Podcasts about bullinger

In this conversation, Camden Bucey discusses various topics related to Reformed theology, including updates on the upcoming Reformed Forum Theology Conference, an overview of his new apologetics course, and a look into Ulrich Zwingli's theology, particularly regarding the Lord's Supper. He emphasizes the importance of understanding historical theology and the need for faithful Reformed witness in contemporary contexts. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Conference Updates 12:05 Apologetics Course Overview 24:06 Exploring Zwingli's Theology 30:00 Closing Remarks and Future Plans Books Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Edited by John T. McNeill. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles. 2 vols. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960. Calvin, John. Short Treatise on the Holy Supper of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Translated by Henry Beveridge. Originally published 1541. Available in various reprint editions. Gerrish, B. A. Grace and Gratitude: The Eucharistic Theology of John Calvin. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993. Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997. Old, Hughes Oliphant. The Patristic Roots of Reformed Worship. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975. Packer, J. I. “Calvin the Theologian.” In Honouring the People of God: Collected Shorter Writings, vol. 4, 77–92. Carlisle, PA: P&R Publishing, 2013. Potter, G. R. Zwingli. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976. Stephens, W. P. The Theology of Huldrych Zwingli. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986. Zwingli, Ulrich. On the Lord's Supper (1526). In Zwingli and Bullinger, edited and translated by G. W. Bromiley, 176ff. Library of Christian Classics. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1953.

Matt Slick Live (Live Broadcast of 05-09-2025) is a production of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM). Matt answers questions on topics such as: The Bible, Apologetics, Theology, World Religions, Atheism, and other issues! You can also email questions to Matt using: info@carm.org, Put "Radio Show Question" in the Subject line! Answers will be discussed in a future show. Topics Include: Matt Discusses The Election of The New Roman Catholic Pope/ Should Christians Pray Over All Food, Including Snacks?/What Does it Mean to be a Good Christian?/Some Claim They No Longer Sin/ The Apostles' Creed Says That Jesus Descended into Hell—What Does That Mean?/A KJV Translation Deficiency/ Friday Email Readings- Jesus' Deity, Adding to Scripture/ Bible Reference Question- E.W. Bullinger, Matt Also Recommends Others/ Who Are The Lost Sheep of The House of Israel?—Why This Concept is Important For Proper Teaching Guidance to The Flock of God/ More Email Readings--The Irrationality of Deism, Eternal Security and Calvin, Would All of Us Have Sinned If we Were In The Garden of Eden?, Is it Fair that We All Fall Under Adam's Penalty?, Chosen Angels and People, Adult Children Living at Home Unmarried/ Can A Believer Justify Why He Doesn't Go To Church?/ May 9, 2025

Matt Slick Live (Live Broadcast of 05-09-2025) is a production of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM). Matt answers questions on topics such as: The Bible, Apologetics, Theology, World Religions, Atheism, and other issues! You can also email questions to Matt using: info@carm.org, Put "Radio Show Question" in the Subject line! Answers will be discussed in a future show. Topics Include: Matt Discusses The Election of The New Roman Catholic Pope/ Should Christians Pray Over All Food, Including Snacks?/What Does it Mean to be a Good Christian?/Some Claim They No Longer Sin/ The Apostles' Creed Says That Jesus Descended into Hell—What Does That Mean?/A KJV Translation Deficiency/ Friday Email Readings- Jesus' Deity, Adding to Scripture/ Bible Reference Question- E.W. Bullinger, Matt Also Recommends Others/ Who Are The Lost Sheep of The House of Israel?—Why This Concept is Important For Proper Teaching Guidance to The Flock of God/ More Email Readings--The Irrationality of Deism, Eternal Security and Calvin, Would All of Us Have Sinned If we Were In The Garden of Eden?, Is it Fair that We All Fall Under Adam's Penalty?, Chosen Angels and People, Adult Children Living at Home Unmarried/ Can A Believer Justify Why He Doesn't Go To Church?/ May 9, 2025

Matt Slick Live (Live Broadcast of 05-09-2025) is a production of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM). Matt answers questions on topics such as: The Bible, Apologetics, Theology, World Religions, Atheism, and other issues! You can also email questions to Matt using: info@carm.org, Put "Radio Show Question" in the Subject line! Answers will be discussed in a future show. Topics Include:Matt Discusses The Election of The New Roman Catholic Pope/ Should Christians Pray Over All Food, Including Snacks?/What Does it Mean to be a Good Christian?/Some Claim They No Longer Sin/ The Apostles' Creed Says That Jesus Descended into Hell—What Does That Mean?/A KJV Translation Deficiency/ Friday Email Readings- Jesus' Deity, Adding to Scripture/ Bible Reference Question- E.W. Bullinger, Matt Also Recommends Others/ Who Are The Lost Sheep of The House of Israel?—Why This Concept is Important For Proper Teaching Guidance to The Flock of God/ More Email Readings--The Irrationality of Deism, Eternal Security and Calvin, Would All of Us Have Sinned If we Were In The Garden of Eden?, Is it Fair that We All Fall Under Adam's Penalty?, Chosen Angels and People, Adult Children Living at Home Unmarried/ Can A Believer Justify Why He Doesn't Go To Church?/ May 9, 2025

Leviticus 16 has often been described as, “What the Law could not do”. It deals with the Day of Atonement, or coverings – of sin.The sacrifices under the Law of Moses could never take away sin; nor could they cleanse the conscience of the offerer. The writer to the Hebrews particularly speaks of this in chapters 9-10 verses 9 verses 6-12, 23-28, and 10 verses1-22 are an exposition on the Day of Atonement. Read these verses and ponder their meaning. Now for the breakdown of this chapter which climaxes the section in Leviticus dealing with the laws of uncleanness. Verses 1-2 the entry into the Most Holy Place was limited to the High Priest on one day per year; and even only then under the strictest rules for preparation and approach. Verses 3-10 provide an outline of the entire ceremony. Verses 11-17 tell of the requirements of the High Priest whose entry into the Most Holy Place was with the blood of sacrifice – Hebrews 9:22. But also was the symbol of the live goat (symbolically resurrected), which bore away the sins of nation – indeed for each individual. Isaiah spoke of this in chapter 53 verses 4-12. Verses 18-19 tell of the purification of the altar in the outer court. Verses 20-22 describe the sending away of the scape goat (called in the Hebrew Yahweh's goat – for this goat spake of the baring away of sins cp. John 1 verse 29). Verses 23-26 tell of the changing of clothes by the High Priest before entering the Most Holy Place. Aaron put on a plain linen tunic indicating the single requirement for drawing near to the Almighty was holiness. Our ability to draw near to our Father is because of the sinless offering of himself by our Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 27-28 speak of the destruction of the body of the sin offering outside the camp – Hebrews 13 verse 10-16. Verses 29-31 tell of the need for devotion and of the humbling of those seeking for the forgiveness ie covering, of their sins. Verses 32-34 tell about the duties of the man selected to be the next High Priest in relation to the disposal of the ashes. Psalm 119 is known as the longest “chapter” in the Bible – 176 verses. The Psalm is principally about the mindset and behaviour of the Messiah – our Lord Jesus Christ. The poem is a summary of what the Ten Commandments were trying to teach every Israelite; but in reality were only true in the lived out life of the Christ. The Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint (LXX), spoke of the commandments as the “ten words” (Decalogue). The poem consists of 22 stanzas each of 8 verses. Each verse in each stanza commences with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verses 1-8, for example, each start with Aleph, which in the Hebrew lettering looks like an ox. Verses 9-16 each start with Beth, the second of the alphabetical letters. Whereas Aleph tells of the faithful ox, Beth speaks of the house in which the ox serves. And so the story proceeds through each stanza. I can only give a brief overview here. For those wanting a more detailed explanation please consult “The Companion Bible” by Bullinger. There are frequent marginal notes plus an Appendix in the rear devoted entirely to this Psalm. There are ten Hebrew words used repeatedly throughout this Psalm. They occur in every verse with the exception of one – verse 122. The ten translated English words stand out plainly due to their repetition when read. They are the words – way, law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, judgments, word, commandments and paths. The reader is encouraged to search out the meaning of each of these words and then to read the Psalm with greater understanding. Just a few verses for you to contemplate by way of meditation – verses 9-11 and verses 33-35. Read these now aloud slowly and ponder their power in Messiah; and for your life. In 2 Corinthians 12 we are told about visions that the Apostle Paul had 14 years before the writing of his letter. The “visions” were so real that Paul was unsure as to whether he was actually there, or it was just a dream-like revelation. The experience empowered him to deal with his severe trials, for which he earnestly beseeched God three times in prayer to remove. Each time he receives from the Father the same answer – “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”. If only we could all learn that lesson. He speaks of his intent to see them; and this had twice been thwarted. What the Apostle's thorn in the flesh was we do not exactly know. What we know is his eyesight was badly affected to the extent that Paul used a scribe to write his letters. His autograph at the end of each letter was in large hand written characters: Galatians 6:11. Additionally Paul had sent Titus as his representative as that brother closely knew the Apostle's mind on the matters the epistle discusses. Titus also had a great love for the Corinthians. Chapter 13 concludes with final warnings and advice. The Apostle had attempted visiting the Corinthian ecclesia twice, but his plans had been thwarted. Verses 5-10 is a call for all of the believers in this city to reconsider their motives and actions. And to change these, if required, so that they might find a place in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. Verses 11-14 give Paul's final greetings and his appeal for the members of the ecclesia to live in love and harmony. Audio Player      

This time we're going to conclude my commentary on Harry Ironsides book “Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth”. While we certainly should express our faith by physically doing good. Physical demonstrations or manifestations of faith are not required, and it … Continue reading →

This week we examine the concepts of “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” versus wrongly, via an examination of the Bible in light of two books: Harry Ironsides’ “Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth” & E.W. Bullinger’s “The Foundations of … Continue reading →

Tuesday, 3 September 2024   And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:10   “And already also, the ax, toward the root of the trees it lies. Therefore, every tree not producing good fruit, it is hewn, and into fire, it is thrown” (CG).   In the previous verse, John warned the Pharisees and the Sadducees not to trust in the fact that they were physical descendants of Abraham. In fact, he noted that God could raise children for Abraham from the stones. Now to further wake them up to their spiritual plight, he next says, “And already also.”   The word is édé. It gives the sense of “already” or even “now after all this waiting.” HELPS Word Studies says, “(a temporal adverb) – already now, even now, referring to what is not yet strictly present but already (now) impacts the present (= ‘already now'). (a temporal adverb) – already now, even now, referring to what is not yet strictly present but already (now) impacts the present (= ‘already now').”   His words are words of warning. What he is going to tell them is right now. What was prophesied concerning Israel's future and the coming Messiah has met with the present, which is that “the ax, toward the root of the trees it lies.”   The word is axiné. One can see the etymological root of our modern word ax. It will be seen only here and in the comparable passage found in Luke 3:9. John's words are in the present tense, indicating that what is to be chopped down is in deadly peril of having it happen at any moment. The words signify impending judgment.   In Scripture, trees bear various spiritual meanings depending on the context, the type of tree, and so forth. In this case, John is equating them to people. This can be deduced from the fact that he just said in verse 8 that those before him were to produce fruit worthy of reconsideration. Now, in accord with that, he next says, “Therefore, every tree not producing good fruit.”   John ties the two thoughts together. If people are to bear fruit and some produce bad fruit, then he is speaking of people, namely those before him. However, his words extend to all in Israel because he is the herald of Israel's coming Messiah.   Therefore, those who bear good fruit will reconsider their ways, turn to Jesus, and follow Him. Those who do not will have borne bad fruit. That is what the ax being laid at the root is for. To remove such people from Israel, as he next says, “it is hewn, and into fire, it is thrown.”   Jesus is the dividing line. Those who follow Him will be saved. Those who do not will be sent to Gehenna, a subject Jesus will speak of first in Matthew 5.   Life application: As noted above, trees carry various meanings in Scripture. In fact, pretty much every object used in the Bible is giving us information about other things. Directions convey meaning. The seasons of the year give us information about other things. Types of metal, various words for rock, water, clouds, etc. Along with its surface meaning whatever is being conveyed, each thing also tells us about something else.   Each number carries a special meaning. To understand how numbers consistently mean the same thing, go online and search for Number in Scripture by E.W. Bullinger. It is public domain and can be read online or downloaded from the internet. What is the significance of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 40, or 200? Bullinger will explain that to you, along with all other biblical numbers.   What significance does the fig, olive, or acacia tree convey? Every type of tree provides information in a relevant way. God created the trees. He understands their properties and He uses them to provide us with information.   The fig, for example, consistently speaks of a connection to God. The olive tells us of religious privilege. The acacia tree is considered an incorruptible wood, and so its wood was used in the making of the tabernacle implements to picture the incorruptible Man, Jesus Christ. However, the tree itself carries its own typological meaning, as do all the other trees.   Mountains, rivers, valleys (and there are various types of valleys), and so forth – they all convey information that is used to tell us deeper spiritual truths than one gets from only the surface reading.   Understanding this, be careful not to just accept what someone says about a spiritual or typological meaning of something. Quite often, people will insert their meaning into what is being presented. Thus, anything can mean anything. For example, it is popular to hear someone say, “The fig tree pictures Israel.” It is incorrect, but by shoving Israel into the fig, a point of doctrine is intended.   Rather, than inserting meaning, it must be drawn out from the context. or from the meaning of the root word of whatever is being looked at, or from some other valid means of biblical interpretation. Further, the meaning must be consistently seen in every use of that particular object, thing, or concept. If it is not, then the interpretation is not correct. God is consistent in His use of such things.   Never stop pondering the word. It is an almost limitless source of wisdom and knowledge. Enjoy your daily time interacting with God through His precious word!   Lord God, how amazingly detailed is Your word. It is a treasure trove of wisdom, instruction, and joy for the heart. May we seek You through it all our days. In it, we find Jesus, and through Jesus, we can find words of salvation based on what He has done for us. Hallelujah for Your precious word. Amen.  

Wednesday, 24 July 2024   So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. Matthew 1:17   “Therefore, all the generations from Abraham until David, generations fourteen. And from David until the Babylon deportation, generations fourteen. And from the Babylon deportation until the Christ, generations fourteen” (CG).   The previous verse noted the birth of Jesus, who is called Christ. With that noted, Matthew now sums up his genealogical listing, beginning with, “Therefore, all the generations from Abraham until David, generations fourteen.”   The listings of generations, as noted purposefully omit some names. Matthew is setting forth a memory technique by listing the three triads in set intervals of fourteen generations each. These triads set forth the proposition that Jesus is the great Son of David, prophesied in 2 Samuel 7, a passage known to be messianic in nature –   “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-16   The listing begins with Abraham, the father of the Hebrew people. The genealogies to David are fourteen, upon which the listing pivots. The name of David in Hebrew is דוד (DVD/daleth vav daleth). The letter daleth represents the number 4. The letter vav represents the number 6. Thus, it equates to 4+6+4 = 14.   This is the key upon which Matthew is setting forth his listing. The list then continues, saying, “And from David until the Babylon deportation, generations fourteen.”   Jeconiah (aka Coniah) was the king deported to Babylon. Of him, the Lord, through Jeremiah, said –    “‘As I live,' says the Lord, ‘though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; 25 and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans.'” Jeremiah 22:24, 25   David's kingly line in Judah was cut in Coniah, represented by the plucking off of the signet. And yet, the line remained in Babylon. From there, Matthew next says, “And from the Babylon deportation until the Christ, generations fourteen.”   No king reigned from the time of the Babylonian exile. However, the line of the signet in Judah was restored in Zerubbabel, a returnee from Babylon –   “‘In that day,' says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,' says the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:23   It is this anticipation of the restored kingly line of David that was anticipated in the coming of the Messiah. Matthew is indicating that the promised eternal kingdom is fulfilled in Jesus the Christ. Of the number fourteen, E.W. Bullinger says –   “FOURTEEN being a multiple of seven, partakes of its significance; and, being double that number, implies a double measure of spiritual perfection. The number two with which it is combined (2x7) may, however, bring its own significance into its meaning, as in Matthew 1, where the genealogy of Jesus Christ is divided up and given in sets of 14 (2x7) generations, two being the number associated with incarnation.”   As there are three triads, Bullinger notes that “three points us to what is real, essential, perfect, substantial, complete, and Divine.”   We are being given numerical hints of the perfection of what God has done in Christ through the manner in which the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to complete this genealogical listing.   Interestingly, the total number of generations is forty-two. It is defined by Bullinger, saying “is a number connected with Antichrist. An important part of his career is to last for 42 months (Rev 11:2, 13:5), and thus this number is fixed upon him. ... Being a multiple of seven, it might be supposed that it would be connected with spiritual perfection. But it is the product of six times seven. Six, therefore, being the number of Man, and man's opposition to God, forty-two becomes significant of the working out of man's opposition to God.”   Jesus is shown to be the Christ in the two genealogies submitted by Matthew and Luke. However, there cannot be an antichrist if there is no Christ. Thus, at the coming of Christ, there also came the spirit of antichrist. The four uses of the term in Scripture come from the hand of John –   “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:18   “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.” 1 John 2:22   “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” 1 John 4:2, 3   “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” 2 John 1:7   John specifically reveals that the incarnation of God in Christ is the central point upon which the spirit of the antichrist is revealed. Thus, to deny the deity of Jesus Christ is the spirit of antichrist. To deny Jesus is God incarnate is to then deny the Father. This is why Paul says –   “...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9   To proclaim Jesus is Lord is to proclaim that He is Yehovah incarnate. When one proclaims this, he has overcome the spirit of the antichrist. Jesus alone is the dividing line for who can be saved. Upon which side will you stand?   Life application: Jesus Christ is the defining figure in all of human history. Adam was created, and from him all people descend. However, in his fall, all men fell because all sinned in Adam. Death is the wages of sin and so all die. However, Jesus came to restore life. As all die in Adam, all in Christ live. This is carefully explained by Paul in the book of Romans.   John shows us that those who deny the incarnation of God in Christ have no connection to God the Father. The only way to overcome this spirit of the antichrist is to accept that God alone, through the incarnation of Christ, has done everything necessary for man to be saved.   Who is Jesus to you? What does grace mean to you? How do you perceive your relationship with the Law of Moses? If you are trying to merit God's favor through law observance, you cannot be pleasing to God. This is because if Jesus is God, then He has done everything necessary to satisfy what He promised He would satisfy in the coming of the Messiah.   How can you do more than God to reconcile yourself to Him? You cannot. Therefore, law observance, after the coming of Christ, is the spirit of the antichrist, denying the Father/Son relationship. Think it through, put away your self-righteousness. Yield yourself to God's grace through accepting that He has done it all through Jesus.   Lord God Almighty, Thank You for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.

We pause very briefly from theology to address the greater condition of humankind. There is a reason that politicians lie. They lie because it works. It works because people want to be lied to. Most people have convinced themselves that they have one set of values, but when push comes to shove, they really don't.Political junkies live and die by poll numbers, but they never bother to wonder why poll numbers don't move much no matter what "bombshell" story breaks. We explore why this happens.We will end up where we end up on issues of theology: "The majority of people think that they think; they acquiesce, and suppose that they argue; they flatter themselves that they are holding their own, when they have actually grown up to manhood with scarcely a conviction they can call their own. So it was, so it shall ever be." -E.W. Bullinger

We talk about those who may not ever hear the gospel of the free grace of God. Are they without hope? Is God so dependent on us that he has no other way to reach them? Scripture teaches that God is never without a witness. This is a foundational part of Paul's argument in the Book of Romans.We continue also chat about the point of the the Law (Ten Commandments, etc.) and how we can (must) apply rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Tim 2:15) to all of our Bible Study. We touch in the parable of the Sheep and Goats again in Matthew 25.Finally, I explain why I'm opposed to the Kansas proposal of putting a chaplain in every school. Talk about putting a fox in the henhouse!The demise of the West is not because we took the Bible out of the schools, we took the Bible out of the schools because of the demise of the West... and professed Christendom's dependence on tradition over God's truth made that all possible.

TOPICS: Ryan is deliriously happy that the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup; Ryan and Katie Zaccardi talk about Chappel Roan's Rise to Stardom; we interview artist and energy industry entrepreneur Chris Bullinger. Chris' latest album “Waitin' to be Seen” will drop on August 16th. Find out more about our guest's work by visiting www.chrisbullinger.com.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Singer/songwriter Chris Bullinger visits The Hook Rocks New Music Spotlight to discuss his new single "Darlin' In Me" & his upcoming album "Waitin' To Be Seen". Chris also shares how John Mellencamp reached him as a young kid and put him on a path of making music. Please enjoy the episode! Chris Bullinger https://www.chrisbullinger.com/ https://www.facebook.com/chrisbullingermusic https://www.instagram.com/chrisbullingersings/ https://x.com/chris_bullinger The Hook Rocks https://www.facebook.com/TheHookRocks/ https://www.instagram.com/thehookrocks/ https://twitter.com/TheHookRocks Pantheon Podcasts http://pantheonpodcasts.com/ https://www.facebook.com/PantheonPodcasts https://www.instagram.com/pantheonpods/ https://twitter.com/pantheonpods ' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nashville-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist whose latest single just came out two weeks ago, with an album coming in mid-August. To date, he has recorded five critically acclaimed albums. His 2022 album charted “Number 1 Added” on NACC Folk, as did his 12-song release at the end of last August. On the heels of THAT project, he amassed one hundred thousand monthly Spotify listeners and over two million cumulative views across Vevo and YouTube. In addition to being a poet, he also has had a career as an entrepreneur that he talks about here, including its impact on his music career. Send your questions or comments about this episode via https://featuredup.com/nhte

Chris Bullinger is getting ready to release his new album "Waitin' to be seen" on August 16th. He stopped by the show to talk about how he got into music, poetry, going to college for finance, getting into the solar energy industry, and then releasing 3 albums in 3 years! Meanwhile, in the rest of the show, Doc burned fish oil pills in his oven, Mike is in love with Adidas boost, and they both agree Kelsey Plum and Niko Moon could be related. Make sure to listen! Monologue (Fish Oil): 0:00:21 Birthday Suit 1: 9:24 Ripped from the Headlines: 12:34 Shoutouts: 34:07 Previously on the Doc G Show: 36:00 Chris Bullinger Interview: 42:04 The Mike C Top 3: 1:18:10 Birthday Suit 2: 1:30:44 Birthday Suit 3: 1:33:39

➡️ DESCRIPTION: Retrouvez la première partie de cette discussion ici: https://youtu.be/4H7fOqRE6vI Cette semaine Paul Sanders poursuit sa présentation de la théologie réformée autour de la Cène en nous présentant le successeur d'Ulrich Zwingli: Henri Bullinger. TABLE DES MATIÈRES 00:00 - Introduction 01:42 - Livre recommandé: - Jean Calvin, Petit traité sur la cène (https://publicationschretiennes.com/products/petit-traite-sur-la-cene) - Paul Sanders, Quand la Réforme entre en Cène (https://www.lacause.org/produit/zwingli-bullinger-quand-la-reforme-entre-en-cene/) 05:02 - Qui était Henri Bullinger? 10:24 - La relation entre Zwingli et Bullinger 15:13 - La continuité théologique entre Zwingli et Bullinger 17:33 - Comment Bullinger est-il devenu « chef » de l'Église zurichoise et quels furent ses accomplissements? 26:36 - Les rapports entre Bullinger et Calvin 36:25 - Consensus Tigurinus 41:03 - La fin de Bullinger 45:27 - Quelles conclusions tires-tu de toute cette page d'histoire? 54:47 - Hors-propos 57:24 - Bêtisier LÉGENDE (SoundCloud) Qui était Henri Bullinger?

A new MP3 sermon from The Sterling Pulpit is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Voices of the Reformation: Heinrich Bullinger Subtitle: Voices of the Reformation Speaker: Brian S. Wright Broadcaster: The Sterling Pulpit Event: Sunday - PM Date: 2/11/2024 Length: 33 min.

Title: The Four Main Views of the Lord's Supper Text: Various; I Corinthians 10 and 11 FCF: We often struggle with the significance and benefits of the Lord's Supper to us. Prop: Because only the spiritual presence view incorporates the widest breadth of scripture, we affirm the spiritual presence view of the Lord's Supper. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Corinthians 11. In a moment I'll read the text starting in verse 23 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along on page 1294 of the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Today we will celebrate our first Lord's Supper of the year. Because it is our first this year, and because we have a few new members and regular attenders it is wise for us to state very plainly what our position is on the Lord's Supper. Not all Christendom sees the Lord's Supper the same way. Today I will endeavor to survey the landscape, defining the key characteristics of each view and finally lead us to where we as a church have come. Today we won't be exegeting a single passage, but will instead be drawing truth from various passages. Have a pen ready to take the passages down as many of them I will only reference. But a great place for us to read and refer to later will be I Corinthians 11. Please stand with me to honor and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Transition: As is true more often than not, we have a lot to get to today, so let's get to it. What is the first main view of the Lord's Supper? I.) [Slide 2] What is transubstantiation? a. Transubstantiation - prefix trans which means to change and substantiation meaning substance. i. The belief in transubstantiation is that the bread and wine used in the Lord's Supper changes in its essence or substance to be the actual physical body and blood of Jesus. ii. It is mystical in that it defies the senses. Although it smells, feels, sounds, tastes and looks like bread and wine, it is in fact the flesh and blood of Jesus. iii. In John 6:32-58 Jesus tells his disciples and others who are listening that in order to be his disciples they would need to eat his flesh and drink his blood. iv. In the accounts of the first Lord's Supper, Jesus holds up the bread and says this is my body. He holds up the cup and says this is the new covenant in my blood. b. [Slide 3] Who believes this in Christendom? i. Primarily the Roman Catholic Church holds to this view. ii. Orthodox Christians hold to a real physical presence of Christ in the elements but basically refuse to comment on exactly how that works, other than it being mystical. c. [Slide 4] What are some other items about this view that should be included to understand it? i. The benefits of the Lord's Supper for Roman Catholics: 1. The Roman Catholic church leans heavily on Thomas Aquinas' theory of the Meritorious atonement of Christ. Christ has earned God's grace by His life and death and has given ways for His church to receive from that merit bank. 2. Those baptized in the Roman Catholic church dwell in a state of grace from which they can fall from or grow in based on their works. In sins venial and grave they lose ground in their state of grace. In performance of sacraments, confession, penance, giving of alms and more, they can receive more merit from Christ or grace, to maintain or improve in their state of grace. 3. Once a Roman Catholic dies, they are ushered to a temporary punitive existence in purgatory, where they earn the remainder of merit they need in order to be made righteous enough to enter heaven. 4. Therefore, for the Roman Catholic, the Lord's Supper is absolutely essential for salvation. So much so that to forgo it is to deny Christ Himself. 5. According to the council of Trent, grace is conferred upon a person ex opere operato which is Latin for “from the work performed.” a. Meaning that the sacrament is the instrumental cause of God's grace being given. Grace is always conferred by the sacrament as long as it is properly administered. b. Since Trent Catholic teachers have tried to put caveats on this requiring proper disposition from the person coming for the sacrament so they can receive the fruit of the sacrament. i. Being of the proper disposition is based on fasting, having gone to confession for grave sins, and coming in perfect contrition. ii. The fruit of the sacraments includes the forgiveness of sins. iii. This again drives home the point underlying Catholic theology – grace is not really about growing in the Lord – it is always about maintaining or re-attaining the status of righteous. iv. Roman Catholic theology teaches that at baptism we are made righteous and the battle from then on is to keep ourselves that way through participation in the sacraments given by the Roman Catholic Church. v. Thus, to be in the proper disposition has little to do with faith in God and more to do with faith that God changed the substance of the bread and wine into Jesus' body and blood. 6. So, to summarize the benefits of the Supper for a Roman Catholic, partaking of the Eucharist, regardless of their personal faith confers the merit of Christ which raises their position in God's economy and shortens the time needed to make them worthy to enter His Kingdom. ii. [Slide 5] According to Pope Gregory the Great, in every mass Christ is sacrificed afresh: 1. In the Roman Catholic view, they would also teach that the Lord's Supper is an unbloody sacrifice. This means that Christ being present physically is sacrificed anew for them. 2. This, they would say, does not mean that Christ's original sacrifice was not enough. They would teach that just as the Passover lamb was killed the day before it was eaten, so there are two parts to this sacrifice. One where Christ dies physically, and another where he is sacrificed again and again so we can eat of Him. d. [Slide 6] What are some problems with this view? i. Are the bread and wine actually transformed into Jesus' literal physical flesh and blood? 1. What of eating human flesh and drinking human blood in scripture? a. In John 6 when Jesus said you have to eat my flesh and drink my blood, non-believing disciples' leave in disgust. Catholics would say that they leave because He spoke literally. But the Old Testament forbids cannibalism and blood drinking. b. The bible speaks of cannibalism always as a curse to the person eating it – not on the person being eaten. c. In Leviticus 7:26-27, none shall drink any blood. Or they will be cut off. Again, it is the person drinking the blood that will be cut off. 2. [Slide 7] Let's look at the two main texts. a. Let's start with John 6. i. Since the bible clearly forbids cannibalism and blood drinking, we must look for an alternative explanation. ii. Did Jesus ever say anything else counter to Old Testament law that he clearly meant figuratively? 1. Did he not advise people who sinned with their eyes to gouge them out? 2. Did he not advise people to hate their fathers and mothers? 3. Take up your cross (kill yourself) and follow me. iii. Is it truly a stretch for Jesus to have meant a spiritual feeding in John 6? I think not. In fact, it really is the only meaning since both are forbidden in the Old Testament. b. [Slide 8] When Christ says this IS my body i. If we must apply this literally than Jesus is also a door, a shepherd, a vine, a fountain of living water, and a light. ii. Furthermore, there are passages like Psalm 34:8 which talk about tasting God and even in I Peter 2 where we drink milk from God's breasts. iii. Jesus' point in all of these seems to be metaphorical to express His Spiritual provision for His people. 3. [Slide 9] Is Christ truly human? How can His flesh and blood occupy two places at once without being separated? a. If Christ is Fully man and fully God and both natures were joined but not mixed as the early creeds say, then Jesus' divine nature could not leak into His human nature allowing His human nature to be omnipresent. b. So how can Jesus be present with God the Father and also present with us at each mass? It is only possible if you disregard the Athanasian Creed and the Chalcedon Definition – both of which the Roman Catholic church Affirm. ii. [Slide 10] Must we earn Christ's merit to maintain or re-achieve the status of righteous? 1. Romans 4:5-6 says our faith is counted as righteousness and that God counts us righteous apart from works. In other words, our works, our deeds, have nothing to do with our status before God as righteous. We stand as righteous because we are united to Christ by faith. 2. Romans 3:22 – righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. 3. I Peter 2:24 says that Christ died so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness… which initially sounds like we must maintain or keep it up… but then he says, “By His wounds… you HAVE BEEN healed.” Meaning that we live to righteousness while simultaneously being healed from sin. 4. Romans 5:8-10 – While we were enemies Christ reconciled us to God by His death… and now that we are reconciled we will be saved by HIS life. 5. It seems as though our standing before God is not dependent on a constant supply of grace to keep us there. It is a declared verdict that God has given all who believe in Christ. iii. [Slide 11] Is the Lord's Supper a re-sacrifice of Christ in any way? 1. A covenant or testament is like a will of one who died. Death happens once and then the will is applied. How silly would it be to have to meet with the lawyers daily to reup the will. 2. The New covenant was instituted in Christ's blood. It does not need to be renewed or redone in any way ever again. It is, as Christ said, finished. e. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: In case it wasn't glaringly apparent, we as protestant, evangelical, Reformed leaning, independent Baptists would have a lot of problems with the Transubstantiation view. Not just in the nature of the elements of the table, but even in what is happening in the sacrament itself and how it is conveyed to those who partake. So, if you hold to this view, we'd ask that you refrain from partaking of the Lord's Supper until you can settle the matter fully in your heart. I'm always available to discuss this if you have questions. II.) [Slide 13] What is consubstantiation? a. Consubstantiation - con meaning with and substantiation meaning substance. i. In this view the real physical presence of Christ's flesh and blood are joined in, with, and under the bread and the cup. ii. In dealing with the issue of Christ's human body being locally present in heaven, this view would say that God the Son communicates His divine attribute of omnipresence to his human nature in that Christ is able to be physically present everywhere and everywhen. iii. One advocate of this view likened it unto a sponge. The bread and the wine are the sponge and the physical presence of Christ's flesh and blood are the water. Though to eat one you have the other, they are not joined together, one is merely contained within it. b. [Slide 14] Who in Christendom believes this and where did it come from? i. Primarily Lutheran and Episcopalian churches adhere to this, although they would probably quibble with the terminology. ii. Martin Luther is the founder of this view. c. [Slide 15] What are some other items included in this view that would help us to understand it? i. Like Roman Catholics they would say it is ex opere operato – the sign confers the grace without respect of the one receiving it. ii. Also like the Roman Catholics it is a means of saving grace: 1. Meaning that to partake of the Lord's Supper would be to receive from Christ remission of sins through the Supper itself. 2. They equate the supper to the gospel. iii. They would strongly reject the idea that Christ is being re-sacrificed. 1. Even though they affirm that our sins are remitted by the flesh and blood of Christ at the sacrament meal, they emphatically deny the Roman teaching that Christ must be re-sacrificed. 2. They do this stating very plainly that Jesus' atonement was sufficient to forgive sin once for all. d. [Slide 16] What are some problems with this view? i. Arguments against the physical presence endure. They actually voice the teaching of the communication of the divine attributes upon the human nature. Thus, they mingle the two natures which is against the early creeds. ii. Is the Lord's Supper truly forgiving sins? We spoke at length that this is not how Justification works. iii. There is also an obvious contradiction of denying a re-sacrifice but affirming it being a fresh remitting of sin. e. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: As we close out this position it becomes clear that as much as Lutherans attempt to find some separation from the Roman Catholic view, many of the same problems endure. So, if you hold to this view, we'd ask that you refrain from partaking of the Lord's Supper until you can settle the matter fully in your heart. I'm always available to discuss this if you have questions. III.) [Slide 18] What is the Memorial view? a. The memorial view is the first of the 4 views to abandon the physical presence of Jesus in the elements. i. The memorial view denies that Christ is physically present in the elements themselves. ii. This view is attributed to the statement Jesus makes when he says “Do this in remembrance of me” in Mark 14; Luke 22; and I Corinthians 11. iii. This view would see the statements that Jesus makes about the bread being his body as mere symbolic language to speak of His atonement at the cross. b. [Slide 19] Who in Christendom believes this and where did it originate? i. Most evangelical, non-denominational, and Baptist churches. ii. This view is associated best with Huldrych Zwingli. Although recently Zwingli's beliefs have been seen through his writings to reflect a more nuanced position than this. Nevertheless, he is associated with this view's primary originator. c. [Slide 20] What are some other items we must know in order to understand this view? i. The Lord is not present in the meal itself 1. There is no presence of Christ in the elements themselves. 2. As God's people gather together, He is among them. We certainly all have the Spirit of God dwelling with us, and we have Jesus' promise to be with us until the end of the age. 3. However, in the memorial view there is no special presence of Jesus with His people in the Supper itself. ii. [Slide 21] The Lord's Supper is NOT a means of grace. 1. Although Zwingli would not agree with this as its founder, the memorial view has become a view that not only denies any presence of Jesus in the meal, but also denies that the Lord's Supper is a means of grace. 2. In the memorial view, there is no inherent benefit to taking the Lord's Supper beyond the benefits conveyed by simple remembrance of the Lord's atoning work. iii. [Slide 22] There is no re-sacrificing of Christ because Christ is not present with us in the meal. iv. [Slide 23] The Lord's Supper is a pictorial reminder of the atonement 1. The bread broken and chewed represents how his body was broken and mangled. 2. The wine spilled freely is representative of his blood which flowed for our remission of sins at the cross. d. [Slide 24] What are some problems with this view? i. It is a large step away from much of Christendom in several ways 1. It is the only view that denies the presence of Christ in the elements. 2. It is the only view that denies that it is a means of grace. ii. It tends to trivialize the Lord's Supper as merely symbolic. 1. The significance of a meal is utterly lost in the pictorial reminder. 2. It divorces the meal from its original Passover roots. iii. It fails to deal with some significant passages which indicate that the meal is more than merely symbolic and dealing with what those symbols actually represent. e. [Slide 25] Summary of the Point: All four of these views were borne out of the Reformation. It is worth noting that this view is by far the most extreme deviation from the Roman Catholic view… AND… it has gotten even more extreme in the years following the reformation. While having fewer serious problems with the view, and not having any teaching that seems to directly oppose scripture, it still falls short. At our church we would not reject or deny the memorial view, even in its extreme present-day form. We would simply say that the memorial view is unsatisfactory in dealing with the whole of scripture on, and too quickly dismisses historical church doctrine regarding the Lord's Supper. If you fiercely hold to the memorial view, I would still encourage you to refrain from partaking in the Lord's Supper today. Not because you hold to a false view, but because you may want to put more time and thought into our position, especially after hearing the fourth option. IV.) [Slide 26] What is the Spiritual Presence view? a. This view would affirm that Jesus is present with His church in the bread and the wine. i. Serving as an intermediary view of the Lord's Supper between Luther and Zwingli, this view does not reject the presence of Christ in the elements of the table. ii. However, it does as the name suggests, reject the real presence of Christ's human nature at the Lord's Supper. iii. The view supposes that Christ is present in a spiritual way with His people in the bread and juice or wine. b. [Slide 27] Who in Christendom believes this and where did it come from? i. Presbyterians, Baptists, and Pentecostals. ii. It was put forward by John Calvin and Heinrich Bullinger 1. The fullest expression of this view is found in a document called the Consensus Tigurinus aka the Consensus of Zurich. 2. After Zwingli died Heinrich Bullinger took up his mantle. 3. In 1549 Bullinger and Calvin attempted to come together with one another on their views of the Lord's Supper since they seemed much closer to one another than to Luther. 4. After writing back and forth a few times, eventually they published this consensus position on the Lord's Supper in 1551. 5. It is an excellent read and makes some amazing points. I'd strongly encourage you to read an English translation of the document. You can find that online with a simple search for it. c. [Slide 28] What are some other things we should know about this view to understand it? i. First, we must understand that although Presbyterians, Baptists, and Pentecostals have a spiritual presence understanding of the Lord's Supper, there is considerable variance as to what that spiritual presence means. 1. As we might guess, in Pentecostal churches they expect physical healing to come through the Lord's Supper. 2. Some may see the body and blood of our Savior as particularly spiritually effective and misunderstand it to mean that they are still consuming the spiritual essence of his body and blood. As if his body and blood in and of themselves were somehow beneficial to us. ii. As the memorial position does, this view denies the re-sacrifice of Christ. Christ's atonement was once for all. iii. Also like the memorial position, this view recognizes that the Lord's Supper is a memorial. We remember what Christ has done for us in this event. iv. Unlike the memorial view this position does affirm the Lord's Supper as a means of grace. However, unlike transubstantiation and consubstantiation this view does not suggest that the Lord's Supper is a means of saving grace but rather a means of sanctifying grace. 1. [Slide 29] The penalty of all of a believer's sins has been paid for by the work of Christ on the cross. 2. We could never and have no need of earning Christ's continued merit in order to put ourselves in a better position with God. We are declared righteous, meaning when God sees us, He sees His Son. 3. However, to be declared righteous is a legal verdict and not a complete present reality. The reformers said we were simultaneously justified and yet still a sinner. 4. [Slide 30] We are still growing in righteousness and continuing to turn from sin. 5. Our ongoing growth in becoming more like Christ is a continual battle whereby we must draw on God's grace for help in time of need. (Heb 4:17) 6. Therefore, the Lord chose the sign of a meal, in which our body gains physical strength, to communicate a spiritual truth to His people. We are sustained and strengthened by Him and His atonement. 7. Therefore, although our body eats a physical sign, God in that sign meets us with the spiritual truth of it. He feeds us on the body of Christ and the blood of Christ. 8. But not the physical flesh and blood. There is nothing inherently beneficial to us in the physical body and blood of Jesus. But what His physical flesh and blood accomplished for us spiritually in the atonement, is overwhelmingly beneficial and continues to feed our souls as we grow in grace. 9. The book of Hebrews explains how the body of Christ was split in two, like the curtain, so that we may have ongoing access to the presence of God. The writer of Hebrews also says that the blood sprinkles us clean so that we may go before God's presence as purely washed sons and daughters. 10. And so, in essence we connect the spiritual truths and spiritual presence of Christ in the meal together. We come to spiritually be sustained on the presence, mercy, and grace of God which is all accomplished for us by the body and blood of Jesus. v. [Slide 31] Unlike the Transubstantiation and consubstantiation view this view does not see God obligated to give grace as long as the sacrament is administered properly. 1. Such feeding is only available to those who are truly God's children. 2. Such feeding is freely given by God in the sense that He is the sole dispensary. a. Meaning of course that it is not the mechanical ex opere operato of the Supper that ensures God gives them grace – but rather God decides in what supply and when His grace is dispensed to help His dear children grow and sustain them. b. We see Paul was told that God's grace was sufficient for Him… meaning God can say at times – you have enough. vi. Unlike the Memorial view, this view concludes that it cannot be a mere memorial. It must be more. 1. [Slide 32] Such feeding unites us in fellowship to Christ. I Corinthians 10. a. Paul tells the Corinthians to cease their practice of going to pagan temples to get a free meal at their worship services. b. Although they are concluding that such gods do not exist, Paul reminds them that these pagan gods are actually demons leading people astray. c. He tells them that by eating at their worship feasts they are partnering with, fellowshipping with, or uniting themselves to the demons. d. He then draws a correlation to the Lord's Supper. e. When we eat the bread are we not uniting with the body of Christ? When we drink the wine are we not uniting with the blood of Christ? f. Just like eating food at worship festivals of demons unites us to demons, so also eating the bread and drinking the wine at the Lord's Supper unites us to Christ. g. If the meal were a mere memorial, such truths would make no sense at all. 2. Such feeding is dangerous to those who abuse it. I Corinthians 11. a. Paul is correcting some fairly egregious behavior in the Corinthian church regarding the Lord's Supper. b. The rich are selfishly eating all the food and getting drunk on all the wine before the poorer believers even arrived. c. Such selfish behavior lacking love for one another communicates not only a misunderstanding of the Lord's Supper but even indicates that such people may not be genuine believers at all. d. Paul warns that each person should test themselves, judge themselves, to see whether they are worthy to partake of the Lord's Supper. Paul is not advocating sinless perfection, but rather testing and judging whether or not we are truly God's children. e. If we are not – then God may punish us with sickness or even death. These punishments are designed to save His true children from the ultimate condemnation at the end of days. f. Once again – if the Lord's Supper was a raw symbol, only a memorial, why are there physical and spiritual consequences to doing it improperly. d. [Slide 33] What are some problems with this view? i. This position relies on a systematic understanding of what the whole bible says regarding signs with redemptive meaning. Thus, it can be a little difficult to see it clearly taught in one passage of scripture. ii. Unlike the memorial position, this view still has a good deal of mystery and spiritual meaning that can leave those who participate to feel as though they are dealing with something that is somewhat mystical. iii. Neither of these problems are incredibly problematic. e. [Slide 34] Summary of the Point: Overall, the spiritual presence view accommodates and incorporates the whole of scripture not just concerning the Lord's Supper but on salvation, justification, sanctification, and how God meets with us and helps us to be what He desires us to be. It is to this view that our church adheres. There is a lot more context to our decision to adopt this view. I simply don't have time to get to all that. I have preached several messages on the Lord's Supper and they are all collated in a playlist on Youtube called “The Lord's Supper.” I'd encourage you to go back and view those chronologically. It should give you a well-rounded understanding of our progression to this view. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today and how shall we live? Can we compile all this into a doctrinal takeaway? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 35] Although we admittedly went through each view of the Lord's Supper from a very high level, we can reasonably conclude that when analyzing the full breadth of the scriptures not only on the sacrament but also regarding the doctrines core to salvation, the spiritual presence view is the best view of them all. Therefore, we as a church ascribe to its teachings, not because Calvin taught it, not because Bullinger taught it, but because the scriptures clearly testify to it being what the Lord intended and the church received as the proper understanding and practice of the Lord's Supper. But let me improve upon this in some specific ways to help us today. 1.) [Slide 36] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe about the Lord's Supper?” We must believe that the Lord Jesus communes with us in a special way in the Lord's Supper. a. Perhaps you are here today and you have never truly thought about the Lord's Supper in this way. b. I think on average in our culture we tend error on the side of not thinking deep enough rather than thinking too deeply. c. But based on the scripture we have presented today and the understanding by comparison to other views, we must confess together that Jesus Christ is present and communing with us at the meal in a special way. d. True He is always with us. But in this meal, He comes to us in the bread and the juice bringing the redemptive achievements that His body and blood won for us. e. We eat this meal with Him only because He has made it possible for us to do so. f. We eat this meal with one another as a body of people whom He has purchased with His blood and saved with His torn body. g. In this meal He feeds us on His redemption. He feeds us on His atonement. He connects us to His Father. He infuses us with what we need to live as He has commanded us. h. As believers we survive on the daily eating of the Word of God… who is Jesus. We survive on the daily drinking from God's word, like a tree planted by water, so we drink from the living water, the vine who connects us to nourishment through His blood. i. And so, as we eat the body of Christ we remember how His body was torn so we might approach God. As we drink His blood we remember how His blood was spilled to sign a will and testament which took effect once He died. He bequeathed all He had to His Bride. j. And eating and drinking in faith, the Lord meets us there and builds our faith and feeds our souls. k. This is no mere symbol my friends. There is much more here than meets the eye. Behold in wonder the depth and richness of the sacrament. And prepare yourselves to be sustained on Christ and His atonement for you! 2.) [Slide 37] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe about the Lord's Supper that is false?” We must deny that the Lord's Supper is necessary for salvation. a. In denying that this is a means for saving grace, we deny that the Lord's Supper is necessary for salvation. Just as we also deny that Baptism is necessary for salvation. b. The thief on the cross died having not partaken of the Supper or of baptism. Yet he that day joined Christ in paradise. c. So also, there is no element of The Lord's Supper that is contributary to our Justification before God. d. But lest we pendulum swing too far… 3.) [Slide 38] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe about the Lord's Supper that is false?” We must deny that the Lord's Supper is unnecessary or optional for believers. a. Although we know that neither sacrament of baptism or the Lord's Supper contributes in any way to our standing before God… we cannot conclude that either sacrament is optional. b. One of the reasons we call it a sacrament is because Jesus affirmed it as a practice that ought to be continued in the church. Jesus commanded the disciples to baptize new believers and He commanded that as often as they have the Lord's Supper that they do so remembering His atonement. c. Therefore, when we encounter a believer who refuses or is apathetic to being baptized or to partaking in the Lord's Supper, there is great cause for concern. d. There is a very real probability that such a person is not truly a believer. e. Obstinate disobedience of and apathy toward Christ's commands are not a characteristic of His followers. f. The Lord's Supper is not optional or unnecessary. And given what we have learned today, I hope you see it as just the opposite. It is absolutely necessary – not to save us – but to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and in communion with His people. 4.) [Slide 39] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What must we do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing regarding the Lord's Supper?” We must approach the Lord's Supper testing and judging ourselves to be sure that we are truly God's child. a. The warnings in scripture about eating unworthily bring us to this point. b. We all must test and judge ourselves to be sure we are truly God's children as we approach the Table. c. There are three particular kinds of people who ought not approach the table today. i. First, those who are not truly believers. If you have never repented of your sins and believed on Jesus alone for salvation, then you should by no means partake with us this morning. ii. Secondly, those who claim to be of Christ but who are actively unrepentant of a particular sin in their lives. They know what God says, but choose to continue in sin assuming that the Lord will forgive them. Such a person should not approach the table, for they may not be a true believer. iii. Finally, someone who believes that the Lord's Supper contributes in some way to their Justification before God or believes that the meal can wash away sins by simply partaking of it. Such a person reveals that they either do not understand the doctrines of salvation or the Lord's Supper or both. 5.) [Slide 40] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that we must stop doing regarding the Lord's Supper?” We must stop allowing sin battles to keep us from the Lord's Supper. a. Even though we must examine ourselves and make sure we are true believers, oftentimes in churches this feels as though we must come before the table as a spotless vessel. b. We have a mad rush to confess all our sin and make sure that there is “nothing between our souls and the Savior.” c. Such a belief is just as guilty of misunderstanding the doctrines of salvation. As a believer there is NEVER anything between you and Jesus. He has borne all your sin and there is now no condemnation in Christ. d. If you are struggling with a sin, feel disconnected from Christ, feel alienated from His church, are beaten down by the world, are in need of great refreshment… my friends that is what this Supper is for! e. It is to sustain you. It is to grow you. It is to encourage you. It is to unite you further to Christ and His people. f. If only the perfect could step to the table, then none could come. But Jesus invites His true people, broken and battered, to come and dine. Are meals for the full and quenched or the empty and thirsty? g. So also, is this meal for us… who are battle worn and suffering from many defeats. h. Come and be renewed! 6.) [Slide 41 (end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of the Lord's Supper?” God will Spiritually sustain His children through Christ and will do so in a special way at the Table of the Lord. a. This is my body… which is broken for you! Eat all of it b. This cup is the New Covenant in my blood poured out for many. All of you… drink from it! c. My friends… come and feast. Not on flesh and blood… but on what the incarnate Emmanuel accomplished with His flesh and blood. d. Be sustained by His presence among us in the bread and juice. e. Be encouraged f. Be edified g. Be renewed. h. Come and dine with us. Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan Robert Hawker Dear Lord, surely you are the all in all of everything that is sacred and blessed. You are the altar, the sacrificer, and the sacrifice! And it can only be from your blessing on our poor worship, when we remember your one, all-sufficient sacrifice with a feast, that we discover the deeper spiritual meaning. Until I hear you call, Lord, I cannot eat. But if you say, “Eat, friends; drink – yes, drink abundantly, beloved,” then I feel a confidence in your welcome to every gospel feast. Then I can sit down under your shadow with great delight. Your fruit is sweet to my taste. Come often to your table, dearest Lord, and sit as a king. Everything at the table is yours: the bread of life, the water of life, and the wine of your banquet. Come then, dear Lord! Come to your own banquet, to your church, your table, your house of prayer, your ordinances! Come and bless your people! In Jesus name we pray… Amen! As you walk upstairs for the meal, Do not speak of earthly things, Rather come prepared in your heart for communion with Christ and His people. We'll begin the meal in a few moments.

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You're getting 3 stories today!    Nadja Medley and her daughter Payton were living in Ogden, UT when Nadja met the love of her life, Mike Bullinger. However, Nadja was concerned that Mike wasn't as committed to her as she was to him so to prove it, Mike bought a ranch in Caldwell, Idaho and asked Nadja and Payton to move in with him. It was a happily ever ending until it wasn't...    We also talk about the disappearance of Max Devries, and the insane story of William Arnold   Produced by Jacob Hollabaugh Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, check out our website for merch, and follow us on TikTok, Instagram & YouTube 

PA500 Psalm 71:1-24 mp3 In this message, the psalmist explores God’s servant continuing to follow Him in old age. This may have been David speaking in his own old age after Solomon’s second coronation, as Bullinger suggests, or else David in his youth writing about and commemorating his old mentor Samuel, who also served God […]

================================================== ==SUSCRIBETEhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpffyr-7_zP1x1lS89ByaQ?sub_confirmation=1================================================== == DEVOCIÓN MATUTINA PARA ADULTOS 2023“YO ESTOY CONTIGO”Narrado por: Roberto NavarroDesde: Montreal, CanadáUna cortesía de DR'Ministries y Canaan Seventh-Day Adventist Church 20 DE JULIO                                                                                                                                                            "ME ESTÁ RESERVADA LA CORONA DE JUSTICIA" Por lo demás, me está reservada la corona de justicia, la cual me dará el Señor, juez justo, en aquel día (2 Timoteo 4:8). Alfred Nobel, el brillante químico sueco, no quería que lo recordaran como el inventor de la dinamita, esa mezcla explosiva de nitroglicerina que ha acabado con la vida de millones de personas. Pensando en cómo sería grabado en la posteridad, en 1895, poco antes de su muerte, se estableció una fundación que se encargaría de premiar a los hombres y mujeres que hicieran grandes aportes al bienestar de la humanidad. Y por ello, desde 1901, se entregan los prestigiosos Premios Nobel.Uno de los aspectos distintivos del premio es que desde 1974 no se considera elegible a nadie que haya desaparecido antes del anuncio de los premios. La única manera en la que el premio podría ser dado de forma póstuma es si el ganador muere entre el momento en que la Academia y el Instituto Karolinska anuncian al ganador, que por lo general ocurre a principios de octubre, y cuando se realiza la ceremonia de entrega del premio el 10 de diciembre. Ese día el rey de Suecia entrega la medalla, el certificado y un cheque por algo más de un millón de dólares.Nuestro buen Dios ha reservado un asombroso premio para cada uno de nosotros. Y ese premio lo recibirán tanto los que estén vivos cuando él regrese por segunda vez como los muertos. La Fundación Nobel no puede resucitar a Gandhi para entregarle el bien merecido Nobel de la Paz, pero nuestro poderoso Dios resucitará a todos los que vayan a recibir el galardón celestial. Así que sea que vivamos o que muramos, el premio será nuestro.Pablo, consciente de que en breve sería ejecutado, expresó su confianza en el galardón divino cuando escribió: "Por lo demás, me está reservada la corona de justicia, la cual me dará el Señor, juez justo, en aquel día; y no solo a mí, sino también a todos los que aman su venida" (2 Timoteo 4:8). Fíjate en la seguridad del apóstol: "Me está reservada la corona". El vocablo griego apokeimai, convertido aquí como "reservada", se usaba en documentos de la época para aludir a un producto que ya había sido puesto en buen recaudo, que "ha sido guardado en la tienda" para uno.* Nuestro galardón espera por nosotros, ya Dios lo tiene separado.* Ethelbert W. Bullinger, A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament (Londres: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1908), pág. 60.

PASSOVER Sunset April 5 2023In this special Podcast, I take a look at Passover. Are we instructed to keep Yahweh's Holy Days, such as Passover or do we follow the church tradition of Easter? Listen to this explosive study on what Yahweh has to say about this.What day was the Passover on?  What was the significance of Passover? What does the number of the days have to do with Yahweh? Did Yahweh have a plan for all of this?Now I realize that the conditions set forth by Yahweh differs from what He set forth in the beginning. What caught my interest into these 7 Holy Feasts was the Prophetic Message contained within them.We find that within these 7, 4 are in the season of the spring, while the remaining 3 are in the fall or “harvest. In studying the Prophecy aspect of Yahweh's Words, we realize and conclude that these 7 Holy Feasts play an important role in the Prophecy of Yahshua Messiah concerning the past and the present. Today we will focus on Passover.Let's take a brief view of the first 4 Feasts:The Feast of Passover pointed to Yahshua's death on Calvary as “the Lamb of Yahweh, who taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29The Feast of Unleavened Bread attested to the fact that Yahshua's body, unlike all others would not decay in the grave. The Son of Yahweh, in speaking with His Heavenly Father said, “for Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt Thou permit Thine Holy One to see corruption” Psalms 16:10The Feast of Firstfruits proclaimed the certainty of His bodily resurrection. The acceptance by Yahweh of the Firstfruits [sheaf] of the spring barley harvest guaranteed a full harvest to follow. By virtue of the resurrection of Yahshua Messiah, He is the Firstfruits and guarantees that all the Saints within Him will one day rise from the grave.The Feast of Pentecost, which occurs exactly 50 days after Firstfruits [the resurrection of the Messiah] anticipated the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the origin of the “Ek-kelsia”. We read in the Jewish Talmud, in the tractate of Sotah, foli #48 it reads in part “when Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi died, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel; nevertheless they made use of the Bath Kol.” [a divine voice from Heaven]These 4 events in the life of Yahshua Messiah, which the 4 spring feasts depicted, are history. We can look back at these events and they can be examined as historical facts. We can say that the first 4 set the foundation for the remaining 3. [As I think on this foundation, I think of the Tabernacle, which is to come, and when this Tabernacle comes, then all of His Elect come to dwell in the eternal]The fall Feasts have not yet occurred! They are yet future and predict with absolute certainty, events that will most assuredly unfold. As the 4 spring Feasts were fulfilled literally and right on schedule in connection with the Messiah's first coming, the 3 Fall Feasts will likewise be fulfilled literally and right on schedule in connection with His second coming.The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:1170 At the Council of Nicea in 325, all the Churches agreed that Easter, the Christian Passover, should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon (14 Nisan) after the vernal equinox This is a MUST LISTEN show!!Some of the verses/writings that I use: Lev. 23; Deut. 16; John 1:29; Psalms 16:10; Jewish Talmud “Sotah Foli #48”; John 8:39, 12:31, 1:19; Galatians 3:, 29; 1 John 3:8; 2 Corin. 4:3; 1 Peter 5:8, 1:19; Exodus 12; Dr. Bullinger's Appendix 156; Matthew 15:1-6; Colossians 2:8, 20-23; Acts 12:4; Jeremiah 7:18, 44:17-25; Ezekiel 8:13-16; 2 Chronicles 8:13, 30:15, 21; Ezra 6:19, 22; Jeremiah 10:2Join with me as we “Unravel the Words of Yahweh” on keeping Passover or Easter!Have any questions? Feel free to email me at keitner@netzero.net

The Beast's Great Deception (4) (Audio) David Eells - 3/15/23 A Giant on the Levee Adele Frederick - 2/9/23 (David's notes in red) I dreamed it was dark and I was outside. I was in Bridge City near the fire station and the Mississippi River levee. (This is where Avondale Shipyard used to be, and it has now just been sold to Port of South Louisiana and been re-named Avondale Global Gateway.) (This gateway is a gateway to invasion under cover of darkness which should be prayed against.) There were people running around and there was a Chinese woman in a black police uniform telling everyone to go inside. She seemed very nice. We had to go inside to be safe. (They had to go inside so they couldn't see the giant coming over the levee.) Then I looked over at the levee and I saw a giant man, as tall as a skyscraper, standing on it. He was so tall; all I could see was from his thighs down. The rest of his body was surrounded in a thick fog. He was so tall. (This giant man represents a corporate body of people; a secret invasion. The Chinese have bought up many of our toll roads and ports etc. Thick fog indicates a deception.) As soon as I saw the giant, it came to me that this is a hologram and a deception. (Could this be a “look here, don't look over there” false flag, i.e. a distraction?) Then I woke up. When I received this dream, I wrote an email to President Trump saying the following: Mr. President, I have sent you warnings of things to come and have been very accurate. 3 years before the plague I told you it was coming and would ultimately cause the death of many. We just got a warning dream about the newly bought Avondale shipyard. A giant man (probably Chinese, since those in control were Chinese) standing on the levee of the old Avondale shipyard between the water and the land. (A large corporate body invasion over the levee?) Shipping containers come in that way. Since it was sold to someone and renamed Avondale Global Gateway, could it represent a gateway for the Chinese CCP to invade? I heard an invasion under the Canadian border by the CCP was stopped by the US military by bombs 2-3 years ago. Also, the Chinese were run out of the west coast when the military bombed the underground bases there. The DS definitely wants the CCP in here to overthrow the US. It would be interesting to see if leftists bought the port to enable this. When she saw the giant Chinese man as large as a skyscraper standing on the levee, her thought was, This is a deception, it's a hologram. GOD BE WITH YOU. Your servant, David (Adele said, “I've never dreamed anything like this before. I believe this dream is a confirmation of Mary Baxter's revelation from the, The Beast's Great Deception (1) broadcast on 2/12/23.”) Chinese Covertly Planned Famine Isaac Payne - 2/5/23 (David's notes in red) (… As the Chinese spy balloon was coming within proximity to Ohio, I asked Father whose device this was and what was their purpose. I wanted the real news which is why I asked Father in prayer. Marianna and I prayed in agreement for a dream.) Then I had a dream where I was witnessing, in the Spirit, a farmer tending his crop. The farmer was wearing overalls and a red, straw hat and holding a corn hook. The farmer looked like he was from the 1800's based on his attire. (This farmer could represent a corporate body of farmers across the country.) (I remember that the tool looked like a sickle, but I knew it wasn't. I looked it up on the internet and found out that the corn hook was invented in the 1800s. The corn was green and still unripe, not being ready for the harvest. The farmer was dismayed as half his crop was decimated and trampled over and now worthless. (The Chinese spy balloons could have been mapping our countries crops to perform a targeted destruction of America's food supply. Their crops will be partially destroyed by the enemy. This is how communists take over by controlling the food supply.) Surrounding the farmer was United States Soldiers from this 21st century and they were technically advanced. (21st referring to great wickedness, rebellion, and willful sin.) (As we have seen, God will bring judgment through famine.) They were wearing camouflage and surrounding the farmer and his crops on all sides. (Camouflage representing covert operations by the DS military.) They held the farmer at gun point and were blatantly destroying his crops. The farmer was noticeably angry yelling at them in desperation for destroying his lively hood and dumbfounded by the obvious treason of the United States. (There have been massive protests by the farmers all over the world and here, too, farmers have been forced to destroy their own crops on the threat that if they don't it will get sprayed.) Then I woke up. Luk. 21:10-11 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven. (I know there are much greater signs to be seen in the heaven, but I thought this was interesting as this balloon was a sign for me to pray to Father to reveal the plans of the enemy in a dream.) Rom. 8:35-37 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.) (Let's transition here to a spiritual aspect of the enemy's attack. Jesus gave parables of physical crops which represented spiritual crops. The physical was a sign of the spiritual.) Black Dragon Burns Up the Tares Marie Kelton - 3/11/23 (David's notes in red) During the meeting, I had an open vision. I was looking across farmland that had grass on it. (The grass represents the fleshly in God's farm. Peter said, “All flesh is as grass.”) The sun was setting, I could only see half of it above the horizon. (The sun is setting on the Babylonian DS Empire.) The sky was a purplish orange color. (Their royalty is being destroyed.) I then saw a huge black dragon come from the sky and land on the farmland. The farmland was covered in thorn bushes that were bare. (The fruitless, porcupine, factious, cursed, apostates destroyed by Babylon on its way down as we have been shown many times.) The dragon (Representing Babylon?) Breathed fire out of it's mouth and burned up the thorn bushes. I saw this a couple of times. (Joseph said, “because the dream was doubled it shall surely come to pass.” It will come to pass because "His recompense is before Him.” Jesus comes first as the Man-child to destroy the Edomites as David did.) Old Weeds Pulled As Revival Begins Claire Pienaar - 10/14/22 (David's notes in red) (I represent the Bride in this dream, as my name means “brilliance”, which denotes the “lampros garment” of righteous acts of the saints as mentioned in Rev 19:8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.) I dreamed I was in my parents' old home. (They represent the original Church and its gospel. Gal 1:8-9: But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. …) (Another Gospel is being preached everywhere with a form of godliness but denying the power thereof, and judgment has to follow.) We were working in the garden. It was unbelievably messy and there were weeds and much poor overgrowth. I did not pull the weeds and bad plants out, only my dad did that but, I was watching and helping to tidy up. (Claire's dad represents the Father who will uproot all the tares and bad overgrowth out of His “garden”. Mat. 15:13 Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up. And Mat. 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. The Bride helps to “tidy up” by preaching the unleavened bread of the Word which naturally separates the tares from the wheat.) I was then aware that my grandmother was at a nursing home, and a woman from the home texted my mom to tell her, “There are terrible sounds coming from her room. She is dying. Come quickly”. I thought, “my grandmother is already dead”, so this confused me slightly in the dream. (The mother of the harlots has been dead a long time, but many are still trapped in her dead religions.) (We are spiritual children of the gospel once and for all delivered through Jesus Christ, so the grandmother represents the original apostasy we've all come out of. Even Paul came out of the apostasy of his day.) My mother dropped all the weeds and went to my grandmother's room in the nursing home. …She left me to clean up the rest of the garden with my dad. I knew my grandmother was dead, and I didn't understand why my mother wanted to go to a dead body. (Mat. 8:22 But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead.) We bundled all the weeds that were now pulled out of the garden, into big black trash bags. I remember, in the dream, …that I seemed happy to be helping my dad. All I saw in the garden now were only perfect, tall rose stalks with a few beautiful roses. Some were red, some were pink, some were white. (I think the colors might represent the stages of our walk: walking completely under the blood 30-fold, then walking in love 60-fold, then walking in the light of the Son -100fold. The Rose of Sharon is Jesus). (Song 2:1 I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.) Then, In the dream, I was transported to this place, that was like a wilderness or outdoor church camp for tweens and teenagers. (As we will see, the revival will begin amongst the young people.) My children were there. One young girl named Ruth was sharing her testimony about how she came to Christ. (Ruth means “friend” and her loyalty was rewarded by allowing her, a Moabite [Gentile bride, to be married to David's line, the man-child.] We are all supposed to be loyal to the promises of the Gospel so that we, too, can birth Christ). She said she was star gazing one night and, in the sky, she saw the stars spell out: “He made it ALL. He loves YOU.” My children were stoked to see this message in the stars, as she had taken a photo of it and had it up on a slide show or presentation. I think I might have helped her switch on the little projector. (The Bride helps to “project” Jesus which will contribute to awesome testimonies during this last great revival.) Then I was transported into the image, and I saw the stars come together by His words. Then it zoomed out and I realized she'd only captured one part of the message. The entire complement of stars had a message written in them that He wanted us to see and hear. It was too beautiful and too shiny, and I marveled. I can't remember the message. I think some of the tweens there started seeing bits of the extended message too, because there was much jubilation and many had little fire sparklers they were waving around excitedly. (Revival) (Gen. 15:5: And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.) I kept on having flashes about my dead grandmother but just chose to enjoy this joyous moment with my children. Then I woke up I asked the Lord for a word by faith at random for this dream and received Ezekiel 39:21 (finger on my glory”): “And I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. I asked The Lord for one more word, and received Isaiah 1:16, (in context 16-17): Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Excerpt from Ministering Angels Through UBM (3): Eve said, “I asked the angel Shemuel if he had anything to say” and he said, “A great move of God is coming upon the younger generations. There is a mildew and rottenness that has been cast upon this crop by satan; a perpetual darkness, so that the Son has not shown upon them. They languish and rot in the field and their fruit is poisoned. But the Son is coming to shine down upon them and he will burn up all the disease and mildew of their lives and the heat of His fire will burn through them and cleanse and restore them to the purpose they were created for. There has never been a revival like this that will sweep the whole earth. This will be entirely an act of God; supernatural and undeniable. He will not forsake the youth of this final generation.” (Well, we can see the youth being revived, no longer satisfied with powerless religion.) Angels Ask to Serve Us in the Harvest Revival Brian - 12/14/2007 (David's notes in red) I had a dream that I was standing outside, staring at the sky. It was dark and the sky was full of stars. As I was looking up, the moon and the stars started moving around in a crazy circle very fast. (The moon and stars represent God's people bringing light to the night. This reminds us of Joseph's dream of the sun/Father, moon/Mother, and stars/brethren. Gen. 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me. Joseph was the man-child. This was a revival.) When they stopped, some of the stars made the shape of a large fish in the sky and started blinking like a neon sign. (The great fish in heavenly places represents a great corporate harvest of fish after many nights.) What looked like smoke then started coming down from the sky from where the fish was toward me. I was scared and started running toward this house. The smoke was following me. As I went into the house and turned around, much to my surprise, the smoke took on the shape of a huge angel with wings. (The angels that came to us said they were going to help the saints during this great revival.) It then started waving at me very friendly-like. I turned around to tell whoever was in the house that there was an angel outside waving to me. When I turned back around it was daylight and there were now many angels, and they were standing right in front of me. {Heb.1:14} Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?) They looked like people and they all had pen and paper in their hands, ready to write. They greeted me and asked if I needed anything. (The angels serve our needs in the work of bringing in the fish, among other things.) I said, "Can you make sure Lisa Tate and her family are saved?" (Lisa is a childhood friend that I had been having dreams about lately.) One of the angels said, "We can't see that someone is saved but we are here to see if you need anything". ("You have not because you ask not".) The End. The Lord confirmed this dream days later through my 3-year-old nephew who was spending the weekend at my mother's house. He just blurted out on that Sunday afternoon that he had a dream that night that the Sun, Moon, and Stars all got into a boat that was in the water. I have to say the goosebumps grew quickly. (1 Co.15 likens the Sun, Moon and Stars to the different stages of growth of God's people. Here they are caught in a boat like fish.) It was then that the Spirit led me to a book called "The Witness of the Stars" by E. W. Bullinger, where I think I found the fish. I had no idea that the zodiac had the biblical story. I guess Satan has counterfeited everything. This is what I found in book 2, chapter 2: "Piscis Australis" (The Southern Fish) This first constellation is one of high antiquity, and its brilliant star of the first magnitude was a subject of great study by the Egyptians and Ethiopians. It is named in Arabic "Fom al Haut", "The mouth of the Fish". There are 22 other stars. (It is the fishes' hunger from God that causes them to be caught.) The constellation is inseparable from Aquarius. In the Denderah Zodiac it is called Aar, "A Stream". It sets forth the simple truth that the blessings procured by the MAN - the coming seed of the woman, will be surely bestowed and received by those for whom they are intended. There will be no failure in their communication, or in their reception. What has been purchased shall be secured and possessed. (This is true of Jesus and Jesus in the end-time man-child company of Rev.12.) PS: Zodiac, ancient word Zoaz, "the path", or "the way". (The Bible speaks of constellations of the Zodiac positively, but men have turned these good signs into astrology, which is idolatry.) Angels Ask To Serve Us in The Harvest Excerpt from Ministering Angels Through UBM (3): The angel Baruch said, “There is a time coming soon when the fire of our God will be sent down upon His people and the events we've spoken to you about previously will begin to take place. Supernatural gifting and abilities will be bestowed upon the saints by angels with these assignments. (Some don't know that angels manifest the gifts.) These angels will have greater freedom with regards to appearances and communications with the saints. They will have the command to assist and equip the saints in their end time assignments and gifting's, but instructions will still be given to the saints on a “need to know” basis because of the nature of mankind and the limitations of their vessels.” (Mena Lee Jones just had a dream that many people were about to die. Before leaving Egypt to go into the wilderness tribulation, there was the Passover, which was very specific because it took out the Egyptians who were persecuting God's people. This is like when David came to the throne and he judged the Edomites who were persecuting God's people.) The Righteous and the Wicked David Eells In 70 AD the Romans came and slaughtered the Jews who crucified Jesus and His disciples. This was the reason Josephus gave for their destruction. He was hired by the Romans to write their history. There were piles of bodies when the Romans entered the city. Faction fell on the Jews, and they killed each other because they factioned against Jesus and His disciples. Of course, the Christians were commanded to flee to the mountains when they saw this beast army, so the obedient Christians escaped. This is very similar to today, but it is a worldwide scene because the spiritual Jews circumcised in heart are world wide and so are their crucifiers the satanist DS in Church and state. President Trump and the Alliance are doing a God ordained Job in destroying the DS army of crucifiers. They are putting to death traitors, pedophiles, bisexuals, homosexuals, traffickers, child sacrificers, slanderers and liars around the world. Homosexual Agenda: The Second Plague of Frogs Deb Horton sent this revelation to us: Way, way back when, we learned in biology class that frogs can change their sex, sometimes based on external influences, i.e., lack of the opposite sex nearby, chemical pollution, etc., but sometimes for no discernible reason. So, what are we being plagued with today? Gender "fluidity," "transitioning," LGBTQxyz. (The DS in Church and state have common demons of perversion which frogs represent.) Frogs were the second plague of Egypt. Howard Pitman saw a frog demon enter a person that caused him to lust. He also said that frog demons are so nasty that they're outcast as pariahs, even in hell. (Exo.8:1) And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me. (2) And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: (3) and the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs: (4) and the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. (Psa.105:30) Their land swarmed with frogs In the chambers of their kings. ("Chambers" there is "bedrooms.") (Rev.16:13) And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs. Our Cyrus/Trump and the Alliance are taking down Babylon by the multitudes. And the Babylonians are taking down those apostates who do not believe God's Word and have rebelled against Him. And Jesus is coming to finish the job on these perverts in Church and state. Pray for the elect among them to come out. Sometimes we think things are going too slow, but our Lord is trying and purifying us in the meantime. He is and will separate the tares from the wheat. Because of this He showed me today to concentrate on Psalm 37, which guarantees God will bring down the evil ones who claim to be the Church while they kill God's Children like their Babylonian dragon has done. Psa 37:1-40 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evil doers, Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness. (Because they cannot prosper for their latter end is written. It is a fact shown in all of history since Cain killed Abel.) 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in Jehovah, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. (Doing good while the wicked do bad is the test and Jesus showed us how to overcome in this by denying himself to go to His cross. He is faithful to finish the good work He started in us and to destroy our enemies. All you have to do is look at them and you know this and are so grateful you are chosen.) 4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart. (Today we delight in the Lord and praise His Holy name as He binds the enemy and executes vengeance as He said in Psa. 149.) 5 Commit thy way unto Jehovah (Lord, Keep our feet in the narrow path! Thy word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path.); Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass. (He is in absolute control of the wicked so we can trust Him.) 6 And he will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, And thy justice as the noonday. (As we take up our cross to follow Him.) 7 Rest in Jehovah (Cease from self works or you fail the test.) and wait patiently for him: (He says vengeance is mine, I will repay.) Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. (Fretting is like thinking of what we should do in their regards. It is also worrying about what they think they can do. Greater is He who is in you than He that is in the world, meaning satan and his children.) 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing. (Cast down vain thoughts that make you mad at those who are demon possessed and don't even know what they are doing.) 9 For evil-doers shall be cut off (Look at them; they are already being cut off in spirit and soul and soon to be in body.); But those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit the land. (Wait for Him, don't get ahead of Him, for there is failure. They do as they please without conscience, but their time is so short, while you are eternal if you abide in Him and let the Word be your conscience. According to the parable of the sower 3 out of 4 fail this trial and those that fail are many times the persecutors.) 10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. (The land is this carnal life which the spiritual man is sown in. When the old man is dead there is peace. But to the wicked there is no peace says our Lord.) 12 The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth. (In their hatred they constantly plot the overthrow of the righteous, we have heard them, but…) 13 The Lord will laugh at him; For he seeth that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay such as are upright in the way. (The true God sees it all. It is the parable of Cain's attack on Abel replayed but Abel had a born again image in Seth. Eve said, “God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel.” Why instead of Abel? It is because Abel and Seth were sons of God but Cain was of the evil one.) 15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. (Father says, I will curse them that curse thee. …And they will fall into their own traps.) 16 Better is a little that the righteous hath Than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous. (Some have thought that the end of Babylon in the world and church would never come but it is happening.) 18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away. 21 The wicked borroweth (and stealeth), and payeth not again; But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth. 22 For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land (This is both spiritual and physical.); And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off. 23 A man's goings are established of Jehovah (Because He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure as we walk by His faith.); And he delighteth in his way. (It is a delight to walk with the Lord and see His works!) 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For Jehovah upholdeth him with his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his seed begging bread. (And so, it shall be.) 26 All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth; And his seed is blessed. (Look at the seed of the wicked and you will see ruin, satanism, lesbianism, bisexuality, homosexuality, theft, fornication, hatred, and all the works of the flesh and hell if they don't repent.) 27 Depart from evil, and do good, And dwell for evermore. 28 For Jehovah loveth justice (So He said men would reap what they sow), And forsaketh not his saints; They are preserved for ever: But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. (Paul said, the children are sanctified in the believing parents.) 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell therein for ever. 30 The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom (For they love Jesus the Word, who is to us wisdom.), And his tongue speaketh justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. 32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him. (This is literally so; they are stalkers.) 33 Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. (Satan tells his children they will rule over the righteous, that they will see their revenge on the righteous, but God says it will not end this way.) 34 Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, And he will exalt thee to inherit the land: When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. (Notice we inherit the Land before the wicked are cut off. The crucifiers have a job to do but their reward follows like it was with Judas.) 35 I have seen the wicked in great power And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. (Judas had the money of the righteous in his pocket but it was used to bury him.) 36 But one passed by, and, lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. (Jesus passed by and Judas did not follow.) 37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright; For there is a happy end to the man of peace. 38 As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together; The end of the wicked shall be cut off. (Look at the DS and so it will be with the DS claiming to be the Church.). 39 But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 And Jehovah helpeth them, and rescueth them; He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them, Because they have taken refuge in him. (Abide in Him Saints and be happy.)

noun: proliferation 1. rapid increase in numbers. "a continuing threat of nuclear proliferation" rapid reproduction of a cell, part, or organism. "we attempted to measure cell proliferation" a large number of something. "stress levels are high, forcing upon them a proliferation of ailments" “Then the Lord awakened as from sleep, as a strong man whose consciousness of power is heightened by wine. And He smote His adversaries in the back [as they fled]; He put them to lasting shame and reproach.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭78‬:‭65‬-‭66‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ “And he said to the second angel, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited and dwell as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.” Zechariah‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭ “When Noah awoke from his wine, and knew the thing which his youngest son had done to him, He exclaimed, Cursed be Canaan! He shall be the servant of servants to his brethren! [Deut. 27:16.]” Genesis‬ ‭9‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ "There is an important grammatical distinction in Genesis 9:27 that affects its meaning. The NIV renders the second phrase in verse 27 “Japheth live in the tents of Shem.” The Hebrew word translated Japheth is “he”, and an alternate reading would refer this word “he” to God in the first phrase of the verse rather than to Japheth. This would put God in the tents of Shem – ” etc You do not cite who was saying this, but it is an interesting idea. If we quote the whole passage in question, we get the following (from the NKJV): 24. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. 25. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan;' A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” 26. And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. 27. May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.” It would seem rather strange to me that verse 25 says Canaan shall be a servant of servants to his brethren in verse 25, then to say may Canaan be God's servant in verses 26 and 27. But you could hardly make “he” in verse 27 mean “may God dwell in Shem's tents” and then “his” in the next phrase mean someone besides God. It would seem to me logical that 25 says Canaan shall be the servant of servants to his brothers, verse 26 says he will be a servant to Shem, and verse 27 says that he will be a servant to Japheth. So I would think that “he” in the second phrase of verse 27 also has to be Japheth. Bullinger's note on this in The Companion Bible is interesting. “dwell: as in a Tabernacle (Gen. 3. 24, q. v.), i. e. worship the God of Shem : Israel's God, Heb. shakan. See Ap. 40. Gentiles to be blessed in Shem. The Eunuch (Ham) Acts 8. Saul (Shem) Acts 9. Cornelius (Japheth) Acts 10. See note on Gen. 11. 9.” Through the Christian religion much of the Japhethite world has come to worship (in name at least) the God worshiped by Shemites in Israel. Yet the ultimate fulfillment of this will be in the kingdom of God. Then, Canaan too, as many as make it there, will doubtless be servants to the LORD as well. Japheth takes possession of the tents which by right of primogeniture belonged to Shem. For "to dwell in the tents of Shem" is not so much to share them as to own them; and if the Jews retain some degree of faith, it has lost with them all expansive power. “Love does no wrong to one's neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law. Besides this you know what [a critical] hour this is, how it is high time now for you to wake up out of your sleep (rouse to reality). For salvation (final deliverance) is nearer to us now than when we first believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ, the Messiah). The night is far gone and the day is almost here. Let us then drop (fling away) the works and deeds of darkness and put on the [full] armor of light.” Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭10‬-‭12‬

In this episode of Bridge Radio we are joined by returning guest, Dr. Donald McKim. Dr. McKim tells us about the life and theology of Swiss theologian Heinrich Bullinger and reveals what his views can mean for faithful Christian living today.

Alfonso and Erik are joined by Jon Bullinger, founder of Ultra Premium Tequila Yéyo. Jon shares the roots of Yéyo and what it took to get it up and running. Jon goes in depth talking about the new expression for Yéyo; Reposado Single Cask that is aged in Colombian white oak dark rum barrels. He also shares that they have some future plans for other expressions. Lastly, Jon let's know about the treasure map and what lies at the end of the map.https://www.yeyotequila.com/https://www.instagram.com/yeyotequila/https://www.yeyotequila.com/shop

On The Literary Life podcast today, our hosts look back on their reading lives over the past year. Angelina, Cindy and Thomas each share a commonplace quote, then they each share a little about how they approach reading in a way that fits with the demands of their busy lives. Each of our hosts talks about their literary surprises, their most outstanding reads of the year, disappointing books they read, and their personal favorite podcast books from 2022. Angelina also reiterates why reading rightly is so important to us all! Don't forget to join us for the 2023 Reading Challenge! Get your books and Bingo cards ready! Commonplace Quotes: A good story isn't told to make a point. A good story reflects the World God created. The point makes itself. Timothy Rollins “Blessed be Pain and Torment and every torture of the Body … Blessed be Plague and Pestilence and the Illness of Nations…. “Blessed be all Loss and the Failure of Friends and the Sacrifice of Love…. “Blessed be the Destruction of all Possessions, the Ruin of all Property, Fine Cities, and Great Palaces…. “Blessed be the Disappointment of all Ambitions…. “Blessed be all Failure and the ruin of every Earthly Hope…. “Blessed be all Sorrows, Torments, Hardships, Endurances that demand Courage…. “Blessed be these things–for of these things cometh the making of a Man….” Hugh Walpole I will not walk with your progressive apes, erect and sapient. Before them gapes the dark abyss to which their progress tends – if by God's mercy progress ever ends, and does not ceaselessly revolve the same unfruitful course with changing of a name. I will not treat your dusty path and flat, denoting this and that by this and chat, your world immutable wherein no part the little maker has with maker's art. I bow not yet before the Iron Crown, nor cast my own small golden sceptre down. J. R. R. Tolkien, from “Mythopoeia” A Selection from “The Secular Masque” by John Dryden All, all of a piece throughout; Thy chase had a beast in view; Thy wars brought nothing about; Thy lovers were all untrue. 'Tis well an old age is out, And time to begin a new. Book and Link List: Episode 60: Why Read Pagan Myths Episode 124: The Abolition of Man (beginning of series) Fortitude by Hugh Walpole The Killer and the Slain by Hugh Walpole The Old Ladies by Hugh Walpole Cherringham Mystery Series by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards Anthony Berkeley Ronald Knox Rex Stout Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh Henry the Eighth by Beatrice Saunders The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott Hard Times by Charles Dickens Captive Flames by Ronald Knox The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin The Most Reluctant Convert by David C. Downing The Truth and Beauty by Andrew Klavan The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton The Rosettis in Wonderland by Dinah Roe Just Passing Through by Winton Porter The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories ed. by Martin Edwards The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P. D. James Edmund Crispin Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley Dorothy L. Sayers by Colin Duriez The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis The Wood Beyond the World by William Morris The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis by Jason Baxter Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh I Live Under a Black Sun by Edith Sitwell The Dwarf by Par Lagerkvist You Are Not Your Own by Alan Noble Dune by Frank Herbert The Twist of the Knife by Anthony Horowitz The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (not recommended) The Witness of the Stars by E. W. Bullinger (not recommended) The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim Dracula by Bram Stoker The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis Support The Literary Life: Become a patron of The Literary Life podcast as part of the “Friends and Fellows Community” on Patreon, and get some amazing bonus content! Thanks for your support! Connect with Us: You can find Angelina and Thomas at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, on Instagram @angelinastanford, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/ Find Cindy at morningtimeformoms.com, on Instagram @cindyordoamoris and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cindyrollins.net/. Check out Cindy's own Patreon page also! Follow The Literary Life on Instagram, and jump into our private Facebook group, The Literary Life Discussion Group, and let's get the book talk going! http://bit.ly/literarylifeFB

On this week's episode, the guest brought the goods! Heather and Kalyn interviewed friend and Certified Residential Appraiser, Grant Bullinger for a roller coaster ride of emotions and stories. From 6,000 square feet condos with secret doll rooms to unmentionable adult battery operated devices present during appraisals, Grant has truly seen it all. Giving us a thorough understanding of what appraisers face on a daily basis, the hosts are enlightened on how the residential appraisal is created and that not all appraisers are trying to kill real estate deals. You'll laugh and learn some things but stick around until the end - Grant truly saved the best stories for last. Thank you to our sponsor, Richard Johnston with Johnston Insurance Agency!

In this continuing study I take a look at the Rapture Doctrine. Is this a Pre-Trib, as taught in most mainstream Churches are do Christians go through the Tribulation Period? I compare Thessalonians to Matthew 24 along with Revelation. I venture into Paul's writings to explore what he has to say, along with what Yahweh says in Ezekiel. I also ask the listeners to grab a pencil and paper as we create charts for comparison as we get deeper into this study.  In this Part 34 I go back to Matthew 24, verse 20 and see what Yahshua Messiah has to say to His disciples and most important TO US TODAY! I read from 1 John Chapter 2 verses 15-2320       But pray ye ... = The destruction was certainly coming. It could not be prevented; yet it was right to pray for a reduction of the circumstances, that it might be as mild as possible. So we know that calamity is before us; sickness, pain, bereavement, and death are in our path; yet, though we know that these things must come upon us, it is right to pray that they may come in as mild a manner as may be consistent with the will of Yahweh. We must die, but it is right to pray that the pains of our dying may be neither long nor severe.flight = foog-ay' ; a fleeing, that is, escape. This would the fleeing in verse16. winter = Why? Let me ask you something, when is the harvest season? Is it in the winter months?  They are being harvested out of season. Let us never forget Yahweh's Holy Days and especially the Feast of Tabernacles!Sabbath Day = How far could one travel on this day? The Law of Moses did not mention the distance to which persons might go on the Sabbath, but most of the Jews maintained that it should not be more than 2000 cubits. Some supposed that it was 7 furlongs, or nearly a mile. This distance was allowed in order that they might go to their places of worship. Most of them held that it was not lawful to go further, under any circumstances of war or affliction.21           for then = Yahshua Messiah gives the reason why this sudden flight (verses 16-20) was rendered necessary at the moment spoken of in verse 15. shall be, &c. =  Quoted from Daniel 12:1.  Great tribulation = also known as “Jacob's Trouble” Jerm. 30 Great = ‘meg-as' great, large, of physical magnitude Tribulation = ‘thlip-sis' pressure, afflicted. Dr. Bullinger translates as, ‘pressure, compression, straitness; hence, pressure from evils, affliction, distress22           those days = those days of Satan's tribulation of Rev. 11 and 13. Even those days of verse 19! Those days of the abomination of desolation!Shortened = to 5 months. Rev. 9:5. Not only does it tell us 5 months, but also which 5 months it shall be! Check it out for yourself.After Yahshua Messiah described the Great Tribulation (the second half of a seven-year period called the Tribulation, vv. 9–14), He began the next sentence (v. 15) with “therefore.” Thus He indicated that the next section of His discourse was a deduction drawn from the characteristics of that future period. Don't end up like those in Hosea 4:6 ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God (Elohim), I will also forget thy children.'But, be like those in 2Timothy 2:15 ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God (Yahweh), a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.' Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh!Have any questions? Feel free to email me at utwoy@netzero.net

Wednesday, 7 September 2022   and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. Acts 10:11   Taken with the previous verse, the words form a complete thought – “Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.” With this noted, the words can now be looked into, starting with, “and saw heaven opened.”   Rather, the first verb is present tense to more poignantly bring the reader into the narrative – “and beholds heaven opened.” It isn't that he went into a trance and saw. He went into a trance, and he beholds. It is right there before him as he looks. While beholding this marvelous scene it next says, “and an object.”   This is all happening while he beholds. This thing, described here as an object, takes hold of his vision. The word simply means a vessel by which something is contained. In this case, the object is “like a great sheet.” The word is othoné, and it is found only here and in verse 11:5 where Peter explains to others what he saw. It is fine linen, and thus it refers to a sheet or a sail. It is a piece of linen, obviously square (as will be seen), and extremely large.   Some speculate that this may be a tallit, a fringed prayer shawl used by Jews. If it were such an item, and because Peter is a Jew, he would have certainly said so when later describing it. Rather, it appears to simply be “like” a great sheet, and thus something specifically used for this purpose. Of this object, it next says that it was “bound at the four corners.”   This now gives a better sense of what the object may be. As noted, the word used to describe it is a sheet or a sail. The Weymouth New Testament uses the word sail –   “The sky had opened to his view, and what seemed to be an enormous sail was descending, being let down to the earth by ropes at the four corners.”   This is probably what is being conveyed. Peter bar Jonah (his full name as seen in Matthew 16:17) was a fisherman and well acquainted with sailing. He had just been called from Joppa where centuries earlier Jonah had sailed aboard a ship going to Tarshish. As he was by the sea at Simon the tanner's house (Acts 10:6), he would have daily seen ships coming and going. When describing this object in Acts 11, it would be much more normal for him to use this description with those he talked to – “I saw this thing descending like a huge sail!”   The description of it being a sail would then fit more readily with the typology of what will later be described for other reasons as well. Of this great object like a sail, it next says it was “bound at the four corners.”   The word translated as “corners” means “beginnings.” It is the very extremity of the sail, and this is what would naturally be done to a sail. The billowing square sail of a ship is what catches the wind and impels it forward as it is bound by its corners. This is just what the word was used to indicate in ancient Greek as noted by Vincent's Word Studies –   “Dr. J. Rawson Lumby suggests that the word, ‘applied to loose, bellying sails of ships,' may indicate that the form of vessel which appeared to Peter ‘recalled an image most familiar to his previous life - the wind-stretched canvas of the craft on the Lake of Galilee' (‘Expositor,' iii., 272).”   The verse finishes with the words, “descending to him and let down to the earth.” The number four in Scripture is defined by Bullinger as the number of creation. It is the world number and especially the city number. This object bound at the four corners descended down to the earth. As such, it would indicate the four corners of the earth noted elsewhere in Scripture, such as in Isaiah 11:12. It is a way of describing the totality of a location, such as a city or a country, or even the earth itself.   As this has descended from heaven, its origin is in heaven. Due to its great size and the fact that it has four corners, and that it has descended to the earth, it is emblematic of the entire earth. These things can be deduced even before the next verses are given.   As a point of interest, the word used to describe this sail has a kindred noun, othonion. That is seen in the gospels when referring to the linen strips used to wrap Jesus' body. That word is not used, but it is an interesting connection to help understand the word that is being used by Luke.   Life application: At times, the Bible provides information in typology, metaphor, and comparison and asks us to think through what is being said. It can be an imperfect science to interpret these things, but the more we read the Bible, the more clearly such things begin to be understood.   The consistency of the Bible in its use of various literary devices, especially combined with the life or circumstances of those who are highlighted in the passages, can give us even more assurance of what is being conveyed. For example, Peter is being used to convey imagery to the church at this time. Who he is, what he did, and the surrounding passage all give us clues as to what the imagery is conveying.   From there, we can then make logical deductions about what is being expressed. In other words, read your Bible, think about what it says, and remember these things as you continue. When an interesting passage comes before you, then you can take your store of information and make such conclusions. Be careful, however, because some people can make anything mean anything by incorrectly analyzing what is being described. Don't just jump on the first commentary's explanation but be willing to research the matter fully in order to get the best hint of what is being expressed.   Lord God, thank You for the wonders and delights that are found in Your word. They give us a lifetime of things to study, contemplate, and consider. Someday, we long to see the word fully explained to us so that we can behold the marvel of all that it contains! Thank You for this precious gift, Your wonderful word. Amen.  

Now in complete control in Geneva, John Calvin sought to forge a Protestant alliance with first Strasbourg, then Saxony, and finally with Bullinger in Zurich. While dealing with foreign issues, within Geneva itself, things were getting rough. The situation in France had deteriorated for Protestants, leading thousands to flee. Many of these refugees found their way to Geneva. But the influx of hundreds of foreigners always causes issues and, in the case of Geneva in the Sixteenth Century, the issue was thorny and struck right at the heart of Calvin's church.Check out the website for more content: www.westerncivpodcast.comBecome a Patron for ad-free versions of the show and hours of bonus content: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcastSubscribe to our Premium Feed for new versions of old favorites: www.glow.fm/westernciv

What drew her back to the Church

In early 2022, James Bullinger was an inaugural  inductee in the new Alabama Sports and Adventure Hall of Fame.  The Level Plains resident talked with Carolyn Hutcheson, In Focus host, about his decision ten years ago to lose weight and get physically active.  The venue he chose was outdoors, with extensive hiking and mountain climbing in the U.S. and abroad.  Bullinger is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, who has raised funds through his treks for the U.S. Army Aviation Museum

Friday, 29 April 2022   “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. Acts 7:23   Stephen's last words spoke of Moses being learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, something not referred to in the Old Testament. He also referred to Moses being mighty in words and deeds. Now, Stephen gives another insight not previously recorded in Scripture, saying, “Now when he was forty years old.”   The translation falls short. The verb used is pléroó, to fulfill. Furthermore, it is imperfect. It more closely says, “And when a period of forty years was fulfilling to him.” In other words, it is as if his life was coming to a set point where there would be a change in him. At that time, an inner impulse came upon him. As Stephen notes, “it came into his heart.”   The Greek bears an idiom, saying, “it arose upon his heart.” It is as if this inner impulse suddenly activated and arose into his thinking (the heart being the seat of reasoning and understanding) that he had not previously experienced. It is similar to the words of the Greek translation of Jeremiah 3:16. There, referring to the Ark of the Covenant, it says that “it shall not ascend upon the heart.” As for Moses, nothing is said of why this came about, but it is the timing of the event that opens up the narrative. He was forty at this time.    As this is so, Moses' life was divided up into three periods of forty years. He was in Egypt till he was forty. He went to Midian and was there forty years until his calling. He then led Israel for forty years. Bullinger defines the number forty by associating it “with a period of probation, trial, and chastisement—(not judgment, like the number 9, which stands in connection with the punishment of enemies, but the chastisement of sons, and of a covenant people). It is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8).”   This very suitably defines the periods of Moses' life. Taken together they equal one hundred and twenty, the time recorded as the life of Moses upon his death (Deuteronomy 34:7). Of that, Bullinger notes that the number one hundred and twenty “is made up of three forties (3x40=120). Applied to time therefore it signifies a divinely appointed period of probation.”   As Moses is emblematic of the law, this is a marvelously fulfilled pattern. As for Stephen's words, they continue with “to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.” This is what arose upon his heart. It was an inner impulse probably weighing upon him to discover his roots and to understand who he was as a person. With this mindset, Stephen will next continue the narrative.   By specifically naming them as “the children of Israel,” it is a clear indication that there should be a bond of fellowship between them. Upon his coming to them, they should acknowledge him as their own and treat him accordingly.   Life application: In this verse, one can see the guiding hand of the Lord in how He is working out the redemptive narrative to meet His plan. It is like the call of Abraham, the seemingly chance meeting of Abraham's servant with Rebekah at a well, and so on. Various things occur that seem unrelated or through simple good luck, but each was purposefully arranged in order to lead His chosen instruments through history until it finally arrives at Jesus.   This will continue to be true at the rapture of the church. The Restrainer will be taken out of the way, and only then will the antichrist be revealed. There is nothing arbitrary about how the events of history are unfolding. The plan is known to God, it is set, and it will come to pass.   This should not lead us to a fatalistic attitude though. We are living out our lives as individuals, and God is not forcing us into decisions. We can sit on the porch all day and wait for a welfare check, or we can be industrious and get to work. Those are personal choices, and we will be accountable for each such thing we do.   Despite this, we should be comforted that there is a process that is occurring around us that has been set and that we will participate in when the time has reached its fullness. Because of this, let us not be troubled as those of the world are. Whatever happens to us in this life, it is a part of the human experience. But what will happen to us when Christ comes is a part of His divinely appointed plan for His people.   Live in the world, but do not live as the world. In this, we will be demonstrating faith in God's overarching plan that is guiding us to a very good end.   Heavenly Father, help us to not be fearful when troubles or catastrophes occur. May we stand fast on the sure promises You have spoken out to us in Your word, being reassured that a good end will be the result, even if the way is difficult or even dangerous at times. We know that You have all things under control. Hallelujah and amen.  

In this special Podcast, I take a look at Passover. Are we instructed to keep Yahweh's Holy Days, such as Passover or do we follow the church tradition of Easter? Listen to this explosive study on what Yahweh has to say about this.What day was the Passover on?  What was the significance of Passover? What does the number of the days have to do with Yahweh? Did Yahweh have a plan for all of this?Now I realize that the conditions set forth by Yahweh differs from what He set forth in the beginning. What caught my interest into these 7 Holy Feasts was the Prophetic Message contained within them.We find that within these 7, 4 are in the season of the spring, while the remaining 3 are in the fall or “harvest. In studying the Prophecy aspect of Yahweh's Words, we realize and conclude that these 7 Holy Feasts play an important role in the Prophecy of Yahshua Messiah concerning the past and the present. Today we will focus on Passover.Let's take a brief view of the first 4 Feasts:The Feast of Passover pointed to Yahshua's death on Calvary as “the Lamb of Yahweh, who taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29The Feast of Unleavened Bread attested to the fact that Yahshua's body, unlike all others would not decay in the grave. The Son of Yahweh, in speaking with His Heavenly Father said, “for Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt Thou permit Thine Holy One to see corruption” Psalms 16:10The Feast of Firstfruits proclaimed the certainty of His bodily resurrection. The acceptance by Yahweh of the Firstfruits [sheaf] of the spring barley harvest guaranteed a full harvest to follow. By virtue of the resurrection of Yahshua Messiah, He is the Firstfruits and guarantees that all the Saints within Him will one day rise from the grave.The Feast of Pentecost, which occurs exactly 50 days after Firstfruits [the resurrection of the Messiah] anticipated the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the origin of the “Ek-kelsia”. We read in the Jewish Talmud, in the tractate of Sotah, foli #48 it reads in part “when Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi died, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel; nevertheless they made use of the Bath Kol.” [a divine voice from Heaven]These 4 events in the life of Yahshua Messiah, which the 4 spring feasts depicted, are history. We can look back at these events and they can be examined as historical facts. We can say that the first 4 set the foundation for the remaining 3. [As I think on this foundation, I think of the Tabernacle, which is to come, and when this Tabernacle comes, then all of His Elect come to dwell in the eternal]The fall Feasts have not yet occurred! They are yet future and predict with absolute certainty, events that will most assuredly unfold. As the 4 spring Feasts were fulfilled literally and right on schedule in connection with the Messiah's first coming, the 3 Fall Feasts will likewise be fulfilled literally and right on schedule in connection with His second coming.This is a MUST LISTEN show!!Some of the verses/writings that I use: Lev. 23; Deut. 16; John 1:29; Psalms 16:10; Jewish Talmud “Sotah Foli #48”; John 8:39, 12:31, 1:19; Galatians 3:, 29; 1 John 3:8; 2 Corin. 4:3; 1 Peter 5:8, 1:19; Exodus 12; Dr. Bullinger's Appendix 156; Matthew 15:1-6; Colossians 2:8, 20-23; Acts 12:4; Jeremiah 7:18, 44:17-25; Ezekiel 8:13-16; 2 Chronicles 8:13, 30:15, 21; Ezra 6:19, 22; Jeremiah 10:2Join with me as we “Unravel the Words of Yahweh” on keeping Passover or Easter!Have any questions? Feel free to email me at utwoy@netzero.net 

From the sublimity of the Blumhardts and Nenilava to the ridiculousness of American revivalism. Let's face it, a revival is never honored in its own country. In this episode, these two American theologians trace the irritating history of how Heinrich Bullinger of Zurich (where else?) corrupted Luther's doctrine of the new birth, setting off a chain reaction that bounced from stark Puritan double predestination to the hysterical self-determination of American revival religion, and pretty much everything else American, too. Like it or not, we're all revivalists now. Notes: 1. Dad's article "The Doctrine of the New Birth from Bullinger to Edwards" explains all 2. Check out The Book of Concord and do a word search on "regeneration"... prepare to be amazed 3. Gritsch, Born Againism 4. Phil Cary, Good News for Anxious Christians 5. Sealed—if you haven't yet, go back and listen to our bonus episode on this amazing memoir from (as of last month) the Rev. Katie Langston! And hey! If you've made it this far in the show notes, you're probably a super fan, and should consider declaring yourself as one on Patreon. You can start at just $2 a month (which is basically a buck an episode). Give more monthly and you get swag. Or just pay us a visit at sarahhinlickywilson.com and paulhinlicky.com!

When the pandemic hit, many people who study child maltreatment, abuse, and neglect were worried that some children might be at greater risk due to more time at home and other factors that the pandemic could exacerbate. But at the same time, many children had less access to other adults who might be able to notice if something was wrong. For this episode, we talked with Dr. Lindsey Bullinger of Georgia Tech's School of Public Policy about how she and her colleagues went about trying to measure rates of child maltreatment early in the pandemic when many families needed to stay at home.

Today James and Jesse continue Reformation Month with discussion about Philipp Melanchthon & Heinrich Bullinger: 2nd Generation Reformers who succeeded two very well known 1st Generation Reformers. James also talks about pumpkin spice and we announce the winners of the Coffee Mug giveaway and the Theologian Bookmark Set giveaway!

Sean Finnegan is a pastor, podcaster, and scholar who has a very similar background to me. We talk about what it is like to grow up "in the shadow of the Way International" and make sense of it's mixed inheritance. Some of the names mentioned are E.W. Bullinger, B.J. Leonard, Anthony Buzzard, Vince Finnegan, and Victor Gluckin. You can find Sean's podcast, "Restitutio" here: https://restitutio.org/ You can find Sean's interview of me here: https://restitutio.org/2020/11/27/367-excommunicated-for-my-beliefs-sam/

In this episode we talk with Lindsey Bullinger about her experience dealing with raising a child, while having a partner that works a lot!. Lindsey is n Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech. Her research examines how public policies affect children and families' health and well-being, especially low-income families. Lindsey has started to work on how the pandemic has affected domestic violence. She has a paper forthcoming at the American Journal of Health Economics (link here). She also wrote a piece for the Ashecon Newsletter talking about measuring domestic violence and child maltreatment (link here). Her work has been published in American Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Policy Analysis & Management, Review of Economics of the Household, Contemporary Economic Policy, ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Housing Policy Debate, Children and Youth Services Review, Health Services Research, American Journal of Public Health, JAMA Pediatrics, and Maternal and Child Health Journal. It has been funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, the Spencer Foundation, and Pew Charitable Trusts. She earned my Ph.D. from Indiana University in April 2018. Sebastian Tello-Trillo is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy in the University of Virginia. Alex Hollingsworth is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Indiana University. Lindsey's recommendation is to take "work walks". This means, having your schedule "zoom-meetings" as a phone conversation in which you can walk and talk at the same time. Two birds, one-stone! Alex's recommendation of the week is the book "Statistical Rethinking", is a book that helps introduce Bayesian statistics from an intuitive way! In addition to the book, the author Richard McElreath has recorded lectures on Bayesian statistic that pair will with the book. Sebastian's recommendation of the week is the application Castro. This is an app to consume podcasts. The main feature that makes it different from others is that you can set it up as an inbox, where you decide which episodes you want to listen or not. Is a great tool when you follow several podcasts, but you don't really want to listen to all episodes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hidden-curriculum/message

Audio Transcript:This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston and our neighborhood churches, or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.We'd love to connect with you. We do that through the connection card, either the physical connection card or the one that you can get online or in the app. With that said, would you pray with me over the preaching of God's Holy word? Lord, we come to you with humble and grateful hearts for the fact that you, the God of the universe did not reject us when we rebelled against you. Instead, you chose to pour out your love upon us. You chose to extend mercy to us and grace. Lord, we take a moment now to repent of the fact that we take your love for granted, we take your acceptance for granted, we take a relationship with you for granted. Lord, we repent of the fact that often we are bored in our relationship with you. We are apathetic toward you. I pray today, Lord, send a fire of affection, a fire of zeal into our hearts today. With that fire, burn off the draws of indifference and apathy and stir our hearts to love you like never before. Deepen our relationship with you.Deepen our understanding of what it means to be a child of God adopted into your family through the sacrifice of our older brother, Jesus Christ. Who came and did absolutely everything that was required by your law, and then died on a cross bearing the weight of our sin, bearing the wrath that we deserve for our law breaking. Holy spirit, come now into this place, come now and fill our hearts. Continue to lead us, continue to guide us, continue to fill us. We thank you for the Holy scriptures. I pray that you take these words that you have given us, help us understand them, and I pray that they go deeper than the mind and into the heart and transform the will. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. We're starting a new sermon series today through the book of Malachi which is at the very center of scripture, so to speak. In that, this book is at the end of the Old Testament, and it's right before the New Testament. We are going to spend four weeks in the book of Malachi covering the four chapters.That's going to lead us immediately into the beginning of Matthew. We'll cover Malachi chapters, one, two, three, and four. Then that leads us into advent with Matthew chapter one and two. The title of the sermon today is eternal love. I'm praying the Lord helps us understand his love for us. If you haven't heard, this is a big week in the United States. If you haven't heard, the election is this week. This election has been called the most important, the most monumental, the most consequential election of our lifetime, maybe. Today I want to talk about election, but a more important, more consequential, more monumental election. Today I want to talk about God's sovereign election of people, of us, of believers before the foundation of the world. I want to talk about his love that's a divine love, a sovereign love, an eternal love, a particular love and an electing love. The word Malachi, Malachi of the prophet, Malachi just means my messenger.God has a message for his people. It's the final message given to the people of God, the people of Israel before 400 years of silence before John the Baptizer comes as the prophet preceding, preparing the way for Christ. It's the final instructions. The context is that Israel has been brought back from Babylon. They've been in the promised land for about 100, 120 years. They've rebuilt the temple during the years of Ezra. Nehemiah has come in and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. As they're rebuilding, they're getting back to worshiping God, to the religious rituals. They're getting back to what it meant to have a relationship with God. On the outside, everything looks great. But on the inside, there's corruption and God sends Malachi to the people of God with the question, how are you doing spiritually? How are you doing deep inside? How's your relationship with the Lord? Their very first answer is, we're fine. We're doing well. Then Malachi in a very systematic way unfolds where they have fallen short of worshiping God, giving Him the worship that He deserves. Malachi is bringing to them a message that's hard.It's hard to hear. God, through Malachi, is confronting their apathy, their indifference to God. They're going through the motions, but their heart is far from God. God speaks through Malachi. 47 to 55 verses are God speaking directly to the people of God. God's goal is to wake them up from this indifference, apathy, numbness, desensitization that they're feeling toward God and get them to a place where they reposition their lives to live lives that God delights to bless. What's fascinating about the book of Malachi is it ends with a warning. The last word of the book is destruction or curse. It's the only of the prophetic books that ends in such a manner. It ends this way because before us is a choice, is a decision. Do we want a blessing or do we want a curse? The instructions are given here to live lives that God loves to bless, lives honorable to God. Today we're in Malachi Chapter 1. We'll cover the whole chapter. Would you look at the text with me, Malachi Chapter 1?The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. "I have loved you." Says the Lord. But you say, "How have you loved us? Is not Esau Jacob's brother?" Declares the Lord, "Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I've hated. I've laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert." If Edom says, "We are shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins." The Lord of hosts says, "They may build, but I will tear down and they will be called the wicked country and the people with whom the Lord is angry forever. Your own eyes shall see this and you shall say, great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel. A son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is my fear?" Says the Lord of hosts to you, priests who despise my name. But you say, "How have we despised your name?" By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, "How have we polluted you?" By saying that the Lord's table may be despised."When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? When you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor, will he accept you or show you favor?" Says the Lord of hosts. "Now entreat the favor of God that He may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will He show favor to any of you?" Says the Lord of hosts. "That there were one among you who would shut the doors that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain. I have no pleasure in you." Says the Lord of hosts "and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations and in every place, incense will be offered to my name and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations." Says the Lord of hosts. But you profane it. When you say that the Lord's table is polluted and it's fruit, that is, it's food may be despised.But you say, "What a weariness this is?" You snort at it, says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. "You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering? Shall I accept that from your hand?" Says the Lord. "Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock and vows it and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King ..." says the Lord of hosts, "and my name will be feared among the nations." This the reading of God's Holy inherent and infallible, authoritative word. May you write these eternal truths upon our hearts. Two points to frame our time together. First, we'll talk about the spiritual diagnosis as given by Malachi, which is apathy. Then the spiritual medicine, which is election. First, the spiritual diagnosis, apathy. Malachi 1:1 says, the oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. The word oracle here means burden.It means something that God has given to him, it's heavy on his shoulders. He's bringing it and not because he wants to, but because he has to. Jeremiah talks about a word that God puts into his bones that's like a fire in his bones, not to be trifled with, not to be changed, not to be disregarded or played with. Half the verses and the texts have something to say along the lines of, thus says the Lord or says the Lord or says the Lord almighty. It's not just the word about God, it's the word from God. A word to instill in us trepidation before the holiness of God, the judgment of God, the eternal condemnation of God. It's a burden to be delivered to whom? This is fascinating. It's not just the pagans, it's not to people who don't know anything about God or the word of God or things of God. It's people who love God. It's people who are raised in the faith. People who knew about the faith, the Old Testament covenant. They knew this from infancy. Because they've known it from infancy, they have grown indifferent to it.When God started a relationship with the people of Israel, it's a relationship that he compared to marriage. It's a covenant relationship. He chose to pour out his love on Israel. Now it's grown tepid. It's grown lukewarm. There's a passion leak that happened along the way. It's become a functional relationship. Almost like a functional marriage where you stay together just because of the kids or you stay together because you've been together for so long. It's a functional relationship with the Lord. God comes to them, and the very first thing that He says is, "I love you." Their response is a lukewarm, "Well, how do we know that he loves us?" The reason why he starts there is because they've lost the fire of love toward God. They've grown apathetic toward God. Spiritual apathy is something that every single believer, every single Christian needs to watch out for. But it's so sinister because it's hard to watch out for it. It doesn't come out of nowhere. It creeps in and we grow apathetic by degree. It's like the parable about the frog. How do you boil a frog alive?You throw it into cool water and then just warm up the water, warm up the water until it boils. That's how apathy works in our heart. No one starts off in a relationship with apathy. No one starts out with a relationship with God apathetically. It sneaks in. Sneaks in perhaps because we had expectations that were not met by God. "God, why did you allow this to happen?" That's what happened in Israel. They came back. The temple was rebuilt, but it was just a shadow of itself. Only 100,000 Jewish believers returned when they were a nation of millions. They come back and they said, "Does God really love us? It seems like the nations around us are prospering more than we do." It's hard to spot spiritual apathy in us, but the telltale sign of spiritual apathy is self-justification. I feel this. This is my reality. This is my experience, and I am right to feel this. If my relationship with God is not more passionate, then it's not on me. It's actually on Him.If God wants me to feel different about Him, He should've given me a lot in life, given me a different hand to play. God should have given me the things that I thought He would give me. Then I'd feel better about Him. That's what we see in this text. God comes to them. God wants to show them how apathetic they are to Him, and their reaction was self-justification. Meaning, we have a reason to feel this. Nine times in the scriptures, God is attempting to have a conversation with them. We see the phrase, but you say. Malachi 1:2, "I have loved you ..." says the Lord, "but you say ..." But the people of Israel, this is their response. "How have you loved us." Assumption, you haven't loved us. You haven't showing your love to us. Malachi 1:6B, priests who despise my name. But you say, "How have we despised your name?" God's saying, "You're hating." "How have we hated you?" Malachi 1:7, "By offering polluted food upon my altar." But you say, "How have we polluted you?"Malachi 1:13, but you say, "What a weariness this is? You snort at it." Says the Lord of hosts. God says, "I want a relationship with you. I want to bless you." They said, "But it's so boring to follow you. What a weariness it is." Malachi 2:13-14, He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, "Why does He not?" They're blame shifting. God is saying, "You're bringing offerings that's your leftovers, your second best to the Lord." They said, "But that's on God. That's God's fault that He isn't accepting what we're bringing Him." The same thing that Cain did. Malachi 2:17, You have wearied the Lord with your words, but you say, "How have we wearied him?" Malachi 3:7, "Return to me and I will return to you." Says the Lord of hosts. But you say, "How shall we return?" Malachi 3:8, will man rob God? You are robbing me. But you say, "How have we robbed you?" Malachi 3:13, "Your words have been hard against me." Says the Lord. But you say, "How have we spoken against you?"God is saying, "You've offended me." "How have we offended you Lord?" It's a hard-hearted reaction to God. Instead of repenting, they are self-justifying. The worst part, isn't just the indifference, it's the response to the person. How great is the person's God and God's love in which is an incredible love. Malachi 1:2, God comes. The very first words on the lips of God in this book are, "I have loved you." In Hebrew, it's not just, "I have loved you in the past." But, "I have loved you with such a great love and I continue to love you despite everything." Their response to that is shocking. But you say, "How have you loved us?" The response is, "We don't feel loved God. It's your fault that we don't feel loved." "I love you." But we don't feel loved. You're not doing enough to show us that you love us. What would warrant such a response? Part of it is, they're so focused on their situation. There is financial, political, relationship turmoil in their lives. God comes to them and says, "I love you."They say, "That's nice, but what have you done for me lately? What about my bills? What about my relationships? What about our health? What about my housing? My prospects, my past, present and future." You can tell from their responses, they're dead inside. They're callous. They're numb toward God. The word apathetic comes from the Greek apatheia, which means no feeling. They don't feel anything toward God. There's a dryness. There's a stupor. There's a senselessness. There's a boredom. That's what Malachi 1:13, their response is, "What a weariness this is? God, we're bored with religion. We're bored of the things of God. We're bored with the word of God. We're bored with God." If you're a parent and if you have kids, you've had this and it happens all the time. My kids come to me and are like, "Dad, I'm bored. I am so ..." Especially over quarantine it's like, "I am so bored. There's nothing to do. There's nothing to wear. There's no place to go. There's nothing to eat." Nothing to eat, always that comes after mom makes soup. They look at it and they say, "There's nothing to eat."Which is the biggest slap in the face to a parent. It's like ... My response is, "You should be lucky you're here. You're welcome. I have gifted you with existence. You're bored and partially because you're not doing anything. Go wash the dishes. Vacuum the car. Go do something." That's part of it. But the other, then you start to analyze what's going on in their heart. What's going on in their heart is, they think that you exist for them, that you, parent, exist to entertain them. They're at the center of the universe. "Mom, dad do everything that I demand. I am bored." That's what Israel is doing. I'm bored with you, God. You're not doing enough to meet our needs, to meet our demands. Now you see that really the core issue of this boredom, of this apathy, of this indifference is pride. That God, you exist for us and you're not doing enough for us. Why do they say that? Because they're focused on their circumstances. So focused on their situation, their financial situation, their health situation, their relational situation.Whenever we get too focused on our situation, too focused on ourselves, no matter how wonderful you are, no matter how wonderful your situation is, no matter how much you accomplish, no matter how prosperous your life, you will always get to a point where you get bored with you. If you're focused on you, you will always get bored with you because you are not enough to satisfy you. We have infinite souls, we have eternal souls and we need something greater than ourselves to live for. We need a greater purpose than ourselves to live for. When we're stuck on focusing on the day-to-day, the situation, and we lose sight of God's purpose for our life, God's plans for our life, we can't be bored. If God had so loved Israel, they're asking, "Why aren't we the blessed nation that we were supposed to be, that we were? We have no army to protect ourselves. We're still under the Persian King. Why is life so difficult?" Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.This indifference then leads to very raw, very dead, very dry religion. A religion that has no heart in it. They bring God their leftovers. They're hedging their bets when it comes to God. That's Malachi 1:6 and 7. God says, "A son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I'm a father, where's my honor? If I'm a master, where is my fear?" Says the Lord of hosts. "Priests who despise my name." But you say, "How have we despised your name?" By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, "How have we polluted you?" By saying that the Lord's table may be despised. It starts with, God speaks to the people of God, "You're indifferent to me. How have we loved you?" Then God turns His attention to speaking to the clergy, to the priest, to the pastors. He's saying, "You have not taught the people well. You haven't taught about fearing God and honoring God and worshiping God because He's worthy of worship." They step back and they say, "How have we hated you? We haven't hated you. We haven't despised you."Then Malachi explains, this is how. Verses eight and nine, when you offer blind animals and sacrifice, is that not evil? When you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? "Present that to your governor, will he accept you or show you favor?" Says the Lord of hosts. "Now entreat the favor of God that He may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will He show favor to any of you?" Says the Lord of hosts. He said, "This is how you have hated me. This is how you've despised me, how you've defamed my name. You've given me leftovers. Try bringing the offerings that you bring me to your governor, to the politicians who are in charge of you. Let's see if they accept that offer." What he's talking about is the sacrificial system that God had instated in Israel. This is how you worship God, by bringing Him your best. God said, through the law, that the people, if they wanted to worship God, they had to bring their first fruits. They had to bring their firstborn of the flock and the most excellent of one's property.God wanted to show that true love always had to do a sacrifice and obedience. This is a real test of faith. They brought animals from their flock, the best animals. The best animals were the best breeding stock. By bringing God your best on an annual basis, you know that you are diminishing your breeding stock. The animals that are coming now from your secondary best are not going to be as good as the animals that came from your first best. It was really a test of faith. I'm going to bring God my best, the best stock, knowing that my obedience of God is going to put me in a place of blessing and prosperity that is diametrically opposed to the world's path to prosperity. Now, God is speaking to priests here because priests got to a point where they said, "We see lethargy in the people. We see indifference in the people. We can't demand absolute obedience from the people because the people will stop showing up. If we demand the absolute best from the people, the people will stop offering anything.We're going to lower the barrier of obedience and tell people, you know what, it's all going to go up in smoke anyway. Let's just be good stewards. You don't have to bring your best, bring your secondary best. Bring the blind animals or the maimed animals or the blemished animals. The ones that you can't sell at the market. At least bring something." They realized that the spiritual temperature of the people was so low that if they demand the best, then they get nothing. They're more worried about themselves and they're more worried about offending people and losing potential income from the church than anything else. God goes to them and says, "You're so worried about offending people that you forgot that you are offending me. I demand the best." That's what God is saying. Mediocrity, I reject that. Half-hearted worship, I reject that. Begrudging worship, I reject that. How does this apply to us today? I have pastor friends in the city, whenever we meet with one another for mutual edification. One of the things that we always talk about, and especially now during the pandemic, is how's attendance at church?How are the numbers at church, et cetera, et cetera? As a minister of the gospel, I've been in the ministry for 11 plus years now. I've read all the church growth books and I know what we can do to grow the church. I know it. There's things that you can do, levers that you can pull to get people in the door. There's things that if numbers were all that mattered, if getting people in the door is all that mattered, there's things that I would do and there's things that I would not do. One of the first things that I would not do, first of all, I would stop preaching about spiritual indifference and apathy. I wouldn't talk about that. I wouldn't talk about sin. I wouldn't talk about obedience. I wouldn't talk about giving God your absolute best. I wouldn't talk about the holiness of God, the judgment of God, the condemnation of God. I wouldn't talk about eternal hell. I wouldn't talk about God's damnation, God's wrath. I wouldn't talk about any of that. I would just talk about God who exists to love you and bless you and protect you.God who is like an enhancement. God who like fairy dust God or Santa Claus God. He just wants to make your life better. Come to Him. He loves you. He loves you the way you are. You can keep living the way you are. Just show up on Sundays. Give God your lip service. Give God a tip and just go and enjoy life the way you want to live it. By the way, a lot of churches do this. What they say is, "Well, we don't want to offend anybody. We want to make a relationship with God more palatable. We want to lower the entry, the on-ramp. We want just to make people's lives better. That's why we preach keys and techniques, and this is five, six, seven steps, 11 steps of how you can live a blessed life. God says, "I'd rather you just ... Instead of making it less off-putting, instead of making it more palatable, instead of making the faith accessible, instead of accommodating people, I'd rather you just close up shop. I'd rather no worship than mediocre worship."That's what he says in verse 10. "That there were one among you who would shut the doors. I'd rather someone show up and just close up the church, close up the temple that you might not kindle fire in my altar in vain. I have no pleasure in you." Says the Lord of hosts, "and I will not accept an offering from your hand." He said, "Priests, you've made the faith about the people. You've removed God. By doing so, you've dishonored God." This is why God writes this word to them. He says, "Look, unless you change, there will be an absence of the presence of God." Lukewarm is not better than nothing. Mediocre worship is not better than nothing. God doesn't want that. What does God say? How do we rekindle our hearts, rekindle our affections for God? This is point two, the spiritual medicine to our apathy is God's sovereign election. The solution to our spiritual apathy is deepening our understanding of God's love for us. That God is sovereign in choosing people to salvation before the foundation of the world, just because He chooses so.He chooses people not based on anything they had done, not based on anything that they will do, but just because that's His sovereign choice. One thing I will mention here in the very beginning, is we're not reading Calvin. A lot of people say, "This is Calvinism. That's one person's interpretation" We're not reading Calvin here. We're reading the scriptures. We're going to read some scriptures from St. Paul. We're going to read scriptures from Jesus Christ. It's in the scripture. It's everywhere in the scripture that God's sovereign election of salvation is taught throughout the scripture. That's number one. Number two, I grew up in a church that did not teach election. It did not teach predestination when it comes to salvation. I only heard about this for the first ... I actually heard about this for the first time in my early 20s, as I started studying scripture, as I started studying theology. I went back to my dad, who was an elder at the church I grew up in, and I asked him like, "Hey, why wasn't this ever taught?"He said, "We didn't really want to offend people. We didn't think it was that useful." It's like theology for people who want to deepen their knowledge of the scripture. But there's a reason why God talks about it. He talks about it often. He talks about not just for people who want to study this with their brains, but He talks about this in a way that's very helpful to our daily walk with the Lord. Then I realized that the people who did teach, the churches that did teach election predestination are churches that preached scripture. By scripture, I mean not just topical sermons where we're going to preach whatever we want on any given day. It's churches that preached books of the Bible. Verse by verse, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter so that you can't skip the things that are not as palatable to people. That's it. Then I started studying the church history. In church history, I realized that the world's greatest minds, the world's greatest Christian minds all believe this. They didn't believe, they loved the doctrines of election predestination.Augusta and Aquinas, the magisterial reformers, Luther. How was your Reformation Day yesterday? We celebrated Reformation Day or Reformation Day anyone? You dressed up your kids as Luther, as Calvin, as Zwingli and got them some candy. Yesterday was Reformation Day. 1517, October 31st Martin Luther goes and he takes 95 Theses and nails it to the door of the church in Wittenberg to reform the Catholic Church. You've got Luther, you've got Calvin, you've got Knox, you've got Zwingli, you've got Bucer, you've got Bullinger. Those who later then sought to bring the reformation to the Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Blaise Pascal, one of the greatest minds in the history of the world. Then the Puritans, John Owen, John Bunyan. The great awakening was led by Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, John Newton, Richard Cecil Augustus Toplady.The greatest missionaries Livingstone, Carey, Martyn, Morrison, Patton, William Burns. The greatest preachers Spurgeon and Martin Lloyd Jones. They loved the doctrines of grace, of sovereign grace. Because to understand sovereign grace is to begin to understand the depth of God's love for us. That's why when God talks about, "I've loved you." They say, "How have you loved us?" This is Malachi 1:2-3, He then brings in the doctrine of election. "I've loved you." Says the Lord. But you say, "How have you loved us? Is not Esau Jacob's brother?" Declares the Lord. "Yet I've loved Jacob, but Esau I hated." "I love you." "How have you loved us?" "Let me tell you about Jacob and Esau. One guy, I love. The other guy, I hated." What's going on here? Then he goes into the two nations that descended from these two brothers. Now, Jacob and Esau, they weren't just brothers, they were twin brothers. It wasn't like Isaac and Ishmael where God chose Isaac and not Ishmael.They're brothers from different mothers. Here, it's two brothers, they're twins, same mother. Malachi 1:3-4, I've laid waste to his hill country and left his heritage to jackals or the desert. If Edom says, "We are shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins." The Lord of hosts says, "They may build, but I will tear down and they will be called the wicked country and the people with whom the Lord is angry forever." Edom started with Esau and was an enemy of Israel always. They were never an ally of Israel. At no point in Israel's history were they friendly? As Israel was weakened in 7th century BC, Edom encroached and the people of God were asking, "Why are the Edomites taking over?" Et cetera, et cetera. There were enemies. As God is answering, "Why do I love you? Let me show you how much I loved you. I chose you."He's not just talking about nations. He's talking about Edomites as well. One of the things to know about the love, hate language here. God, isn't using this language in terms of human psychology. There's not a vindictive spirit. There's not a personal animosity. It's language in terms of the covenant. The covenant is, like a marriage covenant, there's a choice. In Deuteronomy actually 23:7, God told Israel, "You shall not abhor an Edomite for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian because you were a sojourner in his land." The language of love and hate is a language of choosing. Love is a choice. Within this general election of nations is a specific relationship that begins with individuals. God chose Abraham. "I'm going to bless you." Then from Abraham's children, Isaac and Ishmael, God chose Isaac over Ishmael. Then Isaac's sons, Jacob and Esau, God chose the younger, Jacob. God determined that the people of Israel would descend from Jacob, not from Esau.He loved them in a special way, in a particular way. A love that did not extend to Esau and to the Edomites. Why? Because there was something good in Jacob. There was something good in Israel. God actually emphasized. No, He chose Israel because they were the least ... Deuteronomy 7:6-8, for you are a people Holy to the Lord your God, the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It's not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord has set His love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of the people. But it is because the Lord loves you. He's keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of Israel, from the hand of Pharaoh, King of Egypt. "Why did I choose you?" God is saying. "Because I love you." That's it. This is kind of ...It's hard for us to understand because when someone loves me or loves you, you're usually like, "Yeah, because there's ... Good choice. You have great taste. I'm glad you love me." It's because there's something loving in us, of course. God is saying, "No, there was nothing lovely in you. The only reason why I chose you is because I chose you. The only reason why I chose you is because I love you." God did not base his choice in anything He foresaw in either Jacob or Esau. Rather God did it because God did it. In Romans 9:11-13, St. Paul expositive this text from Malachi. He says this, "Though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad in order that God's purpose of election might continue. Not because of works, but because of Him who calls." She was told, their mother, "The older shall serve the younger as it is written Jacob, I loved, but Esau I hated." Some people try to dodge the implications of this doctrine by saying, "Well, God chose Israel to serve him, not to save them." But Romans 9 clearly isn't just talking about nations.It's talking about individuals and salvation, personal salvation. Now why does Malachi begin with the doctrine of election? He begins with the doctrine of election to deepen our understanding of the vastness of the love of God for us. He says, "Your hearts are indifferent. The reason why they're indifferent is because do you do not understand God's love for you." God loves you so much that before the foundation of the world, before you were born, before you had done anything, your name was already written on His heart, graven on His hands. He, before anything was created, had chosen to love you, to pour out His mercy on you. The reason why it's given us to us here is to get us to this place of utter humility. Why am I a Christian? Because I believed, because I repented, because I studied, because I was faithful, because I read the apologizes, because I read the scripture? No. The reason why you're a believer and the only difference between you and an unbeliever is the sovereign choice. The sovereign grace of God. He chose to love you.That right there, I remember the first time I understood this in my early 20s, I realized I did not know God. I didn't know the love of God. I didn't know the greatness of God. The vastness of God. This is what it means that Jesus loves me? Yes. This is what it means that God poured out his grace on you? Yes. Not just that He forgives you of your sin, but because from the foundation of the world, He chose to save you. You have been saved, you are saved, you always will be saved. It has nothing to do with us, it has nothing to do with earning with good works. Actually Esau was probably the better guy. If you look at just their morality, Esau wasn't a deceiver like Jacob. Esau did get angry that Jacob stole his blessing, but then he got over it. He forgave. Both men were sinners, but God chose Jacob instead of Esau. At this point, the objection is, but that's not fair. The first thing that St. Paul deals with in Romans 9 is, well, what's your definition of fairness?Who decides what fairness is? Then in Romans 9:14-18, he deals a little more with that. Shall we say then is there injustice on God's part? Is it unfair? Is God not fair? By no means, for He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy on. I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, for this very purpose I've raised you up that I might show my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Then He has mercy on whomever He wills and He hardens whomever He wills. It's not fair. Then St. Paul says, "Well, what's not fair? Is it your mercy?" No. Whose mercy is it? It's God's mercy. Who gets to do ... Does God get to do with His mercy whatever God chooses? Yes, of course. Does God get to be God? Yes, of course. Was God unjust when He condemned Satan and all of the demons when they rebelled against Him? Was God unjust? No, of course not.He was absolutely just in condemning them. Was God not just when He did not provide a way for them to be reconciled with Him? No. They rebelled. They got judgment. God is glorified in judging as much as He is in giving mercy. The question isn't, why doesn't God save everybody? The question is, why does God save anybody at all? Why does anybody get any mercy whatsoever? God would have been perfectly just in condemning the entire human race. He doesn't owe anybody mercy. This is what God is telling the people of Israel, as He's telling us, we should be absolutely shocked, minds blown by the fact that God chooses to extend mercy to us. In Romans 9:19-24, St. Paul continues with the argument and he says, "You will say to me then, why does He still find fault? For who can resist his will? But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, why have you made me like this? Has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and the other for dishonorable use?What if God, desiring to show His wrath and make known His power has endured with such patience vessels of wrath, prepared for destruction? In order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory. Even us whom He has called not from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles. How can God hold anybody accountable if He chooses some and He doesn't choose others? That's really the question that he's asking. A very logical question. St. Paul's answers, God gets to be God. God is God. He is who He is. He decides what He wants to do with His mercy. It's not just a matter of standing. It's a matter of submitting. Here's how this applies to our ... If we're indifferent toward God's love, if we're numb inside, if there's a coldness toward God, we as believers need to ask the question, where would we be if it were not for the grace of God? Where would we be without the mercy of God if He didn't pour out His love on us? God is sovereign.He gets glory for judging people as much as He gets glory for saving people. That's why Malachi 1:5 after he says this, goes through the doctrine of election. He says, "Your own eyes shall see this and you shall say, great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel." The reason why he starts off with this in a context of their coldness in terms of worship, as he says, "Now is your worship commensurate? Is your response to God's love commensurate to the greatness and vastness of His love? How can we bring our second best to God, our leftovers to God?" How can we give Him the leftovers of our time, of our resource, of our money, of our energy? How can we be disobedient to God like this? He loved us with such a great love. Why isn't our response commensurate? That's why 1st Peter 2:9 and 10 says, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation of people for His own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light.Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. He says, "God's called you up. He's given you a purpose. He's given you a job to proclaim His glory and to extend His mercy to others." That's why it makes absolutely zero sense to be bored with God because He's such an amazing God. What a glorious God. He's called the God of hosts eight times, the Lord of armies. He commands all the armies, all the galaxies of the universe and this God chose us. Number one, what this should do to our hearts as Christians, it should melt our hearts with humility what a great God this is. Number two, it should comfort us. That no matter what happens in our lives, we are safe. We are saved. We are with Him. Then it should take our gaze off of our circumstances. When we see God's plan of salvation, it puts everything else into perspective. Then we should ask, okay, the people of God in the Old Testament, how does the Old Testament end?It ends with their sacrifices not being enough. It leads us to ask the question, Lord, well, what is enough? What can we offer you that is enough to reconcile us with you? The answer is, there's nothing. There's nothing that we can do. There's nothing that we can offer to finally be reconciled with God. It leads us to this place of hopelessness unless we see the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, Jesus Christ is shown up in the offering system that the people of God would bring offerings to God for a temporary absolution of their sins. Which is a sign of a need for a greater sacrifice, which is Christ. In the book of Malachi, the people would bring their secondary best. Jesus Christ comes and He gives Himself. His very best, God the father gives His son to die on the cross for our sins. In Malachi, God says, "Jacob, I loved. Esau, I hated." On the cross, Jesus Christ takes our curse upon Himself. In a sense, God the father says, "Yon, I loved. Jesus, I hated."Jesus Christ took our curse upon Himself. Why? Because that's how much He loved us. That was planned before the foundation of the world. That's how great God's love is for us. How much greater should our response be to His sacrifice? God, didn't give His leftovers. He gave His absolute best. If this God, this great, gracious God is for us, then who can be against us? Salvation is a free gift. We can't earn it. We can't do anything to pay for it. We can only accept it freely. But once you accept this gift, God demands everything that we have in response. Finally, before we turn to communion, what if I'm not elect? If you're not a Christian, you got to be asking that question. What if I'm not elect? I would tell you exactly what Jesus Christ says. Jesus Christ is talking about God's election, God choosing some and God not choosing others. In that same breath, He gives an invitation, come on to me.This is Matthew 11:25-30. At that time, Jesus declared, I thank you, father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my father, and no one knows the son except the Father. And no one knows the Father except the son, and anyone to whom the son chooses to reveal Him. God, thank you that you opened the eyes of some and you closed the eyes of others. In that same breath, what does He say? He issues one of the greatest invitations in all of human history and says, come on to me, all who labor and are 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. You will find a rest through your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.Come onto Jesus. Come repent of your sins. Believe in Him. As you do, accept the mercy and grace that He's willing to extend to everybody. That said, we're going to transition to Holy communion. Holy communion is given to us as a sign of remembrance to remember Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross. For whom is Holy communion? It's for anyone who's repentant of their sins. It's for those who repent of their sins. If you are not a Christian, then we ask that you refrain from this part of the service. Or if you are a Christian living in unrepentant sin, we ask that you refrain. Unless you repent, and if you repent right now before Christ asking for forgiveness, asking for mercy and grace, you're welcome to partake. I'm going to pray over the bread and the cup. The way we celebrate communion at Mosaic, is we take the cup, we take the little plastic off. You take the bread in one hand, you take the other little plastic off. You take the cup. As you do that, I'll pray for our time.Heavenly Father, we thank you for the grace that you extend to us. A grace that began before the foundation of the world, before you created anything. You knew that we would rebel and you knew that you loved us so much that you would provide a way for our salvation through the sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, we thank you that you, the perfect lamb of God, the unblemished lamb of God, were sacrificed. We thank you that you bore the wrath of God that we deserve for our law breaking. That you absorbed that curse in order to extend to us a blessing. Lord, we pray that you bless our time in communion now. We repent of our sin, of our apathy, of our indifference. I pray that you continue to deepen our understanding of your love. As we do, to respond with a commensurate love. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.