say to you, more than you can now them bear.’ God did not find it fit for mankind to receive the whole Message of Islam (the way of life of submitting fully to God) at that point, as they would not have been able to bear the Message in its entirety. So, Jesus Christ says: ‘But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me…” (Gospel of John 16:12-14) This Spirit of truth is none other than God’s last and final messenger of mankind, meant to be followed until the last day. Prophet Muhammad, who came after Jesus Christ, preached the same general Message as Prophet Jesus and every other Messenger and Prophet before him. After the departure of Prophet Jesus, controversies sparked amongst his followers. They questioned whether the person who returned was really Jesus Christ. A severe split erupted in the Christian faith, revealing a broad spectrum of opinions regarding Prophet Jesus and his role in the world.  Prophet Jesus was a mighty messenger of God, but he was only a mortal human being. He was born from a mother; he ate and drank; he would sleep and use the bathroom; he suffered pain and emotions. This differentiates him from God the Almighty, as God need not eat, sleep, or drink. He was only a servant and slave of God. The Trinity—the father, the son, and the holy spirit—and the concept that Jesus died for our sins is firmly rejected in Islam. “O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So, believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, ‘Three’; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs”    (Quran 4:171) God makes it clear in the Quran that the act of ascribing a son to Him, angers him. Ascribing a son to God is beneath the Almighty. God states: “And they say: ‘The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a son (or offspring or children)’ Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing. Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins. That they ascribe a son (or offspring or children) to the Most Beneficent (Allah). But it is not suitable for (the Majesty of) the Most Beneficent that He should beget a son” (Quran 88-92) According to the Holy Koran, the one that calls God part of the Trinity is a disbeliever who will face a painful punishment. The Quran states: "They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the third of three’ And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment" (Quran 5:73) The Quran then says: "The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a supporter of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make clear to them the signs; then look at how they are deluded" (Quran 5:75) It’s important to mention that Prophet Jesus peace be upon him did not come down with a new Law, nor did he come out to abolish the Old Testament (Torah); instead he came to affirm, teach and preach the previous law, the law of Moses. According to the Holy Koran and the Bible, the Children of Israel were veering away from the laws and disobeying the commandments of God. Prophet Jesus’ mission was to confirm the Torah that was previously sent, to render certain things lawful to facilitate life for the Children of Israel and to proclaim and re-affirm the belief in One God. Prophet Jesus peace be upon him was the last in a long line of Messengers sent to the Jewish people. Prophet Jesus peace be upon him and the Book he came down with, the Injeel (Gospel), was not meant for non-Israelites. According to the Bible, Jesus states: ‘I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of Israelites’ (Matthew: 15-24) In another verse, 'These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Mathew 10:5-6) So, my dear Christian brother and sister, why are you spreading the Gospel to those for whom it was never meant? Jesus states he was sent ‘only to the Children of Israel’ and not for everyone else. God has sent another Book after the Gospel—his final Book, the Holy Quran—and his last and final Messenger--Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him — which is meant for our nation, the latest nation to exist on earth until the end of time. Christians believe that every child is born with the taint of the original sin committed by our parents, Prophet Adam and Eve peace be upon them; a sin committed when disobeying our Creator and eating from the forbidden tree. According to Islam, the notion of the original sin is inconsistent with the concept detailing justice of the Almighty, the All-Merciful, the All-Loving How can God, the All-Just, make an innocent child responsible for or to bear the guilt of a sin committed by a distant ancestor? It is not just for one soul to carry the burden of another, and there is no justice to be found in one person being punished for saving another when they never committed the sin themselves. Islam teaches that everyone is responsible and will be held accountable for their own actions and that everyone is accountable for their own salvation. Salvation only comes from the act of Believing in the One God and following His commandments. Christians believe that since all men are born in this sinful state, it is necessary that a Christian believes in the atonement; the idea that Jesus Christ died for our sins. However, nowhere in the Bible did Jesus explicitly state that he would die to save mankind from sin. According to the Holy Quran and the Bible itself, one can receive forgiveness of sins from God solely through sincere repentance sought directly from God. If God, the Almighty, wished and willed to forgive humanity, then he certainly could have done so without the need of sacrificing Jesus Christ, his supposedly ‘begotten son.’ The idea that all one has to do to attain salvation is to simply believe Jesus Christ died for their sins, without the need of any worship nor the need to follow the Holy Law because Jesus Christ fulfilled it for them, was never preached by Jesus Christ himself—nor is it even in the Bible. Muslims believe that Jesus is still alive and that he will return to this world in the last days before the Day of Judgement. Muslims believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ. Muslims believe that Jesus Christ will return and preach the true Oneness of God as he has always done, and; he will not preach the trinity. Jesus Christ will prove to the Jews that he never was crucified and will prove to the Christians that they were wrong to ascribe him as divine. Imam Mahdi will be alive at the time of his return, also the time of the Battle of the Great Armageddon that Christians also predict. Muslims will fight on the side of Prophet Jesus peace be upon him, who will be their leader. According to the Holy Quran, God will ask Prophet Jesus peace be upon him on the day of Judgement: "…O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as deities besides Allah?’ He will say, ‘Exalted, are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen. I said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allah, my Lord, and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness. If You should punish them - indeed they are Your servants; but if You forgive them - indeed it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (Quran 5:116-118) Muslims are the true followers of Jesus Christ, following what Jesus Christ preached and taught. To my dear Christian brothers and sisters, it’s imperative you research and learn the real Message of Jesus Christ. God, the Almighty has distinguished man above His other creations, by providing him the gift of reason. One would not be considered a rational being if he or she believed in faith without using their intellect, without investigating, rationalizing, analyzing, examining, pondering, and reflecting over what he or she believes and just blindly following their Church and pastor. To my dear Christian brother or sister, take the time to research and think for yourself.

The word Shirk comes from an Arabic word generally meaning, 'to share.' In the context of Religion, it means giving Rights of Allah to someone other than Allah (God). Shirk is the act of ascribing a partner or rival to Allah in Lordship (Ruboobiyyah). Only God has the right to be worshipped or venerated. One who believes that anyone other than Allah created him or believes there is an entity worthy of worship besides Allah (God), is committing the grave sin of Shirk. Shirk is often translated to mean the practice of polytheism. The act of Shirk includes failing to worship God, denying His Existence, and sharing or associating a partner with Him; whether the partner is a prophet, an idol, the sun, the moon, or any other being or thing. Shirk is considered the most severe sin in Islam. Shirk is regarded as the cardinal sin in Islam. Shirk nullifies all of one's good deeds and denies one the rewards of the hereafter. "And it was already revealed to you and those before you that if you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be among the losers" (Quran 39:65) Shirk is the only sin that God will not forgive of an individual, if not sincerely repented for before his or her death. "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin" (Quran 4:48) If one repents and ceases from engaging in Shirk, then he or she would be forgiven; as repentance wipes out every sin, without exception, as long as one repents before death. The very reason for our creation was to worship the One God solely, and not anyone or anything else. Shirk denies the purpose of man's creation. Shirk deviates from the natural state of man, which is the belief in the One God and the worship of Him Alone. It was not until much later that Shirk started to spread in humanity—after the existence of Tawheed (monotheism- the worship of the One God). Worshipping and praising deities other than Allah, who have no power to benefit or harm, is an act of injustice to Allah—who created this whole Universe and gave life to you and me. Shirk is also an act of ingratitude. Shirk is the root of evil and causes the greatest downfall of human dignity and status. Islam strictly states that all types of prayers should only be directed to God the Almighty, and no one or nothing else. God is in total control of every man's destiny and is the only One that can benefit a person, grant one's needs and desires, and that can remove one's harm and distress. In the Holy Qur'an, one that engages in Shirk is referred to as a 'mushrik' or 'mushrikeen' (in its plural form) --- one that takes part in Shirk and plots against Islam. The Holy Quran refers to them as the enemies of Islam. The mainstream Christian belief of the Trinity is considered a type of Shirk, although not the worst kind of Shirk, such as worshipping, bowing down, or sacrificing for an idol or an image. Any shared divinity is considered Shirk. "They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the third of three,’ And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment" (Quran 5:73) The opposite of Shirk is Tawheed (Monotheism), which is the maintaining and observing of the worship of the One and True Creator while acknowledging his Uniqueness and Attributes. The Christian belief that Jesus is the son of God, or God himself, is the direct opposite of Tawheed. "They have certainly disbelieved who say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary..." (Quran 5:17) Trinity—father, son, holy spirit—and the concept that Jesus died for our sins is firmly rejected in Islam. "O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your Religion or say about Allah except the Truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So, believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, ‘Three’; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is on the Earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs" (Quran 4:171) God makes it clear in the Koran that the act of ascribing a son to Him, angers him. Ascribing a son to God is beneath the Almighty. God states: "And they say: ‘The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a son (or offspring or children) Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing. Whereby the Heavens are almost torn, and the Earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins. That they ascribe a son (or offspring or children) to the Most Beneficent (Allah). But it is not suitable for (the Majesty of) the Most Beneficent that He should beget a son" (Quran 88-92) Having multiple gods is illogical. According to the Holy Quran, there can only be One God; if there were various gods, they would have been competing to establish superior strength. The aggressive presence of two gods would have also destroyed the Heavens and the Earth. "If there were in the Heavens and the Earth other gods besides Allah, there would be confusions in both (Heaven and Earth), but glory be to Allah, the Lord of, the throne; high is He above what they attribute to Him" (Quran 21:22) Shirk is a very serious matter in Religion, as it makes something scared that God has not made sacred—an act of obscuring the truth. The Holy Koran and Sunnah (sayings of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him) indicate that the act of Shirk sometimes expels a person from the Religion of Islam, and sometimes it does not. Therefore, Islamic scholars divided Shirk into the categories of Major Shirk (Shirk Al-Akbar) and Minor Shirk (shirk Al-Asghar). Major Shirk (Shirk Al-Akbar) is very serious and takes one out of the folds of Islam. Major Shirk is ascribing to someone other than Allah something that belongs Only to Allah, the Glorious, such as Lordship (ruboobiyyah), Divinity (uloohiyyah), and the Divine Names and Attributes of God (Al-Asma' Wa-sifaat). These 'gods' can be in the form of priests, kings, objects, animals, spirits, or anyone or anything other than Allah, the Almighty. Major Shirk can come in the form of beliefs, words, or actions. Major Shirk can be seen outwardly, such as when one worships idols or graves; and can be hidden, such as when one who relies upon gods other than Allah. Major Shirk occurs when one prays or supplicates to one other than Allah. Major Shirk includes believing someone or something other than Allah who creates and gives life and death and is in full control of everything. Major Shirk also comprises the belief that someone other than Allah must be obeyed. Major Shirk also includes the idea that others apart from Allah know the unseen. Major Shirk also comprises the act of loving something that is a created being, equally or more than Allah. For example, this occurs when one is so emotionally attached to wealth, they make its attainment their goal in life. Wealth becomes everything to them. Those individuals took money as their God. Major Shirk also includes loving to obey one's desires more than Allah. One would follow their desires even if it leads to disobeying Allah. Such one takes their desires as their god as they act according to their whims. God states: "Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So, who will guide him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded?" (Quran 45:23) Minor Shirk (Shirk Al-Asghar) does not make the doer a disbeliever or remove one from the folds of Islam. However, minor Shirk is still a major sin. Minor Shirk includes everything that may lead to major Shirk. Minor Shirk consists of any action which is done to gain praise, fame or any other worldly purpose. This is considered Shirk because the individual is doing an action for other people, instead of for the sake of God. Examples of this can take the form of praying to God in front of others, intending to gain praise from people, or the case of donating to a charity to show off, to gain fame, or for any worldly purpose. When one commits such action, the good action gets nullified, and the doer receives no reward for it. Our Prophet stated: 'The thing I fear most for you is minor Shirk.' They (the Companions) said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is Minor Shirk?' He (peace be upon him) said, 'Riya.' Indeed, Allah (Blessed and Exalted be He) shall say on the Day of Resurrection to the people who used to do good deeds for show: Go to those for whom you were showing off with your acts in worldly life and see if you can find with them recompense.' Minor Shirk also includes swearing oaths made by those other than Allah; for example, saying, 'I swear by such as such…’ It can be major Shirk depending on particular situations. Minor Shirk also includes the belief in evil omens or superstitions. When the act of minor Shirk becomes a habit in all of one's deeds, it becomes Major Shirk. One should be cautious of Shirk, as this evil can be inconspicuous and not as noticeable. Our Prophet stated: ‘Ash-Shirk-al-Khafi (The inconspicuous Shirk) in the Muslim nation is more inconspicuous than the creeping of a black ant on a black rock in the pitch-darkness of the night.’ Therefore, one should take extra precaution to avoid the commission of this sin. According to the Holy Qur’an, one who commits Shirk and believes in a deity other than Allah— will live a life of constant fear and anxiety. "We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve for what they have associated with Allah of which He had not sent down [any] authority. And their refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers" (Quran 3:151)  

In this episode, Jessica Mass of Operation Underground Railroad discusses the stories of healing from sex slaves and how we can ascribe love to those who are struggling.

Ascribing human qualities to abstractions, like society and the resulting yet illogical social contract theory, opens the door to corruption and abuse. Countering these fallacies with the Precision Model of thinking demands specificity and affords greater understanding to everyone involved. The evolution of law, justice, and governance also requires greater precision, specificity, and explicit terms for contracted security. Free 2 week language course: www.everydaysamurai.life/rocket Mobility Reborn: www.everydaysamurai.life/reborn Brennan’s Article: https://reason.com/archives/2018/12/07/when-nonviolence-isnt-enough Precision Model: http://sourcesofinsight.com/precision-model-for-avoiding-language-pitfalls/  

Ascribing human qualities to abstractions, like society and the resulting yet illogical social contract theory, opens the door to corruption and abuse. Countering these fallacies with the Precision Model of thinking demands specificity and affords greater understanding to everyone involved. The evolution of law, justice, and governance also requires greater precision, specificity, and explicit terms for contracted security. Free 2 week language course: www.everydaysamurai.life/rocket Mobility Reborn: www.everydaysamurai.life/reborn Brennan’s Article: https://reason.com/archives/2018/12/07/when-nonviolence-isnt-enough Precision Model: http://sourcesofinsight.com/precision-model-for-avoiding-language-pitfalls/  

We are living in the midst of a trust crisis. A recent study reveals that more than two-thirds of the global population has no confidence that current leadership can address their country’s challenges, and seven in ten people worry about fake news being used as a weapon. What is causing this widespread skepticism and fear? And what can we do to resist this deliberate destruction of trust? Today on the podcast, Sylvia is investigating the pervasive falloff of trust. She shares the highlights of the 2018 Edleman Trust Barometer, discussing the trends around public trust in institutions including government, business and the media. Sylvia also explores what it means to trust a particular entity and the impact of your subconscious mind on your ability to trust. Sylvia covers the reasons why we increasingly see the world as volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous—and how the resulting decline in trust affects our behavior, level of aggression and desire to control a situation. Listen in for insight on strengthening your sense of inner trust and trustworthiness, leveraging self-care to up-level your ability to trust, and laying a foundation of trust in your communication with others. Topics Covered The global trends that reflect the destruction of trust Low public trust in government, business and media 7:10 worry about fake news being used as weapon Sylvia’s distinctions around the truth of trust Sense of knowing person, thing or organization Predicting future behavior Expecting behavior beneficial to us Ascribing benevolent intentions Making self vulnerable to another Healthy attachment phase in early childhood Confidence as result of trust in self Why the subconscious mind is more powerful in the long term The concept of VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) Why our desire to control increases with fastmoving change The relationship between a lack of connection and aggression Why irrational behavior rises in the face of unknowns How to strengthen your sense of inner trust and trustworthiness Heal inner child Set healthy boundaries (mind own business) ‘I take NOTHING personal’ Strengthen intuition (ask for guidance and ACT) Daily reconnection with source via rituals How sleep quality and self-care impact your ability to trust The value in communicating with utter respect and kindness Why it’s important to live your word The need to strive for clarity in communication Connect with Sylvia Becker-Hill Women’s Empowerment School WES on Facebook WES Podcast Show Notes Sylvia on Instagram Subscribe to WES on iTunes Subscribe to WES on Google Play Resources 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer Sylvia’s Inner Child Course ICF Coachingtag 2018

Ascribing Intermediaries Between You & Allah.

00:01 Introduction; 00:05 That was me; 00:35 Monster, don't eat dirt; 00:55 Experimenting with sales; 03:05 Going all in on Napgammon; 03:30 Monster, don't eat Kleenex; 03:55 Ascribing human motivations to animals; 04:30 Update on upgrades; 07:00 Table Battles bits update; 08:50 Dang that mail lady.

When [mistakes] feel PERSONAL.

Ephesians 1:3-14 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. Paul can't control himself as he shoots out of the gates in this Ephesian letter. Like a trained and skilled runner, every step and every verb and every preposition is leading to a crescendo of glory being given to God for his spiritual blessings that are ours in Christ. We've been chosen, we've been appointed, we've been given an inheritance and many other gifts that are ours in Christ set aside our false selves to remind us out of the block that we are truly blessed. Not in the Joel Osteen way, but rather in a profoundly rich way that has little or nothing at all to do with monetary gain. Our blessings in Christ make us all theologians to seek out the mystery that is ours and to hope for the final reconciliation of all things as we wait for it with all joy and faith. Join us for a conversation on how gratitude and vision allow us to run the race with perseverance.

Ephesians 1:3-14 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. Paul can't control himself as he shoots out of the gates in this Ephesian letter. Like a trained and skilled runner, every step and every verb and every preposition is leading to a crescendo of glory being given to God for his spiritual blessings that are ours in Christ. We've been chosen, we've been appointed, we've been given an inheritance and many other gifts that are ours in Christ set aside our false selves to remind us out of the block that we are truly blessed. Not in the Joel Osteen way, but rather in a profoundly rich way that has little or nothing at all to do with monetary gain. Our blessings in Christ make us all theologians to seek out the mystery that is ours and to hope for the final reconciliation of all things as we wait for it with all joy and faith. Join us for a conversation on how gratitude and vision allow us to run the race with perseverance.

People are often criticized for waiting for someone else to do for them what they should do for themselves. People are also criticized for failing to wait on God to get results. In both cases, it is important to remember that God uses people to accomplish His will in the earth. God uses preachers to minister salvation and deliverance. He uses doctors and health professionals to heal . And I’ve frequently said that you will never get a check signed by God. (Acts 3:1-10) Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. It’s really interesting how this fellow positioned himself at the temple. I believe this is because he saw himself yoked to the law. But, when Peter and John showed up, Grace presented itself and prevailed over his circumstances. He likely hung out at the temple because he saw himself under condemnation because of his condition. But, because of Grace, he left his condemnation behind and leapt away, liberated from the yoke of his situation. Ascertain the Position — Locate The first thing we see in the text is this man had friends or family position him at the gate of the temple with the hopes of receiving money (v2). This was typical because those who were invalid during the time of the Book of Acts were incapable of meaningful work and, therefore, were reduced to begging. In order to receive a miracle, you must be willing to put yourself in position to receive it. In Matthew 8:5-13, a Centurion made his way to Jesus to get healing for his servant. In Mark 5:21-40, Jairus came to Jesus looking for healing for his daughter but was interrupted by a woman who came to get healing for an issue of blood. In the midst of the delay, Jairus’ daughter died. Instead of healing for his daughter, he witnessed a greater miracle — seeing her resurrected from the dead. Just like salvation requires an effort on your part, sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time to receive the miraculous. Sometimes, though, you just simply need to locate God in you to receive it. The distance between these two scenarios is discernment. Grace gives us discernment. Ascribing the Power — Look The next thing that happens is Peter gives the man an instruction to look upon them (v4). Beggars typically begged with their heads lowered as a means of demonstrating humility. Contrary to what you may see, here, Peter was not getting the man to focus on them — he was getting the man to look at the power they were carrying. The author of Hebrews tells us that we should look to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Peter had firsthand experience in looking because he had enough faith to look upon Jesus and step out of a boat in the midst of a storm. He also knew what happened when he looked away from Jesus — he began to sink (Matthew 4:28-33). When we look to Jesus for what we need, we always find it. When we look to the world, we suffer disappointment and defeat. Grace gives us the power to overcome!

Ascribing to God his supreme worth – that's what is missing in many churches today. We've made worship to be more about us and less about Him. Isaiah's experience helps us return to a biblical priority on worship.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Trude Jacobsen, Assistant Professor at Northern Illinois University, presents on the topic “Ascribing ‘Pomakness’ in Rural Muslim Communities of the Greek Rhodope Mountains” on Friday, February 10, 2012, at the Franke Institute for the Humanities. She is currently working on a new monograph that will examine the historical and cultural explanations for the prevalence of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking within the countries of and across the porous borders of mainland Southeast Asia.

Pastor Jeff brings a powerful and passionate message concerning the spiritual discipline of worship: Ascribing unto God his imeasurable worth.

Pastor Jeff brings a powerful and passionate message concerning the spiritual discipline of worship: Ascribing unto God his imeasurable worth.

Pastor Jeff brings a powerful and passionate message concerning the spiritual discipline of worship: Ascribing unto God his imeasurable worth.

Pastor Jeff brings a powerful and passionate message concerning the spiritual discipline of worship: Ascribing unto God his imeasurable worth.

Ascribing Worth To God