Podcasts about bibles

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes. Reading Proverbs has so many benefits: drawing us closer to God, teaching us how to be better at relationships, helping us with principles of money management, child training, and more! Wisdom makes life better, and you are gaining wisdom as you Build Your Bible Habit! If you are looking for a helpful devotional to add to your collection, Apply: Living What We Learn will give you practical examples in for form of mini-devotions coupled with the simple assignment of reading a daily Proverb. Get this tool HERE:  Apply: Living What We Learn--A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor Visit the Shop at Keep the Heart for books, Bible studies, beautiful Bibles, and more! NEW: Peace Beyond Panic: A Heavenly Perspective on Anxiety and Depression by Dr. John W. Vaprezsan Apply: Living What We Learn-A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor FOR COUPLES: Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor Vitamins for the Soul: A Study on Maintaining Spiritual Health by Kathy Ashley NEW: Crossbody Sling Bag for Beverage Bottles Support this podcast HERE Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram Like Keep the Heart on Facebook

Welcome to Day 2884 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2884 – “Welcome to the War”  based on Luke 9:1-11 Putnam Church Message – 05/17/2026 The Good News According to Luke: “Welcome to the War.”   Last week's message was “Never Too Little, Never Too Lost,” in which we learned that the crowd may overlook you. Fear may accuse you.  Shame may silence you. Death may threaten you. But Jesus says, “You matter to Me.” Today, we continue with our twenty-third message from Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today's message is: Welcome to the War.” Our core passage today is Luke 9:1-11, which is found on page 1608 of your pew Bibles. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve 1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. 7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9 But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him. 10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Opening Prayer Father, we come before You today grateful that Your Kingdom is still advancing in this world. We confess that we often forget we are part of a spiritual battle. We become distracted by comfort, criticism, fear, busyness, and self-reliance. Lord Jesus, open our eyes to see Your mission clearly. Teach us to trust Your authority, / depend on Your provision, / endure rejection with grace, / and return often to You for rest and renewal. May Your Word shape us today, not only as listeners, but as faithful disciples sent into the world with good news. In Jesus' name, amen. Introduction: The War We Did Not Start, But Are Called to Enter Today, we continue in Luke's Gospel with the twenty-third message in our New Testament series, and the title is “Welcome to the War.” That may sound strong at first. We may think, “War? I thought we were talking about the Good News.” But Luke has been showing us from the beginning that the Good News of Jesus is not merely a comforting message for private spiritual reflection. It is the announcement that the Kingdom of God has arrived in Jesus Christ, and that means the dominion of evil is being overthrown. When Jesus preached in the synagogue in Nazareth, He announced good news to the poor, freedom for captives, sight for the blind, and release for the oppressed. When He healed the sick, forgave sinners, calmed the storm, delivered the demon-possessed man, restored the woman who had suffered for twelve years, and raised Jairus' daughter, He was not simply doing random acts of kindness. He was showing that the Kingdom of God was breaking into a broken world. In our previous messages, we have watched Jesus minister with compassion and authority. / We saw Him show love and grace to a sinful woman in the Pharisee's house. / We asked, “Where Are You in This Picture?” -> as Jesus taught about the soils of the heart. /  We saw “Freedom From Bondage” when Jesus delivered the man among the tombs. /  We saw that no one is “Never Too Little, Never Too Lost” when Jesus stopped for the suffering woman and raised Jairus' daughter. Now, in Luke 9:1–11, something shifts. Up until now, the disciples have been watching, learning, assisting, asking, and following. They have seen Jesus preach. They have seen Jesus heal. They have seen Jesus command demons. They have seen Jesus calm nature itself. But now Jesus calls the Twelve together and sends them out. The students become participants. The observers become messengers. The apprentices enter the battle. Jesus does not merely gather followers to sit near Him. He forms disciples to join His mission. So today, let's walk through Luke 9:1–11 under four main truths. Main Point 1: Jesus Sends Ordinary Disciples with His Power and Authority Luke tells us that Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. Then He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. / This is remarkable. These are the same disciples who were afraid in the storm. These are the same men who often misunderstood Jesus. These are not polished professionals. They are fishermen, tax collectors, ordinary men and women from ordinary places. And yet Jesus sends them. / That should encourage us. God's mission does not depend on perfect people. It depends on the authority of a perfect Savior. /  Luke uses two important words here: power and authority. Power refers to ability — the strength to accomplish what could not be accomplished naturally. Authority refers to the right to act on behalf of another. A police officer directing traffic is a helpful picture. The officer may not have the physical power to stop a moving vehicle with his bare hands. But when he raises his hand, cars stop because he carries delegated authority. He acts on behalf of a higher government. Jesus gives His disciples both. He gives them divine ability and delegated authority. / They are not going out in their own names. They are going out in His name. / And what are they sent to do? They are sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God and demonstrate the mercy of the Kingdom through healing and deliverance. In ancient times, a herald would enter a town square and speak on behalf of the king. The herald's message carried weight because it did not originate with the herald. He spoke with delegated authority. That is the picture here. The disciples are heralds. They are announcing that God's Kingdom has drawn near in Jesus. / This connects directly with the broader story of Scripture. In Genesis, humanity was created to live under God's good rule. But sin brought rebellion, brokenness, death, and bondage. Throughout the Old Testament, God promised that His Kingdom would come, His enemies would be defeated, and His people would be restored. The prophets looked ahead to a day when captives would be freed, the sick would be restored, and God's reign would be made known among the nations. Jesus is that fulfillment. And now He sends His disciples to announce it. Object Lesson: The Badge and the Battery Hold up two objects: a badge and a battery. A badge represents authority. It says, “I have been authorized to act.” A battery represents power. It supplies energy to do what needs to be done. A badge without power may represent a title but no ability. A battery without authority may have energy but no direction. Jesus gives His disciples both. For us today, not all of us have the same calling as the Twelve. Their mission in Luke 9 was specific to that moment in Jesus' ministry. But the larger principle remains: Christ still sends His people into the world as witnesses. We go not because we are impressive, / but because Jesus is King. We speak not because we know everything, / but because we know Him. We serve not because we have unlimited strength, / but because His strength is made perfect in weakness. ...

Welcome to Week 4 of This Is the Old Testament! Amanda and Raechel are joined by Dr. David Filson to discuss the next five books of the Old Testament: Psalms through Isaiah. As we continue our seven-week survey of the Old Testament, Dr. Filson reminds us that Christ holds all things together.Open your Bibles with us this week! This episode corresponds to Week 4 of She Reads Truth's This Is the Old Testament reading plan. You can read with the She Reads Truth community on our site, in our app, or with our This Is the Old Testament printed or digital Daily Reading Guide.In this episode:Use code NT15 for 15% off the This Is the New Testament collection at ShopSheReadsTruth.com.She Reads Truth on Instagram & FacebookRaechel Myers on InstagramAmanda Bible Williams on InstagramDavid Filson on Instagram*If you purchase something through our links, She Reads Truth may earn an affiliate commission.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Magellan AI - https://docsend.com/view/5vdvbdx7cr4tikmyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

Send us Fan MailListen to a message from Emmanuel Baptist Church of Longview, TX. Church Bible Publishers produces high-quality King James Bibles that are not only beautiful, but durable enough for daily study, preaching, teaching, and life. These aren't flimsy, disposable Bibles. They're Smyth-sewn, carefully bound, and made to endure years of faithful use. If you want a Bible that feels solid in your hands and will still be standing long after trends fade, check out Church Bible Publishers today at churchbiblepublishers.com.  RG33 Candle Co. doesn't just make candles — they honor a life. Each hand-poured soy candle was created to celebrate the spirit and legacy of RG Gray III, a young man whose love, joy, and unforgettable personality inspired this company's mission.If you want a candle that feels personal, uplifting, and full of purpose — check out RG33 Candle Co. Visit rg33candleco.com and use code PODCAST10 for 10% off your purchase. Support the show

Send us Fan MailListen to a message from Emmanuel Baptist Church of Longview, TX. Church Bible Publishers produces high-quality King James Bibles that are not only beautiful, but durable enough for daily study, preaching, teaching, and life. These aren't flimsy, disposable Bibles. They're Smyth-sewn, carefully bound, and made to endure years of faithful use. If you want a Bible that feels solid in your hands and will still be standing long after trends fade, check out Church Bible Publishers today at churchbiblepublishers.com.  RG33 Candle Co. doesn't just make candles — they honor a life. Each hand-poured soy candle was created to celebrate the spirit and legacy of RG Gray III, a young man whose love, joy, and unforgettable personality inspired this company's mission.If you want a candle that feels personal, uplifting, and full of purpose — check out RG33 Candle Co. Visit rg33candleco.com and use code PODCAST10 for 10% off your purchase. Support the show

Motion Church | Sisterhood: "Locally Grown" "Welcome to the sisterhood, where we are gonna fill your cup up." This special women's gathering kicks off with a theme of "locally grown" — and a celebration of how women grow together in community, in faith, and in friendship. Tonight's big idea: "how can we locally grow as women in Christ together in community"? The answer comes down to one thing — sharing our story, sharing our testimony. Shelly opens with a hilarious, heartfelt rundown of growing up in what she calls an "over saved home" — Bibles in every room, a "Jesus lamp" with eyes that followed you down the hallway, a cordless phone with a cord that didn't move past the school desk in the middle of the house, and a mom who insisted "if you do something wrong... God's gonna tell me." For years, Shelly didn't think she had a testimony because, as she puts it, "I just thought I had to go do a bunch of bad stuff and come back to Jesus to have a testimony." But her mom set her straight: "Your testimony is God's faithfulness in your life, protection in your life." From there, Shelly tells the story of her one (and only) homegrown bell pepper — the result of 45 days of watering, bug-checking, and effort — which she refused to share with anyone, even her own family. "I did not share what I watered, and what I grew with the people that I care about." But God used that moment to speak to her: "You share your story. And you share with others what I've done for you... We want everyone to taste the goodness of God." Drawing from Mark 5, the story of the man freed from demon possession who was sent home to "tell your family everything the Lord has done for you," the message lands on this truth: "Your personal testimony and your personal experiences mean more to people than any fact." And no matter how different each story is, "there's one thing that's the same in every story, is that we are all sinners in need of a savior. And that is what matters the most, and that's what brings us together." A night of laughter, honesty, and women sharing their own stories — because every story matters, and every story points back to him.

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

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

Introduction: If you have your Bibles let me invite you to open with me to the book of Revelation chapter 19. if you are new to St. Rose Community Church we want to welcome you into our study of the book of Revelation…, We have been working through this book verse by verse for a little over a year now…,…

Your phone doesn't love you. It studies you, predicts you, feeds your fears, rewards your outrage, and keeps you scrolling—but it doesn't love you. The problem isn't that we treat our phones like a Bible. The problem is we treat our Bibles like a phone—scrolling for the parts we agree with and skipping the parts we don't. In this message, we'll explore why the greatest threat to your faith isn't technology—it's the sinful desire to be your own authority. We'll talk about echo chambers, itching ears, self-made gods, and the life-changing difference between a God who agrees with you and the God who saves you. Because the question that shapes your life isn't just what gets your attention. It's who gets the first word.

Acts 17:22-34 This morning, we are going to look at a moment in history when Paul the Apostle walks into the free thinker and cultural capital of the ancient world: Athens. It was the intellectual 'cat's meow' boasting the legacies of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. They had 'canvases' for everything—philosophy, art, democracy, and science—but the center of it all was empty. And as he walked the streets of Athens, he doesn't just see beautiful architecture; he sees a city gripped by emptiness. He observes hundreds (if not thousands) of idols and altars in the Areopagus including one marked 'To an Unknown God.' Paul recognizes it for what it is: the physical evidence of a longing to be filled. Please turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 17, starting in verse 22. Let's look together at how Paul addresses the emptiness of the human soul, and how he make a connection with a people searching for the One and Only God who can fill the emptiness.

Every week, Pastor Keith Foskey and his wife Jennifer tackle questions from around the world on theology, ministry, culture, and the Bible, while interacting live with viewers in the chat. From serious doctrine to fun conversation, Your Calvinist Live is a place for thoughtful discussion, biblical insight, and a few laughs along the way. Join us live and be part of the conversation!Questions and Timestamps:Womens Bible study recommendations 54:15If you could not be a baptist anymore, what denomination would you choose? 1:01:22What's the best season of Psych and why is it season 3? 1:04:54Can you recommend 3 - 5 study Bibles that you recommend? 1:08:07Catechism Resources and Ideas 1:14:00Do you hold to Kuyperian Sphere Sovereignty? 1:18:30How should we think about previous generations of Christians averse to theatre and entertainment? 1:21:30Questions about finding a publishing company 1:29:50How does Christ “fulfill” laws such as the clipping of one's beard, etc? 1:35:40Is 1 Corinthians 3 about individuals or specifically teachers? 1:44:40How do we encourage the body to share the Gospel & get people excited about salvation again? 1:51:41How do you help people find their spiritual gifts? 2:05:30Questions and concerns about joining a Christian dance academy? 2:10:15Is it normal for a wife to be excluded from the words “Christ's body broken for you” at communion? 2:18:09Support the Show: http://www.buymeacoffee.com/Yourcalvinisthtto://www.page50.com/yourcalvinistPage50 is a Marketing Company that is committed to helping you build your brand with truth, goodness, and beauty. They do web design, videography, SEO, content creation, branding, and consulting. And for a limited time, you can get a free website audit, which can help you discover how your website is performing and what you can do to improve it. Just go to page50.com/yourcalvinist to get started.https://www.TinyBibles.comYou can get the smallest Bible available on the market, which can be used for all kinds of purposes, by visiting TinyBibles.com and when you buy, use the coupon code KEITH for a discount.Love Coffee? Want the Best? Get a free bag of Squirrelly Joe's Coffee by clicking on this link: https://www.Squirrellyjoes.com/yourcalvinistor use coupon code "Keith" for 20% off anything in the storeDominion Wealth Strategies Visit them at https://www.dominionwealthstrategists.comhttp://www.Reformed.Moneyand let them know we sent you! Spiraling Impressions — Custom Stickers — Facebook: Spiraling Impressions Website: spiralingimpressions.com.COUPON CODE: YourCalvinist (gets 10% 0ff)https://www.HighCallingFitness.comHealth, training, and nutrition coaching all delivered to you online by confessionally reformed bodybuilders and strength athletes.Visit us at https://www.KeithFoskey.comIf you need a great website, check out https://www.fellowshipstudios.com

The Miracle Fog#RTTBROS #Nightlight #USA250 #Nation250 #America250The Miracle FogAnd it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these.— Exodus 14:20THE STORYBy the night of August 29th, 1776, the American cause was almost certainly finished.Washington's army had been routed at the Battle of Long Island. Nine thousand American soldiers were trapped on Brooklyn Heights with the British fleet waiting to close off their escape. Washington made the only decision available: retreat across the East River in small boats under cover of darkness.As dawn approached, thousands of soldiers remained on the Brooklyn shore. Daylight would expose them completely.Then the fog came in. A thick, heavy fog settled over Brooklyn Heights, so dense a man could not see ten feet in front of him. It covered the crossing completely. When the last boat, carrying Washington himself, pushed off from the shore, the fog began to lift. The British arrived at the water's edge to find nothing but empty boats. Every one of nine thousand men escaped. Not a single soldier was lost in the crossing.THE REFLECTIONWashington recorded no detailed theological reflection on the fog. He did not need to. The facts spoke for themselves.But those who had read their Bibles recognized the pattern, because it was not the first time God had used a cloud to cover His people's retreat. Exodus 14 tells the story of another desperate escape, another body of water, another moment when destruction seemed certain. God placed a cloud between the Egyptians and Israel. It was darkness to one army and light to another.Providence does not always announce itself with trumpets. Sometimes it arrives as weather.We serve a God who uses the ordinary things, fog, storms, the timing of a wind, to accomplish the extraordinary. He did it in Egypt. He did it at Brooklyn Heights. He is doing it still, in ways we will only see clearly when we look back from the far shore.THE PATRIOT'S PRAYERPray It Forward: Look back over the last year and identify one moment where, in hindsight, God's timing or providence protected you in ways you did not recognize at the time. Thank Him for it specifically.

How an Irish‑Born Grandparent Could Change Your LifeOn this episode of the GoNOMAD Travel Podcast, we explore a story that begins with a simple family rumor — the kind told at holiday tables and half‑remembered over generations. What if that old tale about your Irish grandmother isn't just nostalgia, but a key that could change where you're allowed to live, work, and travel for the rest of your life?This episode dives into the emotional and practical power of discovering that one of your grandparents was born on the island of Ireland. For many Americans, Ireland is a place of cliffs, pubs, music, and mist — a beautiful destination. But for some, it's something much more: a doorway.We follow the journey from curiosity to revelation, beginning with the moment you learn about Foreign Birth Registration, the Irish law that allows people with one Irish‑born grandparent to apply for Irish citizenship. One grandparent — that's all it takes to unlock the possibility of holding an Irish passport and becoming a citizen of the European Union.The episode explores what that means in real life: the freedom to live anywhere in the EU, to spend a summer in Greece without counting Schengen days, to take a job in Copenhagen, to rent an apartment in Lisbon long enough to learn your neighbors' names. And uniquely, Irish citizens also retain the right to live and work in the United Kingdom — a privilege most EU citizens lost after Brexit.But this isn't just a legal process. It's a deeply personal one. The search for your grandparent's Irish birth records becomes a detective story through family Bibles, naturalization papers, draft cards, and old boxes of documents. It's a journey that connects you to the landscapes your ancestors walked, the parishes where they were baptized, and the villages they left behind.We walk through the Foreign Birth Registration process, the documents required, the timeline, and the surprising simplicity of the application once the records are in hand. And we look at the long‑term impact: the options you give your future self, your children, and the generations that follow.This episode is an invitation to explore your family history, to reconnect with a place you may never have realized you belonged to, and to consider how one grandparent's birthplace could open an entire continent of possibility.CALLS TO ACTIONListen to more episodes of the GoNOMAD Travel Podcast: Apple Podcasts: Spotify:Read more travel stories on GoNOMAD: https://www.gonomad.comFollow GoNOMAD on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gonomad_travel For more information about Irish citizenship by descent, contact Jack: https://www.irishbydescent.comMentioned in this episode:Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Travel Network, that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below.Voyascape Podcast Network

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

Send us Fan MailListen to a message from Emmanuel Baptist Church of Longview, TX. Church Bible Publishers produces high-quality King James Bibles that are not only beautiful, but durable enough for daily study, preaching, teaching, and life. These aren't flimsy, disposable Bibles. They're Smyth-sewn, carefully bound, and made to endure years of faithful use. If you want a Bible that feels solid in your hands and will still be standing long after trends fade, check out Church Bible Publishers today at churchbiblepublishers.com.  RG33 Candle Co. doesn't just make candles — they honor a life. Each hand-poured soy candle was created to celebrate the spirit and legacy of RG Gray III, a young man whose love, joy, and unforgettable personality inspired this company's mission.If you want a candle that feels personal, uplifting, and full of purpose — check out RG33 Candle Co. Visit rg33candleco.com and use code PODCAST10 for 10% off your purchase. Support the show

The Germans, Czechs, and the Making of Texas I live in Central Texas in an area called the Hill Country. We have an old saying that if you drive far enough through the Hill Country, you'll eventually find three things:a church steeple,a dance hall,and the smell of barbecue smoke drifting across the fields. But behind those familiar, almost stereotypical, Texas scenes lies a deeper story. A story carried across oceans by immigrants who arrived with little more than trunks, tools, family Bibles, recipes, songs, and hope. During the 1800s, thousands of Germans, Czechs, Poles, and other Europeans came to Texas searching for something they could not find in the Old World:land…freedom…and the chance to build a new life. And in doing so, they helped shape the Texas we know today. This is the story of the Germans, the Czechs, and their role in the making of Texas. THE JOURNEY TO TEXAS For many immigrants, Europe in the mid-1800s was a difficult place. Germany was divided into small kingdoms and states. Political unrest swept through Europe after the revolutions of 1848. Economic hardship and land shortages left many families struggling to survive. Meanwhile, in the Austro-Hungarian territories, Czech farmers and laborers faced poverty, overcrowding, and limited opportunity. Then came the stories about Texas. Cheap land.Open skies.Fertile soil.A place where a man might own property for the first time in his life. For many families, the journey began with a crowded ship crossing the Atlantic.Then came the rough Gulf waters to Galveston or Indianola.After that…weeks of travel by wagon, horseback, or simply on foot into the interior of Texas. The Texas they found was not easy. There were droughts.Floods.Disease.Isolation.And the constant challenge of carving homes and farms out of untamed land. But they endured..... This is their story.....

Now that we have all 5 pieces of our armor, the belt of truth around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness covering our heart, the shoes of peace for our ready feet, the shield of faith in one hand to protect us from the fiery arrows, and the helmet of salvation protecting our mind, we have one last thing to do … Ephesians 6:17, “Take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” We have been given a sword to fight this battle. That sword is the very word of God. That word is given to us by the Holy Spirit. Notice Paul says, “Take the sword of THE SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD.” This is more than just having the Bible app on your phone. More than posting a few scriptures on your social when you're having a bad day. This is the Holy Spirit giving you a literal weapon to use in the spiritual battle raging all around you. That weapon is a sword in the word of God. The Bible isn't a book of magic words to repeat to get what we want. Speed reading it isn't going to arm you, that's just going to check a box. The ol' “let me crack this puppy open and just see what scripture jumps out at me” isn't a real sword for the battle against evil. Here's what the Bible really is, it is GOD-BREATHED. God breathed his very word into the writers of scripture. Our Bibles are HOLY and DIVINE, unlike any other book ever written. We attribute books to Moses, David, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and others … but the foundation of our belief is that it's ALL from God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “ALL Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” When you understand the sheer miracle it is to be able to hold God's actual word in your hands and read it with your own eyes – wow!!!! Before modern day, God's word was reserved for a select few. It was all handwritten on scrolls of parchment or animal skin, stored away somewhere sacred. To hear his word read, you would have to go to the temple. For this reason, people would literally seek to memorize God's word fully so they could carry it with them. Did you know Kings of Israel were require to transcribe the Bible for themselves to have while they ruled their country? To lead well, they had to let God's word get within them and know it personally, so they wrote it word for word themselves. Hey, I don't know what you're leading – if it's a family or a business, a circle of friends or a mission of some sort, but it's very clear what you need to lead that well – YOU NEED GOD'S WORD. It's not enough to just have someone read it to you. You need to know it for yourself. If you're wondering what's wrong with your life, God's word will reveal it to you. If you're seeking the right thing to do, God's word will reveal it to you. Your answers are all here. And of course, that's why in this spiritual battle the enemy has tried everything to keep you OUT OF GOD'S WORD. No, he doesn't want that sword in your hand! Some of us finally have that sword in our hand, but we don't know how to use it. We're just randomly pulling out scriptures, twisting them to fit our situation. We're throwing around God's word, hoping something sticks and makes a magical change. No, girl – you need Sword School. You have to know how to hold the sword of God's word. How to swing it. How to stand with it. How to fight with it. I once had a little stalker incident that scared the bejesus right out of me. Someone had broken into our home and stolen all our photo albums and a few of my very personal items – nothing of monetary value. The next day, my husband bought me a pistol and he took me out to the desert to teach me how to shoot it. Just having the gun didn't give me any safety – in fact, it just made me dangerous. I had to know where to find it for quick access. I had to learn how to handle it. I had to know how to load it. How to take the safety off. How to aim and pull the trigger. No amount of instruction could give me the confidence to handle this weapon – I had to use it for myself. I had to get familiar with it. I had to practice using it until I could do it in the dark. What good is a weapon if in the middle of the night the bad guy comes and I'm like, “Ahhh, wait a second, let me turn on the light so I can find my weapon and figure out how to get it ready to point at you.” Isn't that the way we are with our Bibles? We don't know how to use them. We don't know it's power. We're not trained up for this battle. And honestly, with our habit of just pulling out random scriptures and trying to apply what feels good at the moment, we are dangerous. Just a few years ago, I didn't even own a Bible. I just looked up random scriptures online to pull them out when needed. And yes, it got me through a few battles, but I wasn't trained up. I didn't know how to hold that sword. I didn't know how to swing that sword. I had no confidence fighting in the dark. I was more of an imposter than a swordsman. In February 2024, I bought a bible and a pack of bible highlighters. I began my Sword School. This training has given me confidence unlike anything before. I've trained for and run several full marathons.- they never gave me this kind of confidence. I've put on a fancy dress, worn the good jewelry, and had my hair and makeup done by a professional – I learned to walk with purpose and power – all of that never gave me the confidence of my Sword School! True confidence comes from knowing the God-breathed word of our Bible. Knowing God's ways, knowing his promises, understanding how to use his power. It's in his word we begin to understand what his voice sounds like. And once you know what his voice sounds like, you can know when it's God speaking to you and when it's not. We all want to hear from God. We all want that divine direction and clear path. It's available to each one of us if we will study his word with the intention of letting it shape and form us. If the intention is to check a box, then a checked box will be our only reward. If the intention is to impress someone with highlights on pages or a memorized scripture, then that will be our only reward. But if you are studying God's word as Sword School so you know how to hold it, how to swing it, how to stand with it, and how to fight with it … then girl, your life is about to change. There's only one problem with my Sword Sessions and Sword School. I never seem to graduate. I can read the same scripture I did a year ago and there's something more for me to learn. Isn't it bizarre how God's word can fit your specific situation so absolutely perfectly, and yet it was written thousands of years ago? Or how crazy it is that his word will speak to you so divinely in this moment, but it was there all along? So, because I'm still learning so much, I must always carry my sword with me. And that's a problem for me – you see, I travel full time. And I travel light. I've been traveling internationally for the past 3.5 months and I have only a carry on and backpack. Everything – all my outfits, all my shoes, my hiking clothes, my mountain clothes, my beach clothes, my retreat clothes, my tolitires – all of it has to fit into a carry on and small backpack. BUT MY SWORD COMES FIRST. My sword is a worn out, falling apart, turquoise Bible filled with notes, stickers and letters. It's heavy, it's bulky, and totally NOT travel friendly. BUT I'M GOING NOWHERE WITHOUT IT! It's an absolute requirement! You know why? Because I'm in a battle and I know this is my weapon. These are God-breathed words I carry. Holy instructions for life. Battle plans for victory. I must be ready at all times! Now here's the truly beautiful thing – with Sword School (my fancy little name for personal Bible study), something divine happens … You begin depositing God's word IN YOU. And Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “The world of God is ALIVE and POWERFUL. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword …” Reading God's word to actually deposit it into your life and receive it, puts something LIVING inside of you. Then you have his word growing because it is alive. And yes, it is powerful. With God's living word in you, you begin seeing things differently. You begin responding differently. Your heart's desires begin to change. Your will becomes meshed with his will. Your life changes because the living word is alive in you, unleashing its power. And girl – that's how you show up for battle! Every time you sit down and study God's living word, you are preparing yourself for the battle. You are learning how to hold this sword. You're learning how to swing this sword. You're learning how to stand with this sword. You're learning how to fight with this sword, his living word. And the more your practice, the more confidence you have. You're becoming a real life swordsman! God-breathed words. Words that are alive. Words that have the power to radically change your life. Words that will win this spiritual battle. So my sister, take up your sword given to you by the Holy Spirit, God's breathed words, his divine instructions, his eternal promises and truths. Practice using it every day. Let it take hold of you. Take it with you everywhere you go. Get serious about your Sword School. Then let's stand together with our swords and take down the devil! I challenge you to study Matthew 4: 1-11. This is the account of Jesus himself fighting the devil with the sword of God's word. You gotta know how to handle it in this fight! Jesus shows us how. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

For millions of believers around the world, access to God's Word is something many of us take for granted. Yet there are still people in remote villages, persecuted regions, and hard-to-reach places who are praying for a Bible they can read and understand. This week my guest is Michael Woolworth with Bible League International, sharing powerful stories of faith, courage, and lives transformed through God's Word in their language!! Learn how Bible League Intl. is placing Bibles into the hands of believers around the world and partnering with Joy Radio WRJZ, WOAY in Beckley, WV & WKTS - The Bridge and our listeners to bring Bibles in their language, bringing the light and hope of Jesus Christ into some of the darkest places on earth. You'll be inspired by stories of  believers who treasure a single Bible, share it with entire communities, and risk everything to follow Christ. "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." — Psalm 119:105. For only $5 a Bible, you can be a part of changing people's lives! Go to the wrjz.com banner.

New York Times bestselling author Eric Ries applies his startup philosophy to churches. Carey and Eric cover how to know when to take a risk, how to get past broke thinking in your church, and why the harder path is often easier.

Welcome to Day 2879 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2879 – “Never Too Little, Never Too Lost”  based on Luke 8:22-39 Putnam Church Message – 05/10/2026 The Good News According to Luke: “Never Too Little, Never Too Lost.”   Last week's message was “Freedom from Bondage,” in which we learned that, regardless of the storms of life we face or the bondage we have experienced, through Christ we can withstand them and live free because believers fight on the winning side. Today, we continue with our twenty-second message from Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today's message is: “Never Too Little, Never Too Lost.” Our core passage today is Luke 8:40-56, which is found on page 1607 of your pew Bibles. Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman 40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,[a] but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”  46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” 49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don't bother the teacher anymore.” 50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” 51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. Opening Prayer Father, we come before You today as people who sometimes feel rushed, overlooked, unclean, afraid, delayed, or disappointed. We confess that we often measure people by status, strength, influence, or usefulness, but Jesus never does. Lord, open our hearts to Your Word today. Help us see that no one is too little for Your attention, and no one is too lost for Your grace. Teach us to trust You when life is urgent, when hope seems delayed, and even when it feels like death has spoken the final word. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to You, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. Introduction: Jesus Looks at the One I read a story about the former president of Taylor University, Jay Kesler, who once said with a smile, “I have an office full of pictures in which I'm shaking hands with great dignitaries, all of whom are looking at someone else.” That line makes us laugh because we know exactly what he means. We have all seen it. Someone important shakes your hand, but their eyes are scanning the room. They are already looking for the next person, the next opportunity, the next more important conversation. But Jesus is never like that. If Jesus were to shake your hand, He would not be looking past you. He would not be distracted by the crowd behind you. He would look into your eyes, into your soul, into the places you hide from everybody else, and He would say, “You matter to Me.” That is the heartbeat of our message today: Never Too Little, Never Too Lost. We are continuing in Luke 8:40–56, and I encourage you to read the full passage from the New Living Translation. Luke places two stories together that belong together: the dying daughter of Jairus and the suffering woman who touched the edge of Jesus' robe. One is a young girl from a respected household. / The other is an unnamed woman pushed to the edges of society. One has a father who can publicly plead her case. / The other has no public advocate at all. One is twelve years old. / The other has suffered for twelve years. One is loved in the center of the community. / The other has lived on the outside, isolated by illness, shame, and ceremonial uncleanness. And Jesus moves toward both of them. That is good news. Which brings us to the first of four truths today. Main Point 1: Jesus Is Never Too Busy for the Broken Luke tells us that when Jesus returned to Galilee, the crowd welcomed Him because they had been waiting for Him. This is important. In the previous passage, Jesus had crossed the lake into Gentile territory. There, He delivered a man who was possessed, tormented, isolated, and living among the tombs. We called that message “Freedom from Bondage.” The people of that region saw a transformed man sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind — and they asked Jesus to leave. Now Jesus comes back across the lake, likely to the area around Capernaum, and this crowd is waiting. Can you imagine the scene? People are pressing forward. Some are hoping for healing. Some are curious. Some are desperate. Some just want to see what Jesus will do next. And then a respected man steps out of the crowd. His name is Jairus. Luke calls him a leader or official of the synagogue. He was probably not a rabbi, but a lay elder — the kind of man who helped oversee worship, teaching, building care, and community matters. / In a Jewish village, the synagogue was not merely a church building. It was the center of communal life. Jairus would have been known, respected, and influential. But on this day, Jairus is not standing tall as a dignified religious leader. He falls at Jesus' feet. Why? Because his only daughter is dying. Parents understand this scene immediately. There are few fears deeper than the fear of losing a child. Jairus does not come to debate theology. He does not come to protect his reputation. He does not come wondering whether being seen with Jesus might damage his standing among other leaders. His daughter is dying, and suddenly nothing else matters. It reminds us of the centurion in Luke 7, whose beloved servant was near death. It reminds us of the widow of Nain, whose only son had died, and Jesus stepped into her grief before she even asked. In that message, we said, “There is Always Hope.” Here again, Luke shows us that Jesus moves toward human sorrow. And notice this: Jesus goes with Jairus. He does not say, “I am too busy.” He does not say, “There are too many people here.” He does not say, “You synagogue leaders have not always supported Me.” He does not say, “I just came back from a stormy voyage and a difficult rejection.” Jesus goes. Object Lesson: The Calendar and the Empty Space Imagine holding up a packed calendar or a long to-do list. Every line is filled. Every hour is claimed. There is no margin. Then hold up a blank sticky note and place it in the middle. That blank space represents the interruption. Most of us do not like interruptions. We say, “I was on my way to something important.” But Jesus shows us that sometimes / the interruption is the ministry. Jairus interrupted Jesus' public welcome. / The suffering woman will interrupt Jairus' emergency. /...

Send us Fan MailListen to a message from Emmanuel Baptist Church of Longview, TX. Church Bible Publishers produces high-quality King James Bibles that are not only beautiful, but durable enough for daily study, preaching, teaching, and life. These aren't flimsy, disposable Bibles. They're Smyth-sewn, carefully bound, and made to endure years of faithful use. If you want a Bible that feels solid in your hands and will still be standing long after trends fade, check out Church Bible Publishers today at churchbiblepublishers.com.  RG33 Candle Co. doesn't just make candles — they honor a life. Each hand-poured soy candle was created to celebrate the spirit and legacy of RG Gray III, a young man whose love, joy, and unforgettable personality inspired this company's mission.If you want a candle that feels personal, uplifting, and full of purpose — check out RG33 Candle Co. Visit rg33candleco.com and use code PODCAST10 for 10% off your purchase. Support the show

Send us Fan MailListen to a message from Emmanuel Baptist Church of Longview, TX. Church Bible Publishers produces high-quality King James Bibles that are not only beautiful, but durable enough for daily study, preaching, teaching, and life. These aren't flimsy, disposable Bibles. They're Smyth-sewn, carefully bound, and made to endure years of faithful use. If you want a Bible that feels solid in your hands and will still be standing long after trends fade, check out Church Bible Publishers today at churchbiblepublishers.com. Support the show

Pastor Ron Evans started chapter 4 of 1 Peter with a question that will make you think: could Jesus have sinned? Listen up and open your Bibles!

Welcome to Week 3 of This Is the Old Testament! Amanda and Raechel are joined by Ashley Gorman to discuss the next eight books of the Old Testament: 1 Kings though Job. As we continue our seven-week survey of the Old Testament, we find deep assurance in these books that God has no rival.Open your Bibles with us this week! This episode corresponds to Week 3 of She Reads Truth's This Is the Old Testament reading plan. You can read with the She Reads Truth community on our site, in our app, or with our This Is the Old Testament printed or digital Daily Reading Guide.In this episode:Use code OT15 for 15% off the This Is the Old Testament collection at ShopSheReadsTruth.com.Exclusive $35-off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/READSTRUTH. Promo Code READSTRUTHShe Reads Truth on Instagram & FacebookRaechel Myers on InstagramAmanda Bible Williams on InstagramAshley Gorman on Instagram*If you purchase something through our links, She Reads Truth may earn an affiliate commission.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Magellan AI - https://docsend.com/view/5vdvbdx7cr4tikmyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

In many countries today, “privilege” has become a loaded term. But in the midst of a dying world, those saved by the Gospel truly are privileged. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to transform our lives, communities and eternal futures. But Gospel Privilege also requires us to walk a road of sacrifice, suffering and faith. What does that look like for you?David Joannes, a missionary in Southeast Asia, joins Andy on this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast to unpack this concept of Gospel Privilege. David has served for over 20 years in southeast Asia and is passionate to see unreached people groups gain access to the Gospel.David borrows from his experiences - such as smuggling Bibles in China, being interrogated, or serving in conflict zones - to help us understand how we can live joyful, faithful lives despite challenges. He threads history, theology and missions together to help us better understand our task. This context and insight will help you rise to your calling to live Gospel-privileged lives.If this information is helpful to you, please give us a 5-star rating and a positive review. Likewise, share this episode with friends and fellow believers who need help standing up under mounting pressures.To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.David Joannes (Website): www.davidjoannes.comDavid Joannes (Twitter): @davidjoannesGospel Privilege: The Unearned Advantage that's meant for Everyone (Book), by David Joannes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998061182/Tears of the Saints (Music Video): https://youtu.be/VtQbzRmmMfkWithin Reach Global (Ministry Website): https://withinreachglobal.orgFree Burma Rangers (Ministry Website): https://www.freeburmarangers.org/Joshua Project (Missions Information Website): https://joshuaproject.net/Christian Emergency Alliance: https://www.christianemergency.com/Follow the Christian Emergency Alliance on Twitter: @ChristianEmerg1Follow the Christian Emergency Alliance on Facebook: @ChristianEmergencyThe Christian Emergency Podcast is a production of the Christian Emergency Alliance.Soli Deo Gloria

The Bread of Life Part #1: Seeking, Seeing, Believing Please turn in your Bibles to John 6. We'll be focusing on verses 22-36 this morning. That is found on page 1059 I'm calling this a part 1 sermon about Jesus as the Bread of Life. But really, last week could be considered part 1. The first section of chapter 6 was about Jesus feeding the 5000. In our verses this morning, Jesus explains that the bread which he multiplied was a sign that he fulfilled as the bread of life. And then next week, he will elaborate on what that means and its implications. So, chapter 6 is one big narrative that focuses on Christ as the bread from heaven. If you remember from last week, the disciples are now in Capernaum on the western shore of the sea of Galilee. They had left on a boat on the eastern short without Jesus. Well, on their journey, a storm arose, but Jesus came to them, walking on the water. He calmed the storm and they arrived in Capernaum. So that is where they were, but the crowd was still on the other side of the sea. Let's now come to God's Word. Prayer Reading of John 6:22-36 I know it's not Thanksgiving, but Black Friday came to mind this week. That is the day after Thanksgiving. It's the day that almost every store has crazy sales and tries to lure shoppers in to buy their stuff. It's the biggest shopping day of the year. People literally camp out the night before so that they can be the first in line and buy big TVs, fancy speakers, laptops and phones, games, and appliances. Of course, the sales are only "while supplies last." So, you'd better be there early. You may have heard about the fist fights that break out or you may have seen the videos of people running through the store when the doors open to get to that TV before the other guy does. It's a picture of how we will go to great lengths to satisfy our so-called needs. We want to be comfortable and well fed and have all the latest things out there. But we are not thinking about our eternal and spiritual needs. The crowd following Jesus was similar. They wanted him to feed them. They saw the signs he did including the miracle of multiplying the bread. And they wanted more. They were even in a kind of frenzy to find him. But they didn't want him for the right reasons. They wanted to satisfy their earthly needs not their spiritual ones. As we work our way through these verses, that is what we will see this morning. We'll see that contrast between searching for bread which will perish and searching for the bread who gives eternal life. There's an outline on page 4 of the bulletin. We'll consider these verses in three points: 1. Seek the eternal provider 2. See the one signified And 3. Believe in him and his eternal provision And let me say that each point is contrasted by the Jewish crowd's selfish motivation, their lack of understand, and their unbelief. That is clear in these verses. 1. Seek the eternal provider Ok, again, number 1, seek the eternal provider. The crowd did not see their spiritual need and how Jesus could fulfill it. No instead, as I mentioned, they were fixated on the temporary provision thinking it could save them. They should have been seeking Jesus for who he is but instead were seeking him because of what they thought he could do for them. That's what we see in the first couple of verses. The problem was that their motivations were suspect. Really, they didn't want Jesus. They just wanted temporary things that they thought Jesus could give them. As we get into the narrative, remember that it was the day after Jesus fed them. And the crowd quickly realized that Jesus was no longer there. But where was he? The evening before, they had witnessed Jesus' disciples enter a boat and leave for the other side of the sea to Capernaum. But Jesus didn't get on the boat. But, where was he? They wanted to find him. At this point in Jesus' ministry, there was a buzz, so to speak. At the end of chapter 4, Jesus had been up in Galilee and if you remember, had healed the official's son. Word had gotten out about that and other signs. Just the day before, they witnessed Jesus miraculously multiply the fish and loaves. They crowd was (in a way) desperate to find him. They wanted to find this man who healed people and performed signs and miraculously fed them. They even believed he was the prophet that Moses promised. We learned that last week. Well, at this point, several boats had arrived from across the sea. Maybe they had sheltered there from the storm the night before or maybe some boat owners heard there was a crowd and therefore an opportunity to make some money by ferrying them somewhere. We don't know why the boats were there. But whatever the case, the crowd quickly got on the boats and directed them to travel to Capernaum. Remember, that's where Jesus' disciples had gone. Maybe he was somehow there? Well, when they got to Capernaum, lo-and-behold, he was there. They had no idea how Jesus had gotten there. They hadn't seen him leave and they hadn't witnessed him walking on the water, but somehow he had arrived. That's why they asked him in verse 25, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Maybe they were wondering whether he arrived at night. Or whether he had taken a different boat. They wanted to know because they had been very eager to find him. And here's where the narrative pivots. Jesus changed the subject. Remember, he did something similar with Nicodemus in chapter 3 and with the woman at the well in chapter 4. Jesus pivoted the conversation to penetrate to the heart of their problem. Nicodemus needed to be born again and the woman at the well needed living water. Jesus said to the crowd, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves." You see, they cared more about the food. They cared more about their earthly situation than their spiritual need. They wanted to find the man who performed the miracle so that he could do more miracles for them. In other words, their search for Jesus was not about Jesus, it was about what he could do for them. Their motivations were about satisfying their appetite. Let me connect this to last week. Look a few verses earlier at verse 15. The crowd had just pronounced that Jesus was the Prophet that Moses promised. Now, look at what they wanted to do. Verse 15. It says that Jesus perceived that the crowd wanted to take him by force, and make him king. That is when Jesus withdrew from them. They wanted to make him king because they wanted a king who would provide for their earthly needs. It's the same near sighted motivation. The irony in all of this is that Jesus was and is the true King, the eternal King, and he was the one who could truly feed them - you know, spiritually feed them for eternity. But as the crowd came to him, they only cared about their earthly and physical needs. That is why in verse 27, Jesus then said to them, "do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life." Jesus was saying, even though the fish and the loaves fed you and it was a miracle, that bread and fish will not endure to eternal life. To be sure, our earthly needs are important. God has made us as physical beings. We are body and soul. We have daily needs for food and water. It is not wrong to seek our daily bread. We pray for our daily bread in the Lord's prayer. However, when our pursuit for daily provision becomes our main pursuit in life then we have lost sight of our greater need. The crowd did not see their need for the spiritual provision that Christ could give them. They simply wanted to have more of their earthly, physical, near-term needs met… food and an earthly king to provide for them. This sin manifests itself in different ways in our hearts and in our culture. For one, we live in a time and place of great prosperity. And it is so easy to get caught up in the rat race of our culture and the pursuit of comfort and things. Our covetous hearts do not help us! Certainly, many around us are blind to this. They cannot see that the near-term path that they are on is a path that leads to destruction and judgment. But even for believers in Christ, we can be so caught up working for our daily needs or our pursuit of comfort in this life, which can become idols, that we lose sight of our greater spiritual need. We lose sight of Christ. That's one pitfall in our culture and in our hearts. Related to that, Jesus just becomes to us a means to an end. That's what was happening here. We've talked about this in the past. There are so-called preachers out there that say that God wants to bless you with material wealth. Your barns will be full, they say, if you just have more faith. I don't sense that anyone here believes that, but are you seeking Jesus for who he is? As the one who saves and gives eternal provision and life, OR are there subtle ways that he has become for you just an avenue to meet your perceived needs in this life? Just to be sure, I am not disregarding the benefits and blessing that come with knowing Christ like peace with God and community. But Jesus should never be a means to an end. He is the end. He is the telos of all things. We should be seeking him as the one who gives life and not for bread which perishes. So, seek him, the ultimate provider. 2. See the one signified #2. See the one signified. The crowd was so enamored with signs that they missed the significance of them. Look at verse 30. The crowd said to Jesus, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you?" In other words, show us something. Give us a sign. It's quite ironic because Jesus had just given them a sign the day before, but they didn't see that it pointed to him. And then the crowd mentioned the example of manna from heaven. That was to them the great sign that Moses performed as God's chosen instrument. Moses was the one, in their eyes, who opened heaven to give them this bread from heaven. The crowd wanted a sign like the manna. As Coleman pointed out last week, this whole chapter includes allusions to Moses and the Exodus. A first century Jewish reader would have seen the parallels. We see those in reference to the Passover, the miracle of the food, the crossing of the sea, the reference to the Prophet which Moses promised. And a little bit later, the Jews grumbled just like the Israelites grumbled in the wilderness. It's all there. Really at the heart of the parallel is the manna. The manna was the miraculous food that God provided the Israelites from heaven. We read about it earlier in the service. Now, you may be asking, if the crowd just experienced Jesus miraculously giving them food, why would they mention the manna as an example of a sign? Well, think about this. Jesus fed 5,000 people one meal. That's amazing, but it pales in comparison to the provision of manna. There were at least 2 million Israelites in the wilderness, and they received the manna 6 days a week for 40 years. It was tremendous. And so the miracle of the manna was unparalleled from their perspective. And furthermore, it was Moses who had opened heaven on God's behalf for them. Look at Jesus' response in verse 32. Jesus said, "truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven." Jesus was telling them that they missed the point. For centuries they thought that the sign of the manna was the greatest provision of all. It was THE sign. What they didn't realize or acknowledge is that the manna was really pointing to something greater, "true bread from heaven." They missed that. The manna in the wilderness spoiled and only endured for a day. The true manna, on the other hand,  would sustain them forever. What they needed was not more physical manna. No, what they needed was the spiritual manna from heaven. Jesus continued, "for the bread from God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Look how the crowd responded in verse 34. "Sir, give us this bread always." Did you notice that their response exactly paralleled what the Samaritan woman said at the well? After Jesus said to her that the water he gives will spring up to eternal life, she said, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty." In both cases they were still thinking about physical water and physical bread. The crowd here wanted to eat this bread. They thought it was something they would physically consume. "Give us this bread, always." You know, every day, just like the manna from heaven. And here's the climax, verse 35. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." He is the bread. The sign of manna was merely revealing that they needed true bread from heaven. They needed Christ. Colossians chapter 2 speaks to this. It speaks of various Jewish ceremonies and institutions like food, drink, festivals, new moon, and the Sabbath. And then the apostle Paul says this in Colossians 2:17, "These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." Jesus is the manna who came down from heaven. He is the one who gives life. He fulfills the sign of manna. The manna was a shadow, but Christ is the substance. In fact, Jesus' very statement that he is the bread of life affirms this. It's the first of 7 "I AM" statements in the book of John. Besides the bread of life, Jesus also said, for example,  "I am the light of the world." "I am the good shepherd." "I am the resurrection and the life." We'll consider all of them as we work our way through John. And each of these "I am" statements is yet another connection back to Moses. A few months ago when we started this series in John, I mentioned the I AM statements. They connect back to the burning bush when God spoke to Moses in the wilderness. Remember that Moses asked God who he was. And God answered and said, "I am who I am." That's the Hebrew name, Yahweh, which means. I am. Yes, Jesus was saying that he was spiritual bread, but he was saying a lot more than that. He was equating himself with God. To the crowd, he was saying that he was greater than Moses. They had been appealing to Moses and to the manna. But Jesus revealed to them that he is greater because he IS God. He is the I AM of God. He is the bread of life, the true manna from heaven. Those who feed on him will never hunger nor thirst. Never. Let me put it this way, Jesus is the spiritual manna that we daily need, who will sustain us all the way to the promised land. See not only the sign, but see the one signified. 3. Believe in him and his eternal provision Ok, here's where we are so far: 1. Seek the eternal provider. Seek Jesus for who he is not what you believe he can do for you. 2. See the one signified. Do not get caught up in the signs themselves that you miss out on what the signs signify. Jesus' miracle of the fish and loaves and the sign of manna in the wilderness reveal who he is. Jesus is the bread of life. And now #3. Believe in him and his eternal provision. Jesus was telling the crowd to look to him as the bread of life, and not to the food that perishes. And he calls them to believe. How do we to receive this bread from heaven? We're to believe in him. Earlier in these verses, the crowd had asked what they needed to do? Did you catch that? They had this mentality that they needed to be working to receive the food that endures to eternal life. In verse 29, Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." Let me make something very clear. Faith or belief in God is not a work. We do not work in any way to earn favor from God. That is why verse 29 says, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him'” Do you see the emphasis that it is God's work? Our belief is in response to God's work. In fact, this is very clear throughout all of chapter 6. It is God who draws people to himself. The Father is the one who is at work. We believe by faith in God's work… what he has done and is doing in Christ and through his Spirit. We'll see this very clearly next week. The crowd's problem was that they did not believe in him. And look at the stinging statement that Jesus made to them in verse 36. "But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe." I grew up in the church. It was not a reformed or Presbyterian church, but it was faithful. One of my elementary Sunday school teachers said something that was kind of shocking to me at the time. She said, "there are people in the church who are not Christians." She wasn't talking about visitors who were exploring Christianity and were coming to search for truth. She was referring to people who had been in the church for a while and who thought they were believers in Christ, but hadn't truly believed in him. My little 9-year-old mind had a hard time understanding that at the time, but it stuck with me. When Jesus said to them that they had seen him but do not believe, he was telling them that even though they thought they were God's people, they had yet to believe. Many of them were Jews by birth. After all, they had just demonstrated a knowledge of the Scriptures and Israel's history, yet they were not secure in God. They did not have the eternal life that God promises for those who believe in him. They did not believe in the true manna, the bread of life. Jesus could not have been clearer to them. Let me read verse 35 one more time because it's so important. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." To receive the food that endures to eternal life, is to believe in the one who is the bread of life. I know many of you and your testimonies of faith in Christ. But some of you I don't know as well or we haven't yet me, and so I want to ask, have you feasted on the bread of life? Do you believe in the one who will satisfy your spiritual thirst and hunger forever? Let me say, he is the only one who can satisfy your soul forever. All other life pursuits when they are your primary life pursuits are working for bread which perishes. But the work of God is that you believe in the one sent from heaven. He is the true manna of God. Conclusion In summary, the crowds were seeking Jesus but for the wrong reasons. They were seeking Jesus as a means to an end. They were seeking the manna that their forefathers experienced and tasted. They wanted that manna instead of realizing that physical manna was meant to direct their attention to the true end - to Jesus himself. Standing before them and standing before us in heaven is the Bread of Life, the true manna from heaven. He is the I AM of God. And he calls us to believe in him. May we repent of working for bread which perishes. May we not trust in the things of this world which cannot save. May we not look to the signs and shadows but to the substance which is Christ. May we, believe in him, the Bread of Life, who will feed us for eternity.

This video reflects on the profound cost of biblical accessibility throughout history, emphasizing how the translation and distribution of Scripture were once acts of radical courage under severe persecution. It traces the journey from Wycliffe's laborious hand-copied Bibles to Tyndale's pioneering English translation, which was smuggled abroad and burned upon discovery in England, underscoring the life-threatening stakes of reading God's Word in one's own language. The narrative highlights how figures like Erasmus, Luther, and later Geneva scholars continued the work, enabling the Bible's spread even during the reign of Mary Tudor, when dissenters fled to places like Geneva for safety. Ultimately, the sermon calls the audience to reverence the Bible not as a mere text, but as a legacy of sacrifice, urging gratitude for the freedom to read Scripture today and a renewed commitment to its truth and authority.

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

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

In today's episode I will be praying over us, reading Psalm 19, and saying whatever the Holy Spirit prompts me to say after I read the scripture. This is day 19 of a series where I will be reading a Psalm everyday on here for 150 days. I challenge you to come to join me everyday as we use scripture to fight off the enemy and grow us in ways that we can't even imagine.   My First Christian Children's book, "You Are Loved" is now available for purchase on Amazon!! I can't believe I'm saying this, but in less than 24 hours it is now ranked #22 on Amazon for Christian children's Bibles. I am incredibly humbled and grateful. Thank you to everyone that has purchased, been praying, supporting, and sharing. All glory goes to God!! Here is the link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZKSPJNB   To celebrate the launch of my new book, I will be giving a book, a pack of Crayola crayons and a Bible verse bracelet to a lucky winner. I have the giveaway posted on 3 social media platforms, so enter on each one for a better chance at winning  Here are the social media accounts that the post is on to enter: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.lorena1994 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenaespy/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@faithfuelsmyfire   Details: Gifting runs through 11:59pm on Sunday June 7th. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on 6/8. Open across multiple social media platforms This gifting is not affiliated with any social media platform   Link to partner with me and give towards my mission project: Albania trip: https://give.globalventures.tv/Donation.aspx?q1=aE5zM3k4c0s0aHJoUENoN1dLQmhiSzBNQzlZUVdhajBzUGFjZXNzQVBqUGxSdVg2SUtpS3ljT2phUHNQeHFFbA==   If you want to receive newsletters: submit your info here: www.postable.com/lorenaespy If you want to check out previous Bible studies, click here To Purchase my "Christ Transforms Me" Journal, click here   Email me: faithfuelsmyfire@gmail.com Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486483515603028/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsSKktGU_8WHVNIxhFuzg The Bible App that I use: http://bible.com/app Instagram: @_lorenacamille_ Never Forget to Choose Faith Over Fear, -Lorena Espy

This video reflects on the profound cost of biblical accessibility throughout history, emphasizing how the translation and distribution of Scripture were once acts of radical courage under severe persecution. It traces the journey from Wycliffe's laborious hand-copied Bibles to Tyndale's pioneering English translation, which was smuggled abroad and burned upon discovery in England, underscoring the life-threatening stakes of reading God's Word in one's own language. The narrative highlights how figures like Erasmus, Luther, and later Geneva scholars continued the work, enabling the Bible's spread even during the reign of Mary Tudor, when dissenters fled to places like Geneva for safety. Ultimately, the sermon calls the audience to reverence the Bible not as a mere text, but as a legacy of sacrifice, urging gratitude for the freedom to read Scripture today and a renewed commitment to its truth and authority.

Perhaps the defining question of our age is who am I? We are asking what it means to be human now in the age of AI, and we are all asking questions like what gives me value? What is my purpose? Why am I worthy of love, of being known? How can I help bless the world? What will make me feel fulfilled, at peace, truly happy? God thinks answering this question is incredibly important. So important that he put the answer right on page 1 of our Bibles, in the book of Genesis. The answer he gives there to us is that we are image bearers who are made to rule and reign over the world alongside him. What does it mean to reign? Perhaps a more helpful word is responsibility. We are made to exercise responsibility for ‘what we have say over', our ‘domain.' What we have say over includes many things, like our bodies, our time, what we think about, what we steward, our relationships, our churches, and more. But there's a massive problem: Sin. Sin takes our responsibility from us and reigns through us when we try to domineer other people's domains or neglect our own. Both are chronic issues among people, things that if we're honest we do more than we'd care to admit. But God has not left us hanging. Jesus's domain is humans themselves: to take them and make them into the kind of people who can do this, by putting their identity in him. In this timely message, Pastor Joel breaks it all down for us.

Introduction: Introduction: How Do I Love? (1 Corinthians 13:1-7) Love ABSENT. (1 Cor 13:1-3) Love ACTIVE. (1 Cor 13:4-7) 1 John 4:8 – God is love. Ephesians 5:1 – Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. LOVE is Patient. LOVE is Kind. LOVE Does Not Envy. LOVE Does Not Boast. LOVE Is Not Arrogant. LOVE Is Not Rude. LOVE Does Not Insist On Its Own Way. LOVE Is Not Irritable. LOVE Is Not Resentful. LOVE Does Not Rejoice At Wrongdoing. LOVE Rejoices With The Truth. LOVE Bears All Things. LOVE Believes All Things. LOVE Hopes All Things. LOVE Endures All Things. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: How Do I Love? Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:36Open up your Bibles with me please to the book of 1 Corinthians and chapter 13 While you're turning there as is our custom I'm going to ask that you would please pray for me to communicate God's word clearly and accurately as I should and I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive what it is the Lord wants to teach us from his word today All right? Let's just take a moment and pray. Father, just a few minutes ago we were talking about being watchful in prayer. Father, make us watchful for the fruit that will come as your word is applied. The radical difference There will be when your people in this church apply what it is you've told us in this passage we're looking at today. Let your Spirit be our teacher. Father, open our hearts up. Remove any distractions from our hearts and minds. Help us to really dial in right now. We ask in Jesus' name.02:03And all of God's people said, Amen. Amen. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. If you've been with us through this study in 1 Corinthians, you've seen that Paul was going through problem after problem after problem after problem in the church. This church had a lot of problems. There were cliques and there were lawsuits There was sexual sin, and there was people insisting on their rights, and they made the Lord's Supper a fiasco. But really, if you wanted to sum up chapters 1 through 12, it really all boils down to one thing. Paul's saying, your lack of love for one another is the problem.03:04They just didn't love each other the way that God has called us to love. And because that's the problem, now we get to chapter 13 where we get to the solution. It's love. It's love. And some of you might be like, ah, yes, yes, yes. 1 Corinthians 13, I know this one. This is where Paul writes the wedding poem.03:34But this passage is used a lot at weddings, but I want you to understand, Paul wasn't in the middle of addressing the church's problems and was like, yeah, we've got to figure out this spiritual gift thing because you're all messed up. Oh, I just had an idea for a wedding poem. I better write this down while it's fresh. It's not a wedding poem.04:00Pastor Taylor talked last week about how the Corinthian church was so messed up about spiritual gifts. And Paul's like, no, no, no, I'm going to show you a more excellent way. Here's the more excellent way. The heart of ministry. The heart of using spiritual gifts. It's not talent.04:30It's not who works the hardest. It's not who puts in the most hours. It's not who's the most creative. The heart of ministry is love. And if you're sitting here today and you're like, yeah, love's not really my thing. Well, it's God's thing. And if you're like, well, you know, I'm just not really a loving person.05:00Well, then you better get on board. Because love is at the top, according to God. When the fruit of the Spirit is listed in Galatians 5, what's first? It's love, right? Paul tells us in Romans 13 that love fulfills the law. Jesus in John 13 said, Do you know? Oh, come on. I gave you so many hints. It's love. It's love. We've got to get on board. We have a little problem, though, in our language. We use the word love so generically, right? We say love for everything, right? But it doesn't all mean the same thing, right?06:00I can say I love hockey and I love my dog and I love my wife, but I don't love all those things the same way. You see, the Greek was a more specific language. They had different words for love. One word was eros. That's where we get the word erotic. That's the hubba hubba, husband and wife kind of love. Another word for love is, That's friendship love. Like Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. But the grandest word for love we're going to be talking about today is agape love. Agape. Agape is self-sacrificing. Agape is you ahead of me.07:02And understand that love isn't about feeling. All right? Feelings come, sure. And feelings go. But love isn't about feeling. Love is about doing. Right? Did Jesus love? Did Jesus love? How do we know? Everything from washing the disciples' feet to laying down his life on the cross, everything he did was an experience.07:30of love.07:35So how about you?07:38Are you a loving person?07:45Oh, in church we certainly idealize it.07:49Right?07:52But do we actually do it?07:56So on your outline today, how do I love?08:00I want to encourage you to not let, look, okay.08:04Because some of you have told me that you like to try to fill in the blanks ahead of time.08:10All right, fess up. Who does that? Raise your hand. Who tries to fill in the blanks? Okay.08:14Come on, this is a safe place to confess, and it's also a good place to repent.08:18I'm going to ask you to please not do that, because you're going to look at the outline today, and be like, oh, this one's easy. Love, love, love, love, love, love.08:25I'm going to ask you to hold on, hold on, all right?08:28and just walk in step with me. Will you do that? All right. So how do I love? In this passage we're looking, it's a very familiar passage, and he just talks about two things. There's two things here, right? And the first one is love absent. Love absent. Look at the first three verses. He says, if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love.09:01I'm a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.09:08And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing.09:22If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned I have not love.09:31I gain nothing.09:36You see this list here, what he's doing.09:38He's mentioning certain spiritual gifts here.09:42Did you see that?09:43And what he's doing is he's giving exaggerated examples of using spiritual gifts.09:51Like using them to the max.09:54But he says, if I use spiritual gifts, even to their peak performance, if I use them, but I don't genuinely love people, it results in, you see it? Nothing. It's not worth a thing if you don't love. See, the Corinthians, like us, so many times want the gifts of the Spirit, but not the fruit of the Spirit.10:24Paul says anything done without love is useless. Look at this example list of spiritual gifts. First of all, he talks about tongues. We're going to spend in a couple weeks quite a bit of time talking about what the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues is about. But notice here, he says, if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, like what's angel language? What is that? Well, biblically, there is no such thing.10:54You see throughout these verses, He's exaggerating everything. He's saying, even if I speak a language that they only speak in heaven. He says, even if I did that, but I don't genuinely love people, it's just noise. It's just like banging a gong over and over.11:24How would you last? Probably not very long, right? And somebody would say, well, what happened in church? And you would say, nothing happened in church today. Well, there was some great music. And then the pastor got up and thought he was on the gong show. It was ridiculous. Next, he talks about prophecy.11:54Oh, by the way, he says prophecy is the greatest gift. In chapter 14, verse 1, we talked about this before. Prophecy literally means speak before. It's speaking God's truth before people. We cannot possibly overstate the magnitude of what happens when the Word of God is proclaimed.12:24I was reading about preaching this past week, and one preacher put it this way. He says, when the Word of God is proclaimed, we are bringing eternity into time. I was like, wow, wow, that's what's happening. But to get up and proclaim the Word of God, motivated by self-glory or fame or pride, but not motivated by loving people, it's nothing.12:54Next gift he talks about is knowledge. Do you notice the exaggeration? Here it is again. He says, understand all mysteries and all knowledge. More exaggeration, right? Like, who understands all knowledge? Who understands all mysteries? Like, what do you mean by mysteries? Well, the mystery was just things unknown to man, things only God knows. He's like, even if I knew Every single thing that God himself knows. Things no one else knows. You see, church, you can be highly educated. You can know the Bible frontwards and backwards. But if you don't love people, it's a big nothing.13:55All right, next gift, he talks about his faith. Do you see that? He says, if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains. Does that sound familiar? Faith moving mountains. Jesus talked about that. Matthew chapter 17, Matthew chapter 21. You know, it's the person that's like, you know, I have all faith. I believe. I believe for it. I claim the promise. I believe for it.14:24I just don't love those church people. Paul says you're nothing. And then he talks about the gift of giving. Again, exaggeration, hyperbole. He says I could give away every single thing that I own. And we do know that giving can be motivated by man's applause, right? Matthew 6. Giving can be motivated by guilt or peer pressure or obligation.14:57But if your giving isn't motivated by love, it gets you nothing. Even, even giving your body to be burned. You're like, time out, time out. Who gives their body to be burned? Like, what other motivation could somebody have for giving up their life for someone?15:24or for a cause or... Well, you could ask the Muslims. Because in Islam, dying as a martyr is the only sure way to heaven. They tell these young men, yeah, if you give your life to the cause of Islam, when you get to heaven, you're going to have 70 virgins to enjoy for all of eternity. Do you think they're motivated by love? So see, you can be a martyr.15:56But it doesn't necessarily have to be motivated by love, does it? Here's the bottom line with these first three verses. Paul's saying it doesn't matter what you do in ministry. It doesn't matter how well you do it. Because if you don't love people, you're wasting your time. To what degree? Well, notice in verse 1, he says if you don't love, you produce nothing.16:23Right? Just a clanging cymbal. You produce nothing. Verse 2, he says, if you don't love, you are nothing. And in verse 3, he says, if you don't love, you gain nothing. You've wasted your time. Since this is true, we better understand how to love people.16:53Love Absent. Secondly, let's talk about Love Active. You didn't start filling in your outline yet, did you? Like getting ahead? You didn't start getting ahead, did you? Okay. All right, Love Active. Love Active. Like, okay. A lot of people have different ideas about what love means, what it looks like, how to do it. What does the Bible say? Well, I get some great news for you. There's no ambiguity here whatsoever.17:23Actually, there are 15 words and phrases here that describe love. All right? 15 sub-point sermon. When's the last time you had one of those? All right? Look at verses 4 through 7. He says, love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast.17:53It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Yep.18:27That's not really the point though, is it? The point's not FYI. The point is not for you to walk out here today to say, well, now I have a better understanding of how the Bible defines love. That's not the point. The point is, is this how you love? The point is, Does this list describe you? Does this list describe me? And isn't it just so ironic that church can be the hardest place to love people? Do you notice that? Sometimes it is. Why is that?19:27Well, we're not all BFFs, right? We're just not. We're a family. We're a body. It's easy to love the people that you like. But God allows difficult people in the church.19:53And difficult people are here to test you. To see whether you really love or not. Do you? We'll find out when you encounter somebody that's hard to love. So, here's what we're doing with your outline. You know, 1 John 4 and verse 8 says, God is love.20:26In Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 1, says, therefore be imitators of God as beloved children.20:35So, if God is love, and we are called to imitate God, that means we are to imitate God's love.20:51So your outline here this morning is more of a test. And this is going to show you where you need to grow in love. Since God is love, and since we are to imitate God, here's what we're going to do as we go through, and we're just going to spend a moment on each of these.21:21in the Bible, you should be able to put your name in the blank. And if you truly love like God, the passage should still make sense. Right? So here's what I want you to do. As we go through these, I want you to write your name on the blank. And I want you to hold on to this outline. I want you to keep it as a bookmark in your Bible. And I want this to be a test that you give yourself to say, Does this describe me? Is this how I love people in the church? Alright? It's going to get uncomfortable. But we're committed to this. Right? Put your name down. First it says, love is patient. Put your name down. Can you say that? Can you say, Jeff is patient?22:23Is that you? Because you realize some people just require more patience. Have you noticed? Have you noticed that there are people that we deal with in the church are like, they should have gotten it by now. They should have gotten it six months ago and they still haven't gotten it. Are you a patient person? Patience means I don't write them off.22:51You know what? I'm done. Patience says, you know what? I'm committed to them. Put your name down. Jeff is patient. Can you say that? Secondly, love is kind. Put your name. Jeff is kind. Are you a kind person? The Greek root for the word kind is literally It's always trying to benefit others. Always looking to bless others. Kindness is not tearing people down. It's looking to build up and encourage. That's what kindness is. Can you say that? Jeff is kind. Put your name in there. Next. Love does not envy.23:51Jeff does not envy.23:56We saw last week in verse 31, Paul says, you're coveting the showy gifts.24:05Paul's like, you just want to look like you're the most spiritual person at the church.24:13They had a problem with envy.24:17So let me ask you, how are you doing with envy?24:23Like when somebody in church is talked about, and somebody says, wow, they are such a godly example. And you hear somebody being honored at church, and ooh, that just rubs you the wrong way. And you're like, they're nothing special. Jeff doesn't envy. You know why? Because love looks at people's gifts.24:50different. Love is glad when someone is used by God. Not critical. Love is cheering the rest of the team on. Not envying. Jeff doesn't envy. Next. Love does not boast. Put your name in. Can you say that? Jeff does not boast. This could literally be translated blowhard boasting. It's the person that does and says everything to make himself look good. Everything they do, everything they say, put the spotlight on me. Do you see how awesome and godly and great and perfect and biggest, best, most, goodest I am? Always wanting the attention, always wanting the accolades, You see, envy, wants what other people have. Boasting is to try to make people envy what you have. And love does neither. Right? Can you say that? Jeff does not boast. Next, love is not arrogant. Put your name in the blank. Write it down. Write it down. You're like, I haven't signed my name this many times since I bought a house. Right? Write your name down. Can you say that? Jeff is not arrogant. Arrogance is just the force behind boasting. Right? It's that belief that I'm better than everyone else. I'm the most spiritual person here. But you know, when you truly love other people, you're not going to exalt yourself over them. You're like, you know what?26:50I'm nothing special. I'm a saved sinner. Just like the rest of you. I'm not on any higher plane or exalted status. We're all in the same place here. Sinners saved by grace. So what do I possibly have to be arrogant about? Put your name in the blank. Can you say that? Jeff is not arrogant. Next, love is not rude.27:21Jeff is not rude.27:26That's just treating or speaking to people with disdain.27:32Right?27:32We talked about the rudeness of the Corinthians, right?27:35They had their potluck and people would show up early.27:41And they brought a tuna new casserole or whatever to share with everyone.27:45But they'd show up early and they'd hog it all down themselves.27:48And then people would come later and there wasn't anything for them. Do you know what that's called? Rude! That's rude! And love is not rude. So Jeff should not be rude. And you should not be rude. Right? Lots of ways to be rude. There's lots of ways. Interrupting people. Just talking right over them. Making sure you get in your jerky comment. Go zing them! Right?28:18Just being dismissive. Love isn't rude. Next, love does not insist on its own way. Can you say that and it still makes sense? It's convicting, isn't it? You think the only reason I'm sweating is because it's 120 degrees?28:51Jeff does not insist on getting his own way.28:59That's the biggest problem in church.29:04We're all self-centered.29:06We're all self-centered.29:08I want everything how I prefer.29:10Okay?29:11Church will be great as long as I get everything that I prefer.29:14The music, the kids' ministry, how money is spent, etc., etc., No, no, no, no. Jeff doesn't insist on getting his own way. Love says, look, I want what's best for everyone. I trust the leadership to make decisions. And if things are decided at the church, even if it's not my preference, I just want what's best for everyone. That's what love says. I was thinking about these characteristics, by Jesus, specifically this one, you realize Jesus never did anything just for himself. Did you ever notice that? Everything Jesus did was in perfect submission to his Father and to benefit and bless other people. Jesus never took a day where he's like, you know what, today's about me. I'm having a me day. I'm having a mental health day. I'm going to the spa. Jesus never did that.30:19Jeff does not insist on getting his own way. Next, love is not irritable. Can you say that? Put your name in the blank, write it down, write your name. Jeff is not irritable. This term, irritable, it's actually an explosive term. It's talking about the outbursts.30:48it comes when you're annoyed to the point of breaking. Do you know what I'm talking about?30:56Do you know what I'm talking about?30:58You're annoying me now. Do you know what I'm talking about?31:02I'm getting a little irritated.31:03Do you know what I'm talking about?31:05Where you're just like annoyed and you just keep eating it and annoyed, you just keep eating it and then find like, enough!31:11I've had enough!31:13It's explosive, right?31:15That's what this word means.31:17Like, irritable. Irritable. And some people just, they're personally offended by everything. Some people are just personally offended by everything. What will offend me today? They just roll out of bed on my way to church. What's going to offend me at church today? Is it going to be something said in a sermon? Is it going to be something said in a conversation where the ironing board used to be?31:50What's going to offend me today? Just constantly looking for something to irritate them. But no, no, no, no. Love doesn't do that. Love doesn't take up an offense. Love doesn't get irritated. I care too much about these people to take issue with everything. Jeff isn't irritable.32:18Next. Love is not resentful. Put your name down. Jeff is not resentful. By the way, your name. I keep saying Jeff because that's my name. I better not see your outline where it says Jeff down. Your name. Okay, so like irritable is the explosive term. Resentful is the slow burn term. Resentful. It's just, it's holding a grudge.32:47That's what it is. Actually, in the Greek, it was an accounting term. That's why some Bibles translate this, love keeps no record of wrong. Jeff is not resentful. Jeff should never keep a record of wrong. Can you say that? Oh, we're so good, right? Our memory is terrible.33:17except when it comes to other people's mistakes. Then our memories are great. Right? I don't like her. Why? Because this one time she said this. I don't like him. Why? Because this one time, you know, back in 1987, he did this. I will never forgive her for doing that. It's resentful. You know, somebody, that person could have been having a bad day.33:46The whole thing could have been a complete misunderstanding, but no, no, no, no. I got that in the vault now. All right? I'm resentful. I'm resentful. But love keeps no record of wrong. Do you know why? Do you know why? Do you know who else doesn't keep record of wrong? God. What is it? Jeremiah 31, Hebrews 8, a promise so glorious. He said, in both testaments. God has promised under Jesus Christ He will remember our sins no more. And if there's ever anybody who is justified to keep a record of wrongs against me, it would be God. That because of Jesus Christ, when you receive Him, when you believe in Jesus Christ, when you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, He takes your sin away.34:48And he keeps no record of it. God keeps no record of sin. Love says, Jeff shouldn't either. Right? Can you say that? Next, love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. Jeff does not rejoice at wrongdoing. You're like, rejoice at wrongdoing?35:16Who does that? Everybody does that. We take pleasure. We take pleasure in other people's sins. Like, what do you mean? But just imagine if one of the leaders of our church was caught in some sin. Oh, you're going to see some nastiness come out of people if that would happen. One is you're going to see, People comparing themselves to that leader. You're like, well, I'm not a great person, but I'm not as bad as him. Or the gossip, right? The leader was caught in some sin. There'd be so much gossip. Hey, did you hear what he did? Did you hear about that? There'd be so much gossip going around about that. We delight in other people's sin.36:16Oh, and the slander. That guy, you know, Gossip's ugly cousin, slander. Like, oh, did you hear what he did? Oh, he's not so high and mighty now, is he? Oh, he, oh, leader in the church, huh? Oh, look at him now. Love doesn't rejoice at wrongdoing. So Jeff should not rejoice at wrongdoing because if something offends God, why would I take joy in that? Love is never happy at someone else failing.36:46But love rejoices with the truth. Jeff rejoices with the truth. Dishonesty leads to distrust. Relationships must be built on truth. Can you say that? You rejoice with the truth. You rejoice with honesty because dealing in truth is God's way. And homestretch here.37:16Love Bears All Things. Jeff Bears All Things. Your name Bears All Things. What does that mean? Bears All Things. Literally, the word means to cover. That's literally what the Greek word means. It's covering. It's covering someone's failures and covering someone's sins. Now, yes, when someone is in sin, we talked all about this, we address sin.37:46But what we do not do is parade it around for other people. Like we tell our kids, don't tattle. Right? Don't tattle. Why? Because love doesn't do that. Right? When I was a kid, you know what we called tattling? See who remembers. Being a narc. How many people remember being a narc? Okay? Don't be a narc. All right?38:16we address sin, but we don't parade it around. All right, next, love believes all things. Jeff believes all things. Your name believes all things. But that doesn't mean you're gullible. She'll believe anything. Like, hey, the moon's made out of ham. Like, oh, didn't know that. Like, no, no, that's not what it means.38:46It means believing the best about a person. That's what it means. It's believing the best about a person. It means not being suspicious. That means if a comment is made, if a comment is made that can be taken one of two ways, you take it the good way. That's what it means. I believe the best about them. I don't believe that he said that to hurt my feelings.39:15I believe the best about them. That's what it means. Does that describe you? Or like you hear some rumor, right? Like somebody's like, hey, you know, last Thursday I heard, I was at Walmart and the Browns were in Walmart and I heard Taylor cussing out his wife. I would say, I don't believe that. I don't believe that. Why? Because I believe the best about Taylor.39:47That's what love does. Like, I know this guy. He wouldn't do that. Love believes the best about people, right? Negative example, Job's friends. Remember we went through Job a while back. Remember them? They come to comfort Job and they're like, so you're having a bad day, are you? Well, you must be a terrible sinner. No, love believes.40:15best. Love hopes all things. Jeff hopes all things. Your name hopes all things. Can you say that? It's never giving up on a person. That's what it means. It's never giving up on a person. Oh, he messed up again. I'm disappointed again. Love remembers. Jeff remembers. You remembers. We are all works.40:45in progress. Every single one of us works in progress. And love says, he'll get there. He'll get there. I'm not giving up hope. And then finally, love endures all things. Jeff endures all things. Your name endures all things.41:18Can you say that? That means we survive. The relationship that we have survives even terrible times. That's what that means. With all this patience and kindness and selflessness, you know, the hard times are going to come.41:48And when the dust settles, I'll still be here.41:56No matter what happens, listen, I am for you.42:04No matter what.42:06Because love never lets go.42:13Our worship team would make their way back up to the platform. You might be looking at your list right now. And like me, you look at some areas here. You're like, wow, this doesn't quite describe me the way that I wish that it did. What do I do about that?42:43that are like, meh, meh. I guess I gotta try harder, huh? No. No. Because you can't, look, when it comes to love, you can't fake love. But you also can't muster it up. There's only one thing you can do with love.43:14And that's funnel it. It has to come from God. So I want you to hang on to this. Because wherever you are deficient, you need to take that to God. And I'd like us to do that right now. If you just bow your heads for a moment, please.43:43Just bow your heads. And I want to pray a prayer that is for all of us. Father, we look at your word, we look at this list that under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote to the Corinthians and ultimately to us. We look at this list, Father, and there's so many ways that we fall short. So many ways we should be doing so much better. So many ways we have completely blown it.44:15But Father, we thank you that this list describes you. You haven't given up on us. You continue to pursue and change us. Father, you have called us to imitate you. But the only way we can have love at all because you first loved us.44:48So Father, I pray not just for myself, but for my brothers and sisters here, for those who are streaming or listening to the podcast later.44:56I pray, Father, that we would take this list before you and take an honest assessment and cry out to you for the kind of heart change that only your Holy Spirit can bring about.45:13And Father, might we be a church where more and more our testimony is.45:25We're not perfect and we've got a lot of growing to do, but we are committed to loving one another.45:34We ask this in Jesus' holy and precious name.45:38Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 13:1-7What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Which aspect of love (1 Cor 13:4-7) seems the easiest (“most natural”) for you? Why?Which aspect of love do you personally find the most difficult for you? How can you grow in this area?Why do you think the kind of love described in these verses can be so difficult in the church? BreakoutPray for one another.

In the Name of the Messiah Acts 3 by William Klock So what happens after Pentecost?  In the church's calendar we spend the first half of the year walking through the life of Jesus—maybe we think of that as the “gospel story”—and that closes with Pentecost.  And in the second half of the year we focus on the life of the church as it lives out Pentecost.  But the way the lectionary does that tends to present the life of the church in the abstract.  That's not necessarily bad.  But the book of Acts gives us an opportunity to see it in real life, in history.  And Acts is important because it makes sure we understand that the life of the church isn't some application of abstract theological principles.  Acts shows us the life of the church as very much the continuation of the story of Jesus, of that gospel narrative.  It doesn't end with the Ascension.  It doesn't end with Pentecost.  Pentecost simply begins a new chapter.  As Luke said at the beginning, in the gospel he wrote he laid out what Jesus began to do and to teach.  In Acts we see Jesus continuing to do and to teach, but now it's through his church, through his people. So last week we saw this amazing move of the Spirit.  That's how I think we mostly think of it: a move of the Spirit.  But if we've been following the story through Easter and the ascension it ought to be clear that Pentecost is, first and foremost, a move of Jesus the Messiah.  Having taken his heavenly throne to reign as king until he has put all his enemies under his feet, Jesus has sent the Spirit to enact, to make real the truth of his reign through the church.  The spirit enables the apostles, the rest of the disciples, enables us to put off the old, lie-based, rebellious way of being human and to put on the new humanity brought by Jesus' resurrection from the dead.  The Spirit makes us the working model of God's new creation in the midst of the old.  The Spirit, living within us, make us God's new temple: full of his presence, his wisdom, his gospel.  And as we fulfil his original command to are fruitful and multiply, we grow and spread that temple until God's glory fills the earth. So Pentecost doesn't stand alone.  It's not just a stage in our personal spiritual growth.  It's not even for our own benefit.  It's to carry the reign of Jesus as Lord to the world.  So, again, what happens after Pentecost?  Look at Acts, Chapter 3. [Page 1082 in the pew Bibles.]  Luke tells us, “Peter and John were going up to the temple at three o'clock in the afternoon, the time for prayer.” I think it's worth a pause there.  Peter and John and the rest of the church had become the new temple.  The very thing that was missing from old, bricks-and-mortar temple, the presence of God, had come to dwell in them.  But they still went to the old bricks-and-mortar temple.  It highlights the fact that they didn't think of Jesus, the Spirit, the new covenant, being the new Israel as being some kind of new religion.  This new thing was simply how to be a faithful Jew in light of God's promises to Israel being fulfilled in Jesus.  And so these first Christians continued to observe torah, they worshipped with their fellow Jews in the synagogues, and they went with their fellow Jews to pray in the temple.  They didn't leave Judaism for something called Christianity.  But here's the thing: You and I don't do any of those things.  We don't live according to torah, we're not circumcised, we don't observe the Jewish feasts, we don't go the temple—we can't, because God judged and destroyed it long ago—but we are part of that same family of Jesus people, that same new Israel, that same church.  Because the new Israel isn't about torah, or circumcision, or diet, or Sabbath, or biological descent from Abraham.  It's about faith in, allegiance to Jesus, Israel's Messiah, and his kingdom, and the law of love written in our hearts by his Spirit.  What marks us out is our baptism into Jesus and the law of the Spirit that overflows from within us. Now, Luke goes on: “There was a man being carried in who had been lame from his mother's womb.  People used to bring him every day to the temple gate called “Beautiful”, so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple.  When he saw Peter and John going into the temple, he asked them to give him some money. So every day, probably for many years, this man's friends would carry him to the gate of the main temple court and leave him there to beg.  He was a fixture of the temple.  Few people probably “knew” him, but everyone was familiar with him.  Peter and John weren't from Jerusalem, but they'd probably seen the man when they visited the temple.  Maybe they'd given him money before.  But this time they have no money.  They'd left their jobs as fisherman in Galilee.  The church in Jerusalem has been surviving by living as family, pooling their resources.  Luke goes on: “Peter, with John, looked hard at him.  ‘Look at us,' he said.  The man stared at them, expecting to get something from them.  ‘I haven't got any silver or gold,' Peter said, ‘but I'll give you what I have got.  In the name of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk!'  He grabbed the man by his right hand and lifted him up.  At once his feet and ankles became strong, and he leaped to his feet and began to walk.  He went in with them into the temple, walking and jumping up and down and praising God.  All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognised him as the man who had been sitting begging for alms by the Beautiful Gate of the temple.  They were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.” He got more than he bargained for and what Peter and John give this man is right in keeping with what we read at the end of Chapter 2.  Money had ceased to have any importance for the disciples.  Something far better had come along.  Money is one of those things you need to get along in the old age where things are scarce and people are greedy.  The kingdom of God is about his new creation generosity and abundance.  This is why they lived like a family and shared what God gave with each other.  It was a practical way to live out new creation in way that confronted the scarcity and greed of the old age.  They knew there was something more important, a new power, a new kind of life—something far more important than silver and gold and so they gave it to this man.  The man didn't even ask to be healed.  He'd probably given up on that idea years and years ago.  But Peter gave this man new creation in the name of Jesus. Maybe this is why Peter insisted that the man look at them.  Picture Peter looking hard into the lame man's eyes and the lame man staring back.  Maybe Peter had seen Jesus do that: looking intently into the eyes of hurting people, seeing desperation, seeing hopelessness in some and faith in others.  Making a connection.  Sharing the compassion of God for the victims of the corrupt principalities and powers of the present age.  It seems like Peter saw something there.  Maybe hope.  Maybe faith.  Maybe the man knew who Peter was.  Maybe he'd heard about what happened at Pentecost.  Peter saw something.  And he didn't just tell the man to get up and walk.  That's what Jesus would have done and Peter wasn't Jesus.  Peter had no power of his own to do anything.  Instead, Peter made it clear where the power lies: “In the name of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk.” The name is as good as the person.  Peter and John were acting as Jesus' representatives and in that capacity—so long as they were faithful to Jesus' will, his desire, his agenda, his rule and kingdom—they could act with power and authority and faith on his behalf—in his name.  And so can we.  Sometimes we forget that.  On the one hand, we pray and we add something like “through Jesus our Lord” or “in the name of Jesus” at the end of our prayers without even thinking about what it means or, on the other hand, we use Jesus' name as if it were a talisman to give our prayers legitimacy or as if just mentioning the name of Jesus will bring our will into reality.  I once prayed and when I was done, a guy came up to me afterward and said, “You didn't say ‘in Jesus' name' so your prayer won't come true.”  No.  Brothers and Sisters, saying a prayer isn't like making a wish and adding Jesus' name doesn't validate our prayers.  Whether we mention him or not, every true Christian prayer is offered to the Father through the mediation of Jesus the son.  It is through him that we have access to God.  And God answers our prayer not because we add a name, but because our whole prayer is a cry for his new creation to become reality, for it to be on earth as it is heaven.  Too often our prayers are veiled appeals to our old idols, appeals to the principalities and powers, appeals still subject to the fears and anxieties of the present evil age, outgrowths of the flesh rather than the Spirit.  And to those prayers, God answers “No”.  Brothers and Sisters, to pray in Jesus' name is to submit ourselves to the goodness and faithfulness of God; it is to pray with faithfulness and single-hearted loyalty to him as Lord, and to ask not for our will to be done, but his; to ask not for the fulfilment of our vision of the good, but his; to ask not for our kingdom to be made real, but his kingdom.  It is to understand that heaven is the storehouse of the goodness of God's kingdom, like the turkey in the refrigerator and the presents stored up under Mom and Dad's bed, all to be brought out when Christmas comes.  God's kingdom will come in all its fulness when the church, when we have made God's gospel known throughout the earth and when the knowledge of his glory covers creation as the sea.  Prayer is to ask God to give us glimpse of that final day when the presents are under the tree, ready to be opened, and the turkey is on the table and the great feast is ready.  Prayer is, to quote Karl Barth, “the beginning of an uprising against the disorder the world.”  It is to ask in hope for God's justice, God's righteousness, God's goodness, God's faithfulness, God's future to be known—even if only in a small way—right here and right now. And that's what Peter did.  And suddenly the man was jumping and dancing his way into the temple full of heaven on earth.  And everyone noticed.  Verse 11: “All the people ran together in astonishment towards Peter and John and the man was clinging to them.  They were in the part of the temple known as ‘Solomon's Porch'.  Peter saw them all and began to speak. ‘Men of Israel,' he said, ‘why are you amazed at this?  Why are you staring at us as though it was our own power or piety that made this man walk?  “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob—the God of our fathers”—he has glorified his servant Jesus, the one you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, although he had decided to let him go.'” Let's pause there.  When Peter says “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob—the God of our fathers” he's taking a line from Exodus 3.  This is how the God of Israel introduced himself to Moses at the burning bush before sending him back to Egypt to demand that Pharoah let the Israelites go.  Jesus had just done this in his dispute with the Sadducees and now Peter does the same and his point is to highlight that just as with Moses and the Exodus from Egypt, the God of Israel is at work here and not just as work, but at work to bring his promises to Israel to pass.  Peter's announcing that it's happening again.  In Jesus and the Spirit; in Good Friday and Easter and Ascension and Pentecost, the God of Israel was acting once again to deliver his people from bondage, to lead them in a new exodus, to renew his covenant. We'll see this throughout Acts.  Confronted by Jesus and his mighty deeds, those early believers would go back to Exodus.  That was when God fulfilled his promises to deliver his people.  That was when they sacrificed the Passover lambs.  That was when he led them through the sea and gave them his law.  That was when he led them into the promised land and gave them an inheritance.  And when those first Christians saw Jesus and the Spirit at work it was like Moses at the burning bush seeing something amazing that he couldn't explain, and with that scene in mind, we ought to be expecting that God is still keeping his promises and is doing something extraordinary again. Peter goes on: “You denied the holy one, the just one, and requested instead to have a murderer given to you; and so you killed the Prince of Life.  But God raised him from the dead, and we are witnesses to the fact.  And it is his name, working through faith in his name, that has given strength to this man, whom you see and know.  It is faith which comes through him that has given him this new complete wholeness in front of all of you.” So Peter starts explaining Jesus by pulling images from the Jewish scriptures.  We might miss it because we don't know the Bible as well as we should; the people there that day definitely would not have.  First, Peter calls Jesus the servant of God.  Second, he stresses the innocence of Jesus.  He wasn't deserving of death, but the people of Jerusalem handed him over to Pilate.  Even Pilate, Peter says, knew Jesus was innocent.  But they demanded Pilate release Barabbas and that Jesus be crucified.  These images together draw on Isaiah's prophecy, especially Isaiah 53, the passage about the suffering servant, an innocent, who would one day, go to the slaughter like a lamb for the sins of the people.  When Peter calls him the holy one, this too brings up images of the suffering servant and of the spotless lamb.  If the people want to understand what's happened to the lame man, how he's been healed, Peter is saying that they need to think about the Exodus and they need to be thinking about Isaiah's suffering servant and understand that Jesus is standing at the centre of both of these images from Israel's story and God's promises. And this is why he calls Jesus the “Prince of Life”.  The archegos, not just prince, but also the author, the origin, the source of life.  Jesus is the sovereign one, the Lord, who brings life.  It fits with John's image of the word, who was in the beginning and through whom, as God spoke him out, was the source of everything.  Through him all things were created and now, through the word, God speaks life into the world again.  He came into the midst of corruption and sickness and death and has brought life.  And wherever he goes be brings life and in that life he announces his lordship, his sovereignty, his kingdom.  Wherever he brings life he announces his victory over sin and death, over the present evil age.  Wherever he brings life, he announces the hope of God's promises fulfilled and a world set to rights: no more death, no more sorrow, no more tears.  Ironically, his own people rejected and killed him, but God raised him from the dead to prove that Jesus is the life of the world and because of that we know, we have confidence that his life will continue to go out into the world. Peter does here what he did at Pentecost.  God did something mighty and amazing, and Peter—steeped in scripture and full of the Spirit—explains what's going on in light of the story of Israel and her God and, most importantly, showing how what's now happening is the fulfilment of what God had promised to his people.  That's the biggest thing here.  This is no faith healer, doing theatrics and putting the spotlight on himself.  Peter has absolutely no interest in that.  He makes it clear: this is all about Jesus.  The prophets had said that the world would be set to rights when the knowledge of the glory of God has covered it as the sea.  Not the knowledge of Peter.  Not the knowledge of celebrity apostles. The knowledge of the glory of God.  And so Peter's Spirit-filled purpose is to proclaim the glory of God—to make sure everyone knows not just that God is mighty and powerful, but that God is above all faithful to his promises and worthy of our trust, worthy of our allegiance, worthy of our faith.  And that's the next thing.  After announcing how this is healing is evidence of God's faithfulness, Peter issues a call to faith.  Look at verse 17: “Now, Brothers,” Peter continued, “I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did.  But this is how God has fulfilled what he promised through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.  So now repent, and turn back, so that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshment may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he will send you Jesus, the one he chose and appointed to be his Messiah.  He must be received in heaven, you see, until the time which God spoke about through the mouth of the holy prophets from ancient days, the time when God will restore all things.  Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, one from among your own brothers; whatever he says to you, you must pay attention to him.  And everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be cut off from the people.'  All the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors, spoke about these days too.  You are the children of the prophets, the children of the covenant which God established with your ancestors when he said to Abraham, ‘In your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'  When God raised up his servant he sent him to you first, to bless you by turning each of you away from your wicked deeds.” Over and over Peter stresses that what the people are seeing is the fulfilment of God's promises going all the way back to Abraham: His promise to renew fallen Israel, his promise to reach out to the nations with this glory through this renewed people.  Peter points forward to this hope of creation set to rights that we see from this point on throughout Acts and the New Testament, said in various ways.  God will “sum up all things in the Messiah,” as we heard Paul say in Ephesians 1:10.  Through the Messiah he will “reconcile all things to himself, making peace by his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:20).  He will make “new heavens and new earth, in which justice will dwell” (Revelation 21:1).  He will overcome every power which destroys and corrupts his good creation, so that eventually God will be “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).  The whole creation will be “set free from its slavery to decay, to share the liberty of the glory of God's children” (Romans 8:21).  Brothers and Sisters, it began at the cross and the empty tomb, the ascension was a sign it was all true, and Pentecost show us that we're not only a part of how these promises will be fulfilled, but we can watch as heaven invades earth with the glory of God.  We don't have to wait for some distant day to see God revealed.  We see his glory at work each day: in ourselves as his word and Spirt renew us and in the world as we live and proclaim the good news about Jesus and see faith born in others and their hearts and minds renewed by Jesus and the Spirit.  We see God's glory revealed as the weight of sin and guilt is lifted.  Notice that's part of Peter's message.  It's not just a call to repent.  It's also assurance of forgiveness.  God, through the blood of Jesus, was ready to forgive even the rejection, the hardness of heart, the rebellion of Israel when they crucified Jesus.  That's the whole point of all of this: God's great final restoration of all things is for us, for sinners, for rebels, for God-haters, right here and right now.  The gospel brings God's future into the present, because God longs to show his mercy and his grace to sinners.  As God longs for his good world that we've corrupted with our sin to be set to rights, even more he longs to set us to rights that we might once again be the stewards, the priests of his temple that he created us to be. God will, as Peter says echoing Isaiah 43:25, God will blot out the sins of those who repent.  And if his grace was big enough and Jesus' blood strong enough to blot out the sins of those who crucified him, and his Spirit powerful enough to renew their hearts and to fill them with love, Brothers and Sisters, the blood of Jesus and the renewing power of his Spirit is enough to bring God's new creation to us.  Repent and believe in the name of Jesus.  Be forgiven.  Be made whole.  Be made new.  Be refreshed.  Be God's future here and now.  Be made a witness to your family, to your friends, to everyone around you of the saving power of Jesus the Messiah. Let's pray: O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. 2 Samuel 16:15-17:29 Spencer Cary Download TranscriptMy name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here. We are going to be in 2 Samuel chapter 16. We're going to go all the way through chapter 17 today. So, if you have a Bible around you, those black Bibles, you can grab one of those. We're going on page 306. and most of the text or all of this text will be on in those Bibles. We'll have some text on the screen as well. I'll try to cue when that comes up, but you can go ahead and follow along there. I've been following Jesus for 20 years at this point.And there are times when you follow Jesus long enough that just feel really dark. whether that's for suffering, whether that's affliction, sadness, all types of things that come upon us. But there are times where it just feels very very dark. But like the words we just sang, when darkness seems to hide his face, as the original hymn said, when darkness veils his lovely face. It's just this idea that if you follow God long enough, you're going to have times where you just don't feel the presence of God. you don't feel his goodness. And then when that happens, there are questions that begin to linger.Does God love me? Is he for me? Does he care about me? And those questions can linger in a way and surface and sometimes resurface when we are going through times that are difficult, when we're traveling through times that are very dark. Man, if you follow Christ long enough, that's that's going to happen. the reality of following Jesus this side of the fall. But then there are moments there are moments where God in the middle of darkness and his kindness breaks through. And it doesn't always mean that your circumstances get better. But in the middle of suffering, in the middle of what feels like hopelessness, God meets us in some wonderful and powerful ways.And that is the experience that all of God's people feel in the lifetime, the marathon of following Jesus. And maybe that's you right now. Maybe that maybe that's where you're at. That you just feel darkness and all the things that come with that we just talked about. And if that is you, and certainly for all of us, it will be us at some point. If that is you, then this part of the story of David is actually going to be, I think, wildly encouraging because David's been in it. We have I mean it's like week after week as we're following his story right now. He's living in the aftermath of his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah and he's dealing with the discipline of the Lord and it just feels unrelenting.But today, we're going to see that in the middle of all of this darkness that he's walking through, we're going to see God shine through like like a like like in a really difficult storm, like a light that just pierces through. We're going to see some hope that's found in that. And then as we look at this as Christians, we'll be able to take a step back and see that this is the hope that he has for us as well. So, I'm going to pray for us and then we're going to work through the story together. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the good news of the gospel that we just got to read, sing, and pray.I pray that you would help us as we seek to understand who you are even as we encounter the sufferings of this present life. So may you give us ears to hear in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. All right. So, before we jump into verse 15, let's recap a little bit where Mike took us last week. Absalom, the son of David, has been leading to this point a very successful rebellion, a civil war against his father, King David. And David has fled Jerusalem. Absalom has entered Jerusalem, is set up on the throne. And now Absalom is seeking to establish his reign. Picking up in verse 15. Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him. Okay? So Absalom has a party of men of followers of leaders and it's going to be referred to as the men of Israel. And the most prominentfigure in that party is a man named Ahithophel. Ahithophel is a counselor to the king. He was a counselor to David. He was someone that David brought in to give wise counsel and advice. But now he's betrayed David and he's joined his son in this rebellion. And we don't really know why. Some have theorized that Ahithophel that when you follow his line, he has a son named Iliam. And that that might be the same Iliam that is the father of Bathsheba. That this might be the grandfather of Bathsheba and that he's exacting some type of revenge against David here. We don't know that to be true, but he has betrayed David and now he's joined in with Absalom and he's giving counsel to him. But he's not the only one seeking to give counsel to this new king. Verse 16.And when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king." Long live the king. Okay, we'll pause there. There are a lot of names as we're going to see in the story today. There's a lot of names last week, so some of this stuff is hard to track. But if you remember back from last week, Hushai is a spy that David has sent to disrupt Ahithophel. So in 2 Samuel 15, what we read last week in verse 34, this will be on the screen. It says, "But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king, as I've been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel." This is David sending in Hushai to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which he knows is going to be veryhelpful to Absalom. And then in verse 37 it says, "So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem." So that's what's happened here. He has sent he sent Hushai in to be rival counsel to Ahithophel to disrupt all of this. And Hushai, who's playing the part of double agent quite well, comes in immediately and says, "Long live the king."Now Absalom may be pretty but he's not that stupid because he knows that Hushai is a friend to David. So he responds verse 17. And Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?" And Hushai said to Absalom, "No, for whom the Lord and this people and all that the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you." So Absalom says, " don't you like play golf with my dad?Like, aren't y'all boys? What's happening here? Why are you where why are you here?" And he's like, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I play golf with whoever sits on the throne. I'm for the position, not the man. And the Lord is with you and the people are with you. So I am with you. So I'm here to help you. And it's great. You're David's son. You're the next. So he plays the part of double agent quite well. He doesn't get immediately thrown out. The question is, is he going to be able to keep his cover as he's trying to infiltrate his way into Absalom's influence? Verse 20, then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give your counsel. What shall we do?" So he's looking to what's my next move is now that I've established my place in Jerusalem. And Ahithophel in verse 21 said to Absalom, "Go into your father's concubines whom he has left to keep thehouse and all Israel will hear that you've made yourself a stench to your father and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened." Okay, that is a diabolical plan. All right, for a variety of reasons. First, this is a egregious sin. This is an egregious violation of the law. Leviticus 20:11 prohibits this. It gives the death penalty for anyone who will lay with his father's wife. And though concubines were seen as lesser status wives in the reign of the kings, they still are wives of the king. So what Ahithophel has recommended is a wicked and gross violation of the law. But as far as evil plans go in and its most brilliant base form, it's smart. From a worldly perspective, from a godless perspective, this is a massive power play. This is his way to show all the rebels that are fighting for him that I mean business.So it's wicked and it's evil and it's vile and it's obscene, but also it's very cunning. So Ahithophel gives him this counsel and Absalom listens. Verse 22. So they pitch a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed both by David and by Absalom. And that's a way of saying that Ahithophel's counsel was so valued. It was like hearing the word of God. Meaning that the word of God says this, you do it. Ahithophel says this, you do it. And he recommends this rebellious, cunning, and wicked act. And Absalom does it. And they pitch a tent. And they work out this plan in front of all of Israel. But this is also fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan after David sinned with Bathsheba and murdering Uriah. For Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12 will be on the screen. It says, "Thus says the Lord, behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and givethem to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. for you did it secretly, but I will do this before this thing before all Israel and before the sun. So God gives up Absalom to his own sinful desires. And this brings judgment upon David and his house. And Ahithophel's counsel is followed. And he makes himself a stench to David and his followers. Now he's got more counsel to give becausenow they've got to reckon with David himself. And this is where we're going to see rival counselors Ahithophel and then Hushai is going to come into the scene and both of them function like the cabinet of the king. Right? So if you follow US history every US president has a cabinet and if you follow some of the biggest battles that have happened between these cabinet members. These are counselors to the king. The biggest one is is the original cabinet. So in Washington's presidency, he had Jefferson and then he had Hamilton. And both of them represented two very different political philosophies. That's why he put them in the counsel in the first place in the cabinet because he wanted to see two rival philosophies go at it, which didn't work out very well. They actually ended up forming two different political parties that came out of that. But if you follow theythey've written all this down. If you follow some of the history of how they fought, there were times where Hamilton would go on these 45minute monologues. He just go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and it's and this recorded that Jefferson would just be like head back just like just so annoying. And then there are times where Jefferson would win the day and he would get the influence of Washington and it's recorded that he would like sneer and like make faces at Hamilton, which is just funny because these are our founding fathers. of the people that helped found this nation and we can all act like children in our own sinful state at times. But that's not abnormal.That's not just US history. That's ancient history. That's happened for thousands of years that kings and presidents and prime ministers and sovereign leaders, they have counsel that they bring in often to oppose one another to find what is the best way forward. So what we're going to see is that type of cabinet battle here starting in verse one of chapter 17. Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man and all the people will be at peace and the advice seemed right in the eyes ofAbsalom and all the elders of Israel. Okay. So Ahithophel's plan I'll be honest is very very good. This is a good plan. He says listen we have a standing army of 12,000 men tonight that we can ride out of here. In fact, I will lead this. I will lead. You can stay put. I'll lead these 12,000 men. And we're going to catch David because David's not just traveling with his warriors. He's also traveling with his wives and probably some of his children, but with some grandchildren. He's got and they're tired and they're discouraged and they're weary. And he says, "You know what's going to happen?We're going to come upon them. It's going to be like lightning warfare. Boom. We're going to come in quick. And then all we have to do is cut off the head of the snake. All we have to do is take out David. There won't be lots of bloodshed. Only one man has to die. And then guess what? You're good. There's no more threat. Everyone gets behind you and you're the king. Now, that's an objectively good plan. All the commentators, everyone's looked at this and said, "That's a smart way to do this." And they hear it and they say, "Absalom likes this. The elders who are sitting in counsel like this." Now seems to be happening here is you got Absalom with a counsel of elders. Ahithophel comes in he makes his pitch and they like it and then he exits. Then verse 5, then Absalom said call Hushai the Architealso and let us hear what he has to say. So Ahithophel leaves Hushai comes in and now Hushai has to follow up a very very good plan. And that's difficult because if you have to outdo a very very good plan, you it's hard. If someone said, you know what, you're going to have to out-pitch ice cream as the staple dessert. That's a hard thing to do. You know why? Because ice cream is amazing. The fact that you can take the best part of milk, which is cream, and slowly turn it to where it's not so hard where it's just like ice, and it's not too soft that it's just this perfectly formed. and you could throw chocolate in it and all types of things. The person who pitches that idea originally, that's a good pitch. It's for you to come in and try to pitch something else. Unless milkhates you, it's a pretty good dessert. So that's what's that's happening here. Hushai is has to come in. He's going to outdo a very very good plan. Verse six. When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Thus has Ahithophel spoken. Shall we do what shall we do as he says? If not, you speak." So they tell him, "This is Ahithophel's plan. Should we do what he says?" Verse 7. Then Hushai said to Absalom, This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good, which I so appreciate as the opener to what we're about to read as a monologue because it's like Ahithophel has chosen poorly. Like, this is just no. It's the equivalent of Trump just saying wrong when someone says something it's just no immediately we're diverging this is not a good plan so then he starts to pitch his plan first by poisoning thewell of Ahithophel's plan verse eight said you know that your father and his men are mighty men and that they are enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is an expert in war. He will not spend the night with the people. Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears this, hears it will say, "There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom." Then even the valiant men whose heart is like the heart of a lion will utterly melt with fear. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. All right, pause.Hushai basically chooses fear. He chooses fear, which I don't know if you've been bombarded with the most obnoxious political ads that have been ra running right now, but all of them, 95% of them are fear-based because fear is effective. So, he chooses fear. He says, "You ever seen a bear robbed of her cubs? It's not good. You don't want to get in the middle of that." And he's enraged. They're furious. They're very upset with you, Absalom. So, I know you're thinking, "We've got the numbers. We've got 12,000 men. We can catch them off guard. First off, no you won't. You think David is stupid? He's hiding. He's off. You remember how you used to be hiding in the caves all the time? You think you're going to find him easily cut off the head of the snake? No. No.No. You He's not with his people. You're about to enter a hornets's nest. And let me tell you something. This is what he does. He says he says, "Your men, they've got strong hearts. Some of them courageous like lions. But the moment they start taking L's on the battlefield, the moment they start getting slaughtered, it's going to spread like wildfire. And everyone knows that David and his mighty men are bad. And that is 100% true. I mean, you look at some of their resumes, they are bad to the bone. And he says the moment that they start hearing that people are getting slaughtered, your men'll run.Seeing them not super courageous once they start getting defeated, that's a bad plan. So that's how Hushai begins. He poisons the well with fear. Okay. Now that he's poisoned it, he's going to shift to his plan. Verse 11. But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you from Dan to Beersheba as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found and we shall light upon him as dew falls on the ground and of him and all the men who are with him not one will be left. If he withdraws into a city then all Israel will bring ropes to that city. We shall drag it into the valley until not even a pebble is to be found there.Okay. So what Hushai just did is he is wisely buying time. That's what he's doing. Ahithophel's plan is quick. That night he says, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don't want that. Already talked about this. This is this this is going to go wrong for you. Also, Ahithophel's super old. You want him leading you to battle?" No. Here's what's going to happen. We're going to slow it down. We're going to go from Dan to Beersheba, which is basically from north to south. Think Maine to Florida. Okay? We're going to gather all the people of Israel, not 12,000 men, hundreds of thousands of men. We're going to get all of them in our side. that we're going to find David and we're going to surround him. He doesn't matter how mighty his men are, we will have numbers upon numbers upon numbers. And then once we surround him, we're going to win. And ifsomehow he escapes and he makes it to a city where there's where there's walls, guess what? We'll have so many people we'll take ropes, throw it over the wall, rip the walls down, bring all the pebbles into the valley, and guess what? We'll kill every single one of them. That's the option. That's the one you should choose. It's guaranteed. It's going to take some time. But let me tell you something. You don't want to go out without the numbers. That is Hushai's plan. And you've got these two different plans. One, which still, I'll be honest, is way better. Very quick. 12,000 men coming upon them as they've been running. They've got women and children with them. Boom. Kill David. Done. or Hushai's plan which is long drawn out buying time.What are you going to choose? Both are given. Verse 14. And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom. So they choose Hushai's plan. And what we see in this is this is what David prayed for. If you remember back in 2 Samuel 15:31, it says, "And David said this on the screen." Oh Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. He prays this and God answers this prayer. For it says, "The Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." David's prayer is answered because ultimately God is going to bring judgment upon Absalom for his wickedness and his rebellion against David, the Lord's anointed king.So while that's happening, Hushai seemingly he's out of the room. So he's left the room. They're in here discussing this and they are making the decision that Hushai's plan is very very good. Hushai outside the room is now not going to wait to see what happens next because he heard Ahithophel's plan and that's a good plan. So he has got to get a word to David because David is exactly where Ahithophel said he would be. He's out in the open. He's not hiding. So that was all smoke and mirrors and he's got to get word to David in case Ahithophel's plan is taken. And that's what we pick up in verse 15. Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priest. Okay, we got a lot of names here. Stay with me. Zadok and Abiathar are priests, Levitical priests that were loyal to David. So Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar, the priest,thus and so did Ahithophel's counsel, Ahithophel counsel, Absalom and the elders of Israel. And thus and so have I counseled. Now therefore send quickly and tell David do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness but by all means pass over lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up. So he says you've got to leave now. If they follow Ahithophel's plan they're going to catch you. You've got to get out of town. You got to get out of the wilderness. You got to get away as far as you can. So that's the word they give to Zadok and Abiathar. Verse 17. Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. Okay. Jonathan and Ahimaaz are sons of Zadok and Abiathar. They are Levitical priests as well. And they're waiting at En-rogel which is just outside of Jerusalem. And it says a femaleservant was to go and tell them. And they were to go and tell King David for they were not to be seen entering the city. So what we have here is a chain of spies. One to the next to the next to the next to get to David. so that David and his crew can leave and flee danger. But verse 18, the young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house at a man at Bahurim who had who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it. And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it. So while they're trying to get the message out, one of Absalom's men sees what happens. So they go, they hide in a well and then the woman very smartly spreadscovering over the well, puts grain on top of it, very much like Rahab and the spies in Jericho and hides them so that they can evade capture. Verse 20. When Absalom's servants came to the woman of the house, they said, "Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have gone over the brook of water." And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. So they successfully evade capture. Verse 21. After they had gone, the men came up out of the well and went and told King David. They said to David, "Arise and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you."Then David arose and all the people who were with them, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. So chain of spies works. They cross and guess what? They didn't even need to because Hushai's plan won. And Ahithophel's plan was defeated because God has determined to bring his judgment upon Absalom. And that plan is now in full effect. And Ahithophel cannot handle the defeat of this rival counselor. Verse 23. When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father. Now, it's possible that Ahithophel was so poisoned by his own pride and self-worth and his own great advice, his own great counsel that the moment that he's defeated, he can't handle it and hecommits suicide. It is also possible that at this point he may see the writing on the wall and that David is actually going to win this war and he'd rather take care of it himself as opposed to falling to David's sword. We don't know for sure. I lean towards the former. I think the text more I think pushes in that direction that when he says his counsel was not followed I think what's bound up in here is pride which just for the moment is a very good case study and a warning sign to anyone who puts their worth and their value and their work and their abilities and their talents and what they do. Because if you put so much value into those things and those things are taken from you, what you've done is you've set up an idol to worship. And when that idol is taken, it can lead you to some very dark places.And what this serves as is a cautionary tale to be mindful of not putting so much of your value and your worship and the things that you do because that's what I think Ahithophel does. And when his counsel is not followed because of his shame, he goes and takes his life.So let's finish out the chapter verse 24. Then David came to Mahanaim and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother. and Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead. Verse 27. When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought beds, basins and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep, and cheese from the herd. for David and the people with him to eat. For they said the people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.The chapter ends with even though they're in the wilderness and even though they're on the run for their lives and even though it seems like things are going against them, God still cares and raises a people to provide provisions for them in the wilderness. And that closes chapter 17 to set up next week which we will see is the great battle between Absalom's men and David's men.Okay. So, if you've been with us the last few weeks, if you study this just in its immediate context, it's very hard to see the light in all of this darkness because we've seen so much of it. At this point, David has suffered for years under the discipline of God. He's watched his family be torn apart. He's watched his nation be torn apart. He's had to deal with the emotional agony of his own son leading a rebellion against him to murder him. I mean, he it's all these chapters, it's dark. And in the middle of all this darkness, in the middle of all this brokenness, in the middle of all of this pain and suffering, is a reminder that God is still for David.Because what commentators will say is that in all these chapters of suffering, right in the middle in verse 14 of chapter 17 is this shining light that breaks through the storm. So it says, "For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." And that right there is the glimmer of hope that the wickedness and the evil, the dishonor of his father, the dishonor of his nation, the dishonor of his God, Absalom will be judged. and that the covenant that God made with David is remembered. Does David deserve to have favor? Absolutely not. Does God remember his covenant of favor towards David?Absolutely. That no matter how dark it has gotten, no matter how bad has gotten for David, God remembers his covenant to him. God remembers his covenant to his people. That is the glimpse of light that breaks through the storm of all of this darkness that we're reading. And as you take a step back as a Christian, it is a helpful reminder for us because we I think also we forget this because we will go through seasons of intense present darkness, of suffering, of affliction. And in the middle of all of the suffering, in the middle of the affliction, in the middle of all of it, those questions can linger. Is God for me?Does he care about me? Does he love me? Because it doesn't feel like it right now. If you follow Jesus long enough, you will have been there. And the good news is we don't just have the scriptures that testify to how God meets his people in the middle of darkness. We also have wonderful stories from church history. In the modern missions movement in the 19th century, there's a lot of missionaries that went out to parts of the world that were very difficult to reach and very difficult to reach with the gospel. One of them was named John Paton. John Paton was a missionary.Him and his wife, they went to the island of the New Hebrides Islands in the 19th century. It's an island that had zero Christians, had tribes that were cannibals. And he arrived on the island then not long after arriving there, his wife died. And then their infant son also died. And in his autobiography he says, "Then in a moment altogether unexpectedly, she died on March 3rd to crown my sorrows and complete my loneliness, the dear baby boy whom we had named after her father, Peter Robert Robson, was taken from me after one week's sickness on the 20th of March.Let those who have ever passed through any similar darkness as a midnight field for me, as for all others, it would be more than vain to try to paint my sorrows. And he just says that after losing his wife, after losing his son, after being obedient to the Great Commission to go and make disciples of nations that did not know him, that he felt such an intense loneliness it would be vain to try to paint and describe his sorrows. So he dug two graves with his hands and buried his wife and buried his son. and he's alone on an island with people who are trying to kill him.And this is what he writes. I'll put this on the screen. Stunned by that dreadful loss and entering upon this field of labor to which the Lord had himself so evidently led me, my reason seemed for a time almost to give way. The ever merciful Lord sustained me. But for Jesus and the fellowship he vouchsafed to me there, I must have gone mad and died beside that lonely grave. And it's such a wonderful reminder that even in the darkest of moments, even when all hope seems lost, even as he's buried his wife and his son and he's alone on an island under the threat of death, that in the intense darkness that he faced, Jesus Christ came. He says, "The ever merciful Lord sustained me. but for Jesus and the fellowship vouchsafed to me there, he says without it I would have gone mad beside that lonely grave and that story in some versions happenedover and over and over again and he continued and now that island for centuries at this point was converted to Jesus and has a legacy of Christ but God's people sometimes go through intense bouts of suffering I don't think any of us have ever faced anything like that. But in the middle of darkness, in the middle of complete what seems like hopelessness, God shines through to his people. And the reason he does this is because when he saves you and redeems you and seals you with the Holy Spirit, he never leaves or forsakes us. He is for us. And even though darkness may seem like it's prevailing, even though hope may seem like it is lost, even though it feels so sad and lonely, God is for you if you belong to him. He is for your good. It may not seem like it and he may not answer you with the circumstantialchange that you want, but God breaks through to his people. I don't know why some of you have suffered in the way that you have. I don't know why you feel the way that you do, but I do know that if you belong to Jesus Christ, he is with you. And my hope and my prayer is that you would sense it just like Paton did. That he would break through. That you would sense it just like David did and be reminded that just as David had a covenant that was made with him, we because we belong to Jesus Christ have a covenant that was made with us by his blood. that when Jesus Christ goes to the cross and sheds blood for our sin and then captures us and brings us into the family of God, that covenant is remembered and it is never forgotten that our God is for you. And wecelebrate that regularly and remember that as we come to the table. George is going to come up and we're going to prepare to take the Lord's Supper, which is a meal of remembrance that Jesus instituted and gave to the church. On the night that he was betrayed, he took bread and he broke it. He said, "This is my body that was broken for you." And then he took the cup of the new covenant. He said, "This is my blood that was shed for you that as often as you eat and drink this, you proclaim my death until I return." And Jesus gives us that meal to remember the covenant that was made with his blood.That God loves you so much that he gave up his one and only son. that you even in this life that is filled sometimes with suffering and darkness would persevere by faith trusting in the finished work of Christ and finding those moments where God encounters us with his presence and breaks through the dark questions that linger in our soul looking forward to a day when there will be no more questions like that because there will be no more suffering or sin or brokenness. There will only be him in eternity. So as a Christian you get to come to the table remembering the work of Jesus Christ as a reminder as a memorial as remembrance that he is for you. Even if it doesn't feel like it right now he is.So may you prepare your hearts and then in a moment you can come to the table. There's gluten-free at that table back there. If you do not belong to Jesus Christ, we don't want you to come to the table. We want you to come to Jesus. We want you to place your faith in him. We want you to see what it is like to walk with a God who loves you so deeply that he gave himself for you.And the invitation is for you to follow Christ. And if you want to know more about that, find me, find another pastor, find a Christian who brought you here today, and we can show you what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that you might prepare our hearts to receive this meal of remembrance. God, I pray that you might help us, especially those of us that belong to you that are right now feeling so hopeless, feeling such darkness as so many of your people have done and felt. God, I pray that you would as they take this meal, would you break through the darkness, would you help them see that you love them, that you're for them, that they belong to you, that they're treasured by you.May they remember who you are. And for those who do not belong to you, I pray, God that you would compel them to faith in you this morning. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Come when you are ready.

Father’s Day is right around the corner and Pastor Mark's ministering to men is very important very important. In fact, one of the most powerful examples of a mentoring relationship we have in Scripture is the one between Paul and Timothy. Let’s open our Bibles to 1st Timothy chapter 6, as we get started with today’s lesson, titled … Man of God in the Making.Become part of our Advance Team: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/moodypresents/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Bacon Bibles and Barbells podcast, Coach Justin and Coach Amanda welcome special guests Mike Lohman and Gabriele Burgholzer to discuss the formation of the Veteran Strongman Association and their hopes to encourage and inspire veterans through community and sport. The conversation explores the importance and asset of community and camaraderie in strongman sports, particularly for veterans. Lohman shares the motivation behind creating the association, which aims to provide strongman coaching, awareness of the needs of veterans, and opportunities for veterans to engage in supportive and healthy community. The episode highlights the welcoming nature of the sport and the various initiatives planned to support veterans, including coaching, seminars, and fundraising events to help is all run. The sport of strongman and the nature of what it is can be a particular gift to veterans, and this association aims to make it more and more accessible to them. They also explore how strongman training can serve as a supportive environment the mental health challenges that many face. Sport is stronger medicine than anti-depressants, after all. Add in lifelong friends, and you have a recipe for success. They are also committed to quality coaching, free to veterans, where they can both succeed physically and mentally. No 20 year olds with weekend certifications for these folks. If you want to coach with the VSA, you better know your stuff, and love people. Resources & Links: Bacon Bibles and Barbells on Facebook facebook.com/baconbiblesbarbellspodcast High Calling Fitness on highcallingfitness.com @highcallingfitness on instagram and Facebook Connect with the Hosts: Justin - @holyquadfather Amanda - @amanda.fitcoach Give it a listen here or wherever you get your podcasts! Just look up Bacon, Bibles, and Barbells! Enjoy the episode! As always, if this is helpful and enjoyable to you, please LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE to our channel! New informational videos are put out every week!

It's Thursday, June 4th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark China's Tiananmen Square massacre anniversary Today is the 37th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. In the weeks leading up to the tragic event, students were protesting for democracy in Beijing. The Communist Chinese government responded by forcibly putting down the protests. Hundreds, if not thousands, died in the massacre. China's military also arrested leaders in the underground church which had fueled the protests.  Communist Chinese denying Bible to imprisoned pastors Speaking of China, the country continues its persecution of the church. International Christian Concern reports Communist officials are denying access to Bibles for imprisoned pastors. Authorities arrested three leaders of Maizhong Reformed Church last year. Their family members requested to send them Bibles during their imprisonment. But officials refused the request and subjected the families to more intimidation.  Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ of the underground church in China.  According to Open Doors, China is the 17th most oppressive country worldwide for Christians. Please send a 2-3 sentence letter urging officials to give the Bible to imprisoned pastors. Send it to Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng, Chinese Embassy, 3505 International Place NW, Washington DC 20008. Africa's fertility rate above replacement level Pew Research reports that Africa boasts a young and growing population compared to the rest of the world. The continent is home to 19 percent of people around the globe. And it contains 28 percent of all people under the age of 25. In the next 75 years, nearly half of the world's young people are projected to live in Africa. Also, it is the only world region where the fertility rate is above the replacement level.  Scotland officials drop case against pro-life grandmother The government of Scotland recently dropped its case against a pro-life, Christian grandmother. Last September, authorities arrested 75-year-old Rose Docherty. She was simply holding a sign near an abortion mill in Glasgow. The sign read: “Coercion is a crime. Here to talk, only if you want.”   A court cleared her of criminal charges in April. And Scotland's prosecution office dropped the case last month.   Listen to comments from Mrs. Docherty after her victory. DOCHERTY: “I was arrested, charged, and prosecuted for nothing more than peacefully inviting consensual conversation in a public space that I was permitted to be in. When I was arrested, I was handcuffed, placed in the back of a police van, and placed in a police cell for over two hours without a chair to sit on. Simply for being available for the lonely, the afraid, and the coerced, I have been treated like a violent criminal. “But thankfully, today the charges have been dismissed. The judge ruled that the charges were irrelevant and that they were a breach of my Article 10 free speech rights. Thank you all for your support and prayers. Thank you to ADF International and my entire legal team, who were brilliant. “Nobody should be criminalized for consensual conversations, and I am glad that that truth has been vindicated here today.” In Matthew 5:10, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Trump proposed new tariffs on 60 countries In the United States, the Trump administration proposed new tariffs of up to 12.5 percent on 60 economies. The U.S. Trade Representative's ‌office released the proposal on Tuesday. It accuses these economies of failing to curb the importation of goods produced with forced labor. These economies include China, India, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada.   Episcopal Church installed lesbian bishop in North Carolina An Episcopal Diocese in North Carolina installed Sarah Fisher, a self-avowed lesbian, as its bishop last month. She is living in unnatural relations with another woman, Mandy Brady, who is an Episcopal priestess. It is reportedly the denomination's first appointment of its kind in the American south.  Back in 1977, the Episcopal Church received its first homosexual into the clergy. Since then, membership has declined by nearly 50 percent as it has rejected clear Biblical teaching. Gallup poll: Americans less likely to support sexual perversion now A new survey from Gallup found that Americans are becoming less likely to support sexually perverted lifestyles. Support for such sinful lifestyles grew rapidly for two decades, peaking five years ago. Now, 65 percent of U.S. adults favor legal homosexual unions. That's down from a high of 71 percent in 2022. Similarly, 62 percent support homosexual relations now, down from 71 percent over the same time period. Wycliffe Bible Translators celebrated 800th Bible translation And finally, Wycliffe Bible Translators celebrated its 800th Bible translation this week. About 6.2 billion people now have the complete Bible in their own language.  It took over 1,900 years to translate the Bible into 400 languages. The next 400 translations were completed in just the last 28 years.   Isaiah 11:9-10 says, “The Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.”  Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, June 4th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Most people say they can't find the right mentor. The truth? They're not ready — and they're not qualifying. In this episode of the Abundance Mindset Podcast, Vinney Chopra and co-host Gualter break down Wealth Principle 30: learn to attract the right mentors.   Vinney shares the full origin story — arriving in America with just $7, knocking on doors 13 hours a day selling Bibles and encyclopedias for the Southwestern Company, and how seven books became his first mentors. He tells the story of his 40-year mentor, billionaire Spencer Hayes, whose business card simply read "Salesperson." Then he gives you the practical framework: how to qualify a mentor, how to make yourself worthy of one, and why "if the man is right, the world is right."   If you're building in real estate, raising capital, or just trying to get to the next level — this one's for you.   ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — "When the student is ready, the mentor appears" 00:50 — Wealth Principle 30: attract the right mentors 01:20 — Inside the 9-year mastermind (4 PM PST Wednesdays) 01:50 — Arriving in America with $7 — a Hindu man selling Bibles 02:30 — The 7 books that became Vinney's first mentors (Peale, Rohn, Carnegie, Dyer, Kiyosaki) 03:00 — 80-hour weeks knocking on doors in Atlanta 04:00 — Closing the engineering career: "I'm a salesperson at heart" 04:30 — Spencer Hayes: the billionaire mentor and the Park Avenue penthouse 06:00 — The business card that just said "Salesperson" 06:40 — Vinney's 5 books (including Hospitality Investing Made Easy) 08:00 — How to actually qualify a mentor (do they have the track record?) 09:00 — Introspection: finding the need within 10:00 — "If the man is right, the world is right" — the puzzle story 12:00 — Being open and worthy enough to be mentored 13:00 — Don't give up + the Tony Robbins lesson 13:30 — Find the top mentors in your business and study their path 14:30 — Hospitality is the name of the game right now 15:00 — "Bring the seed, not your need"  

Register for Luminosity: ⁠⁠⁠Register⁠⁠Sign Up for Prayer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Orbis Prayer Ministry Network – Receive prayer for healing, prophecy, inner healing and deliverance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Give - Orbis Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠In this episode of God Is Not a Theory, Ken Fish is joined by Joel and Kady Taylor for a practical and deeply personal conversation about one of the most important—and often neglected—disciplines in the Christian life: reading the Bible.Why do so many Christians struggle to stay engaged with Scripture? How do we move beyond simply checking a box and develop a genuine hunger for God's Word?Drawing from their own journeys, Ken, Joel, and Kady discuss how Scripture has shaped their lives, why the Old Testament still matters, and how reading the Bible consistently can transform the way we think, pray, and hear from God.Ken shares the Bible reading plans that influenced him throughout his life, explains the value of reading entire books of the Bible in one sitting, and offers practical advice for anyone wanting to build a lifelong habit of engaging with Scripture.Kady also shares her testimony of asking God for a deeper hunger for His Word—and how that prayer radically changed her relationship with the Bible.Together, they explore:Why reading the whole Bible mattersThe difference between information and transformationHow the Holy Spirit helps illuminate ScriptureWhy the Old Testament is still essential for believersThe value of reading large portions of ScriptureHow modern technology affects our ability to read deeplyPractical Bible reading plans and habitsWhy physical Bibles still have unique valueHow Scripture shapes spiritual maturityDeveloping a lifelong hunger for God's WordThis episode is both practical and encouraging for new believers, seasoned Christians, pastors, and anyone who wants to grow deeper in their relationship with God through His Word.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Ted Coniaris, lead pastor of Community Christian Church in the greater Chicagoland area. After an intentional and extended succession process with founding pastor Dave Ferguson, Ted has stepped into the lead role during a pivotal season for the church. In this conversation, he shares what it looks like to lead through transition, clarify vision, and build a disciple-making ecosystem for the future. A transition built on trust and clarity. // Ted describes a multi-year succession process that included months of private conversations, an 18-month apprenticeship, and a highly visible transition with full support from church leadership. One of the most unique elements was launching a new vision before the transition was complete. While unconventional, this approach created immediate alignment and buy-in across the church. Because the process was prayerful, transparent, and unified, the congregation experienced less anxiety than expected, resulting in what Ted describes as a surprising sense of peace and readiness for what's next. Renovating, not rebuilding. // Ted uses the language of “renovation” to describe the church's next chapter. Community Christian Church has a rich 37-year history of helping people find their way back to God, especially those far from faith. Rather than starting from scratch, Ted is focused on building on that foundation while addressing a critical gap: what happens after people come to faith? This has led to a renewed focus on creating a clear and intentional disciple-making ecosystem. A bold, layered vision for the future. // Ted outlines a four-part vision that builds sequentially: every heart on fire, every person a pastor, every child and student equipped, and every neighborhood a thriving church. This framework begins with spiritual passion—not just participation—emphasizing that people today are searching for something deeper than casual faith. From there, the vision moves toward activating every believer in ministry, taking seriously the priesthood of all believers. The end result is a multiplying movement of disciples impacting communities at scale. Rethinking discipleship through Growth Track. // To support this vision, the church is developing a clear pathway called Growth Track, built around three movements: Alpha, Disciple, and Pastor. The goal is not just information or assimilation, but transformation and activation. Ted emphasizes helping every person identify their calling, answering the question, “Who am I called to reach?” This reframes discipleship from passive participation to active mission. Ancient practices for modern renewal. // One of the more surprising shifts has been a return to ancient spiritual disciplines. Through rhythms like “Ignite Week”—a church-wide season of prayer, fasting, and reflection—Ted is seeing increased spiritual intensity across all age groups. These rhythms create deeper roots than one-time events, shaping both individual lives and the overall culture of the church. A multiplying model through microchurches. // In addition to strengthening internal discipleship, Community Christian is expanding outward through a rapidly growing microchurch movement. With hundreds of microchurches already launched globally, the model focuses on simple, scalable principles: low control, high support, and strong coaching relationships. Rather than centralizing growth in large gatherings, this approach empowers everyday people to lead and reach others in their own contexts—creating the potential for exponential impact. The leader's soul is the strategy. // Ted closes with a powerful reminder: the most important strategy a leader has is their own spiritual health. Passion for God, integrity, and relational support are foundational. Ministry is difficult, but leaders who tend their own spiritual lives and refuse isolation will be better equipped to lead others effectively. To learn more about Community Christian Church, visit communitychristian.org. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Portable Church Your church is doing really well right now, and your leadership team is looking for solutions to keep momentum going! It could be time to start a new location. Maybe you have hesitated in the past few years, but you know it's time to step out in faith again and launch that next location. Portable Church has assembled a bundle of resources to help you leverage your growing momentum into a new location by sending a part of your congregation back to their neighborhood on Mission. This bundle of resources will give you a step-by-step plan to launch that new or next location, and a 5 minute readiness tool that will help you know your church is ready to do it! Click here to watch the free webinar “Launch a New Location in 150 Days or Less” and grab the bundle of resources for your church! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Super excited to have you listening in today. GI gotta be totally honest. I asked this person to come on today to have a bit of an update conversation from a conversation we had out just over a year ago. I’m really excited for this because it’s kind of fun to follow along with this story. And this is an area that really is, applies to all of our churches and I want all of us to lean in. And so pay attention, whether you’re cutting your grass or whatever you’re doing for the next 30 minutes, it’s going to be a great conversation.Rich Birch — We’ve got Ted Coniaris with us. He is the lead pastor at a fantastic church, a multi-site church in the greater Chicagoland area called Community Christian. They have, if I’m counting correctly, seven physical locations, as well as micro churches that meet in homes throughout the week and online space, plus community freedom locations, which meet in correctional facilities across the region as well. Ted, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Ted Coniaris — Thanks, Rich. Really glad to be here. Great to see you again. We get to cross paths a few times a year, so it’s always great to connect. Appreciate the time.Rich Birch — I appreciate you you taking time to come on and and connect. Friends that are listening in, just kind of bringing you up to speed. We’ll link to the previous episode if you want to go back and and check that. But the last time we talked, you were apprenticing as the lead pastor at Community Christian under Dave Ferguson. And I think that was a year ago. And you you know there’s all the steps. I think you were step three, step four, somewhere in there. Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — And there was this handoff on the horizon. And now we’re on the other side of that. And so that’s part of why I wanted to get you on. Here we are a year later. Let’s talk about those things. You’re still there. So that’s a good thing.Ted Coniaris — I mean, as far as you know, this could be a fake backdrop. Who knows?Rich Birch — Yeah, true this is the… Yeah, so you know what? You were…Ted Coniaris — No, it is true.Rich Birch — It takes a lot of time. Talk to us through, you know, what’s happened since then. Talk us about that transition. Kind of bring us up to speed.Ted Coniaris — Absolutely. So as you said, we went through an 18 month apprenticeship, but before that we had about six, eight, probably eight months of conversations just Dave and I, before we went above ground with elders and everything else, maybe even a little longer than that. So it was quite a long process walking through our apprenticeship process as a church and really wanting to do that at the highest level, just like we do at every level of leadership as a church. Ted Coniaris — So that was an amazing process. Dave is an incredible leader and even better man and somebody that it was a great privilege to spend more and more time with him. He and Sue—his wife—Melissa and I spending time with them, and then John and and Lisa, his brother and his wife. We spent a lot of time together, so it was great. And then since then, May, they’re still around. They’re still a part of our church. Dave is now the CEO of Exponential, spending full time doing that.Ted Coniaris — And John is leading something called the Chicago Collective, which is a network of churches, networks of churches throughout Chicagoland, working to plant more churches, which we desperately need in Chicago area. So if you’re listening, you’re like, man, I’m thinking about planning a church in Chicago. Please reach out to me. I would love to help you do that. We desperately need more more churches here.Ted Coniaris — So since then, it’s been great. Honestly, there’s been so much change, so many things going on, but it’s truly, truly been really, really good. I think I’m tired in the right ways. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — I’m probably also tired in some of the wrong ways too… Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — …but it’s been a great it’s been a great transition.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. You know, when we you were on last time, you were talking about really stewarding the mission of the future, while also chasing new vision, which is, is at that phase kind of easy to say, you’re like, okay, we’re looking forward to the future. Now you’re in the seat. And it’s like, you got to keep doing that. Now that you’re sitting there.,you know, what’s become clearer for you as you’ve thought about the next chapter and, and, you know, as you think about the future, what are, cause there may be some questions you’re wrestling with as you’re thinking, you know, up over to the horizon. Yeah. What are the things that are, are, are bubbling in your brain on that front?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, great question. I mean, so much has become more clear. But one of the great gifts that I felt like the Lord gave us as a church in this transition on the very front end was a real clarity and unity around our new vision as a church. It’s not so typical to launch a new vision for the church before the transition has even occurred. And I wouldn’t recommend that in other situations, but it just, the way that it went with us, this just felt like what the Lord was leading us to do.Ted Coniaris — So we actually actually launched the new vision for the church while Dave was still the lead pastor. And he stood right there beside me and in full support with our elders and everyone else. And so it was actually unique in that way. But that’s just really been confirmed. Honestly, that’s been one of the biggest things that I am grateful for through this process is just the Lord’s gift of clarity on the front end and just giving me ah real clear direction to run. Ted Coniaris — And I would say too, that there’s a big difference between a transition that’s been prayed over for years. Rich Birch — That’s good. Right, right.Ted Coniaris — It just lands differently than a transition.That’s just like been negotiated in some back room somewhere. You know, it’s like this…Rich Birch — Right. Right. Right. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — This has been prayed through and put above ground and has been a really healthy, visible process that I think resulted in the church just being wide open, saying, yeah, this feels right. This feels good. And we’re in. And so almost it’s like a a sense of exhale that I’ve been experiencing, which has surprised me…Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good.Ted Coniaris — …in the church.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — I thought there would be more anxiety in the transition. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — But there’s really been like a quiet permission-giving that’s happened.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good.Ted Coniaris — Almost like, you know, just the family knew the transition was healthy so they could just sort of relax into it and say, okay, what’s next?Rich Birch — Right. Right.Ted Coniaris — And in hindsight, what felt a little crazy of launching the vision now feels like if we hadn’t have done that, we would have missed a real amazing opportunity because people were really bought in right from the get-go, which has been great.Rich Birch — Well, and what, yeah, that’s great. And in hindsight, being able to look back at that moment and saying like, no, like, yeah, maybe not the kind of thing that you write in a book and say, that’s the way to do it. But it’s like, we did that. And there’s in hindsight, man, amazing to have kind of both of your endorsements on the future direction. And like, Hey, we’re excited to be going in this direction. There was a mutual support there that ended up accelerating pointing things to the future. That’s incredible. That’s great.Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And so now it’s really…Go ahead. Sorry.Rich Birch — No, you go ahead. You go. Go ahead.Ted Coniaris — Okay. Yeah. Now it’s in the season where it’s how do we take that vision, that sort of north star for the future and building on their 37-year history as a church that’s been so rich and good in and move in this new direction, but also be aligned with our past.Ted Coniaris — You know, it’s not about tradition, but it is about, you know, God has been doing a unique and wonderful thing here that we want to continue in, but also kind of build on what’s next. So I felt like as a church, one of our great strengths as community, and this is really a reflection of Dave and John, is we’re a community where everyone is welcome. Like that that’s without a doubt. Anybody and everybody can walk through these doors and probably tens of thousands of people have over these last 37 years, and found their way back to God. It’s incredible. Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s amazing.Ted Coniaris — I mean, when it comes to that zero to one, those people finding the Lord from a really hard spot, man, God has just used this church in such miraculous and amazing ways for so long. And we want to keep that. Like we love that about this place and just think it’s an amazing amazing strength of this community. But now we want to answer sort of the next question, which is now what? So everyone’s welcome.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — Now what? Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And so we want to build on that path towards what’s in the future. And the way we’re talking about it here is sort of renovating our disciple-making ecosystem, which is a big mouthful. But you know it’s renovating, and it’s a certainly a lot of you know jargon, but bear with me for a second.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — You know, we’re renovating because we’re not starting from scratch.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — We’ve got a great house, a great church.Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — Things are great. It’s time for a renovation. And what we’re renovating is a very clear, focused outcome, which is disciple-making. And I think that’s an area where we have not been as strong over the years. It’s like that first part of the journey. And we have a lot of evangelists here and we’re passionate. We want to keep that. But we also want to answer that that: now what? That disciple-making ecosystem. And it’s an ecosystem because not any one thing, this program doesn’t make you a disciple-making church. Rich Birch — Right, right. Ted Coniaris — Or just a good teacher doesn’t make you a disciple-making church. It’s all of these things kind of together create an environment and a path for that to happen. And so we’re just renovating all of those things with the vision, teaching, creating new rhythms as a church, and also creating a, for the first time for us at least, a clear disciple making process, which we’re we’re calling it Growth Track.Ted Coniaris — And a lot of churches use that term. But just trying to say, okay, our vision is to see every person step into their God-given calling to be a pastor. If every person is a pastor, it’s like, what if we actually took the priesthood of believers seriously? Right? And how would that change our disciple-making process if that was the end result? Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Right? I think a lot of times we can slip into being really like our disciple-making becomes more about assimilation. Or more about collecting a certain level of information or knowledge or even practice.Rich Birch — Yep. Yep.Ted Coniaris — But we’re trying to have a different output. We want to see people finding their way back to God, which has always been the core of our mission, and then released as pastors in the world and equipped to do that. Ted Coniaris — And so what’s our process for taking someone from a seeker to a pastor. We really didn’t have that. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — And so we’re in the process right now of just building all of that out, aligning all of our teams and creating just a clear answer to that, that “now what” question.Rich Birch — Yeah, love that. And, you know, that makes sense for a church of of this age. You know, people have changed, you know, what we used to call seekers or the people that were arriving, they’re different. It’s like the most obvious thing to say, but people are different today than they were 37 years ago when this ball got rolling. Rich Birch — And and what what are some of those early changes that you’ve made to renovate? What are some of those things that that do look a little bit different or are are, you know, kind of pointing in a new direction? Where where what are you learning on that that front?Ted Coniaris — Well, obviously the first one is the new vision, and I’ll just share that really, really quickly.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — But it’s, and they all build on each other. That’s really the the key for us. And while this is unique to Community Christian Church, it’s not a vision that’s unique to Community Christian Church. Like, I think this is really like a biblical thing, but it starts with every heart on fire.Ted Coniaris — And it talks about, when you ask the question about what’s different, I think one of the things that’s really different, people aren’t looking just for a place to blend in the background and be like, oh, this is cool.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — You’re cool Jesus followers. I’m cool. We can be cool together. This is cool. That is, that is… Rich Birch — That’s amazing. I love it. Ted Coniaris — That is not what the next generation is looking for. Rich Birch — No.Ted Coniaris — They are looking for fire.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — They are looking for passion. And rightfully so. Rightfully so. Thank God for that. Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And so we want to lean into it. We don’t want to be a place where everybody’s buddies with Jesus. We want to create a place where people are consumed by him. Rich Birch — That’s good. Ted Coniaris — Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus talked about, you know, we’re not our hearts beating or burning within us when they talk with Jesus along the road. That’s that’s the kind of community we want to be, a consumed community. And that’s the starting place for everything else. Everything else. And that’s not just emotionalism. It’s a passion for. It’s it’s a a focus on. Ted Coniaris — The second part, which builds on that, it’s not even worth going to the second part if you don’t do the first thing. The second part is every person a pastor, right? Because if you start with every person a pastor, but the heart’s not on fire, there’s not a passion and a consuming focus, you know, what kind of pastors are you raising, right?Rich Birch — Right, right.Ted Coniaris — It’s not the kind that the world needs. And so it’s every heart fire, then every person a pastor just really taking seriously the priesthood of all believers. I’m not the pastor, you know. You all are the pastors. I function as a pastor in this context, but you function as a pastor in whatever context God has placed you.Ted Coniaris — And if we could do those two things, if we can have every heart and fire and every person released into their God-given calling as a pastor, then maybe we could accomplish the third thing, which is every child and student equipped. Rich Birch — Wow. Yep.Ted Coniaris — Because that’s going to take all hands on deck. What our kids, what my kids, I have 16, 14, and 10-year-old, all boys. So please pray for us. But what what my boys are facing today, it’s like the challenges I faced have been weaponized and placed in the hands of every single kid. And yet our student and youth ministry, our kids and and student ministry, looks almost identical to what it did look like 37 years ago. Why is that? I mean, there’s different strategies, practice in those sort things.Rich Birch — That doesn’t make sense. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — But if you look at like the form even of itself, we’re like, it kind of looks the same. It looks sort of like the youth group I went to as a kid. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — And I think we need to be doing a lot more and investing more in the next generation in in relational deep ways. But it can’t happen without every heart and fire and every person being a pastor. And if we can do that, every heart of fire, every person pastor, every child and student equipped, then we can accomplish the Great Commission, right? Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And that’s really the last part of the vision, which is every neighborhood a thriving church. Because the way you change the world is by having you know a community of Christ followers, place where Jesus is King, we’re on mission together within arm’s reach of every person on the planet.Ted Coniaris — You know that’s, that’s the plan. And so that’s what we’re targeting and going after. So that’s different. And so for us to do those things, there’s things we’re trying to change and layer in behind that. Really renovating our teaching ministry. We’re kind of going old school. We’re going back through like long series, books of the Bible, just walking through scripture, teaching people the Bible, just like the disciples on that road to Emmaus. You know, that was when Jesus opened the scriptures to them. It’s lit this fire inside of them.Ted Coniaris — I think that’s even more necessary. 37 years ago, basically a Christian culture-ish. Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — Today, not so much. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — So nobody’s walking through the doors with like this biblical knowledge. They’re walking through the doors with nothing.Rich Birch — That’s so true, yeah.Ted Coniaris — And so, you know, we need to do that. So we’re doing that, creating rhythms in our calendar years. A lot more I could say about that. Spiritual disciplines communally, not just as individuals, feels maybe like a little spin on liturgical calendars of old. Rich Birch — Yep. Ted Coniaris — We’re embracing some of that in a new way for us.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And then this this Growth Track is a big part of that. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — And then there’s there’s more beyond that, but that’s just a few of the things.Rich Birch — Dude, I love it. I love I love the how those four layer on. I love the focus. I think it totally just feels right on with where you know culture’s at. Could you unpack a little bit of what you’re doing with Growth Track? What does that look like, that particular tactic in the… You know I think the idea of every person a pastor is a very compelling, that’s like a lean-in, “what did you just say?” kind of thing. Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — And then but what are you, you know, help us, help us understand, you know, a little bit of that, what you’re doing with Growth Track to kind of point towards that.Ted Coniaris — You mean like the mechanics of it or like just the overall strategy?Rich Birch — Yeah. How’s it work? What are you teaching there? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What, yeah, what’s, what is it?Ted Coniaris — Well, it’s all…Rich Birch — How’s it work?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, we’re getting ready to to launch it all this fall. Rich Birch — Great. Ted Coniaris — And yeah, we’re really excited about it. But essentially, it’s it’s three steps. “One. Life. Go.” is kind of how we talk about the Growth Track. And the first step is tried and true. It’s Alpha. Rich Birch — Yep. Ted Coniaris — I think Alpha is probably the single greatest tool available… Rich Birch — Sure. Sure. Ted Coniaris — …to help you know my friends and neighbors and family find their way back to God. I I love Alpha. I’m running an Alpha right now at an office with a buddy and his partners, all the partners of his business.Rich Birch — Yep. Ted Coniaris — We’re doing Alpha together over lunch. It’s amazing.Rich Birch — Love it.Ted Coniaris — So Alpha is step one.Ted Coniaris — Step two, we call disciple because disciple is both a noun and a verb. It’s who you are and it’s what you do. And so it’s, you know, we’ve used Rooted in the past as a church and Rooted is fantastic. We love Rooted. It’s been helpful to for us. But we felt like there were ways in which we wanted to adjust that to our context a little bit more… Rich Birch — Sure. Ted Coniaris — …and also have an opportunity for people to make a commitment to the church. We don’t do membership, but we do ask people to commit to belonging here. And honestly, I think that’s a big missing step in the overall discipleship of a lot of like churches like ours. Because if you don’t have a commitment, and there’s just kind of growth that happens in your life that only can happen in a committed relationship. And it’s not about you committing to me. It’s really about us committing to each other. And when we do that, it opens the door to a different layer and level of transformation in your own life.Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that.Ted Coniaris — And committing to that unity on the front end is is really important. And so we want to do that. We also do several other things a part of that, but that’s kind of a general idea. Ted Coniaris — And then the third step is pastor. That’s the goal. That’s where we’re going.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — It’s also a noun and a verb, right? Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. Cool.Ted Coniaris — It’s who you are and it’s what you do. Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And this is designed to do that. So we took some learnings actually from Brian Sanders, and he has something called the Calling Lab. He does the Tampa Underground down in Florida.Ted Coniaris — He’s done some great work on that.Ted Coniaris — And it’s essentially a similar process of triangulating your true sense of calling. We want everybody in our church to be able to say, I exist to help blank find their way back to God. Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Like, who are you called to reach?Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Because what’s a starting ground for someone to be a pastor? You know, like, is it education? Is it more this, more that? Well, I think the journey of learning and growing and honing your gifting, it has to start with the calling. And I think there are so many people who just, they don’t know how to finish that sentence. Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — Even if it is your kids or your neighbors or your coworkers, have you really done the work? Have you invested to say, no, these are the people, like names and faces that I’m called to reach. And then I’m released into that context as a pastor. So when I show up to work, I want to show up. I’m the pastor of BMO Harris Bank today because that’s where I work and I’m a teller there.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — you know I’m the pastor of You know, my neighborhood and in Downers Grove, in my part, my north, you know, little west quadrant there. That’s what I want to show up. That’s what I want our whole church showing up as. Thousands and thousands of pastors released into every arena of life. And so a lot of churches have Growth Track, or something like it. We’re really trying to say, okay, what’s what is the unique thing that that we’re feeling Lord’s calling us to produce here? And that’s it. And so we’ve designed these steps to work together to produce that that thing in us.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s very cool.Ted Coniaris —Hope that’s helpful.Rich Birch — I love that. Oh, it’s super helpful. I love I love what you’re doing there. And that’s thanks for taking the time to unpack that. Rich Birch — Pivoting in a slightly different direction, we were together at Exponential at Dave’s event. And well, it’s not Dave’s event. I understand that. At the Exponential conference. And we were at a breakfast together. And you mentioned about some just kind of in passing some stuff that was going on at the church that was and part of it was some of this around spiritual vitality, you’re seeing that increase.Rich Birch — I’m assuming that some of these, you know, pieces of these puzzles coming together. But then you also talked about the kind of growth of your microchurch, you know, planting movement that’s connected to Community. Could you unpack that a little bit more? Tell us a little bit about, you know, that that, how does that fit into the whole story that God’s writing here?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, I think the spiritual vitality, I’ll start there. The way we talk about it a lot is it just feels like everywhere you go, the spiritual temperature is just increasing. In kids, in students, in adults, our small groups, in our services, it’s just across the board. There’s just like an increased heat or passion around our faith.Ted Coniaris — I think a part of that is is truthfully in a season of transition, there’s always an opportunity to be open to something new. And we’ve been trying to really place our focus on, well, what’s the new thing? Like, how what is the condition of your heart? Are you on fire, truly on fire? I think putting that question, that vision in front of us as a church has been refining – that in and of itself. Ted Coniaris — But we’ve also just seen, I mean, there’s so much I could speak to on this, but one of the things I’m just really excited about is what’s happening with our students right now. We talk a lot about students being the leaders of tomorrow’s church, but I’ll tell you here, they’re the leader of today’s church. Rich Birch — So true. Ted Coniaris — I mean, they are setting a tone with passion and a desire.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s very true.Ted Coniaris — Like we do our services. I’m at the Yellow Box location, right? It’s our Naperville church here. And teaching here on Sunday. And there’ll be a group of students that will just come and sit on the ground in front of the stage… Rich Birch — Right. Right. Ted Coniaris — …have their Bibles open with their notebook, taking notes. And then during worship, it’s like they’re in the pit of a concert. You know, they’re at the stage, hands up.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, it’s true.Ted Coniaris — And you’ve got a room full of thousands of adults watching this and they’re leading us. Nobody asked them to do it. Nobody told them to do that.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — So I think some of it, I point to that. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Others other parts of it is we’ve really kind of pushed our chips into the middle on some of the ancient stuff instead of new trendy stuff… Rich Birch — Yeah. Ted Coniaris — …specifically prayer and fasting.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s cool. Tell me more about that. I’d love to hear about that.Ted Coniaris — So yeah, earlier I talked about, you know, we’re embracing the calendar rhythms as a church.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — I really believe that, you know, rhythms are so much more powerful than events because, you know, an event is just a drop in the ocean. But if you can build some rhythms, you could actually build some roots. Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — And, you know, our most valuable resources, our people, and our most valuable real estate is our calendar. And so we’ve said, you know, three times a year as sort of the calendar turns and that’s sort of the rhythm of our community. There’s sort of three seasons, there’s winter, there’s fall and there’s spring/summer. So to launch those seasons, we do what we now call an Ignite Week where we ask the whole church to commit to a full week of prayer and fasting. Rich Birch — Wow. Very cool.Ted Coniaris — And then we have intentional programming in that week to do like a full spiritual reset to say, okay, God, what are you saying to me right now? For the individual, we have like prayer and fasting guides to help guide people through that experience. For the groups, we do these discipleship conversations where we want everybody in each group to say, okay, what is God saying to me right now? And what am I doing to say yes to him?Ted Coniaris — And then for our locations, we take a break from all of our regular series stuff and we do Hearts on Fire Sunday. And we just say, okay, God, what are you doing here? What are you doing today? What are you doing right now? And it feels very different than our regular Sundays. Ted Coniaris — And then for the church as a whole, all of our locations together, we do what we call our Ignite Gathering on Saturday morning. It’s actually coming up this Saturday. And we just gather the whole church together. And what’s happened in these Ignite Gatherings is really exciting. It feels like a a catalyst for the rest of the church. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — It’s like the church we’re going to be a year from now, we get to see in that room on Saturday morning. Rich Birch — That’s very cool.Ted Coniaris — And ah after a week of prayer and fasting, gathering the church together to worship, to break the fast together in communion, it’s it’s powerful. Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — I mean, it is powerful. The environment of that space is so different There’s such a hunger for the Lord and honestly, a true actual physical hunger after all that fasting.Rich Birch — Yes. Yes.Ted Coniaris — But it’s it’s it’s really changing the whole, as I said earlier, this ecosystem of our church. so those are some of the real important you know pieces of that ecosystem. Rich Birch — Oh, I love that. Yeah, I love that. And and um it isn’t isn’t it interesting? So we’re seeing lots of that kind of things or echoes of that across the country where, you know, there’s a there’s been a shift that, you know, we’ll probably understand better five years from now. We’ll look back and we’ll put all the pieces together and understand what God’s doing. But it does appear like, you know, the Spirit’s on the move. They say, what is that? Aslan’s on the move, right? Something is shifting in people. And you know, we’re trying to keep pick keep pick up keep up with it and do what we can to continue to steward what’s here.Rich Birch — And my experience with, you know, our our churches would have similar backgrounds, similar history. You know, we’re a heart for people who don’t, and your church has a heart for people who who don’t follow Jesus. You know, we’re trying to create a space for those folks. But though my experience has been those people are different today than they were 20 years ago. That people are coming much more, it’s like they’re farther along in the process. They’re they’re much more engaged than than um than they have been in the past. And so they’re willing to jump into the deep end of the pool on some of this stuff, maybe even more quickly than our long-term people… Ted Coniaris — Yeah, I think that’s true. Rich Birch — …because of whatever God’s doing in in their life. That’s that’s, yeah, that’s really interesting. That’s a cool thing to, you know, to be a part of, to hear you know a part of that. What about on the microchurch side? What’s happening there?Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — What is that? Yeah, what’s that? What’s happening with that?Ted Coniaris — So during COVID, we just sort of began dipping our toe in the water of starting microchurches under this belief that the macrochurch movement, even megachurch, doesn’t need to be at odds or in conflict with the house church and microchurch movement. Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — Like, is there way for us to just see that as one thing instead of competing things, reaching all different kinds of people? And so we’ve just kind of dipped our toe in that. And here we are a few years later. Took us few years kind of figure out what we wanted to do. Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — We’ve been doing it for about three years now. We have you know somewhere around, i was just texted the guy for the today number because it’s growing so fast, somewhere around 350 microchurches all around the world.Rich Birch — Wow.Ted Coniaris — And it’s it’s a simple, simple, simple strategy where you’re just basically saying anybody in the world, anybody on planet Earth, feeling called the planet Earth or maybe you already have and you don’t know what to do with it. Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And what’s interesting is that there are, I don’t know how many people, but there are a lot of people on this Earth. And a lot of people are asking that exact question and they just need someone who’s going to say, we can help you. We can help you.Rich Birch — Interesting.Ted Coniaris — We want to help you do that. We want to coach you, train you, and then set you up with a cohort of others doing the same thing to help you do it in a sustainable fashion. It’s it’s very low investment. It’s very low control, but it’s super high results.Rich Birch — Yeah. Huh.Ted Coniaris — And so it’s it’s sort of a little mind shift because a lot of times we want to have everything controlled. We want to have everybody’s theology statement. We want to have all this stuff. We want to know it’s going to be successful. We want to da-da-da-da-da. It’s like we’re not doing any of that. We obviously do teach some theology, but what we do is just keep like, what are what are these sort of ecclesiological minimums?Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And how can we just center on those things… Rich Birch — Yeah. Ted Coniaris — …and launch as many people as possible and see what the Lord does? And he’s been doing some remarkable things. And I think you know our world has a giant need. We need to see millions of people find their way back to God. And a lot of us have strategies where the wild success is if we had thousands of people come and find their way back to God over decades.Ted Coniaris — This this is a strategy that could reach millions. Like I think we legitimately can see a network of these and people down the chain will have no idea kind of where it came from and they don’t need to. But I legitimately think in 10 years time, we could easily reach a million people and have a a church of a million people, but not in the traditional sense.Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — But through this.Rich Birch — Yeah. Well, I love that because, man that’s a great vision to cast. Because you can’t build enough or a big enough yellow box for all of even Chicagoland, right?Rich Birch — Like that’s just not going to, you know, you can’t.Ted Coniaris — Oh, yeah. No.Rich Birch — And and that is a, you know, it’s a just a resource intensive, you know, that’s been my life’s work. I've spent a lot of time on that. it’s not I’m not downing that, friends. Save your cards and letters. I still think that’s a piece of the puzzle. Ted Coniaris — I agree.Rich Birch — But how do we, is there a way for us to, work together to find solutions? How what how does the, I appreciate the, know, we’re not trying to be high control. We’re trying to, you know, we’re not you know we’re trying to really foster something that’s already in happening. We’re going to we’re going to get behind it, do what we can to support it. And we’re not going to try to over control. But I’m going to ask the control question. How do you, what is the kind of level of interaction that you’re, you’re finding is kind of the appropriate, it’s the, you know, not too little, not too much. Where have you found that’s like, hey, this, this is the kind of good sweet spot that that we have found so far with these, you know, 350, you know, microchurches.Ted Coniaris — Are you asking like, what’s the relational rhythm or…Rich Birch — Yeah. What is, yeah. What is the connection? What’s the relational rhythm between, or even connection between community and those 350? Like, are they, how are they, how do they relate to you and your team, your people, your volunteers, and then vice versa? What does that, you know, how does that, what’s that look like? What’s the connection there?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, it’s it’s purely coaching, training and ongoing support.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — And we also make it clear there’s no financial arrangement – them to us or us to them.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — And what we find is that just keeps the relationship very clean.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, that’s good.Ted Coniaris — We’re here to coach, support, train, launch, walk alongside.Ted Coniaris — It’s a relational currency. Rich Birch — Yeah. Ted Coniaris — And it’s an expertise currency and a material and resource are the currencies. And so that’s really what we’re doing so when it comes to you know what is the relational controls or how do you keep tabs or you know, whatever might be behind the question for us it’s more about that thriving coaching relationship… Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Yeah. Ted Coniaris — …and that this is a journey and you know if somebody is unwilling or unable to connect, I mean, they just go do their own thing. Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And we’re not going to try to stop them. Rich Birch — No. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — You know, we want to be dancing with the people who want to dance. We’re not you know spending our time or energy on that. And so it’s really that that coaching system and network. That’s the key in scaling that coaching system and network is how you reach a million people.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s great. That’s a huge vision. I love that. That’s that’s super inspiring. Rich Birch — Well, Ted, this has been a great check-in and lots of good stuff. Just want to encourage you in your leadership at Community. Appreciate what you’re doing there. Thanks for letting us kind of pull back the curtain a little bit and and get a sense in there. Any kind of final words you’d have for leaders that are listening in today? You know, we’ve covered a lot of ground, but anything you know you’d you’d want to kind of remind us just as we close off today’s conversation.Ted Coniaris — Yeah. And you know, the thing that’s just sort of striking me in the moment is just to encourage the pastors who are listening in particular to, to really remember that, that the strategy is your soul. And your own passion and hunger and thirst for the Lord and your integrity and walking that out, that is the key strategy. That is the most important thing. And you can’t do that alone.Ted Coniaris — You know, a lot of times talk about leadership being lonely. I kind of have a different view. I think loneliness is a choice. And I think you can choose not to be lonely. And so I know there are people who feel discouraged and that discouragement leads to isolation and that isolation feels like loneliness and it just becomes this downward spiral. There are different choices you can make to change the direction of that.Ted Coniaris — I know a lot of people are are struggling. The ministry is hard. It’s really hard. But I think that if you can really focus on your passion, your fire, tending your flame with the Lord, it will make the work of ministry lighter. It will make the successes and failures less impactful on you. And to find to find some people who can you can really be vulnerable with, who are sharing the same kind of load that you carry, that would be if I could just say one thing to a group of, you know, 5,000 pastors, that’s probably the thing I would just say right now.Rich Birch — That’s so good.Rich Birch — So good. Well, Ted, I appreciate you coming on today. Where do we want to send people if they want to track with you or with the church? Where do we want to send them online?Ted Coniaris — Communitychristian.org, church website, probably the best place. You can find us on socials and stuff like that. I don’t really do social stuff. It’s not my thing.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — But you could go to the church. You can find all that. So it’s Community Christian Church in the Chicago area, and you’ll find everything.Rich Birch — That’s great. Thanks so much, Ted. Appreciate being here today, sir.Ted Coniaris — Thank you, Rich. Appreciate you too.

What does it mean to follow Jesus when governments demand your allegiance, your silence, or your fear? In this episode of The Bad Roman Project, Craig sits down with Ara Torosian, an Iranian-born Armenian pastor who grew up under the Islamic Republic of Iran, served in the underground church, and now pastors Iranian Christians in Los Angeles. Ara shares his journey from reading the Bible in Farsi as a teenager to smuggling Bibles, enduring house arrest, and witnessing the explosive growth of Christianity in Iran. He explains why many Western Christians misunderstand both Iran and the Iranian people, and why the underground church continues to thrive despite decades of persecution. The conversation also turns to the present. Ara discusses Iranian Christian asylum seekers detained by ICE, the challenges facing refugees fleeing persecution, and the responsibility Christians have to speak for those who have no voice. Along the way, Craig and Ara wrestle with difficult questions about war, government power, national loyalty, and what it means to follow Jesus when political solutions seem inadequate. At the heart of the discussion is a reminder that the Christian's ultimate citizenship is not found in America, Iran, or any earthly nation, but in the Kingdom of God. “I'm proud US citizen, but most important, I'm a heaven citizen.” — Ara Torosian Whether discussing persecution abroad or immigration policy at home, this episode calls listeners back to a simple but challenging truth: Jesus is King. Highlights & Takeaways The underground church in Iran continues to grow despite severe persecution. Iranian people should not be confused with the Iranian regime. Following Jesus often comes with a cost that Western Christians rarely consider. Christians are called to show mercy before choosing political sides. The church must resist the temptation to place political leaders above Christ. Refugees and asylum seekers are people, not political talking points. The Kingdom of God transcends every earthly nation and political movement. No King but Christ.

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

Send us Fan MailListen to a message from Emmanuel Baptist Church of Longview, TX. Church Bible Publishers produces high-quality King James Bibles that are not only beautiful, but durable enough for daily study, preaching, teaching, and life. These aren't flimsy, disposable Bibles. They're Smyth-sewn, carefully bound, and made to endure years of faithful use. If you want a Bible that feels solid in your hands and will still be standing long after trends fade, check out Church Bible Publishers today at churchbiblepublishers.com.  RG33 Candle Co. doesn't just make candles — they honor a life. Each hand-poured soy candle was created to celebrate the spirit and legacy of RG Gray III, a young man whose love, joy, and unforgettable personality inspired this company's mission.If you want a candle that feels personal, uplifting, and full of purpose — check out RG33 Candle Co. Visit rg33candleco.com and use code PODCAST10 for 10% off your purchase. Support the show

Today's episode features another Gospel Hour teaching led by a member of the Braveheart board, John Wallace. He teaches on how the Bibles describes your heart and how the Kingdom of God comes first to our own hearts and then to the world. It's an incredibly profound teaching, and we believe it will touch your heart. Enjoy! Braveheart Summit 2026 registration is officially open!This November 4th through 6th we're joining together in sunny Miami with Bravehearts like you from around the world. These three days will be like no other. We will encounter the living God through His Table, worship, faith training, connection and commissioning.The Summit isn't a conference — it's a connect point for people who are hungry for MORE of God - more of His vision, His growth, His freedom and His abundant joy. Spots are limited, so don't wait. Please be aware that Miami is a busy destination with many events happening in early November. We recommend securing your accommodations early! Get your ticket today.JOIN US FOR GOSPEL NIGHTS IN CINCINNATI! In the Cincinnati area? We would love to see you at our Gospel Night! RSVP here.  Send us Fan MailSupport the show

What happens when you sit at the feet of spiritual giants? In today's conversation that will inspire your faith, world renown prophetic voice and teacher Dr. Billye Brim shares powerful lessons from working alongside Kenneth Hagin , Oral Roberts, and Lester Sumrall—lessons that shaped a generation.Dr. Brim's stories of smuggling Bibles into Soviet Russia and living a life of faith will stir your spirit. Today's conversation also reveals the critical importance of being led by the Spirit of God— one of the most important things we can learn in these end times. When we combine unwavering faith in God's Word with consistent love and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's leading, we position ourselves for the supernatural breakthrough our generation desperately needs to witness.Share this interview with others to help inspire their faith! For more information on Dr. Billye Brim and learn more lessons of faith, become a student in the Billye Brim Institute (3BI). You can discover more information about 3BI at https://billyebrimbibleinstitute.com/ .

Welcome to Day 2874 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2874 – “Freedom From Bondage”  based on Luke 8:22-39 Putnam Church Message – 05/03/2026 The Good News According to Luke: “Freedom from Bondage”   Last week's message was: “Where Are You in This Picture?” We reflected on what type of soil our lives represent and whether we are hiding the light of Christ rather than sharing it with others. Today, we continue with our twenty-first message from Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today's message is: “Freedom from Bondage.” Our core passage today is Luke 8:22-39, which is found on page 1606 of your pew Bibles. Jesus Calms the Storm 22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we're going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man 26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,[a] which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. 30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, thank You for Your living Word and for the Gospel of Luke, which continues to show us more clearly who Jesus is. Thank You that You did not leave this fallen world to sink under the weight of sin, fear, and evil, but You sent Your Son into our darkness. As we come to this passage today, open our eyes to the power of Christ, open our hearts to trust Him more fully, and open our lives to the freedom only He can give. Calm what is storming within us. Break what has held us captive. Strengthen what has grown weak. And let us leave today with a deeper confidence that Jesus is Lord over every force that terrifies us. In His name we pray, amen. As we continue with our twenty-first message in this Luke series, we come to a dramatic turning point. Up to this point, Luke has shown Jesus healing diseases, cleansing lepers, forgiving sins, raising the dead, and receiving the broken. We have watched Him touch individual lives with compassion and power. But in Luke 8:22–39, the curtain pulls back even farther. Here, Jesus does not merely ease suffering. / He confronts the larger powers behind suffering. / He speaks to the wind and the waves. / He commands demons. / He crosses into hostile territory. / He delivers a man no one else could help. / And then He sends that healed man home as a witness. This is not just a story about weather and one troubled man. This is a revelation of the King who has come to reclaim enemy-held ground. The world we live in is not the world God originally made it to be. Genesis tells us that God created a good world, ordered, fruitful, beautiful, and fit for human flourishing. But because of sin, our world has become a place of storms, sorrow, chaos, fear, bondage, disease, death, and decay. We all know this, not just from theology, but from experience. We have all ridden through storms. We have all seen chaos. We have all known people in bondage. And if we are honest, some of us know bondage from the inside. So, this passage asks us a very important question: When the forces of chaos and darkness rise, who is Jesus really? Luke's answer is clear:   He is Lord over the storm. He is Lord over the demons. He is Lord over the broken human heart. And He is Lord over the mission that turns the delivered / into witnesses. A Simple Object Lesson Hold up a small chain connected to a padlock and a set of keys. “This is what bondage looks like. Sometimes it is visible, sometimes invisible. Sometimes it is addiction. Sometimes fear. Sometimes bitterness. Sometimes shame. Sometimes torment of mind.” Hold up the keys and say, “Chains are strong, but keys represent authority. The chain may look powerful, but the one with the key has the final word.” Luke 8 shows us a man whom everyone else tried to bind with chains. Those chains failed. But when Jesus arrived, no chain, no demon, no storm, and no chaos could stand against Him. Christ has the key. That leads us to our first of four truths. Main Point 1: Jesus has authority over the chaos that terrifies us. Luke tells us that Jesus said to His disciples, “Let's cross to the other side of the lake.” So, they got into a boat and set out. Then, as they sailed, Jesus fell asleep. A fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat began to fill with water. The disciples panicked and woke Him, crying, “Master, Master, we're going to drown!” Now pause there and feel the scene. These were not children afraid of a little rain. / Several of these men were seasoned fishermen. / They knew this lake. / They had read the sky before. They had handled boats before. But the Sea of Galilee could turn violent in moments. Sitting far below sea level, surrounded by hills, and cut by sudden winds, it could quickly become dangerous. Ancient people often saw the sea not merely as water, but as a symbol of disorder and threat. To them, the sea represented what could not be controlled. The mighty sea serpent. So, when experienced men panic, this was no small inconvenience. And where is Jesus? / Asleep. That detail matters. It reveals both His humanity and His calm. He is weary enough to sleep through danger, and secure enough to rest in the middle of it. Then Jesus rises and rebukes the wind and the raging waves. Immediately, the storm stops, and the lake becomes calm. What a moment that must have been. One instant: shrieking wind, crashing water, frantic bailing, shouted voices, terror in the eyes. The next instant: stillness. Silence. Water settling. Hearts pounding. The disciples staring at Jesus in stunned fear and wonder. And then Jesus asks, “Where is your faith?” / Not, “Why were there waves?” / Not, “Why were you surprised that life got hard?” / But, “Where is your faith?” This passage does not teach that real...

What happens when five men commit to meeting around a breakfast table every week for a year with open Bibles, honest conversations, and a desire to grow deeper in Christ?In this special episode of Chasing the Rabbit, Pastor Brooks is joined by members of his recently completed D-Group to talk about the journey of discipleship, accountability, Scripture memory, prayer, journaling, and the unexpected friendships that developed along the way. From early-morning breakfasts at Sunrise Restaurant to life-changing conversations about faith, these men share how God used a simple commitment to His Word to deepen their walk with Christ.Whether you've been curious about D-Groups, wondering how discipleship really works, or looking for encouragement to take your next spiritual step, this episode offers a candid look at the power of growing together.In this episode:What a D-Group actually is (and what it isn't)The value of accountability and Scripture readingWhy journaling became a game-changerHow discipleship happens through ordinary conversationsThe friendships that formed over a year of studying God's WordWhy you don't have to be a Bible expert to disciple othersPractical encouragement for anyone considering joining a D-GroupGrab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and join us as we talk about discipleship, growth, and what happens when believers commit to going deeper together.“Hopefully this wasn't the best season of growth in our faith—just the best one so far.” — Pastor Brooks

Welcome to Week 2 of This Is the Old Testament! Amanda and Raechel are joined by Jennie Allie to discuss the next five books of the Old Testament: Joshua though 2 Samuel. As we continue our seven-week survey of the Old Testament, we find hope in God's evident, unshakable plan to rescue and redeem His people.Open your Bibles with us this week! This episode corresponds to Week 2 of She Reads Truth's This Is the Old Testament reading plan. You can read with the She Reads Truth community on our site, in our app, or with our This Is the Old Testament printed or digital Daily Reading Guide.In this episode:The Lie You Don't Know You Believe by Jennie AllenExclusive $35-off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/READSTRUTH. Promo Code READSTRUTHShe Reads Truth on Instagram & FacebookRaechel Myers on InstagramAmanda Bible Williams on InstagramJennie Allen on Instagram*If you purchase something through our links, She Reads Truth may earn an affiliate commission.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Magellan AI - https://docsend.com/view/5vdvbdx7cr4tikmyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy