Podcasts about bibles

In this episode, Cody Cook interviews Joel Miller, author of The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future.A former publishing executive, Miller reveals how books—far more than mere containers of text—have profoundly shaped civilization. He explores the "magic" of their physical form (which enabled Augustine's transformative encounter with Romans) the timeless dialogues they allow with dead thinkers like Paul and Athanasius, and the preservation of classical knowledge by monks and Muslim scholars.The conversation highlights pivotal moments: Charlemagne's reforms that spread readable texts, the printing press's role in supercharging the Reformation and scientific progress, and literacy's liberating power—even as slaveholders banned it to maintain control.Miller also reflects on modern trade-offs: digital Bibles, AI tools, and the enduring value of books in freeing us from the tyranny of the present while building on centuries of accumulated wisdom.Perfect for anyone who loves history, ideas, and the quiet revolution of reading.Links:The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our FutureBad Trip: How the War Against Drugs is Destroying AmericaSize Matters: How Big Government Puts the Squeeze on America's Families, Finances, and FreedomMiller's Book Review (Joel's Substack)The Full Focus Planner Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com Use code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!Full Podsworth Ad Read BEFORE & AFTER processing:https://youtu.be/vbsOEODpQGs  ★ Support this podcast ★

On This Week at Charlestown Road, Jason and Roger revisit Sunday morning’s sermon, “Fuel For the Journey From Psalm 119,” digging deeper into this amazing psalm in the heart of our Bibles.

Raechel and Amanda welcome Tim Wildsmith back to the podcast to walk through another week in the book of Acts. Together they wrestle with questions that arise for each of them and remind one another of the surpassing value of the kingdom of God. Open your Bibles with us this week! This episode corresponds to Week 5 of She Reads Truth's Acts reading plan. You can read with the She Reads Truth community on our site, in our app, or with our Acts printed or digital Daily Reading Guide.In this Episode:Use code LENT15 for 15% off the Lent 2026 collection at ShopSheReadsTruth.com.The Daily Scripture Guidebook: A 52-Week Journey Through the Bible by Tim WildsmithDaily Scripture with Tim Wildsmith PodcastSonimorphicShe Reads Truth on Instagram & FacebookRaechel Myers on InstagramAmanda Bible Williams on InstagramTim Wildsmith 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

We're diving back into John's gospel, and this time we're listening in to Jesus' final words to his disciples the night before he dies. Before we get there though, in this episode we consider the big themes that underpin all that follows: God's Glory and Christ's impending death.This episode is sponsored by 10ofthose.com. A Christian book ministry that sells carefully selected resources that point to Jesus. This week we've partnered with 10ofThose.com to offer an amazing 40% off some of their handpicked Bibles. Head to our bookstore on 10ofthose.com/twosisters to see which Bibles are being offered at this incredible discount. Simply add the code BIBLE40 at the checkout. *This offer is valid until the end of February.*Don't forget to complete our birthday survey to receive a voucher code off 10ofThose.com and be entered into a draw to win £40/$40 worth of books!

Learn more about Wheels for the World here! --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

For most of us, water is rarely something we think about. It's as close as the kitchen sink, the refrigerator door, or the bottle beside us at work. But for millions of people around the world, clean water remains out of reach—and the consequences stretch far beyond thirst.Jesus once said, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones… that person will certainly not lose their reward” (Matthew 10:42). On today's episode of Faith & Finance, Aaron Griggs of Cross International shows us just how literal—and transformative—that cup of water can be.Globally, 2.2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water. In places like Zambia, Malawi, and Uganda, the crisis is especially severe. Women and children often walk long distances every day to gather water from open pits shared with animals. The water is contaminated, illness is common, and the time lost reinforces generational poverty. Girls miss school, mothers miss work, and entire communities struggle to flourish.This quarter, FaithFi is partnering with Cross International, a Christ-centered humanitarian ministry working alongside local churches and Christian leaders to meet urgent needs and create sustainable change. Their work in Sub-Saharan Africa is showing what can happen when clean water meets the living water of the gospel.After a well is installed in a village, physical health improves quickly—but the long-term effects are even more remarkable. Hours once spent fetching water are freed for school, work, farming, and small business. Women gain economic opportunity. Children gain education. And through Cross International's ministry partners, families are introduced to Jesus, often receiving their first Bibles in their own language.One woman in Zambia described this transformation with simple gratitude:“I never knew that I would be where I am now. My family is healthier, and my children are in school. God has blessed us.”Another woman, Grace, shared how access to water restored not only her family but also her church. For years, her congregation met under a tree because there wasn't enough water for construction. After a new well was installed, the church was rebuilt, children joined their parents in worship, and an entire community experienced renewed dignity and hope. Her favorite Scripture says it best:“Whoever believes in me… rivers of living water will flow from within them.” — John 7:38Cross International's work meets physical needs, but always in the name of Christ. Water is a doorway—opening opportunities for flourishing today and pointing to eternal life in Him. That's why FaithFi is partnering with Cross International this quarter to serve 250 children across Malawi, Zambia, and Uganda, providing not only clean water but also food, education, and the hope of the gospel.For just $62, one child receives these essential resources for a year. Every gift supports not just a child, but often an entire family and community, moving them toward long-term stability and lasting hope.Clean water changes everything—it restores dignity, strengthens families, and reflects the life-giving love of Christ.To learn more or to join us in this effort, visit: FaithFi.com/Cross.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I have a question about the ‘Trump Accounts' for newborns. What dates are they eligible for, and are there any pros or cons?I just turned 65, and I'm still working with employer health coverage. Do I need to enroll in Medicare Part A or Part B now, or can I wait?While stationed at Fort Polk and Fort Hood, I bought insurance policies that would pay off my houses if something happened to me. I can't find the paperwork anymore. How do I track down which insurers those policies were with?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Cross InternationalNational Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)TrumpAccounts.govOur Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful StewardshipWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Part of our Seek Christ through the Old Testament series. Turn your Bibles to Genesis 24!

Part of our Seek Christ through the Old Testament series. Turn your Bibles to Genesis 25!

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 Heart Dive's Heartbeat of God, where we are finding how God's heart beats throughout His Word so we can find Him in the world. Today we are studying Ruth 1-4 in the Old Testament.Help keep our Bible study resources free by supporting as a Heartkeeper here: heartdive.org/giveTODAY'S HEARTBEATS: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f745hU_ddZ-4ONfkGRFJcYqHo6vEUCpl/view?usp=sharingTODAY'S HEART WORK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jY0n6e1CCRK0GRpITD8PYz7jrs3_9T6O/view?usp=sharingPHASE 1: heartdive.org/startHEART DIVE LOBBY (Facebook Community): https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BK2GvLZbo/?mibextid=wwXIfrVISIT OUR SHOP: heartdiveshop.comFREE RESOURCES: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/folders/1Tvms_gB-OWMum61DiCXvFV8R8jKXpIVIMy Bible Notes: https://heartdive.org/daily-notes-with-kanoe/Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/shop/kanoegibson/list/1ED3COSB79TAQ?ref_=aipsflistLOGOS Software affiliate link: http://www.logos.com/heartdiveFree Reading Plan and Daily Newsletter sign up: http://heartdive.org/newsletterLink to recommended Bibles: https://heartdive.org/recommendations/ 

What does the Bible really say about hell, and is this issue worth dividing over? This special Hellgate roundtable is a landmark roundtable hosted by Kirk Cameron, bringing together four of today's most trusted Christian voices in response to a viral father-son conversation that ignited a global debate. With open Bibles, humility, and intellectual integrity, these theologians wrestle honestly with one of the most emotionally charged doctrines of the Christian faith, exploring eternal conscious punishment, conditional immortality, and whether Christians can disagree without abandoning the gospel. Grounded in Scripture and guided by compassion, this deep 2½-hour conversation seeks biblical clarity on final judgment, because the truth about hell matters deeply to God and to the people we love.   Editing and production services provided by thepodcastupload.com   Gavin Ortlund:    / @truthunites   Dan Paterson:    / @qcsocials   Chris Date:    / @rethinkinghell   Paul Copan: https://x.com/DrPaulCopan   #TheKirkCameronShow #Hellgate #ChristianTheology #GavinOrtlund #DanPatterson #ChrisDate #PaulCopan #HellDebate #EternalPunishment #EternalConsciousTorment #Annihilationism #ConditionalImmortality #ChristianPodcast #BiblicalHell

Welcome to the Internet 1-28-2026 … Your First Day in Prison …Church Pastor Bloopers …I Like Big Bibles and I Cannot Lie

Friend, can I speak to you heart to heart about your body and your faith for just a moment? So many Christian women love Jesus, read their Bibles, pray sincerely — and still feel overwhelmed, discouraged, and stuck in their health journey. In this episode, I share five truths God had to teach me about treating your body like a temple — not a project to perfect. For a long time, I used fitness to try to fix what only God was ever meant to heal. So often, we bring our faith into every area of life — except this one. And yet, God cares deeply about how we steward our bodies, not from a place of perfection, but from a place of grace, wisdom, and trust. In this episode, you'll hear: Why fitness was never meant to fix your worth Why your body is not a problem to solve, but a handmade, uniquely designed temple to steward Why what worked before may not work in this season How to stop fighting your body and start partnering with God How to ask God for wisdom for the season you're in If you've been stuck in the cycle of: trying harder → feeling worse → starting over… this episode is for you. This is not about more discipline. It's about more grace. More wisdom. And learning to care for your body the way God always intended. Ready to Walk This Out With God? If you're longing for a faith-centered way to walk this out — not alone, not in confusion, but with wisdom and support…

Is there a "best" English translation? What does a translator consider when choosing between words? Which popular Bibles are actually not translations but distortions? Dr Jeannie share her experiences as a translator and compares various versions for efficacy and accuracy.

The Jerusalem Temple lies in ruins, and a furious Christian writer is determined to answer one explosive question: Who are the true people of God? The anonymous author behind the Epistle of Barnabas doesn't pull punches; he declares that the covenant belongs to Christians, not Jews, and that Israel misunderstood their own Scriptures from the very beginning. His letter, once tucked into one of Christianity's oldest Bibles, reads circumcision as prophecy, interprets pigs into parables about hypocrisy, and reimagines the dietary laws as a secret moral code. But, beyond being an ancient polemic, it offers a glimpse into how the early Church wrestled with its identity in the shadow of Judaism. Tune in now to learn why this passionate, problematic letter captivated some and troubled others, and what it reveals about the messy process of defining Christian faith.Join the ConversationHead over to our ⁠private Facebook community⁠, where listeners discuss episodes, grapple with historical questions, and share insights on how these ancient stories shape our faith today. It's a place for genuine conversation with fellow church history enthusiasts, from seasoned scholars to curious newcomers.Get Episodes & More in Your InboxSubscribe to the free ⁠Substack ⁠and receive each podcast episode delivered directly to your email every week, complete with full transcripts. During off-weeks, you'll also receive a devotional blog post exploring spiritual themes connected to recent episodes—perfect for personal reflection or small group discussion.Unlock Premium ContentBecome a paid ⁠Substack⁠ subscriber to access devotional/historical study guides for each episode. Your subscription directly supports the creation of more episodes and helps keep church history accessible to everyone.Buy Me a CoffeeWant to support the podcast with a one-time gift or ongoing contribution? Head to ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠, where you can encourage this work in whatever way makes sense for you. Every contribution helps cover production costs and makes future episodes possible.For any other questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact Jared at thechurchhistoryproject@gmail.com.

Join us this week as Raechel and Amanda welcome Whitney Capps back to the podcast for another action-packed week in the book of Acts. In this episode they spur one another on in their unique roles in the Great Commission and rejoice in the power that can only be found in the gospel.Open your Bibles with us this week! This episode corresponds to Week 4 of She Reads Truth's Acts reading plan. You can read with the She Reads Truth community on our site, in our app, or with our Acts printed or digital Daily Reading Guide.In this episode:Simple SeminaryTheology and Other Fun Stuff PodcastThe Melody of Grace by Whitney CappsShe Reads Truth on Instagram & FacebookRaechel Myers on InstagramAmanda Bible Williams on InstagramWhitney Capps 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

Prepare to be challenged, in a good way, today on Light on the Hill as we open our Bibles to Exodus chapter 35. We're going to have you think for a bit about the call of God on your life here today. You might think you have very little to offer, but God wants to do something extraordinary in and through you if you're open to it! It will necessitate making the time to develop your relationship with God and even shutting off the noise around you. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1459/29?v=20251111

If you've been wondering whether young people still care about faith, this conversation will challenge your assumptions. Thai Lam shares firsthand accounts of what's happening on college campuses: 5,000 students gathering for worship, 200 baptisms in one night, and Bible sales up 50% in five years.After decades of church decline in the West, something shifted. Young people are asking questions about God, buying Bibles, and showing up for prayer gatherings in numbers that surprised even the ministry leaders mobilizing them.Thai walks through the 200-year history of Collegiate Day of Prayer and explains how churches can adopt local campuses, create intergenerational prayer movements, and practically support what God is doing among Gen Z. Whether you're in a college town or simply wondering how to reach younger generations, this episode offers both hope and practical next steps.Find resources and prayer guides at collegiatedayofprayer.org. Looking for practical leadership resources? Join our newsletter at innovativechurchleaders.org. Links:Website: https://innovativechurchleaders.org/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InnovativeChurchLeaders Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InnovativeChurchLeaders/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/catalyzingcommunity/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovativechurchleaders LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovative-church-leaders/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@innovativechurchleaders Eric Bryant Website: https://ericbryant.org/ Eric Bryant Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericmichaelbryant/ Eric Bryant Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericbryant/ Eric Bryant LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-bryant-397003172/ Eric Bryant X: https://x.com/ericbryant Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-post-christian-podcast/id1509588357 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZeQIrzr2tCMyq1VdwxGNn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

January 25th, 2026 Pastor Chad McDonald This weekend, we’re going to dive into one of the most incredible portions of Scripture: Psalm 1. The search for the secrets to life, success, and fulfillment goes back to creation. If people only knew they could find true fulfillment by simply opening their Bibles, devoting their lives to Jesus, and faithfully meditating in God’s Word, everything would change. As we begin our study into the Psalms, God reveals in this first chapter how to attain a life filled with God’s promises, protection, and blessing. It all begins by committing our lives to studying the truth and depth of His Holy Word, the Bible. I look forward to having you worship with us this weekend in person or online. It’s going to be a sweet time in the study of God’s Word together. In Christ, Pastor Chad

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 12. We have transitioned now in our study of Revelation to a series of seven visions that highlight and emphasize particularly the enemies of God, their wicked work in the world, and their ultimate…

Audio Transcript All right. Beautiful singing. I love that song. I love the lyrics and that they sing. And I hope that’s why you’re here this morning, that your soul is satisfied in just Jesus and him alone. And if it’s not, we hope that by the end of the service, you are. So one of the things that we talk about pretty often here is like the most important instrument that we have as a congregation for our music is the singing of you. And so as we sing, I do want to keep encouraging you to sing. Sing out. This is the most important thing, our singing time is us singing as a congregation. So beautiful singing once again. So I’ve not met you. My name is Aaron. I’m the preaching pastor here. And we’re glad that you’re with us on this very cold Sunday morning. So if you have a Bible with you, if you open up to the Gospel of Luke, continue in our study of Luke. Today, our text to study is going to be Luke 6:1, 11. If you don’t have a Bible with you, the pew Bibles are scattered throughout and they’re on page 502. And then if you’re visiting with us. So we do a style of preaching here called expository preaching. And so I’m going to read a passage, I’m going to pray, ask for the Lord’s blessing, and then we’re going to actually walk right back through the text. And so as you open your Bible, please do keep them open. So the most important thing I might say today is just me reading the Word and continue to communicate the Word to you. That’s the most important thing. So we want to hear God speak this morning. So Luke 6:1 through 11 on page 502, if you’re using one of the pew Bibles, So please to hear the words of our God. So Luke wrote, on a Sabbath, while he was going through the grain fields, disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath? Jesus answered them, have you not read what David did when he was hungry? He and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of presents. Was it not lawful for any but the priest to eat? And he also and also gave it to those with him. And he said to them, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. On another Sabbath in the synagogue was teaching. And a man who was there, whose right hand was withered, the scribes and Pharisees watched him to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath so they might find a reason to accuse him. He knew their thoughts. Said to the man with a withered hand, come stand here. He rose and stood there. Jesus said to them, I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or. Or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it? After looking around at them, he said to him, stretch out your hand. And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. So that’s God’s word for us this morning. Let’s pray. God, it’s good to be here. For every Sunday that we can gather together as your people here at Red Village. It is a sweet gift from you and Lord, we pray that you would bless the preaching of your word for the glory of Christ and for our good God. Please help me to communicate the word correctly, to rightly divide the word of truth. Please be with the congregation. Please give them ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. And Lord, in this time, please just use it to bring glory to Christ. In his name we pray. Amen. So I think every so often it’s really important for us to think through the why or the purpose behind all that we do. Because what can happen over time, the why, the purpose of what we do can kind of get lost in ways that we just start doing things for the sake of doing things, where things that we’re doing perhaps end up taking a life on their own in ways that end up not being healthy, that can lead to us maybe become apathetic or arrogant. So as a church, it’s important to us to understand the why, the purpose, which I’m going to talk about more at the end of this time. But I say this to you up front just to kind of help set us up for our text of study today, which is a text where the people in the text clearly lost track of the why, the purpose, one of the more important aspects of their faith as they lost track of the why, the purpose of the Sabbath in ways that rather than the Sabbath existing for them and their arrogance, they started to like almost try to exist for the Sabbath, as in their arrogance, they tried to use the Sabbath as a means of their own self righteous gain before God, which was not the purpose of the Sabbath, why God created the Sabbath. So I’ll talk about this more in just a bit as well, but before we do, just to take a little bit of time, just to kind of help think through just some of the context before we dive into the passage. First, let me just the context of the passage I just went through. So I mentioned our text last week. The public ministry of Jesus is now in full swing, which is the ministry that kicked off in the region of Galilee where this public ministry of the Lord Jesus included like healing the sick, the lame, the blind, casting out demons. But the primary ministry that Jesus had was actually his preaching and teaching ministry, which often would take place in various synagogues, including one in our text today. And as the public ministry of Jesus was now on full swing, his popularity was spreading like wicked wildfire throughout the region as more and more began to wonder if indeed he Jesus was the long awaited, long anticipated Christ who was to come. And this led to more and more coming around Jesus, forming bigger and bigger crowds around him. However, even though his popularity was spreading questions, concerns about his ministry were also starting to like increase, particularly among the Pharisees and the scribes who were the religious leaders of the day. And these concerns that the Pharisees and scribes had to Jesus were on multiple fronts. Maybe share a few with you. One, the Pharisees scribes really did not like who Jesus was ministering to, which in the Gospel accounts included those with like some very deep negative social stigma tied to them. A few weeks back, if you were here, a text included Jesus healing a leper, which was like a painful, gross skin disease. He also heard a paralytic where the Pharisees seemed to imply that this paralytic suffered that because of some of his own sin. Last week may remember Jesus came to a tax collector named Levi. And as Jesus came to Levi was then to like shame him, but to actually call Levi to follow him, which Levi did, leaving everything to follow Jesus. And then after that, may you remember how Levi threw a great party for other tax collectors and other social outcasts with Jesus being the guest of honor at this party. If you remember, it was last week. So the tax collectors, they’re arguably like the most hated people in all of Israel because they were viewed as traitors. So for the Pharisees, like they hated these people, they hated who Jesus was ministering to with like all these deep social stigma tied to them because in their minds those type of people were to be like, avoided and shamed. Certainly not cared for, loved on, certainly not shown any type of mercy. Second, the Pharisees had concerns about Jesus because they rightly understood that as Jesus ministered, Jesus did so in ways that he was claiming divine authority that he is God in the flesh, which Jesus can do. Because we see all throughout the New Testament, including Luke, that yes, indeed, Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, that Jesus is the great God man, fully God, fully man, which we actually see again in our text today. We see this both in his divine actions of healing a man, also in his divine words in our text today, as he refers himself as the Son of man, who is the Lord over the Sabbath. However, for the Pharisees, even though throughout the Old Testament that they claim to love, even though the Old Testament pointed to a God man who had come to save his people, even though from his birth Jesus fulfilled these promises and prophecies of the Old Testament that he was the God man who was to come, the Pharisees fully rejected Jesus. They fully rejected him being the fulfillment. They rejected that indeed he was the Christ Messiah. And because they rejected who Jesus is and what he came to do, they just hated him. Third, the Pharisees also had concerns about Jesus, didn’t improve his ministry. They hated him in ways because of how Jesus would confront their own sin, sinful hearts. So over and over again, including our text today, the Pharisees would try to trap Jesus, only for Jesus to turn things back on them. However, as Jesus confronted their hearts, rather than humbling themselves before him, rather than confessing their sin in their pride, they became more and more violent towards Jesus in the rejection of him. They hated how Jesus confronted them in their sin, because they hated that not only did they reject him, they would work hard to try to convince others to reject him and as well. Okay, so that’s a little bit of our context, our passage. So Jesus ministry is growing, crowds around him is growing. But the hatred from the religious leaders also was growing as they’re seeking, like, every opportunity they could to like discredit the Lord Jesus and his ministry. So that’s kind of his text. Second, let me also just give you some context or some handles on the Sabbath, which is going to be at the center of our passage today. So the word Sabbath basically means, like to cease or to rest. And this ceasing, this rest, the Sabbath is something we first see on the seventh day of creation in the book of Genesis. Okay? So if you read through the creation account, so the preceding six days, so God is at work where he not only creates the heavens, the earth, but then he fills the heavens and the earth, including filling with mankind who is the pinnacle of his creative work. As He, God created mankind in his very image. And this took place on the sixth day, but then on the seventh day of creation as God finished His creative work. We read in Scripture that God ceased from the work. He rested with creation, in particular with mankind, who has mentioned created in his image. And this rest that God had with mankind was not because he was like dog tired from a long six days of creative work. Rather, God rested with mankind, rested with the creation to enjoy mankind to enjoy his creative work as God was pleased with which he created, making the seventh day of creation, this day of rest, a picture of fellowship, a picture of harmony and peace that God enjoyed with that which he created. However, if you’ve read through Genesis, you know that by the time we get to Genesis 3, we see this, the Sabbath fellowship, the Sabbath rest with mankind creation, we see that it was lost because mankind rebelled against God, rebelled against God’s design that he gave them, which was to obey him joyfully because they sinned. And this sin separated mankind from God and brought a curse to the earth, causing the Sabbath rest to be lost. Okay, now, if you’re with us over a year ago, you may remember we went to the book of Hebrews. And you may remember in much of that study of Hebrews, the Old Testament is like a quest trying to figure out how do we get rest back. Now for this time here, I won’t mention all the different pictures of rest found in the Old Testament outside of one, which is important for our text to study today, which is the fourth commandment, which is a commandment to remember the Sabbath day. This is from Exodus 20, where the Ten Commandments are found. So it’s in the fourth commandment it says, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it, you should not do any work. You or your sons or your daughters, your male servant, your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is with you within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. So the Sabbath is a commandment we are to keep, but within that. This commandment, like all other commandments, was designed actually to be a blessing from God to his people. A blessing that was meant to help them remember the holiness of God and the worship that we designed to give to him a blessing, to give them rest to their bodies, our physical bodies. We can’t just like, go, go, go, go, go. Like, we need rest, physical rest, emotional rest. Mental rest from our labors. So Sabbath helped provide for that. And Sabbath is also a blessing to help mankind just to remember back to creation and the Sabbath rest that we’ve been created for, which is a Sabbath rest by which we live in fellowship and harmony with God. And because the Sabbath was a blessing by God to his people, man was not created for the Sabbath. That’s not why the Sabbath existed. Rather, the Sabbath was created for mankind. Say it again. It’s a blessing to mankind from a good God. That’s the why of the Sabbath, a gift from God to mankind. As we’ll see in our passage, the Pharisees today completely missed the why of the Sabbath, which caused them to completely miss this blessing that was given to them from God. And because they missed the why, they tried to use the Sabbath as like a fuel for their own pride and their own arrogance, where they tried to make the Sabbath become something that was not intended to be, something like, for their own self righteous gain. So that is the intro. But if you want to look back with me in our text, starting in verse one, so read these words. It says on the Sabbath, while he, meaning Jesus, while he was going through the grain fields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain. And then rubbing them in their hands, with rubbing the hands was how they would remove like the outer chaff before eating. Now for us, perhaps nothing seems wrong here. Jesus, disciples, they’re hungry and there is no like prohibition from like eating on the Sabbath. So nothing concerned here. This is not like biblically wrong. In fact, even in the book of Leviticus, there’s provisions given to pluck heads of grain with one’s hand on the Sabbath. Now I will mention that there are prohibitions in the Old Testament of using like a sickle to cut the heads of grain on the Sabbath, because the plucking is more of a provision to help like get them through the day, where the sickle have been more of like a tool that have been used to provide for like food for like multiple days of work. So what they’re doing here though, just plucking with the heads of grains with their hands. So biblically there’s nothing wrong here. However, for the Pharisees this was a great concern, and it was a great concern to them because they viewed this act being done by disciples as an act of work defined by what was called the misna, which is a list of like 39 additional rules and regulations to what scripture laid out. Where these additional rules and regulations were given in part to help put together like A tighter, more specific regulations on what work was on the Sabbath. Thus, according to these rules, regulations, the disciples of Jesus were breaking the Sabbath by plucking and then rubbing with their hands. For the Saraces, this action broke the Sabbath and this call to rest from one’s labor. Now, let me pause a couple things here I think should challenge us. So first, there’s a ministry that helps with, like, teaching preaching called the Simeon Trust, which is named after an old preacher named Charles Simeon. So we don’t have time to. For me to tell you about his ministry, but I would recommend looking up and reading more about him, Charles Simeon. He has a great ministry. So now in this ministry, Simeon Trust, there’s a training called first principles. And I know some of you have gone through that. And for me, the most helpful lesson in first principles revolves around what they call the line of Scripture. So, like preachers, teachers of the Word, even us as Bible readers, we’re to stay on the line to communicate what the text communicates. Because this temptation will always be to go above or below the line. So to go below the line, according to the training, it’s like to ignore the commands of scripture, to ignore clear teachings in scripture, maybe because they’re uncomfortable to us, or maybe we don’t approve of them, or the other temptation is actually to go above the line of Scripture. According to the training, we start to add to the commands the teachings of Scripture, as if what Scripture says is not enough, so we need to, like, add to it. And this is what the Pharisees were doing here. So Scripture taught one could pluck grains from a field by hand, not with a sipical, but of concern that perhaps people abuse the provision of plucking by hand. Perhaps the rubbing of the hands is too much. We better add more safety rails here. So let’s add to the commandment. Let’s go above the line of Scripture and limit any and all acquiring of grain, any and all rubbing of hands, right? Better be safe to go above the line than to fail by going below the line. Now, there’s kind of a common buzzword in church life, the word legalism. And this can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, where for some, they use, like, the term legalism to almost like, justify, like, going below the line to kind of do whatever they want to do because, you know, they don’t want to be illegalistic. But I think the right way to use this term legalism is simply adding to what Scripture says in ways that we, like, go above the line, where the Additions become as important, if not more important, to what Scripture says itself. So in the end, going above the line, that’s illegalism. In the end, it’s actually similar to going below the line and ignoring Scripture because neither side actually honors God in his Word. Neither side above or below, trusts the truth of what Scripture says. Neither side actually holds to the sufficiency of God’s Word. Second, just on this note, I think we need to understand how easy it is to go above or below this line. First time here, let me just think specifically about going above the line, which is true of our text today. So here’s a command from God, remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. So perhaps there’s, like, thoughts of, like, good intentions. Hey, let’s do all that we can do to put guardrails in place to ensure that this happens. However, these guardrails become more and more over time. Over time, the why behind the guardrails completely lost. The guardrails become the focus, the standard, not the original command. And for us, we could do this as a host of different things. Maybe in our culture think of, like, movies or music or alcohol or how we dress, or maybe even how we, like, interact with those who are not Christians. So we know there’s commands out there, biblical principles connected to these things. I just mentioned in our culture that maybe we have to think through, which are commands, principles that we certainly want to follow. We might understand there’s dangers for not following them in ways that we maybe go below the line. But what can easily happen, all these guardrails become more and more where we become, like, more and more tight with more and more things. And all we begin to think about now is this new standard that, like, we set, where the original command, the original principle, is now lost, leaving us, like, really tightly wound up, where we now begin to, like, pridefully judge everyone who is not tightly as wound as we are. Or what else can happen is over time, we just become, like, apathetic to everything, apathetic to, like, any and all rules, because we completely lost track of the why. So we just throw our hands up in the air and we completely abandon, like, Scripture and what it commands in our text. The Pharisees, they’re really tightly wound, tightly wound with, like, deep, prideful judgment of others. In the end, they’re completely missing what scripture taught in their attempt to follow Scripture. You know, there’s a blog I read a few years back, it said you become, like, so biblical where you’re going above and beyond or above and beyond the line. And attempt to like, follow Scripture, I’m going to be so biblical that in the end you actually become like, unbiblical. Once again, that’s the Pharisees. At all costs, they’re going to follow the Sabbath. But in the end, they’re becoming more and more unbiblical in this attempt. Third, let me also just mention, just to be fair and to be clear, going below the line can also lead you to really awful places. It’s not just above the line. Legalism has problems, but that’s what our text is today. This is a cautionary tale. To go above the line in ways, you become like, legalistic. Okay, say more here, bro. Let’s move on. Verse 2, we see the Pharisees came to Jesus, his disciples, to confront them for not meeting their legalistic standard and what they were doing with the grains in the field. And this here, it kind of gets a sense in Luke that kind of like everywhere Jesus went, there’s almost like these like, assigned Pharisees, like, following them around, where it almost felt like their entire existence to try to call out Jesus and what they felt he was doing wrong to try to trap him. Man, I was thinking about this week. This had to be so annoying. Like, everywhere Jesus went, you know. Here are his critics for following him. The text. As Pharisees went to confront Jesus, disciples, we see that he said to them with a tone of judgment and arrogance and pride, why are you doing this? This is not lawful for you to do on the Sabbath, at least not according to their standards. This here, this is another attempt by the Pharisees to catch Jesus and what they deemed like catch him red handed. Another attempt to discredit him disciples, his ministries. However, in this conversation, yet again, Jesus turns things back on them in ways. Actually, we’re discrediting them. Verse 3, we see Jesus respond not in direct ways to their question, to the arrogance, to the pride, but maybe in a little bit more indirect way where Jesus, like, responds by using a story of scripture to prove his point. So the text, Pharisees, you know, the story about David, scripture, you know, maybe, maybe you didn’t read this one. I think you have, but maybe, maybe you remember this one, you know, the one where he was like on the run from evil King Saul. And when he was on the run, remember how he became hungry along with others who were with him. And, and this is a story from 1st Samuel 21:1 that no doubt the Pharisees would have known. Remember how while they were hungry in the run, how David entered into the house of God and how he took and ate of the bread of the presence, which high priest Elimelech allowed for them to do so. Can I ask you, Pharisees, was that not unlawful for David to do that? After all, the bread of presence was not allowed for the priest to eat. In that story, David took give it to those who are with him. So, Pharisees, let me ask you, was that wrong for David to do? Was it wrong for the priest to let that happen? I mean, do you think the priest should have told David his hungry men, sorry, it’s not for you. You must just keep going on in your hunger. What Jesus is doing here in the story is, first, so in the strictest letter of the law, sure, it would have been unlawful for David for Elimelech to distribute bread in this fashion. However, second, Jesus point out that the letter of the law should not be removed or divorced from the spirit of the law. The why of the law, where in the end the law is there to be a blessing from God, a blessing to not only help us love and honor God, but but also to help us to love and honor others. That’s the why. So in the story of David, the spirit of law was there to show David his friends, like, they needed mercy in that moment, right? They’re hungry, they needed mercy, and that’s what Elimelech gave them. He let them eat the food that they needed to save their life to keep going. For the Pharisees, mercy was just not a part of who they were. And backing up. No mercy to the leper, no mercy to the paralytic, no mercy to Levi in our text last week. No mercy to the other tax collectors and social outcasts who Levi threw the party for in our text today. No mercy towards Jesus, his disciples who are hungry, even though what they were doing biblically actually was not wrong in the first place, for the Pharisees, it was wrong in their own eyes. First morning for us, maybe a little litmus test. When we see someone in need, which can come on a lot of different fronts, do we desire to show them mercy or do we just want to, like, hammer them with like, the strictest letter of the law that we can get to a standard. They’re not that we feel they’re not living up to now, as I say that I’m not advocating for, like, enabling, which is not an act of mercy, but it’s actually an act of putting burdens on when we try to enable people. But we should seek to show real mercy to those who are in need, we are able to help those who we can in ways that actually in the end doesn’t hurt them. Keep going to the text, verse 5. So the Pharisees are not already angry and frustrated towards the Lord Jesus as He confronted them for their lack of mercy. What he says next would have only made them that much more angry and that much more frustrated. Where in the text he declared them the Son of Man was a title that he already referred to himself in Luke, a title ground in the Old Testament. The Old Testament pointed to a God man is to come. The Son of Man in the text is the Lord of the Sabbath. Now why this is so frustrating for the Pharisees to hear, Jesus makes the segregation a couple things here. First, they would have hated Jesus continued to declare himself as being the great God man, even though that’s what we see all throughout Scripture as he declared himself to be the Son of Man, the Lord of the Sabbath. Second, as Jesus declared himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath, not only is he declaring himself to be greater than the Sabbath day, but he also declared that the rest that the Sabbath was to picture and point to from the seventh day of creation. Jesus is now declaring that rest between God and man is fulfilled in him. That he is the means by which we find rest with God. He’s the answer of the question of the Old Testament. How do we get rest back? It’s not in ourselves. It’s not in trying to keep the law. It’s not in trying to keep some type of like standard of self righteousness by our own effort. It’s not by keeping the Sabbath. Rather in this declaration by the Lord Jesus, he’s saying to follow the Sabbath would lead you to find Him. Because ultimately he is the Sabbath. He’s the why. The Sabbath, it is through him, in him alone. That’s how we find rest with God. Which is why Jesus calls out for all to hear, including all here today. Come to me, all who labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Once again for the Pharisees, Jesus making this declaration this way he could fuel to the flames of hate that was burning deeply in the heart. This is what legalism always does when confronted with Jesus. Legalism hates Jesus because Jesus exposes that we can’t do it. Rather we must by faith come to him, the one who did it for us Hebrew 1, verse 6. We see now in the text we’re on to a different Sabbath where the Pharisees are still after Jesus, still trying to catch him red handed, still trying to discredit him, his ministry. We see on another Sabbath, Jesus entered into a synagogue. And as he entered in, he did what is mentioned earlier became his custom to do. And he went in to teach, to preach, to preach God’s word as one with authority. In that particular Sabbath, we see there’s a man in the synagogue whose right hand was withered and true to form because Jesus was there. The Pharisees scribes are also on the scene. And on the particular Sabbath, they’re also there at the synagogue, as I mentioned, trying to continue to trap the Lord Jesus. And as they’re inside the synagogue, they began to watch this man with withered hand to watch Jesus, to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath. You know, for me, in my mind, I can kind of just see the Pharisees and scribes in the back of the synagogue, like kind of looking around, whispering among themselves if there’s any potential candidates for Jesus to heal on the Sabbath. And as they whispered around, you know, kind of wondered in my mind if, you know, they maybe zeroed in on this man with a withered hand. They began to like, question like, I wonder if that’s the one that Jesus is going to heal today. Verse 8. As Pharisees, maybe we’re zeroing in on whether this man with a withered hand would be the one that Jesus would healed. We see that Jesus started to like zero in on them, the Pharisees, he began to zero in their hearts as our text tells us, like he knew their thoughts. And as Jesus knew their thoughts, he yet again turns things back on the Pharisees. Jesus calls out to the man with the withered hand. You over there. Yeah, he’s you, the one with the withered hand. Come stand up here with me. And his call, Jesus went forth. The man did what Jesus called him to do in the text. He rose from where he was seated and he stood, instructing him to stand right swimming right next to the Lord, like right in front of everyone where no doubt everyone can see him. For me, it gets sent in the text that Jesus didn’t want anyone, particularly the Pharisees, to miss that which he was about to do. Verse 9 of the text. So the man standing up front next to him, Jesus turns the congregation to the Pharisees and can you answer me a question on this Sabbath? Want to ask you this Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it? I keep saying the Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus, but this question, but Jesus is now actually trapping them. We’re in this trap. Everyone, including the Pharisees would admit doing good is more important than doing harm. Saving a life is more important than destroying it. And this is really kind of the question that is in line with the story of David and the hungry men who ate the bread of presents. It was more important to do good to them on the Sabbath. Jesus gave his question with the obvious answer, important to do good to save. Jesus now further stressed the importance of mercy and love towards others as the entire law is boiled down into two commandments, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And the second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. So at the scene on the Sabbath, as Jesus continues to fulfill the law by showing love and mercy, he does so to this man. Verse 10. As everyone in the room is looking at him, as everyone probably is quiet, and as Jesus gave his question in verse nine, Jesus turns to the man sitting next to him and says to him, man, stretch out your hand once again. As the call of Jesus went forth, the man did what Jesus asked. By faith he stretches out his hand. And as he does so, it was restored, healed. Restored. He healed by the power and the authority of the great God man, Jesus Christ. It was restored, healed by the mercy and the love of the great God man, Jesus Christ. And now for us you would think this would have been to the praise and wonder for all who are present to see this incredible act of love and mercy and power and authority of Jesus Christ. However, as Jesus did this great act for this man who was in need of the hearts of the Pharisees, we see still they’re not softened towards Christ. They still didn’t see like the errors of their way. They still didn’t understand the law, the Sabbath, the why. So our text ends today, verse 11, we see that they became feel or filled with fury and they started to discuss among themselves what they might do to Jesus. You know, as thick headed and as proud as the Pharisees were there even them were being understand that their strategy of trying to catch Jesus red handed like was not working. So even here they’re starting to understand they needed a new strategy if they’re ever to get rid of Jesus Christ, which we know over time became a strategy so filled with hate and fury that their strategy would lead them to kill Jesus Christ, which they finally would end him, his ministry, his influence over his people. But we also know that, that even that completely backfired on them because it’s actually through the death and the resurrection from the dead on the third day. That’s the reason why Jesus came. That is how his ministry would be fulfilled, how his mission to save his people from their sins would be fulfilled. How through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s how he would be restored back to fellowship with God so that we might have rest. Now, as I close this time, I do want to close by asking maybe a few like, why questions and some answers to this, and then we’ll close. So first question, maybe you’re kind of thinking this is so why do we not keep the Sabbath? So the church, we obviously don’t meet on Saturdays. And this is actually one of the commandments, right? One of the ten commandments. Remember the Sabbath day, the commandment that was actually given by God for our good. So why do we not meet on the Sabbath? The reason why relates to Jesus being the Lord of the Sabbath, where, yes, Jesus came to fulfill the entire law, but he uniquely fills the Sabbath as Jesus is our rest. So in the New Testament, like all the ten Commandments are spoken about in ways that they’re still binding on us today. Still expectation that God has for mankind in order to follow him that are for our good. That is, with the exception of the Sabbath. So New Testament, there’s no command for us to follow the Sabbath because as mentioned, Jesus uniquely fulfilled the Sabbath as he is the Lord of the Sabbath. So everyone, this is why we don’t meet on Saturdays, but we meet on Sundays. And in fact, we see this all throughout New Testament, all throughout church history. God’s people, Christians gather on Sunday. Sundays, not Saturdays, with Sundays being referred to like the Lord’s Day, as Sunday helps us remember the day that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. So now Sundays, like the Sabbath, the Old Testament is the day that Christians are to set aside to worship, right? This is why we don’t forsake the assembly of believers. We gather together every Sunday to worship. This is why Sunday, the Lord’s day, right? This is supposed to be a benefit to us to rest from our labors. So when Sunday we not only remember back to creation, but remember Jesus, the new creation that he comes to give. If you wonder why, that’s why. Second, so why is the line of scripture so important for us to stick to? So something I talked about a little earlier, you know, this Line of Scripture do not go above, not go below. And the main reason why we want to stick to the line of Scripture, to not add to it, not take it away. Because going on either side of the line, not only is it take away from the truth of scripture, but when you go on either side, what happens is we stop seeing Jesus, our need for Him. And this is certainly true of our text today in the Pharisees, they just could not see Jesus for who he is. They certainly did not see their need for Him. The rest that he alone can offer says for us to read and apply Scripture, particularly when it comes to the commands of Scripture as we read them. Do we read them in ways that we see Jesus, where our hearts are full of praise and worship towards him, where our hearts become full of love for God and love for others in more meaningful ways which lead to another why? Question. So why is it important for us to stay focused on the weightier matters of the law? Because this is something that Jesus actually later on confronts the Pharisees on and their attempt to try to keep the law through tithing, where they’re so like hyper focused on every little aspect of tithing like they were in our text with the Sabbath, that tithing becomes like, almost like way too much, where they completely lost the weightier manners of the law. Like loving God, loving others, showing mercy, showing kindness to others, when their attempt to become so biblical with tithing, to become unbiblical with weightier matters of the law. So for us, yes, clearly we want to follow the Scriptures, whatever Scripture commands us to do, but we want to do so in ways with the weightier matters of law. Love, mercy, kindness towards others is at the center. This is the last why. So why is all this so important? The answer is simple. So why is this all important? The answer is Jesus, his wooden cross, empty tomb, things that mean everything to us, right? That’s the why for us. What Jesus did, all these things he did for us, if they continue to mean everything to us, we must keep him at the center of the why of all that we do, that we do. So maybe we want to ask, so why are we here this cold morning? Why? Because of Jesus, that’s why. The worship of him, that’s why. So why do we do all the different ministries that we do, even though at times these ministry can leave us weary? Why? Right? It’s because Jesus, because He means everything to us. Why do we seek to share the Gospel with the world around us? Why? It’s because of Jesus. This, his love for us compels us to now want to love others like who he is, what he has done for us. That’s at the why of our entire existence as a church. That’s why. This morning, if you know you’ve been living above the line, maybe you can kind of like resonate with the Pharisees. Like you’re so wound up tight that you’re missing, like, the weightier matters of the law, maybe even more so you’ve been missing Jesus the rest and the joy that he alone can offer. Let me invite you to humble yourself and just confess your sin and come back to Jesus, knowing that all who by faith come to him will be forgiven. And friends, if you came here looking like the Pharisees from the text, don’t leave here still looking like one. Rather come to Jesus and leave here looking more and more like Him. Church, may God give us the grace to stay on the line of Scripture so we might find and continue to find our rest in him, the great Lord of the Sabbath. Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for Jesus. Lord, please help us to set our eyes on him. And Lord, you’ve given us many good commandments. And so, Lord, please help us to follow them, knowing that they’re good. Help us not lose track of the why behind them and how in the end, not only for our good, but they all lead us to Christ. Pray so in Jesus name, amen. The post Lord of the Sabbath – Luke 6: 1-11 appeared first on Red Village Church.

Introduction: In a church dispute? Remember your Relationship… (1 Corinthians 6:1-11) To OTHER BELIEVERS: we RECONCILE. (1 Cor 6:1-5) 1 Corinthians 5:12 – For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? To THE WORLD: we REPRESENT. (1 Cor 6:6-8) To SIN: we RENOUNCE. (1 Cor 6:9-10) Genesis 2:16–17 – And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Titus 2:11–12 – For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, To JESUS CHRIST: we are RENEWED. (1 Cor 6:11) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Well, good morning.Wherever you are today, welcome.My name is Justin.I'm one of the elders here at Harvest.And as we get started, I would just like to ask that you would pray for me to faithfully and clearly communicate God's word,and I will pray for you to have hearts to receive it.Amen.Well, today we're going to be talking about dealing with disputes, disagreements, beef, as the kids say.Did the kids still say beef, Pastor Jeff?Okay, confirmed.I too was young once, but as a college student, one thing my roommates and I never had beef over was where to order pizza.Listen, four guys in an apartment, that's a big decision.But we found our place, Piazza's Pizza, home to the largest pizza that I've ever seen, the big Piazza.It was the best price to food ratio in the city.The box was so big, it didn't even fit through the door.You had to tilt it just to get it inside.It would feed all of us for a whole weekend.And actually one of those weekends, a few of my friends from home came up to visit.And so, of course, we wanted to treat them to a big Piazza.But there was a dispute.My roommates and I tried to explain to them how enormous this pizza was.But my friends kept insisting, "Look, we need to order two."And we're like, "Guys, you haven't seen this pizza."And they're like, "Guys, you don't know how hungry we are. We need at least two."Okay?So eventually we gave up and we ordered two big Piazza's.And, you know, after dinner, I couldn't believe it, but we actually finished half of one.And that's when the real dispute started.Because we tried to tell them we just needed one.But the problem is, according to them, we didn't eat our share.Because they insisted we needed two.So then wild claims started flying around both sides about how many slices each side ate.And this morning, I'd actually like to present you with some evidenceso you can draw your own conclusions.Exhibit A, this is the big Piazza.And even that, I tell you, the photo doesn't do it justice.But I added some analysis to this photo because one member of the oppositionhas repeatedly stated that he alone consumed 25 slices.Exhibit B, this is his claim.And I'm telling you, I was there that night.If he ate that much pizza in one sitting,we were going to spend the night in Rochester General Hospital.Okay?Church.It was crazy.Now, we are close to the 20th anniversary of that meal.And the battle is still raging on.As far as I'm aware, this is the longest-running dispute I've ever been a part of.Debating it step-by-step, recounting what happened.And of course, laughter.Because this dispute, though still being disputed,it didn't threaten our friendships.It's a silly dispute, but I share it with you because the way that we handle disputes,that often depends on our relationship to the other side, true or false.When we are in a dispute, our relationship to the personor our relationship to the situation, that determines our response.Best friends can accuse each other of pizza malpractice for decades and be totally fine.But for real disputes, think about it.Which ones are the hardest to resolve?The ones within a family,or with a close friend, or someone you looked up to.It's far more difficult to deal with offense from someone that you know deeplythan from someone that you don't know at all.An argument that escalates, a disagreement grows into something much more,most of us have been there.And that can even happen here, within the church family.How do we deal with those disputes?Well, if you have your Bibles, you can open them to 1 Corinthians chapter 6,where we're going to dig into that.We deal with disputes because we're going after a church unified and purified, amen.And last week, Pastor Jeff taught how to get purified when there's sin in the church,when someone claims Christ yet is living in unrepentant sin,and they refuse help, they want their sin to be accepted.What do you do with that person?The Bible says, "Let him who has done this be removed from among you."You might think, "Harsh, that doesn't sound like a thing a church should do."Well, if you missed it, read 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and listen to the sermon online.You'll find out that's what the church must do.Now, this week, we read Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,discussing disputes within the church.And just like arguments about pizza,we have to remember the relationships involved.So, on your outline today,in a church dispute, remember your relationship.Number one, to other believers, we reconcile.So, 1 Corinthians 6, are you there?Let's read the first verse.It says, "When one of you has a grievance against another,does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?"So, Paul is calling out the Corinthians for dragging their disputes out into the court system.He says, "Church, why are you going before unrighteous corrupt courts for this?"But please understand in this passage,Paul is talking about civil cases, not criminal cases.This is not about someone breaking the law and being charged with a crime, okay?This is about a private dispute between two parties,and they just can't figure it out.So, they end up taking each other to court over something trivial.Now, we see trivial lawsuits today, don't we?Have you ever seen those courtroom shows where they give you the rundown upfront?He's here suing for a $67 cell phone bill.You hired a lawyer and got on a plane to Los Angeles over $67.You're going to take someone to court over that.Same idea.You'll see the trivial part as we pick up in verse 2.It says, "Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?Do you not know that we are to judge angels?How much more than matters pertaining to this life?So, if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?I say this to your shame.Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers?We'll pause there for a moment.Paul is saying we should be able to resolve these disputes internally.He's saying we are called to judge.If that sounds familiar, we saw it in 1 Corinthians 5,where verse 12 says, "For what have I to do with judging outsiders?Is it not those inside the church who you are to judge?"Not judging motives, because we can't see the heart,but we are required to judge actions.We judge the fruit.Now, what does Paul mean with this "saints" meaning believers?What does he mean with this "judging the world and angels" business?Well, he's referring to the concept of the children of God reigning with Jesus Christ in his victory.True.But we're not even going to get into all that, because Paul is using it for irony.Like, "Oh, you who will judge the world, you who will judge angels,why are you taking all your disputes to small claims court?"That's what they were doing.And actually, it was even worse than that.Because history tells us that in Paul's day, civil courts were completely corrupt.You couldn't even bring a case against someone who had a higher social standing than you.And when a case did make it to the courts, judges and juries would expect a kickbackfor a verdict in your favor,either a payment or something to help them with their standing.So the church in Corinth was not only suing each other,they were using the legal system to abuse or shake down fellow Christians of lower status.It's childish.And parents know you train young children to resolve their disputes themselves,but it takes a lot of training.Use your words.Talk it out.How would you feel if she said that to you?But until they mature, what's most often the outcome?Running to mom or dad to make a ruling.And sure, parents do need to step in sometimes,but more often than not, it's a dispute that could have been resolvedwith a conversation and some humility.But they're kids.They don't have the required patience or wisdom just yet.Paul is saying the church should be mature enough to use wisdom to resolve things internallyinstead of using lawsuits.But even if we avoid the courthouse, we can still struggle with disputes as a church.If a church member offends you intentionally or unintentionally,you don't sue them, but how do you react?Do you let it go?Or if it's just too much to let it go, do you talk to them about it?Or do you just avoid them?Or how many churches have gone through gigantic disputes over decisions like the carpet coloror chairs versus pews or the volume level during worship?Is stuff like that worth disunity with your brothers and sisters?Now, 1 Corinthians 6 doesn't outline practical steps that we should follow instead,but we know them from other places in Scripture.Matthew 18, for example, tells us to go first to the person directly,and if they don't listen, bring some others.And if they still don't listen, bring it before the church.That's the general path things should run,and some situations point us to other Scripture too.But the charge in these verses is to judge wisely.But these Matthew 18 conversations or conversations going to someone for counsel,they cannot be about gossip.That's just as destructive as a lawsuit.These conversations must be done with one goal in mind, reconciliation.As believers, we ask for forgiveness and forgive each other in order to be reconciled.That's who we are. That's what God's family does.By His grace, some of us grew up in God-fearing homes that demonstrated that's how a family works.But many of us either grew up in or we've seen family situations where that's not the case,where there is no repentance, no forgiveness, no reconciliation.Some might think, "Yeah, I've seen bitterness and I've seen grudges in a family,but reconciliation, forgiving one another, I've never seen a family like that."And that's why as a church, we must show the world that in Christ we are different.We have to show them what God's family is like, which is why, number two on your outline,in a church dispute, remember your relationship, number two, to the world we represent.So as believers, what does our relationship to the world have to do with our disputes?Well, rewind to the end of verse five.It says, "Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,but brother goes to law against brother?" And that before unbelievers?Before unbelievers. That's similar to what we saw back in verse one, before the unrighteous.We talked about the Corinthians lacking godly wisdom, but there's another problem.Taking all these disputes out into the world, what does that do to our witness?If the city of Corinth always saw the church in scandal or suing each other,what did that communicate to them about the gospel message?We have to remember that part of our relationship to the world is that Jesus called us to represent him to the world.Represent Jesus to the world.Now, listen, I'm not saying we should be concerned about image in the sense that we are marketing church,and reality is another thing.No, our concern is authentically following Jesus.We want people to see what it looks like to be transformed by Christ and living in a Christ-centered community.It's not about projecting some image, it's about our identity.Our witness is being like Jesus and telling people about him.So, infighting, legal battles, manipulation, that's what everybody else does.God's people are called to be different.If we act like the world, we've already lost.Just like it says in verse 7, it says, "To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you."Why not rather suffer wrong?Why not rather be defrauded?But you yourselves wrong and defraud, even your own brothers.Now, again, let me emphasize that we are not talking about criminal cases.But Paul is saying it would be better to just lose your money in the dispute than sue your church brother over these petty issues.Or again, maybe you're not actually going to court, but you still might need to suffer wrong.What do I mean?Have you ever been in a dispute where maybe you're 10% wrong and the other person is 90% wrong?Sometimes we still want to justify ourselves and bang the table about how less wrong we were.What about humbling yourself?What about taking the hit and saying, "You know, you're right. I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?"Our natural reaction is, "Why should I humble myself when they're wrong too?"Because of who we represent.Jesus is our example of humility, and we are that example to those around us.So to claim Christ and act like Paul describes here is a failure in our job as representatives.And you know, I talked a little bit about pizza earlier, but do you know what else I like?Frozen bananas.Well, I should be specific. Chocolate covered frozen bananas. Delicious.One time I went into an ice cream shop where I had gotten one before, but I didn't see any in the case in the front.So I thought, "Oh, they might have some in the back in the freezer."So I asked the woman working, "Do you have any frozen bananas?"And my friends who were there still quote her answer to me because she said, "Does it look like we have any frozen bananas?"Okay. I said, "Thank you." And I walked out without any dessert.Now, do you think the owner of the ice cream shop felt like she represented the store well that day?No. Just like employees represent their workplace as a body of believers, we represent Christ.If you claim Christ, you are his representative, period.In a world where everyone's flying off the handle at every disagreement, screaming or storming out of every issue,imagine the witness of a church that works through things together in love,using the highest authority of our life, God's word, to untangle the issue.No, it's not always easy. But the world will look and say, "What's going on over there? I want to be a part of that."But we have to step back and review for a moment because I don't want anyone to walk away with the wrong idea.So far, we've talked about resolving disputes in-house, not dragging disagreements to the court, and how we are presenting ourselves to the world.Those concepts could be sinfully twisted into an excuse to cover up sin.Now, we don't need to review all the sickening things that have been covered up by churches all over the world.Sinful men have tried to hide their sin, tried to hide abuse by saying things like, "Let's keep this in-house."No, they are wrong.This passage is not about covering things up or ignoring sin. Abuse in court or otherwise is sin.Covering up sin is sin. A forced reconciliation is a false reconciliation.Ignoring sin for the sake of the church's witness is a false witness.If someone's sinful act is a criminal act, then the correct response is to hand them over to the authorities.And that's God's idea, not mine. See Romans 13.I just want to be crystal clear.Paul, just like in chapter 5, is calling for the opposite of a cover up.He's calling us to recognize and remove flagrant, unrepentant sin.And that distinction is important because we all sin.It's not like, "Oh, I was coveting my friend's car yesterday."And last week, I had a lustful thought.Guess I have to leave Harvest Bible Chapel.No, of course all of us struggle with sin, but we commit that as a family,we're here to walk with each other in becoming purified by our Lord.We need each other's support and encouragement as each one of us turns away from our sin daily to become more like Jesus Christ.In fact, in him, we must renounce any relationship that we have to sin.Point number three on your outline today.In a church dispute, remember your relationship number three to sin.We renounce.Let's pick up in verse nine.It says, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?Do not be deceived.Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves,nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers,will inherit the kingdom of God."Now, reading this after the previous section can seem jarring.Paul is talking about disputes, the courts,and then he drops into this list of sins for which someone will not enter heaven.Now, understand that Paul is talking about a lifestyle of unrepentant, continual sin.Committing one of these sins or any sin in isolationdoes not automatically banish a person from heavenif that person repents of their sin and believes in the work of Jesus for their forgiveness.But why does the connection here to verses one to eight?Well, two things.First, verse one asked if believers dare take their case before the unrighteous.And then here it says, "Do you not know that the unrighteouswill inherit the kingdom of God?"Sorry, the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.Paul is saying, "Church, you should resolve your disputesinstead of bringing them before people who are living in reckless sin for them to decide."You're like, "Don't worry, I keep beef out of the legal system."Okay, well, do you bring your church disputes before unbelieving friends or family?Do you complain about the church or people in the church at work or on social media?That is bringing your case before the unrighteous for them to judge.Now, as for the second connection, recall the underhanded dealings of these civil courts.People in the church were using their influence and status to manipulate other Christians via lawsuitsto take advantage of their own brothers for their gain.That sin belongs in this list, too.See, this isn't a random list of sinfulness.This list is about not being content and reaching out of bounds to get more.And really, that goes all the way back to the first sin, doesn't it?Back in Genesis, God told Adam,"And the Lord God commanded the man saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat,for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.'"But Adam and Eve ultimately were not content with that.And so they reached outside the bounds that God created.That's the same root as every sin in this list.God says that sexual intimacy is between one man and one woman within the covenant of marriage.But people say, "I'm not content with that."Be it adultery, homosexuality, or any form of sexual immorality,instead of receiving God's gift as he intended,they reached outside God's design to take something else, or idolatry.God says we should worship Him and only Him.But people say, "I'm not content with that."They worship money, success, celebrity.They reach outside of what they know in their heart to worship anything but God.What about drunkards or revilers, people who abuse alcohol or verbally abuse others?God set a boundary around drunkenness and a boundary on our speech,but they say, "I'm not content with that.I will drink how I want and I'll say what I want."Or thieves, the greedy, swindlers, whatever they have, they say, "I'm not content with that.I want more and I'm willing to reach out and take it, even if it means stealing from my own family."And that's where the Corinthian church was, reaching out of bounds to take from their brothers and sisters.Paul says their sin is the same as these.And if you live a life of unrepentant, habitual sin, a life reaching out of bounds,you will not inherit the kingdom of God.So church, we have to ask ourselves, what should our relationship be to sin?Titus chapter 2 verse 11 says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age."We must renounce sin.That's our relationship, not embracing it, not excusing it, but rejecting it, turning away, running away.How do we do that?Well, praise the Lord, we are about to read some of the most incredible words in Scripture on that topic.Our last point today, you must remember your relationship, number four, to Jesus Christ.We are renewed.1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 11, it says, "And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified,you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.And such were some of you."Some translations say, "And this is what some of you used to be."Paul is saying, "You used to do these things, but God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for your sin upon Himself."He bore that sin in His death on the cross and then conquering death rose again in victory.And this verse applies to anyone who will repent and believe in Him as their Savior.Now, you might think that stuff that you used to do is too much to overcome.You're afraid Jesus knows who you were.Well, Jesus knows your whole story and He still invites you into a relationship with Him.He wants to release you from your sin and bring you true contentment.So repent and believe.As it says here, "If you believe, you were washed clean.Sin from your past, present, and future has been washed away in the name of Jesus."You were sanctified, meaning you were set apart as holy and you are being made holy.God is shaping you into what He already calls you.And you were justified, meaning the charges of sin against you have been dropped.You're innocent.That lifestyle of unrepentant sin, that's who you used to be.You are made new.In a dispute, you must remember your relationship with Jesus Christ because that relationship determines all other relationships.But some might think, "If I have that relationship with Christ and if I'm made new, why do I still sin?Why do we still have disputes and disagreements and fights?"I read one scholar put it this way.Imagine, I know this is going to be hard to believe, that you were caught in a snowstorm.It shouldn't be too hard.You're covered in snow, totally freezing, and you feel like you might not make it.But somehow, you crawl and you make it back to your house and you get inside.The room is warm.Maybe fireplace is going.You're saved.But even though you're safe standing in the warmth,it's going to take some time for the ice in your pockets to thaw out.You see the picture.You are secure in Christ, but not all of your sin has melted away yet.That won't be totally complete until we reach heaven.Until then, through our relationship with Christ, we are safe indoors being justifiedand we're thawing out being sanctified at the same time.So as we close, I hope you see how and why the church must deal with disputes in a godly way.We should be able to handle that stuff through Jesus.Next time you're in a dispute, step back and remember, this is my brother or sister in Christ.My goal is to be reconciled with them.Remember that we are representing Christ to the world.The way that we interact should reflect our Lord, showing the world that Jesus works.Remember that we've renounced sin and we lovingly help each other do that.We don't manipulate others.We don't reach out of bounds grabbing for more.That's not who we are.Because who are we?Remember that in Jesus, we are a people renewed.We don't serve sin or our selfish desires anymore.Together, unified and purified, we serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.Let's pray together.Lord God, I thank you for your word.God, I thank you for the church.And I pray God that when we face disputes, we would face them with godly wisdom and character, love and patience, God,that we may be reconciled, that we may be a light into the world around us.We pray and ask for your mercy, God, upon us now and we ask for you to guide us in these matters.Let us be a church unified and purified for your glory, Lord God.In Jesus' name, amen.Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 6:1-11What was your big take-away from this passage / message?How should disputes within the church family be resolved? How does that process differ for disputes with unbelievers?How and why must the church faithfully guard its witness to the world?Paul says those listed in 1 Cor. 6:9-10 will not inherit the kingdom of God. What does he mean by that?If we are made new in Jesus Christ, why do we still struggle with sin? How can we come alongside each other as believers in that struggle?BreakoutPray for one another.

Join host Jeff on this wide-ranging Friday edition of Right On Radio as he dissects the week's biggest stories, plays audio clips, and issues practical spiritual and survival advice. Jeff opens by reacting to the World Economic Forum and its globalist messaging, explores the theme of sovereignty, and warns listeners about how maps and power are shifting in the emerging New World Order. The episode gives a clear primer on psychological warfare: Jeff summarizes classic experiments (Asch conformity study, Milgram obedience, Stanford prison) and modern dynamics (social-media algorithms, false dilemmas, the Cartman drama triangle, zealous hero worship, controlled opposition, and the Hegelian dialectic). He explains how these forces narrow perception, stoke fear and tribalism, and manipulate public opinion — and previews a forthcoming teaching video that will go deeper into these concepts. Featuring notable clips and commentary, Jeff plays and reacts to segments from Yuval Harari on AI and “religions of the book,” and a short Trump clip outlining alleged strategies to entrench single-party rule via immigration and voting changes. He connects Harari's warning to a practical takeaway: own physical Bibles and don't rely solely on digital sources. Light moments include a short comedy clip about beer and hormones from U.S. scientists. Practical preparedness is a recurring theme — Jeff issues cold-weather/ice-storm warnings, recommends quality inverter generators or wood stoves, and shares tips for preventing frozen-pipe damage. He also promotes Telegram as an algorithm-free way to follow Right On Radio content. On money and stewardship, Jeff outlines his three core investment categories: investing in human capital and businesses, caution around stock-market and crypto exposure, and prioritizing real estate for cash flow. He discusses precious and industrial metals (silver, gold, copper), CBDC concerns, recent bank/central-bank headlines, and why some financial shifts could presage broader systemic change. Political and geopolitical notes include talk of RICO-style accountability, grand juries, the Board of Peace and its implications for Israel and regional power, plus a mention of Mark Carney and global finance. Jeff closes with community announcements — Sunday Bible study, Telegram prayer calls, and offers of coaching and resources for listeners wanting help with business or real-estate investing. Expect a mix of analysis, biblical perspective, practical prepping advice, and provocative audio clips — all aimed at helping Right On Radio listeners think critically, steward resources wisely, and prepare spiritually and practically for turbulent times. Want to Understand and Explain Everything Biblically?  Click Here: Decoding the Power of Three: Understand and Explain Everything or go to www.rightonu.com and click learn more.  Thank you for Listening to Right on Radio. Prayerfully consider supporting Right on Radio. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more... https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes We are Your News Now. Keep the Faith

Here is another “Things I Think” episode! This episode is a completely different format than what we usually record on Sandy Creek Stirrings. In this episode, I share with you a few random thoughts that have been on my mind – some musings, some “ponderings”, some things that I have been meditating on. Like:- Why I believe the "copyright issue" is a, relatively, non-issue in the Bible version debate. - A call to young men to have practical wisdom in their daily conversation and how unlocking classic literature can help with that. - My personal recommendation to those looking to purchase a new Bible. Bibles mentioned in this episode: - Rock of Ages Study Bible: https://roapm.org/store/#!/Bibles/c/8846043- Cambridge Bibles: https://www.thekjvstore.com/kjv-bibles/?_bc_fsnf=1&brand=94- Schuyler Bibles: https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-kjv-bibles/- KJV Store Reader's Bible: https://www.thekjvstore.com/kjv-store-reader-s-edition-bible-with-sacred-syntax/- Church Bible Publisher's: https://churchbiblepublishers.com/- The KJV Store: https://www.thekjvstore.com/

Screens dominate modern life, quietly shaping habits, desires, and spiritual health in ways many people fail to recognize. Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar examine how smartphones and social media have become powerful tools that amplify the heart's desires, often drifting from usefulness into addiction. While technology itself is morally neutral, the guys explain that human sinfulness and spiritual opposition twist good gifts into sources of distraction, dependency, and misplaced worship. Phones promise connection and reassurance, yet they often function as a substitute for stillness, prayer, and dependence on the Lord.The conversation turns to how social media platforms are intentionally designed to be addictive. Drawing parallels to slot machines, the guys discuss dopamine-driven engagement and the reality that free apps profit by turning users into products. This constant stimulation rewires attention and interferes with spiritual disciplines like reading Scripture and being present with God. They challenge believers to consider how often they check their phones compared to how often they examine their souls, warning that unchecked use reshapes how sin is perceived, normalized, and even celebrated.The guys then move into the personal and relational costs of excessive phone use. Social media provides comfort through distance, yet it fuels jealousy, gossip, and slander while deepening loneliness. Digital life replaces fundamental interactions with curated images, depriving people of everyday relational friction that builds maturity and resilience. They note growing social anxiety, loss of creativity, and diminished attention spans as consequences of constant engagement. Yet the discussion also highlights practical steps toward freedom, such as reading physical Bibles, setting boundaries, turning off notifications, limiting app access, and intentionally reclaiming attention from devices designed to control it.Finally, the guys address parenting and responsibility in a digital age. They urge courage, honesty, and accountability when it comes to children and screens, emphasizing that guidance and restriction are acts of love, not burdens. Parents are encouraged to replace screen time with creativity, outdoor play, genuine relationships, and hands-on experiences. The episode closes with a call to fight rather than surrender, to confess unhealthy habits, and to invite family accountability. True freedom comes not from rejecting technology entirely, but from examining the heart, setting wise boundaries, and choosing to let Christ shape attention, affection, and daily life.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

14:23 - Is Hebrew the prayer language? / 17:08 - A defense of the NIV version. / 45:46 - Why isn't Matthew 17:21 in most Bibles? / 50:49 - What is the outer darkness outside of Heaven?

Can you trust that viral “Bible connection” you just saw on TikTok? In this episode, Matt Swale, author of Terms, Themes, and Thesis, joins Dr. Dru Johnson to discuss how biblical allusions really work—and why we need better instincts and better tools when interpreting Scripture. Swale wrote the book to help lay readers and undergraduates navigate the exciting (and sometimes overhyped) world of intertextuality: how one passage of Scripture evokes another, often subtly, and with profound rhetorical effect. They explore his criteria for spotting allusions—rare terms, thematic coherence, and rhetorical fit—while affirming the emotional and spiritual value of hunting for connections. From Genesis 3 and Luke 24 to Judges 19 and Genesis 19, Swale shows how true allusions enrich our understanding, while false positives can mislead or confuse. Swale also urges humility: “You want to make sure it's real,” he says. “False positives are part of the process.” He encourages listeners to use tools like reference Bibles, read in community, and learn from scholars—while warning against treating academic access as priestly gatekeeping. We are listener supported. Give to the cause here: https://hebraicthought.org/give For more articles: https://thebiblicalmind.org/ Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the Conversation 01:00 Teaching Hermeneutics and Its Challenges 02:35 Illusions and Bad Practices in Interpretation 05:07 The Role of Social Media in Biblical Interpretation 07:45 Criteria for Identifying Illusions 11:55 The Importance of Rhetorical Analysis 16:07 The Need for Humility in Interpretation 20:00 Understanding Allusions in Scripture 24:01 The Nature of Illusions and Their Impact 28:03 Exploring Textual Connections 32:00 The Role of Community in Biblical Literacy 36:06 The Future of Biblical Literacy 40:03 Connecting Joseph and Daniel Stories 43:53 Rhetorical Connections in Genesis and Judges 46:57 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Send us a textNew Year, New Episode.Welcome special guest Wyatt Pennington everybody! A new father, emerging and awesome youth ministry leader Wyatt walks us through a practical reframe: treat parents as partners, not an inbox. He details quarterly parent nights that include worship, teaching for adults, prayer, and a genuine response, plus simple series-based resources that turn “What did you learn?” into real conversations around the table. The result: families feel pastored, not processed—and students keep growing after Wednesday night ends.We also tackle the screen-shaped world teens inhabit. Instead of declaring tech the enemy, Wyatt models a wiser way: analog alarm clocks, physical Bibles that never ping, printed workbooks, and clear boundaries that make space for God. We unpack how algorithms disciple kids with precision and why embodied practices and honest witness can out-form what big tech outspends. Finally, we get granular on communication: preach shorter sermons with one sticky point, yup just one, and lead descriptively by sharing your actual habits and failures, and commit to loving Jesus when no one is watching.High Points• new dad lessons on sacrifice and joy• modeling boundaries students can see• calling story from midweek to camp• caught not taught approach to mentoring• rebalancing ministry toward parents• practical parent nights with response• screens, algorithms, and formation• analog habits that make space for God• descriptive leadership over prescriptions• why shorter sermons carry furtherSignups for the Youth Ministry Preaching Experience are live. Check it out at lifeway.com/experience come check it out… sign up, let's hang out in Nashville for three days and talk about what it means to teach, preach, and connect with students in 2026 and beyondSupport the showJoin the community!

How Do We Talk To Our Kids About Health??? An age by age breakdown... In this episode of the Bacon Bibles and Barbells podcast, Coach Justin, Coach Emily, and Coach Amanda how to talk to your kids about health and nutrition. They emphasize the need for parents to instill healthy habits in their children from a young age, focusing on understanding food as fuel, encouraging physical activity, and navigating the challenges of different age groups. We break the conversation down into ages 0-5, 6-12, and 13+ to make it easier to identify what things to emphasize in conversations with their kids as they move through the different developmental stages. They emphasize the need for open communication about body image in light of scripture and God's design, portion sizes, a time and place for everything, and the significance of encouraging healthy habits. We also address the common pitfalls we see from parents fairly often. The coaches also highlight the role of strength training in building confidence and the necessity of addressing the nutritional needs of active teens. They provide insights on fostering a supportive and positive environment for healthy choices and the importance of normalizing discussions about health and fitness within the family. There is also a brief conversation on addressing the topic childhood weight gain and how to think about it in your own family context. Give it a listen here or wherever you get your podcasts! Just look up Bacon, Bibles, and Barbells! Enjoy the episode!

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.

Mercy meets failure as Manasseh turns from deep idolatry, while Josiah's zeal and the rediscovered law spark national renewal. We trace how humility, decisive action, and Scripture transform people and communities.• Manasseh's idolatry and oppression across Judah• Assyrian captivity leading to sincere repentance• Public reforms that remove idols and rebuild worship• Amon's imitation of sin without humility• Josiah's early pursuit of God and bold purges• Discovery of the law scroll and public reading• Huldah's prophecy balancing judgment and mercy• Covenant renewal as communal commitment• Practical steps to return to Scripture and obedienceSend Mike a quick message! (If you seek a reply, instead please contact through Outloudbible.com) Support the showCheck out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

Send us a textWhat if being born again is the first resurrection and the thousand years in Revelation 20 describes the age we're living in right now? We dig into that claim with open Bibles and clear logic, asking whether a literal countdown can coexist with Jesus' words that no one knows the day or hour. The conversation challenges popular end-times timelines, not to stir controversy for its own sake, but to re-center our hope on Christ rather than on charts.We walk through Daniel 9 and argue that the seventieth week points to Jesus Himself—His three-and-a-half-year public ministry, His atoning death, and His confirming of the covenant. That reframes the trope of a seven-year tribulation led by a treaty-making Antichrist, a concept that sounds familiar but lacks a firm textual home. Then we track Daniel 2's stone cut without hands, striking during Rome, and connect it to the incarnation and the launch of an unshakeable kingdom. Along the way we explore how Antiochus IV's desecration and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 act as foreshadows—real events pointing beyond themselves to Christ's global judgment and reign.Across it all, we keep Revelation anchored to its true subject: the revelation of Jesus Christ. The church stands on one foundation—the apostles and prophets with Christ as cornerstone—and that foundation does not get rebuilt in a later dispensation. If our interpretations push Jesus to the margins, we've missed the point. Come ready to weigh Scripture with us, question assumptions, and recover the courage and comfort that flow from knowing the King reigns now and His return remains certain and unknowable. If this conversation sharpens you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so others can join the study.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Over the last 30 years, the number of Americans who say they highly value patriotism, religion, community, and family has dropped dramatically. At the same time, the number of Americans who care about making more money has gone up. Phil, Kaitlyn, and Skye discuss David Brooks' new article about the culture's shift toward autonomy and away from loving attachments, and how Christians can begin rebuilding their social muscles. Sociologist and former pastor, Ryan Burge, is back to discuss why the political polarization of Christianity is hurting both the church and democracy. Also this week, why small houses are better for your soul, and monkeys are missing in St. Louis—or are they?   Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free Version of this Episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/148707266/   Bonus Interview with Ryan Burge: https://www.patreon.com/posts/148694023/   0:00 - Show Starts   3:38 - Theme Song   4:45 - Sponsor - Poncho - If you've been looking for the perfect shirt—something breathable, fits great, feels even better, and stands out in a good way—give Poncho a try. Get $10 off your first order by using this link: https://www.ponchooutdoors.com/holypost   5:12 - Sponsor - Tyndale - The Life Application Study Bible is here to give you resources to help you understand why scripture matters and how it applies today! Check it out now at: https://www.tyndale.com/sites/lasb/?utm_campaign=Bibles%20-%20NLT%20Life%20Applicati[…]ource=Holy%20Post%20Podcast&utm_medium=Microsite%20Nov%202025   7:00 - The Monkeys are Loose in St. Louis!   15:24 - David Brooks on Love   38:00 - Are You Socially Muscular?   50:33 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month!   51:30 -  Sponsor - PolicyGenius - Secure your family's tomorrow so you have peace of mind today. Go to https://www.policygenius.com/HOLYPOST to find the right life insurance for you   52:34 - Interview   55:34 - Number of Christians Holding Steady   1:00:23 - Do Revivals Need to be Inside the Church?   1:09:38 - What is a Moderate Congregation?   1:17:50 - Evangelicalism Became Fundamentalism   1:24:00 - End Credits   Links Mentioned in News Segment: Monkeys! On the Loose! https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/us/monkeys-loose-st-louis.html   We're Living Through the Great Detachment: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/opinion/americans-marriage-loneliness-love.html   Elizabeth Oldfield on Social Muscles: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/opinion/community-housing-friendship.html   Other Resources: The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us (Why the Culture War Led to Polarization and What We Can Do About it) by Ryan Burge: https://amzn.to/4r1rbKL   Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/   Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus   Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost   Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop   The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.  

So far in this series, we've talked about how to clarify vision and how to build strong strategies. But even when leaders feel really good about those pieces, there's still a sticking point: getting the whole team aligned and moving together. This is where you might hit a wall. There's a gap between defining your vision and actually making it happen. So it's time to move. In the final episode of our series "How to Not Waste January," Amy and Sean talk about typical signs that show a church is lacking alignment and the three critical steps you can take to realign with your vision.    This Episode is Sponsored by Tyndale: What if your Bible could do more than just be read? Experience the innovative, awe-inspiring Filament Bible app! When you pair your Filament-enabled Bible with the FREE Filament app, you'll unlock thousands of study notes, hundreds of videos, interactive maps, devotionals, audio Bibles, and more—all designed to deepen your understanding of and enrich your time in God's Word. Discover more ways to interact with God's Word. Learn more at FilamentBibles.com.   Join the Conversation on Social Media We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

Dylan Cottrill's message from Wednesday January 21st, 2026In this powerful message, we confront a sobering reality: we live in a generation experiencing a spiritual famine of God's Word. Drawing from Amos 8:11-13, we're reminded that God warned of a coming famine—not of bread or water, but of hearing His Word. Today, despite having unprecedented access to Scripture, we're witnessing this prophecy unfold in our own time. We own multiple Bibles, yet studies reveal that over half of American Christians have read less than half of Scripture, and a third never open it outside of church. This isn't just about statistics; it's about survival. The Word of God is described throughout Scripture as living, breathing, powerful—sharper than any two-edged sword. It's a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path, and literally the difference between spiritual life and death. When we neglect this precious gift, we walk into confusion, just as Deuteronomy 28 warns. We seek peace in entertainment, comfort in self-gratification, and answers in everything except the very pages that contain God's breath. The challenge before us is clear: will we commit to hiding God's Word in our hearts, allowing it to guide every step, every decision, every moment? This isn't elementary—it's essential. Our theme for the year, 'I must decrease as He increases,' starts right here, with opening the Book and letting it transform us from the inside out.

Simone Halpin, Kelly Brady, John Vandervelde, and Matt Marron respond to questions from Kelly and Matt's sermons from Jan 18, 2026

Hey friends,Let's be honest, studying the Bible as a busy parent can feel overwhelming. We want to be in the Word, but sometimes we just don't know where to start. Today's episode is a lifeline if you've ever stared at your Bible and thought, “I want to read this… I just don't know how.”I'm so excited for you to hear from Faith Womack (aka Bible Nerd), who is on a mission to help people fall in love with scripture in a way that's approachable, meaningful, and, dare we say…fun. This conversation is the reminder we all need that Bible study isn't about performance; it's about presence. And it is possible to make time for God's Word in our full and fast-moving lives.Here are a few things Faith shared that really stuck with me:Bible study doesn't have to be intense or intimidating, it's an invitation, not a test.The Gospels make an incredible starting point when you need a reset or a place to re-engage with Jesus.We model a love of scripture to our kids not with perfection, but by simply showing up with curiosity and consistency.Worship can happen while we study, it's not just something we do after we understand everything.Whether you're brand new to Bible study or just need some fresh encouragement, this episode is going to feel like a deep breath of grace and motivation.Faith is the founder of Bible Nerd Ministries, where she equips Christians to understand and enjoy scripture. Her new book, No More Boring Bible Study, is a practical and inspiring guide for anyone who wants to connect with God's Word in a real and transformative way. Faith's mission is to help people study the Bible with joy, confidence, and depth, no seminary degree required. She lives with her husband and kids and is passionate about making the Bible accessible to everyone.Let's start where we are, open our Bibles, and remember that God delights in meeting us there.With love,Steph(00:00) Introduction to Bible Study Passion(03:04) The Journey of Understanding Scripture(06:02) Overcoming Intimidation in Bible Study(08:52) The Importance of a God-Centric Approach(12:07) Practical Steps to Engage with the Bible(14:55) Adapting Bible Study Habits as a Parent(17:57) Encouraging Kids in Their Faith Journey(21:03) Navigating Bible Study Resources(23:58) Conclusion and ResourcesConnect with FaithBible Nerd Ministries YouTubeInstagramHow to Faith a Life podcastResources MentionedNo More Boring Bible Study bookSign up for Morning MinuteChristian ParentingDwell Bible in a Year Prefer video? Find this and other episodes on YouTube!The Christian Parenting Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.orgOur Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CPPODCAST for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Brian From sits down with Todd Busteed of Gap Digital to explore the careful craft behind audio Bibles and audio drama. Todd shares how accuracy, humility, and even reverence guide the process of recording Scripture, from pronunciation choices to music and dramatic elements. The conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how God’s Word is thoughtfully translated into sound—and how creative media can serve the church and inspire the next generation of Christian storytellers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Heart Dive's Heartbeat of God, where we are finding how God's heart beats throughout His Word so we can find Him in the world. Today we are studying Judges 19-21 in the Old Testament.Help keep our Bible study resources free by supporting as a Heartkeeper here: heartdive.org/giveTODAY'S HEARTBEATS:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vVXpaJMImUvtqL44_C8rJRR_BREnhtKf/view?usp=sharingTODAY'S HEART WORK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12SzgRUJ7TY5ww8XyPvZaFbGcD3j_V3RO/view?usp=sharingPHASE 1: heartdive.org/startHEART DIVE LOBBY (Facebook Community): https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BK2GvLZbo/?mibextid=wwXIfrVISIT OUR SHOP: heartdiveshop.comFREE RESOURCES: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/folders/1Tvms_gB-OWMum61DiCXvFV8R8jKXpIVIMy Bible Notes: https://heartdive.org/daily-notes-with-kanoe/Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/shop/kanoegibson/list/1ED3COSB79TAQ?ref_=aipsflistLOGOS Software affiliate link: http://www.logos.com/heartdiveFree Reading Plan and Daily Newsletter sign up: http://heartdive.org/newsletterLink to recommended Bibles: https://heartdive.org/recommendations/ 

For Week 3 in our study of Acts, Raechel and Amanda are joined by Trilia Newbell. Together they reflect on God's goodness and faithfulness to them and the gospel call that extends to each and every believer. Open your Bibles with us this week! This episode corresponds to Week 3 of She Reads Truth's Acts reading plan. You can read with the She Reads Truth community on our site, in our app, or with our Acts printed or digital Daily Reading Guide.She Reads Truth on Instagram & FacebookRaechel Myers on InstagramAmanda Bible Williams on InstagramTrillia Newbell 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

A SECOND CENTURY PLOT by rabbis to desupernaturalize the Hebrew scriptures has given us the English Old Testament we have today. Why did the rabbis do it? How do we know what's been changed? Does this mean we can't trust the Bible? It's an important and touch subject. To discuss it is our panel, Doug Van Dorn (DouglasVanDorn.com), author of this month's topic, the forthcoming book Battle for the Bible's Truth: Genesis, Jesus, and the Second Century Plot to Deny the Messiah; Brian Godawa (Godawa.com), best-selling author of the theological thriller Cruel Logic, and two new novels based on the period of the Maccabees in Judea; and Dr. Judd Burton (BurtonBeyond.net), author of Interview With the Giant. In a nutshell, influential rabbis in the second century tried to keep Jews from finding evidence in their scriptures for the Christian Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. This followed the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–135 AD) in which Christians, who had previously been part of the Jewish community, refused to fight for Simon Bar Kokhba, who Rabbi Akiba had declared was the Messiah. Roman punishment for Jewish rebels was harsh. Judaea was depopulated, with Jews being sold into slavery en masse, and the province was renamed Palestine. It was the only time Rome tried to erase a population from history. The hard feelings between Jews and Christians led to a final split between the faiths with rabbis trying to eliminate evidence for a “second power in heaven”—Yahweh in the flesh, namely Jesus—and Christians blaming Jews for the unrest and rebellion that stirred up so much trouble for the Roman Empire. That animosity continues to this day. We discuss the implications of the rabbis' plot, how it affected our modern Old Testament translations, and where we can go to find what's been changed—beginning with Genesis 6:1–4, the infamous verses about the creation of the Nephilim. And no, this does not mean we can no longer trust our Bibles. What was changed is subtle, and the prophecies of the coming Messiah, and his return, are still there. Follow us! X: @viewfrombunker | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbertTelegram: t.me/gilberthouseSubstack: gilberthouse.substack.comYouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelationFacebook.com/viewfromthebunker Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! The building has HVAC, a new floor, windows, insulation, ceiling fans, and an upgraded electrical system! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at www.GilbertHouse.org/donate. —— Download our free app! This brings all of our content directly to your smartphone or tablet. Best of all, we'll never get canceled from our own app! Links to the app stores for iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle Fire devices are at www.GilbertHouse.org/app. Please join us each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details. JOIN US IN ISRAEL! We will tour the Holy Land October 11–23, 2026 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. —— Special offers on our books and DVDs: www.gilberthouse.org/store. Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page (facebook.com/viewfromthebunker) and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network (Spreaker.com/show/fringe-radio-network)!

A RABBINIC PLOT to desupernaturalize the Hebrew scriptures has given us the English Old Testament we have today. Why did the rabbis do it? How do we know what's been changed? Does this mean we can't trust the Bible? It's an important and touch subject. To discuss it is our panel, Doug Van Dorn (DouglasVanDorn.com), author of this month's topic, the forthcoming book Battle for the Bible's Truth: Genesis, Jesus, and the Second Century Plot to Deny the Messiah; Brian Godawa (Godawa.com), best-selling author of the theological thriller Cruel Logic, and two new novels based on the period of the Maccabees in Judea; and Dr. Judd Burton (BurtonBeyond.net), author of Interview With the Giant. In a nutshell, influential rabbis in the second century tried to keep Jews from finding evidence in their scriptures for the Christian Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. This followed the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–135 AD) in which Christians, who had previously been part of the Jewish community, refused to fight for Simon Bar Kokhba, who Rabbi Akiba had declared was the Messiah.  Roman punishment for Jewish rebels was harsh. Judaea was depopulated, with Jews being sold into slavery en masse, and the province was renamed Palestine. It was the only time Rome tried to erase a population from history. The hard feelings between Jews and Christians led to a final split between the faiths with rabbis trying to eliminate evidence for a “second power in heaven”—Yahweh in the flesh, namely Jesus—and Christians blaming Jews for the unrest and rebellion that stirred up so much trouble for the Roman Empire. That animosity continues to this day. We discuss the implications of the rabbis' plot, how it affected our modern Old Testament translations, and where we can go to find what's been changed—beginning with Genesis 6:1–4, the infamous verses about the creation of the Nephilim. And no, this does not mean we can no longer trust our Bibles. What was changed is subtle, and the prophecies of the coming Messiah, and his return, are still there. 

The new year is upon us, and most people associate the turning of the calendar page with CHANGE. Whether it's losing a little weight, reading their Bibles more, or being more present with their families, the world looks to the calendar as the starting point for change. But what if change came a different way? What if outer changes were unrelated to our calendars, and came exclusively because of our inner transformation? Today, Pastor Sam Cabra announces the 2026 word of the year for Reunion, "Renewing the Mind." Renewal often comes in seasons, and knowing which season we are in is critically important. Expecting the right thing in the wrong season leads to bitterness, disappointment, and pain. But as we walk in step with God, He continually reveals the times and seasons we are currently in. By faith in the power of agreement, we step into the season of Renewing our Minds in 2026.Thank you for partnering with Reunion Hawaii! To GIVE online, please visit our website at www.reunionhawaii.comMake sure to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to this podcast!You can follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/reunionhawaii@reunionhawaii

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.

Join Raechel, Amanda, and guest David Platt for Week 2 in the book of Acts! Be encouraged and reminded of the ministry that each and every follower of Jesus is given to share the gospel wherever you are. Open your Bibles with us this week! This episode corresponds to Week 2 of She Reads Truth's Acts reading plan. You can read with the She Reads Truth community on our site, in our app, or with our Acts printed or digital Daily Reading Guide.In this Episode:How to Read the Bible by David PlattShe Reads Truth on Instagram & FacebookRaechel Myers on InstagramAmanda Bible Williams on InstagramDavid Platt 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

Discover why a study Bible is a vital tool for the pulpit. Learn how integrating these resources can strengthen your sermon preparation by providing essential historical and literary context.Get a new website, unlimited custom graphics, & full-service podcast production services at https://IncreaseCreative.Co/HBSubscribe to the Cutting It Straight magazine at https://CISmag.orgConnect with H.B. and access more resources at https://HBCharlesJr.comThe On Preaching Podcast is dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better.Hosted by H.B. Charles, Jr., Pastor-Teacher of Shiloh.Church in Jacksonville, Florida Produced by Luke Clayton and the team at IncreaseCreative.CoSHARE YOUR QUESTIONS, AND IT MAY BE FEATURED IN A FUTURE EPISODE.Drop a comment or go to https://ncrs.cc/opqa to ask your questions.