Podcasts about celestial city

Send us a textPut on your comfortable shoes and grab your walking stick because today we're embarking on the most famous allegory in the English language: John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress from 1678.  We'll cross plains, endure temptations, descend valleys, fight monsters, and ford rivers in our quest for the Celestial City!  Along the way, we'll talk about how this most Puritanical of texts is, ironically, deeply indebted to the ideas of the preceding religions it rejects.  Last one there's a rotten egg!An apology: please do forgive the plosives on this episode.  Reckon I got too near the microphone's pop filter.  I shall work on my technique in future.Link to The Pilgrim's Progress: https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/bunyan/The%20Pilgrim's%20Progress%20-%20John%20Bunyan.pdfSupport the showPlease like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen. Thank you!Email: classicenglishliterature@gmail.comFollow me on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and YouTube.If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. Click the "Support the Show" button. So grateful!Podcast Theme Music: "Rejoice" by G.F. Handel, perf. The Advent Chamber OrchestraSubcast Theme Music: "Sons of the Brave" by Thomas Bidgood, perf. The Band of the Irish GuardsSound effects and incidental music: Freesounds.orgMy thanks and appreciation to all the generous providers!

Christian's family wants to follow his example and follow him to the Celestial City but they don't know how to do it. Can they handle the difficult journey? Will the King accept them?_______________________⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our Podcast!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠_______________________Thanks for being here! We're the Holtzem Family. We love our family, and we love Jesus. We're hoping to bring some of our personal favorite things as a family, and some of our humor to you in hopes that it makes you smile, and maybe gives you something you can connect with.Find more Faith-Based stories hereConnect with us further at;⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Holtzem Family on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Recipes and more about us online at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Wholesome House⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beverly Holtzem Art on Etsy

“We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” — Acts 14:22 There are many ways of promoting Christian wakefulness. Among the rest, let me strongly advise Christians to converse together concerning the ways of the Lord. Christian and Hopeful, as they journeyed towards the Celestial City, said to themselves, “To prevent drowsiness […]

“Let us not sleep, as do others.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:6 There are many ways of promoting Christian wakefulness. Among the rest, let me strongly advise Christians to converse together concerning the ways of the Lord. Christian and Hopeful, as they journeyed towards the Celestial City, said to themselves, “To prevent drowsiness in this place, […]

Hebrews 13:13-14 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. With this verse, the author arrived at his final encouragements of his letter. It takes us back to the confession of the heroes of the faith he presented in chapter 11. Let's revisit their confession. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus, make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had the opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. We who believe in Christ confess that we are strangers, foreigners, and exiles on the earth. We are seeking a better country, a heavenly one. We know God has prepared a city for us. We also know that everything in this world doesn't last and is unstable and shakable. Only Jesus, Himself, and His kingdom are unshakable. Our confidence is in Him. His life, His presence, His power, His love, His kingdom, and His Word. Based upon such confidence, the author concluded his argument and called his readers to leave the old covenant, the old city of Jerusalem with its varied and strange teachings. He had told them to fix their eyes on Jesus sitting at the right hand of God in the new Jerusalem, their new home city. The encouragement today is to join those who are on a journey to the heavenly city to come. Most of us aren't being called outside the camp of Judaism, although if that has been your earthly home, consider yourself called out now. We are being called out of the camp of this world. We must turn our backs on the religions and gods of this world and never look back. An exile doesn't seek to return to the country or city that has kicked him out. He's looking for or seeking another country where he can rest and be at home. Notice the encouragement. We are going to Jesus! The location isn't the primary goal. Let's draw near to Him, experience His love, fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit's ministry, and allow His love to overflow into the lives of the others who are on a journey with us to the celestial city. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

ARRIVAL AT THE CELESTIAL CITY | Pilgrim's Progress - Readers' Club | GospelBellsradio | December 21 2024 by GospelBells

On today's Equipping You in Grace show, Dave shares six lessons the Lord has taught him over the last few years and continues to teach him.What You'll Hear on This EpisodeLeaning into the revealed character of God in His Word.Trust the promises of god in His Word.Take rest when needed.Be patient with others.Continue to make godly friends in and outside the local church.Continue to utilize the means of grace.Subscribing, sharing, and your feedbackYou can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. If you like what you've heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show). You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook, or via email to share your feedback.Thanks for listening to this episode of Equipping You in Grace!

Seven is a mark of completion. The progress of these pilgrims comes to a resounding end as they engage the final obstacles for gaining access to the Celestial City. 0:00 - intro 0:57 - The dramatic reading of The Pilgrim's Progress Section 20 19:16 - A (not so) brief fireside chat The Pilgrim's Progress 14th Edition by John Bunyan (1862) Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music. Credit to https://www.soundjay.com/ for the sound effects Podcast Photo P/C: https://www.pexels.com/@luan-oosthuizen-823430/collections/

A tour of heaven. Preached September 15, 2024 Pastor Aaron Frasier

We see that everything does count in this walk with God toward the Celestial City. Are you like Abraham or like Lot in your walk with Jesus?

Are you aware thaat your faith will be under attack if you're on this journey to the Celestial City? Will you engage in this battle?

Revelation—Unveiling the End, Act 3: The Final Curtain

Revelation 21:9-22 / August 2-5, 2024 Journey with Pastor Chuck Swindoll through gates of pearl and onto streets of gold as he reviews Revelation 21:9–22. Take a deep dive into this unparalleled place where God's glory and attributes are clearly on display. Glimpse eternity as you listen! From the Series: Revelation—Unveiling the End, Act 3 read more

The apostle John at last beholds the celestial city in all its grandeura city lit by light from God Himself! Journey with Pastor Chuck Swindoll through gates of pearl and onto streets of gold as he reviews Revelation 21:922. Take a deep dive into this unparalleled place where God's glory and attributes are clearly on display. Glimpse eternity as you listen! Rest in the promise that God is preparing a place for you. Be assured that He will not abandon or forget you! To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/82/29

Revelation—Unveiling the End, Act 3: The Final Curtain

Revelation 21:9-22 / August 2-5, 2024 Journey with Pastor Chuck Swindoll through gates of pearl and onto streets of gold as he reviews Revelation 21:9–22. Take a deep dive into this unparalleled place where God's glory and attributes are clearly on display. Glimpse eternity as you listen! From the Series: Revelation—Unveiling the End, Act 3 read more

Revelation 21:9-22 / August 2-5, 2024 Journey with Pastor Chuck Swindoll through gates of pearl and onto streets of gold as he reviews Revelation 21:9–22. Take a deep dive into this unparalleled place where God's glory and attributes are clearly on display. Glimpse eternity as you listen! From the Series: Revelation—Unveiling the End, Act 3 read more

The apostle John at last beholds the celestial city in all its grandeura city lit by light from God Himself! Journey with Pastor Chuck Swindoll through gates of pearl and onto streets of gold as he reviews Revelation 21:922. Take a deep dive into this unparalleled place where God's glory and attributes are clearly on display. Glimpse eternity as you listen! Rest in the promise that God is preparing a place for you. Be assured that He will not abandon or forget you! To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/82/29

In the heart of a once-thriving city, shadows lengthened over the cobblestone streets, as decay whispered through alleys and lingered in the air. And yet, no one seemed to notice. But amidst the decay and decline that now gripped every corner, one man became overwhelmed with a growing unease a certainty…

Is there really a music of the spheres? And why is space so inspirational for creativity? To ponder these cosmic questions, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome noted composer and pianist Bruce Lazarus.   As always, though, we start off with the day's joyfully cool cosmic thing, this time in honor of our guest: the fact that the movie “Oppenheimer” won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Chuck mentions some other incredible musical scores, especially John William's soundtrack to “Star Wars.” Bruce points out that Williams also did the theme song and soundtrack to the 1960s TV series, “Lost In Space.” And of course, his soundtracks for “Jurassic Park,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”   Bruce has composed many musical pieces inspired by and about the cosmos, including “Musical Explorations of Messier Star Clusters and Nebulae” and “Starry Messenger.”   He talks about how the early U.S. space program and the Mercury 7, and the U.S. World's Fair in 1964 inspired him. And while he got away from space-themed music for a while after his time at Juilliard in the 1970s, Bruce estimates that about two thirds of his work over the last 20 years has been astronomy themed. He talks about being inspired by other musical works, from science fiction movie soundtracks like “Arrival” to a few classical pieces like “Colors of the Celestial City” and “Visions from Beyond” by Olivier Messiaen.   For our first student question, Ariella asks, “Is there really a music of the spheres?” To answer, Bruce quotes the 5th Century Roman philosopher Boethius, who wrote about how everything is vibrating, so everything has sound. We then listen to a portion of Bruce Lazarus's piece, “Boethius Said.” Allen talks about how many aspects of our existence involve vibration and sound while Chuck brings up the Cosmic Microwave Background and Gravitational Wave Background.   Bruce talks about his cycle of 14 pieces for the solo piano inspired by the most commonly referenced Hubble images of the celestial objects found in the Messier Catalog (not to be confused with Messiaen), including Andromeda Galaxy (M31), Ring Nebula (M57), Eagle Nebula (M16), Sombrero Galaxy (M104), and the Pleiades (M45).   Our next student question comes from Gino, who asks, “Did you ever want to be a scientist before you became a composer?” Bruce explains that he's always liked building things, so he began building music the way he'd built model airplanes, and at 14 years old decided he wanted to be a composer and also focused on the piano, for both composing and making money! The trio ends up discussing the original “Tron” – and believe it or not, it's Bruce who brings it up, not our Geek-in-Chief Chuck!   Our last student question comes from Wally, who asks, “Why is space the most inspirational thing to you when writing music?” Bruce describes how space has been a large part of his life for as long as he can remember. He talks about the Veil Nebula, and why he didn't include it in his Messier cycle. He also shares his experience watching the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse, and how the reality of seeing it with his own eyes impacted him unexpectedly.   If you'd like to know more about Bruce, you can visit his website at www.brucelazaruscomposer.com.   We hope you enjoy this episode of The LIUniverse, and, if you do, please support us on Patreon.   Credits for Images Used in this Episode: – NASA's first astronauts, the “Mercury 7” – NASA, Public Domain – Olivier Messiaen – Dutch National Archives, Public Domain – Andromeda Galaxy (M31) – Kees Scherer, Public Domain – Ring Nebula (M57) – NASA, ESA, and C. Robert O'Dell, Public Domain – Eagle Nebula (M16) – NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), Public Domain – Sombrero Galaxy (M104) – NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), Public Domain – Pleiades (M45) – NASA, ESA, AURA/Caltech, Palomar Observatory, Public Domain – Crab Nebula (M1) – NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll, Public Domain – Veil Nebula –  Giuseppe Donatiello – The April 8 2024 Total Solar Eclipse – NASA Headquarters / NASA/Keegan Barber   Credits for Music Used in this Episode: – “Boethius Said”; Original Lyrics by Boethius, Music & Lyrics by Bruce Lazarus, performed by Cantabile Chamber Chorale, Directed by Rebecca Scott. Used with permission from Bruce Lazarus. – “M1 Crab Nebula” from “Musical Explorations of the Messier Catalogue of Star Clusters and Nebulae.” Composed and performed by Bruce Lazarus. Used with permission from Bruce Lazarus.   #TheLIUniverse #CharlesLiu #AllenLiu #SciencePodcast #AstronomyPodcast  #BruceLazarus #MusicoftheSpheres #CharlesMessier #MessierCatalog #Boethius #BoethiusSaid #MusicalExplorationsoftheMessierCatalogue #StarClusters #Nebulae #ColorsoftheCelestialCity #OlivierMessiaen #CelestialObjects #HubbleSpaceTelescope #SolarEclipse

Equipping Hour - Caleb

In this sermon, Pastor Mack Jarvis walks us through what the Bible says about the wonders of the New Jerusalem.

Have you noticed that the number three seems to be a big deal for the apostle Paul in Ephesians? For example, in the first fourteen verses we read of the three-fold role our Triune God has in our salvation: God the Father chose us before the foundation of the world (1:3-6), Jesus the Son made our redemption possible (vv. 7-12), and the Holy Spirit sealed us for the Day of redemption (vv. 12-13). We see it in the way Paul prays for the Ephesian Church: I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe (vv. 18-19a). I thought one way to help you see this was to reimagine Pauls series of threes as his answer to a series of questions by Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, a character from John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress, a book first published in 1678 and is currently listed as the fifth most translated book in the world. If you are not aware of who John Bunyan was, all you know for now is that he wrote Pilgrims Progress while in prison for twelve years for preaching the gospel, his book is an allegory on the Christian life. In Bunyans book, the protagonist, Christian Pilgrim leaves his home, The City of Destruction, to embark on a pilgrimage for the salvation of his soul and to find the Celestial City where he can live for all eternity in the company of God. While on his journey he is helped and guided by other characters such as Evangelist, who is known as a preacher of the Holy Word and is eager to help those who are seriously concerned about the state of their souls. Christian also meets Interpreter who shows Christian many wonders and shows Christian many exhortations on the way he should go. There are others who join Christian on his journey such as Pliant who quits the pilgrimage after facing his first obstacle, and Hopeful, a refugee from Vanity Fair, who proves to be a faithful companion to Christian all the way to the Celestial City. There are others who Christian encounters that try to turn him away from the narrow way to the Celestial City who go by the names of Giant Despair, Apollyon, Flatterer, and Mr. Worldly Wiseman. Bunyan described Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, in this way: not an ancient relic of the past. He is everywhere today, disguising his heresy and error by proclaiming the gospel of contentment and peace achieved by self-satisfaction and works. If he mentions Christ, it is not as the Savior who took our place, but as a good example of an exemplary life. Do we need a good example to rescue us, or do we need a Savior? Imagine what a conversation might look like if Mr. Worldly Wiseman visited the Apostle Paul in prison during the same time the epistle to the Ephesians was written: Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Paul, tell me how you can be sure that you are Christian since you are now in prison? Paul: Regardless of my circumstance, I am a Christian for these three reasons: I was chosen by God before the foundation of the world (1:4-6), I am redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ for sins I am guilty of (vv. 7-12), and I am sealed by the Holy Spirit for a full and future redemption (vv. 13-14). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Why spend your years in prison and suffer when you can be free so long as you dont keep blabbing about Jesus in places people dont want to hear it? You know, you can be a Christian and be compliant too! Paul: How can I be quiet about something so important? Jesus commands me not to be quite about my relationship with Him and how he saved me even though I was, Dead to God (2:1), A slave to sin (vv. 2-3a), and A child of the wrath of God because of the sins I committed against Him (v. 3). What this means, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, is that I was once like you: A friend of the world (2:2a), A child of the devil (v. 2b), and A slave to my own flesh (v. 3). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Im not sure if I should feel insulted or pity for you because you believe such rubbish. So, tell me, what is so different between you and me? Paul: Jesus is the difference between you and me! Jesus lived a perfect sinless life that I could never live; He died a death I deserved on a cross for sins I committed, and He validated all of that by rising from death on the third day. What is true of me is true of every real Christian, and this is why I have chosen to follow Him: I was dead in my sins, but now I am alive in Christ (1:7; 2:4) My nature was bound by my sins, but now I have been raised with Christ (v. 6a) I stood condemned by a holy God, but now I am seated with Christ and am covered by His righteousness (v. 6b). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Come on Paul! I am a religious person and I admire Jesus as a great example to aspire to. We need to do our best and let God do the rest, but you have taken your Christianity too seriously! Paul: No one can do enough for the kind of salvation you and I need! The only thing God required of me was a faith that was only possible because of His grace. It is a grace that I could not, nor ever will earn, by anything I could ever do! I am the recipient of, A rich mercy we did deserve (v. 4a). A great love God was not obligated to give (v. 4b). An all-sufficient grace no one could earn (v. 5) All of which is only possible in and through Jesus Christ alone! So, now we come to Ephesians 2:8-10 and are immediately faced with another set of three words and why it is that God saved us in the first place. If you were asked the same questions or interrogated in the way I had Mr. Worldly-Wiseman interrogate Paul, how would you answer? My two points are in the form of two questions that this passage answers for us in a way that should be deeply discouraging or encouraging to you. How Does God Save? Now, considering all that we have studied together, we find ourselves at the threshold of Ephesians 2:8-9. What I want to do with you this morning is to walk you through these verses in light of the context of Ephesians 1:3-2:7. I want us to look at these verses together against the backdrop of my warning at the beginning of this sermon series which was this: Beware of imposing your view and thoughts of what God should be like, upon the text of His holy Word. You must allow the authority of Gods Word to impose its teaching upon your heart for the purpose of shaping it in a way that the eyes of your heart are able to see God more clearly. Now, before I go any further, let me say first and foremost that I want you to make your own conclusion with these verses based on the evidence of what you see in Ephesians and the rest of the Bible. I am not concerned if you end up seeing things differently than the way I see them so long as you do not impose what you think the Bible should say upon what it actually says. My only concern before you this morning is that I preach and teach the Bible in such a manner that I am faithful to the Word of God so when I stand before Him, I will do so knowing that I was faithful with what He has entrusted to me. So, here we go! Buckle up because it is going to be a fun ride. Lets start with verses 8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. The three words I want you to see in this verse are grace, saved (i.e. salvation), and faith. To answer the question, How does God save? we need figure out what is the gift that He gives so that no one may boast. Is grace the gift given by God, or is salvation the gift given by God, or is a persons faith the gift given by God? Whatever the gift is, it eliminates any notion on our part that we did something to get it, otherwise Paul would never have felt the need to include verse 9, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. If I am right about what I see in Ephesians 2:8-9, it will open up verse 10 in a way that will encourage you and blow your mind at the same time. So, what have we seen in Ephesians so far leading up to these verses? Permit me to put what Paul lists concerning our salvation in sequential order from spiritual death to life: We were spiritually dead in our offenses and sins (2:1) We know we were spiritually dead because we were slaves to our sin (2:2a) Because we were slaves to our sin against God, we were by nature children of His wrath (2:3). But God, whose mercy is rich, love is great, and grace is sufficient, did three things (vv. 2:4-5): He made us alive with Christ (2:5b). He raised us up with Christ (2:6a). He seated us with Christ (2:6b). As a Christian, you can know that your salvation involved three acts of God Before the foundation of the earth, God chose to adopt you as His child through Jesus (1:4-6). In order to adopt you as His child, God redeemed you through the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of all your wrongdoings (1:7-12). Because God will not lose any who He has redeemed, He has sealed you with His Holy Spirit until your redemption and salvation is complete (1:13-14). So, in light of all that Paul wrote concerning what God has done for the Christian, what does he mean by Ephesians 2:8-9? Let me offer up some fair and legitimate questions: If I am spiritually dead, how can a spiritually dead person respond to God in faith? If I am able to respond to God in faith in order to receive salvation through Jesus, then is my faith exempt from the kinds of works Paul is talking about in verse 9? If faith is a gift God imparts on me on some level, then how is my trust in Jesus for the salvation of my soul legitimate? Does your brain hurt from trying to process these sorts of questions? I have wrestled over these verses for nearly 30 years and have understood them in three different ways that I think may help give you some perspective. In my early years, I was convinced that the gift of God was a salvation that could only be received by faith. Sometime after I started reading guys like Jonathan Edwards and St. Augustine, I leaned towards thinking that it was faith that was the gift of God. To be honest, what makes all of this even more confusing is the Greek allows the person interpreting these verses to make either one of these conclusions. Here is where I sit now, and I believe that how I see it fits best with everything Paul has written leading up to these verses, and it fits with the rest of the Bible. So, what is the gift of God? It is His Grace, our faith, and our salvation in that order! The this is Gods grace, our faith, and our salvation. Think about what grace is for a moment. Biblical grace is Gods unmerited favor; it is favor given to someone who does not deserve it. Do you remember what I said in the second sermon I preached in this series on Ephesians 1:4-6? I told you that at the very least, when it comes to God, what we read in these verses leads to the conclusion that God moved first. We see the very same thing here in Ephesians 2:8! At the very least, it is the sheer grace of almighty God that I had reached a point in my life on July 18, 1991, when all that I heard about Jesus made sense and I surrendered my life to Jesus and was genuinely and categorically saved from the wrath of God and forgiven all my sins! Every step and experience leading up to that moment was also the demonstration of a God who pursued me, found me, and overcame my sin because His mercy was rich, His love was great, and His grace sufficient to do what a 16-year-old teenage boy could not do. God made me alive with Christ, God raised me up with Christ, and God seated me with Christ on that summers day on July 18, 1991, but He did not believe for me; I had to believe to be saved. He did the same thing with you Christian, but He did not believe for you! But my believing in Christ for the salvation of my soul, and your believing in Him for the salvation of your soul is not only a testament of Gods grace, but the proof that miracles happen. For What Purpose Does God Save? So, why did He do it? Why did he save you? Why did He choose you, redeem you, seal you, and made you, who were once dead, the recipient of the, boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (2:7)? After all, what Jonathan Edwards said concerning what we bring to our salvation is the resounding testimony of all of Scripture: You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary. God didnt have to do it! God was not morally obligated to do it! But God did it; He saved you and redeemed you for the forgiveness of all your sin according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon you (1:7). But why? The answer is found in Ephesians 2:10, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. The first word in verse 10 is the word For, which is telling us something. What it is telling us is that considering Ephesians 2:1-9, the following is true! You who were dead in your sins, walked according to the course of this world, lived in the lusts of your flesh, indulged the desires of the flesh and of the mind as a child of the wrath of God (vv. 1-3), God made you alive in Christ, for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that you would walk in those good works. This is exactly why God choose you, Christian, before the foundation of the world; listen to Ephesians 1:4 again: He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. What this means, and this is so important to see with the eyes of your heart: We were not saved to coast until we enter into the presence of God in heaven but were saved so that God could reveal His presence through us because of His resurrection power to change us! It is absolute nonsense to think and believe that you can encounter Jesus on the level Paul describes in Ephesians and remain unchanged! It is like saying that you can remain the same after you walk in front of a bus traveling 65 MPH; the force of the bus will change you permanently. Listen carefully, the God who spoke 300 billion suns into existence is the same God who makes alive the spiritually dead through the power of the Gospel of a resurrected Christ! How is it that a person can remain unchanged by a power greater than 300 billion suns? I will tell you; it is because that person has never truly encountered Christ, whose mercy is richer, love is greater, and grace more sufficient than all of our sins and the sins of 8.1 billion people combined! What we read in Ephesians 2:8-10 is that in light of the resurrection power of God through the redeeming work of Jesus the Son, and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit who seals us, it is the grace of God that leads to faith in God, for our salvation by God, for the purpose of a life of good works that glorifies God. The work that God is doing in your life is ongoing. I feel that it is fitting to close with something Sinclair Ferguson wrote concerning these verses: Heaven may be the final showroom; but here on earth God is already showing what he can do.. The church triumphant is an art gallery where God displays reflections of his glory. It is a portrait gallery in which the family likeness is seen in countless different individuals who together display his infinite glory. The church visible, here, and now, is a workshop. The Divine Artist is still painting his likeness on the canvas of our lives, the Divine Potter still has the clay in his hands. The time for final exhibition has not yet come. But one day it will. Then all that God has done in us in secret, invisible to the naked eye, will become visible for all to see. What a day that will be![1] [1] Sinclair B. Ferguson, Lets Study Ephesians (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust; 2021), p. 53.

Have you noticed that the number three seems to be a big deal for the apostle Paul in Ephesians? For example, in the first fourteen verses we read of the three-fold role our Triune God has in our salvation: God the Father chose us before the foundation of the world (1:3-6), Jesus the Son made our redemption possible (vv. 7-12), and the Holy Spirit sealed us for the Day of redemption (vv. 12-13). We see it in the way Paul prays for the Ephesian Church: I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe (vv. 18-19a). I thought one way to help you see this was to reimagine Pauls series of threes as his answer to a series of questions by Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, a character from John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress, a book first published in 1678 and is currently listed as the fifth most translated book in the world. If you are not aware of who John Bunyan was, all you know for now is that he wrote Pilgrims Progress while in prison for twelve years for preaching the gospel, his book is an allegory on the Christian life. In Bunyans book, the protagonist, Christian Pilgrim leaves his home, The City of Destruction, to embark on a pilgrimage for the salvation of his soul and to find the Celestial City where he can live for all eternity in the company of God. While on his journey he is helped and guided by other characters such as Evangelist, who is known as a preacher of the Holy Word and is eager to help those who are seriously concerned about the state of their souls. Christian also meets Interpreter who shows Christian many wonders and shows Christian many exhortations on the way he should go. There are others who join Christian on his journey such as Pliant who quits the pilgrimage after facing his first obstacle, and Hopeful, a refugee from Vanity Fair, who proves to be a faithful companion to Christian all the way to the Celestial City. There are others who Christian encounters that try to turn him away from the narrow way to the Celestial City who go by the names of Giant Despair, Apollyon, Flatterer, and Mr. Worldly Wiseman. Bunyan described Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, in this way: not an ancient relic of the past. He is everywhere today, disguising his heresy and error by proclaiming the gospel of contentment and peace achieved by self-satisfaction and works. If he mentions Christ, it is not as the Savior who took our place, but as a good example of an exemplary life. Do we need a good example to rescue us, or do we need a Savior? Imagine what a conversation might look like if Mr. Worldly Wiseman visited the Apostle Paul in prison during the same time the epistle to the Ephesians was written: Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Paul, tell me how you can be sure that you are Christian since you are now in prison? Paul: Regardless of my circumstance, I am a Christian for these three reasons: I was chosen by God before the foundation of the world (1:4-6), I am redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ for sins I am guilty of (vv. 7-12), and I am sealed by the Holy Spirit for a full and future redemption (vv. 13-14). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Why spend your years in prison and suffer when you can be free so long as you dont keep blabbing about Jesus in places people dont want to hear it? You know, you can be a Christian and be compliant too! Paul: How can I be quiet about something so important? Jesus commands me not to be quite about my relationship with Him and how he saved me even though I was, Dead to God (2:1), A slave to sin (vv. 2-3a), and A child of the wrath of God because of the sins I committed against Him (v. 3). What this means, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, is that I was once like you: A friend of the world (2:2a), A child of the devil (v. 2b), and A slave to my own flesh (v. 3). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Im not sure if I should feel insulted or pity for you because you believe such rubbish. So, tell me, what is so different between you and me? Paul: Jesus is the difference between you and me! Jesus lived a perfect sinless life that I could never live; He died a death I deserved on a cross for sins I committed, and He validated all of that by rising from death on the third day. What is true of me is true of every real Christian, and this is why I have chosen to follow Him: I was dead in my sins, but now I am alive in Christ (1:7; 2:4) My nature was bound by my sins, but now I have been raised with Christ (v. 6a) I stood condemned by a holy God, but now I am seated with Christ and am covered by His righteousness (v. 6b). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Come on Paul! I am a religious person and I admire Jesus as a great example to aspire to. We need to do our best and let God do the rest, but you have taken your Christianity too seriously! Paul: No one can do enough for the kind of salvation you and I need! The only thing God required of me was a faith that was only possible because of His grace. It is a grace that I could not, nor ever will earn, by anything I could ever do! I am the recipient of, A rich mercy we did deserve (v. 4a). A great love God was not obligated to give (v. 4b). An all-sufficient grace no one could earn (v. 5) All of which is only possible in and through Jesus Christ alone! So, now we come to Ephesians 2:8-10 and are immediately faced with another set of three words and why it is that God saved us in the first place. If you were asked the same questions or interrogated in the way I had Mr. Worldly-Wiseman interrogate Paul, how would you answer? My two points are in the form of two questions that this passage answers for us in a way that should be deeply discouraging or encouraging to you. How Does God Save? Now, considering all that we have studied together, we find ourselves at the threshold of Ephesians 2:8-9. What I want to do with you this morning is to walk you through these verses in light of the context of Ephesians 1:3-2:7. I want us to look at these verses together against the backdrop of my warning at the beginning of this sermon series which was this: Beware of imposing your view and thoughts of what God should be like, upon the text of His holy Word. You must allow the authority of Gods Word to impose its teaching upon your heart for the purpose of shaping it in a way that the eyes of your heart are able to see God more clearly. Now, before I go any further, let me say first and foremost that I want you to make your own conclusion with these verses based on the evidence of what you see in Ephesians and the rest of the Bible. I am not concerned if you end up seeing things differently than the way I see them so long as you do not impose what you think the Bible should say upon what it actually says. My only concern before you this morning is that I preach and teach the Bible in such a manner that I am faithful to the Word of God so when I stand before Him, I will do so knowing that I was faithful with what He has entrusted to me. So, here we go! Buckle up because it is going to be a fun ride. Lets start with verses 8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. The three words I want you to see in this verse are grace, saved (i.e. salvation), and faith. To answer the question, How does God save? we need figure out what is the gift that He gives so that no one may boast. Is grace the gift given by God, or is salvation the gift given by God, or is a persons faith the gift given by God? Whatever the gift is, it eliminates any notion on our part that we did something to get it, otherwise Paul would never have felt the need to include verse 9, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. If I am right about what I see in Ephesians 2:8-9, it will open up verse 10 in a way that will encourage you and blow your mind at the same time. So, what have we seen in Ephesians so far leading up to these verses? Permit me to put what Paul lists concerning our salvation in sequential order from spiritual death to life: We were spiritually dead in our offenses and sins (2:1) We know we were spiritually dead because we were slaves to our sin (2:2a) Because we were slaves to our sin against God, we were by nature children of His wrath (2:3). But God, whose mercy is rich, love is great, and grace is sufficient, did three things (vv. 2:4-5): He made us alive with Christ (2:5b). He raised us up with Christ (2:6a). He seated us with Christ (2:6b). As a Christian, you can know that your salvation involved three acts of God Before the foundation of the earth, God chose to adopt you as His child through Jesus (1:4-6). In order to adopt you as His child, God redeemed you through the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of all your wrongdoings (1:7-12). Because God will not lose any who He has redeemed, He has sealed you with His Holy Spirit until your redemption and salvation is complete (1:13-14). So, in light of all that Paul wrote concerning what God has done for the Christian, what does he mean by Ephesians 2:8-9? Let me offer up some fair and legitimate questions: If I am spiritually dead, how can a spiritually dead person respond to God in faith? If I am able to respond to God in faith in order to receive salvation through Jesus, then is my faith exempt from the kinds of works Paul is talking about in verse 9? If faith is a gift God imparts on me on some level, then how is my trust in Jesus for the salvation of my soul legitimate? Does your brain hurt from trying to process these sorts of questions? I have wrestled over these verses for nearly 30 years and have understood them in three different ways that I think may help give you some perspective. In my early years, I was convinced that the gift of God was a salvation that could only be received by faith. Sometime after I started reading guys like Jonathan Edwards and St. Augustine, I leaned towards thinking that it was faith that was the gift of God. To be honest, what makes all of this even more confusing is the Greek allows the person interpreting these verses to make either one of these conclusions. Here is where I sit now, and I believe that how I see it fits best with everything Paul has written leading up to these verses, and it fits with the rest of the Bible. So, what is the gift of God? It is His Grace, our faith, and our salvation in that order! The this is Gods grace, our faith, and our salvation. Think about what grace is for a moment. Biblical grace is Gods unmerited favor; it is favor given to someone who does not deserve it. Do you remember what I said in the second sermon I preached in this series on Ephesians 1:4-6? I told you that at the very least, when it comes to God, what we read in these verses leads to the conclusion that God moved first. We see the very same thing here in Ephesians 2:8! At the very least, it is the sheer grace of almighty God that I had reached a point in my life on July 18, 1991, when all that I heard about Jesus made sense and I surrendered my life to Jesus and was genuinely and categorically saved from the wrath of God and forgiven all my sins! Every step and experience leading up to that moment was also the demonstration of a God who pursued me, found me, and overcame my sin because His mercy was rich, His love was great, and His grace sufficient to do what a 16-year-old teenage boy could not do. God made me alive with Christ, God raised me up with Christ, and God seated me with Christ on that summers day on July 18, 1991, but He did not believe for me; I had to believe to be saved. He did the same thing with you Christian, but He did not believe for you! But my believing in Christ for the salvation of my soul, and your believing in Him for the salvation of your soul is not only a testament of Gods grace, but the proof that miracles happen. For What Purpose Does God Save? So, why did He do it? Why did he save you? Why did He choose you, redeem you, seal you, and made you, who were once dead, the recipient of the, boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (2:7)? After all, what Jonathan Edwards said concerning what we bring to our salvation is the resounding testimony of all of Scripture: You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary. God didnt have to do it! God was not morally obligated to do it! But God did it; He saved you and redeemed you for the forgiveness of all your sin according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon you (1:7). But why? The answer is found in Ephesians 2:10, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. The first word in verse 10 is the word For, which is telling us something. What it is telling us is that considering Ephesians 2:1-9, the following is true! You who were dead in your sins, walked according to the course of this world, lived in the lusts of your flesh, indulged the desires of the flesh and of the mind as a child of the wrath of God (vv. 1-3), God made you alive in Christ, for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that you would walk in those good works. This is exactly why God choose you, Christian, before the foundation of the world; listen to Ephesians 1:4 again: He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. What this means, and this is so important to see with the eyes of your heart: We were not saved to coast until we enter into the presence of God in heaven but were saved so that God could reveal His presence through us because of His resurrection power to change us! It is absolute nonsense to think and believe that you can encounter Jesus on the level Paul describes in Ephesians and remain unchanged! It is like saying that you can remain the same after you walk in front of a bus traveling 65 MPH; the force of the bus will change you permanently. Listen carefully, the God who spoke 300 billion suns into existence is the same God who makes alive the spiritually dead through the power of the Gospel of a resurrected Christ! How is it that a person can remain unchanged by a power greater than 300 billion suns? I will tell you; it is because that person has never truly encountered Christ, whose mercy is richer, love is greater, and grace more sufficient than all of our sins and the sins of 8.1 billion people combined! What we read in Ephesians 2:8-10 is that in light of the resurrection power of God through the redeeming work of Jesus the Son, and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit who seals us, it is the grace of God that leads to faith in God, for our salvation by God, for the purpose of a life of good works that glorifies God. The work that God is doing in your life is ongoing. I feel that it is fitting to close with something Sinclair Ferguson wrote concerning these verses: Heaven may be the final showroom; but here on earth God is already showing what he can do.. The church triumphant is an art gallery where God displays reflections of his glory. It is a portrait gallery in which the family likeness is seen in countless different individuals who together display his infinite glory. The church visible, here, and now, is a workshop. The Divine Artist is still painting his likeness on the canvas of our lives, the Divine Potter still has the clay in his hands. The time for final exhibition has not yet come. But one day it will. Then all that God has done in us in secret, invisible to the naked eye, will become visible for all to see. What a day that will be![1] [1] Sinclair B. Ferguson, Lets Study Ephesians (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust; 2021), p. 53.

“We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” — Acts 14:22 There are many ways of promoting Christian wakefulness. Among the rest, let me strongly advise Christians to converse together concerning the ways of the Lord. Christian and Hopeful, as they journeyed towards the Celestial City, said to themselves, “To prevent drowsiness […]

“Let us not sleep, as do others.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:6 There are many ways of promoting Christian wakefulness. Among the rest, let me strongly advise Christians to converse together concerning the ways of the Lord. Christian and Hopeful, as they journeyed towards the Celestial City, said to themselves, “To prevent drowsiness in this place, […]

In which I talk about the Gothic cathedral as an exercise in the medieval synthesis of faith and reason. Bibliography: Blackwell, Albert L. The Sacred in Music. Cambridge: The Lutterworth Press, 1999. Bork, Robert. The Geometry of Creation. New York: Routledge, 2011. Lewis, C.S. The Discarded Image. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1964. Grant, Edward. God and Reason in the Middle Ages. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Guite, Malcolm. Faith, Hope and Poetry: Theology and the Poetic Imagination. New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 2016. Panofsky, Erwin. Introduction to Abbot Suger, by Abbot Suger, 1-37. Edited and translated by Erwin Panofsky. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1979. Taylor, Charles. A Secular Age. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007. Von Simson, Otto. The Gothic Cathedral. New York: Harper & Row, 1964. Beneath The Willow Tree is a podcast dedicated to the pursuit of Truth through wisdom and imagination. Join host Sophie Burkhardt as she, fuelled by wonder and a quest for the beautiful, explores philosophy, theology, the arts and all things worthy of thought beneath the willow tree. If you might ever be interested in talking about any such things, or a specific book or movie, etc. please reach out to me at sdburkhardt321@gmail.com

In this wonderful childlike version of Paul Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress', we follow Christian on his journey to follow the King's instructions to spend eternity with him in the Celestial City. He will meet a lot of characters along the way, and get into all sorts of trouble as he strays from the path. Will he make it to the Celestial City? _______________________ ⁠⁠Subscribe to our Podcast!⁠⁠ _______________________ Thanks for being here! We're the Holtzem Family. We love our family, and we love Jesus. We're hoping to bring some of our personal favorite things as a family, and some of our humor to you in hopes that it makes you smile, and maybe gives you something you can connect with. Connect with us further at; ⁠The Holtzem Family on YouTube⁠  Recipes and more about us online at ⁠Our Wholesome House⁠ ⁠Beverly Holtzem Art on Etsy

2023 WEEK 52 [REVELATION 15-22] INSIGHTS NOTES“HE THAT OVERCOMETH SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS”December 25 – December 31WEEK 52: SUMMARYIn our final week of study we'll cover Revelation 15-22. John will teach us about the conflicting forces of good and evil in the last days. We'll focus in on the allure of Babylon and study its sudden fall. We'll end with John's description of the glistening Celestial City and his timeless invitation to “Come”.On the creative side, we'll put our year of study to the test with an epic full-year Kahoot challenge. Next, we'll learn about Satan being bound with a fire snuffing experiment. Finally, we'll help our kids visualize the Celestial Kingdom by creating our own fantastic version with tech and paper.Follow Maria on:Creative Come Follow Me digital courseMeckMom.comInstagram @meckmomlifeYouTube CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents my own thoughts and opinions. It is not made, approved or endorsed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any content or creative interpretations, implied or included are solely those of Maria Eckersley ("MeckMom LLC"), and not those of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Great care has been made to ensure this podcast is in harmony with the overall mission of the Church. Click here to visit the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A verse-by-verse study of Revelation 15-22. This lesson focuses on songs of victory, the 7 vials of wrath, Armageddon, the Mother of Harlots, the Cage of Babylon, the Merchant City, Lamenting the Crash, the Marriage of the Lamb, the Supper of the Great God, the Second Coming, the Millennial reign, Gog & Magog, Final Judgment, the New Jerusalem, the Tree of Life, not adding or subtracting, the clear choice, and more.  0:00 Introduction 5:00 Songs of Victory 13:46 The 7 Plagues 18:35 Reassuring the Lord of Judgment 30:04 Armageddon 46:23 The Mother of Harlots 55:11 The Beast & the City 1:09:54 The Cage of Babylon 1:16:50 The Collapse of the Merchant City 1:25:28 Babylon's Catalog of Wares 1:30:43 Lamenting the Crash 1:39:13 The 3 Facets of Babylon 1:43:29 The Marriage of the Lamb 1:56:36 The Coming of Christ 2:08:16 The Supper of the Great God 2:14:46 Cast into the Bottomless Pit 2:21:03 Millennial Reign and Gog & Magog 2:27:44 Final Judgment 2:34:51 The New Jerusalem 2:40:48 All Things New 2:45:02 The Celestial City 2:59:29 The Tree of Life 3:08:15 The Bright & Morning Star 3:12:59 No Addition or Subtraction 3:20:51 Come, Lord Jesus 3:25:25 Final Review 3:31:04 The Clearest Choice

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Sunday morning, the 3rd of December 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan with a thought for today.For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.Hebrews 13:14This world is not our permanent home. We must walk very carefully. Don't put too much effort into your home in this world because you won't be here for very long. Our eyes are peeled for the city to come. We are so looking forward to the city of God, which is coming very soon. Do you remember the book The Pilgrim's Progress, written by John Bunyan in 1678? He wrote that book in jail. He was put in jail for his faith. John Bunyan tells the story of a man by the name of Christian, and Christian could be you or me. Christian has left his home, the City of Destruction, and he is making his way to the Celestial City, which is heaven. It's a fiction story, it's one I recommend you to read to your children. They say next to the Bible it is maybe the most-read Christian book ever. Christian, on his journey, meets different characters. He meets characters like Slothful who says: "Just relax, there is no rush, take your time"; Worldly Wisdom, who teaches him to just let all things go, then he meets some giants. Faith is a giant; Hope is a giant; Evangelist is a giant who encourages him to keep going. Some are negative and some are encouraging. Then eventually, he crosses the River of Death and arrives in the Heavenly City, the Celestial City, where the streets are paved with gold; where there's no more weeping; where there are no more tears of anger; where there's no more hatred; no violence - only peace. There's not even a sun there because Jesus Christ will be the light in that city. I want to encourage you today to keep your eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ and home time, and that will encourage you to continue on your journey, which will lead to everlasting life.Jesus bless you and goodbye.

Zach and Mr. Sagacity discuss the pilgrims' arrival at the Celestial City.

Watch or listen to the full-length version of this sermon here: https://wfth.me/46E0aCX This captivating series comes to a conclusion with an exploration of our future heavenly home. Pastor Davey opens the book of Revelation to unpack the architectural immensity—and infinite glory—of the Father's house and our place in it. Not only will we live in the Celestial City on a perfected earth within a perfected universe, we will be perfected…our lives will be without impurity, our service to Him without inconsistency, and our worship of Him will go on unceasingly.  

Christian and Hopeful (and Ignorance) arrive at the gate of the Celestial City.

A Sunday morning sermon by Pastor Brett Deal. This week on our pilgrimage, we find ourselves climbing high in the mountains of faith. From a distance we see a beautiful vista of wonder and belief, but to cross the those soaring heights enveloped in cloud, we must ascend four major peaks. How often do people set out on a journey and find themselves turned away at the first sign of trouble or the continued presence of struggle? In John Bunyan's classic The Pilgrim's Progress, Christian sets out sets out alone from the City of Destruction with his eyes set on Mount Zion and the Celestial City. But no sooner has he embarked on his pilgrim path than he is slowed by a bog of doubt. Whether we are in a bog of doubt or having difficulty catching our breath as we climb the slope of mental ascent, we have a decision to make: do we understand confession? Confession can wrack us with fear and burden us with condemnation when we don't understand what it truly is. Confession is like expelling our lungs plagued by shortness of breath and then breathing deeply of God's refreshing assurance. As we prepare our hearts to reflect on the Word of God together, read the words of our spiritual guide John in 1 John 1.5-10. Invite the Spirit of God to help you cross this mountain range or climb out of the doubts that have bogged you down.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul returns to the issue with which he began his letter, namely the dissension that had plagued the congregation.  Here Paul goes to the root of the problem.  The Corinthian Christians had not grown much in their communion with God.  Paul calls them "people of the flesh, infants in Christ" (1 Cor 3:1).  They understood basic spiritual truths, but had not gone very deeply in their grasp of these things.  The evidence of their shallow communion with God was "jealously and strife" (1 Cor 3:3).  In correcting this matter, Paul points the Corinthians to God and away from the earthly allegiances they had attached themselves to … their teachers, Paul and Apollos.  What was needed in this congregation was a deeper spiritual maturity.  This evidence of this would be the capacity to receive "solid food," which leads to a deeper understanding of God and His work in Christ.  The Bible calls on Christians to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet 3:18).  There is a diligence necessary for such growth.  The disciplines of prayer and Bible study and daily confession of sins and meditation on God's truths are not simply good for us … they are crucial for our progress in our journey to the Celestial City. 

Every Christian's pilgrimage in this world will one day come to an end. Today, Derek Thomas describes Christian's arrival at the Celestial City in The Pilgrim's Progress and presents the lessons we can draw from this happy ending. Get 'The Pilgrim's Progress' DVD Series and Digital Study Guide for Your Gift of Any Amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/2822/pilgrims-progress Don't forget to make RenewingYourMind.org your home for daily in-depth Bible study and Christian resources.

Join us as we discuss Little Pilgrim on his arduous trip to the Celestial City. Will he be able to navigate through the many dangers that thwart his forward progress? This beautifully illustrated allegory was derived from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, but Helen L. Taylor's use of anthropomorphism makes Bunyan's amazing story easily understood by children. Animals that are characters make the book not only interesting to kids but also add a degree of emotional distance for young readers, which can be important with a message as personal and powerful as this one. Christian is a young rabbit living in a city called Destruction. After losing his mother, finding an old Book, and hearing the Evangelist, Christian wants to make his way to the Celestial City where a wise King rules that loves little creatures. He asks his friends to make the journey with him, they all laugh at him except his friend Christiana. She's unable to go because she's caring for younger siblings so Christian bravely decides to embark on the journey all by himself. He feels his heavy burdens slowing him down but he plods forward, meeting: Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Passion, Patience, Hypocrisy, Mistrust, Faithful, Hopeful and a host of others. Some seek to stop him, while some help and encourage him. “Knock and it shall be opened unto you.” What doors do you want to open in this life? Follow Christian to discover how to wisely navigate the worldly dangers as Helen Taylor along with Joe Sutphin's amazing illustrations take readers on this unforgettable journey! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/recapbookchat/message

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Locust And Honey Podcast. Join us today as we finish our series on The Pilgrim's Progress.  If you have enjoyed or found our podcast helpful, please share it on your social media platforms and take a moment to leave us a review! This is helpful to us in getting others to be able to find us in the sea of all the other podcasts out there.  You can find all of our social media and support us here: https://linktr.ee/locustandhoney

Hello Rank Squad! It's time for the Champions League Takeaway - an immediate review of everything that went down in the Champions League this week as we had our first round of quarter final matches. Every matchweek, we're going to be ranking the three key takeaways from each of the games played that week, and looking at the games through that Ranks FC lens, to give you a sense of everything that we learned from each game. We start with Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Chelsea at the Bernabeu, where Frank Lampard's Blues lacked real dynamism, and the spark and trickery of Vini and Valverde made them pay. We try to find some positives for Chelsea too, but ultimately this one felt like a bridge too far for a team lost with where they are right now. Then in Part 2, we head for Milan, where Napoli were once again quashed as the Rossoneri came out on top in an all-Italian affair. We talk about the power of San Siro, Napoli's nightmare evening in the North, and Milan's refusal to kill the game off - will that cost them in Naples? Three B's headline Benfica 0-2 Inter, where Bastoni's long passing is given its due credit, Benfica's wilting under the lights is discussed in terms of fatigue and experience, and Barella's return to Europe's top tier of midfielders is heralded - he remains Inter's big-game Mr. Reliable. Finally we turn our attention to Manchester, to the most impressive performance of all 8, where City's intensity made Bayern melt in the Manchester malaise, the Barnsley Beckenbauer John Stones ascended to the throne of his namesake against his old club, and Dayot Upamecano had an evening we're sure he'd love to forget. It's Ranks! If you want to take advantage of our free trial going on on Patreon right now, why not join us at patreon.com/ranksfc? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zzz. . . Drift off to this snoozy reading of "The Celestial City" by The Baroness Orczy zzz This episode is proudly sponsored by Betterhelp zzz – for 10% off your first month, go to betterhelp.com/sleepy