Podcasts about christ is

"How can I curse those God has not cursed? Or how can I [violently] denounce those the Lord has not denounced?", so says Balaam to Balak as recorded in Numbers 23:8 (AMPC). God has given the believer every spiritual blessing in Heavenly places. You cannot be cursed and blessed at the same time. Therefore the believer in Christ cannot have a generational curse, even if he or she had one before receiving Jesus as Lord. The believer in Christ IS set free from all generational curses and can never be attacked or connected to one in the future.We also discuss the power of our tongues that are able to bring borth blessing and cursing according to James 3:10.This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): Numbers 23:8, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 3:1-5, Ephesians 1:3, Galatians 3:13, Deuteronomy 21:22-23, Galatians 3:14, Ephesians 1:5, James 3:10, 2 Corinthians 10:5-6.Support the show

Pr. Will Weedon, Host of The Word of the Lord Endures Forever We Praise You, O God The Word of the Lord Endures Forever Celebrating the Saints Thank, Praise, Serve and Obey See My Savior's Hands The post The Hymn, “Christ Is the World's Redeemer” – Pr. Will Weedon, 5/30/25 (1502, Encore) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Ever heard the title "Vicar of Christ" tossed around and wondered, wait... what does that actually mean? Vicar - Why It’s a Big Deal) Patrick explains the Latin word "Vicarius." It basically means “second in command” or “chief steward.” Think: the right-hand man or the chief of staff... someone who acts with the authority of the king when the king’s not present. So, when Catholics say the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, they’re not saying he replaces Jesus. They're saying he represents Jesus on Earth as the one appointed to shepherd the Church in Christ’s name. From Simon to Peter Then we jump to the moment in Matthew 16. Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” and Simon (not known for being shy) replies, “You are the Christ!” Jesus blesses him, gives him a new name: “Peter” (from the Aramaic Cephas, meaning “rock”), and tells him: "I give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. What you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven..." Translation: Peter is in charge. Not as a mere administrator, but as the earthly steward of Christ’s kingdom. Patrick makes it crystal clear: This is where the Vicar of Christ idea begins. Isaiah 22: Old Testament Prime Minister Patrick connects Matthew 16 to Isaiah 22, where a guy named Eliakim is appointed as the royal steward in the Davidic Kingdom. He's given a robe, a sash, and the keys of the house of David. Sound familiar? The verse literally says: "He shall open, and none shall shut; he shall shut, and none shall open." So, Peter’s role is like Eliakim’s: the one with real authority, not just among equals, but over the whole household. Christ Is the Head. The Pope Is His Vicar Christ is always the true head of the Church: ontologically and spiritually. But on Earth, He entrusted Peter (and his successors, the popes) to lead, guide, and protect the flock. So, when we say, “Vicar of Christ,” we’re affirming: -Biblical roots (Matthew 16 & Isaiah 22) -Historical continuity (Peter and beyond) -Spiritual authority (rooted in Jesus Himself) Bonus: Pope Fiction Patrick gives a plug for his book, Pope Fiction, which talks about this exact topic and busts myths left and right. (Worth a read if you're tired of TikTok theology.)

Christ Is in Me: The Hope of Glory/Victory The Autobiography of Salma Carunia Carter by Salma Carunia Carter Amazon.com An orphan girl's extraordinary journey of faith, hope, and courage! Follow in Salma's footsteps from beginning her life in 1944, arriving as an orphan at Amy Carmichael's Dohnavur Fellowship South India, her daily school life as a student, including many lively adventures and travails. She was given little hope of becoming educated, but still persevered, even later becoming a teacher at the fellowship, and then going to seminary, where she received her calling to do the work of an evangelist and fulfill her ministry (2 Timothy 4:5). For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. --1 Peter 4:18 She went on to teach in the Himalayas, where she received a great prophecy to go abroad and study at missionary school and become a missionary. However, a great obstacle stood in her way: she needed to obtain a passport, but as an orphan, the path forward was difficult, but she overcame it by faith. Her visa was then obtained by divine intervention! Her faith, hope, and courage in the Lord Jesus Christ helped her to clear all obstacles that stood in her way in this voyage. Victory belongs to the Lord! Christ is in me, the hope of glory. --Colossians 1:27 Her story then took her to America, where she met her husband. This story will be unfolded in the next book, yet to come...

[00:30] Democrats' Last Stand (30 minutes) Democrats are bent on defending an MS-13 gangbanger who was deported to El Salvador. The left's plan to use the federal court system to thwart President Donald Trump's deportations of illegal immigrant criminals will backfire. [30:40] Harvard Plays the Martyr (6 minutes) President Trump is freezing woke Harvard University's funding because it rejected his demands to fight anti-Semitism. [37:00] Christ Is the Way (18 minutes) The world is deeply confused about the right way to live. Jesus Christ shows us the way.

A Discussion About Mentors and Discipleship | Pastor Todd Coconato LIVE in Minneapolis, Minnesota  Pastor Todd Coconato Live in Minneapolis at The Hub! Don't miss this powerful and very candid discussion as Pastor Todd Coconato dives into a vital question for the body of Christ: Is there a need for mentors and discipleship once someone becomes a Christian? What does true biblical discipleship look like in today's world—and what are some of the common pitfalls believers face when walking this out? This is an extremely important and timely conversation that every believer—new or seasoned—needs to hear. Listen now and be equipped. If you'd like to support the ministry, please visit: www.ToddCoconato.com/give Learn more at: www.PastorTodd.org #Discipleship #MentorshipMatters #PastorToddLive #FaithInAction #TheHubMinneapolis

Continuing on with our follow Jesus series Magdy shares on the Lords prayer and the impact our relationship with Christ has in our prayer life. To know Christ IS to know the father!

John shares his eyewitness testimony of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. He urges Christians to walk in the light as God is in the light and confess sins to Christ. The post 1, 2 & 3 John Episode 1: Christ Is the Light of God, So Walk in That Light appeared first on Two Journeys.

John shares his eyewitness testimony of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. He urges Christians to walk in the light as God is in the light and confess sins to Christ. The post 1, 2 & 3 John Episode 1: Christ Is the Light of God, So Walk in That Light appeared first on Two Journeys.

John shares his eyewitness testimony of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. He urges Christians to walk in the light as God is in the light and confess sins to Christ. The post 1, 2 & 3 John Episode 1: Christ Is the Light of God, So Walk in That Light appeared first on Two Journeys.

John shares his eyewitness testimony of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. He urges Christians to walk in the light as God is in the light and confess sins to Christ. The post 1, 2 & 3 John Episode 1: Christ Is the Light of God, So Walk in That Light appeared first on Two Journeys.

Color: White Old Testament: Isaiah 9:2–7 Psalm: Psalm 96; antiphon: v. 2 Epistle: Titus 2:11–14 Gospel: Luke 2:1–14 Gospel: Luke 2:1–20 Introit: Psalm 2:1–2, 4–6; antiphon: Liturgical Text Gradual: Psalm 98:3b–4a, 2 Verse: Psalm 95:1a, 6b The Light of Christ Shines Forth in the Darkness   Heaven and earth rejoice on this night because the glory of the Triune God is manifested in the human birth of “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). In Him, the Father's grace, mercy and peace rest upon the world. The silence of death is broken by this “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). And all we who have gone astray like lost and wandering sheep, who have “walked in the darkness” of doubt and fear and sinful unbelief, behold “a great light” in the nativity of Christ (Is. 9:2). In Him “the grace of God has appeared” (Titus 2:11). For this Child of Mary who is born for us, this dear Son of God who is given to us, will bear the burden of our sin and death in His own body on the cross. He thereby establishes a government of peace, “with justice and with righteousness,” which shall have no end; not by any work of man, but “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Is. 9:7). Lectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Topics: Biblical Church Definition, Meaning of Ecclesia, Biblical vs. Traditional Church, Rise of Church Buildings, Warnings Against Traditions, Ignatius and One-Bishop Rule, Constantine, Reformation's Use of Pastor, Christ as Church Head, Unbiblical Leadership, 1 Corinthians vs. Modern Church, Holy Spirit's Role, No Church Occupations, Pastoral Worship Issues, Pastors' Influence, Misuse of Hebrews 13:17, Gifts vs Quasi-Leadership, Jewish Leadership In Hebrews, Sermons vs. Gatherings, AA Meetings Reflect Church Gathering Model, Box Church Culture, Love in Gatherings, Critiquing Hierarchy, Individual Roles In Christ's Body, We Are Fused With God Through Faith, Hebrews 13:17, Obeying Leaders Means Believing in Jesus, The Obedience of Faith vs. The Obedience of the Law, No Punishment From Leaders, Judgment Belongs to God, The Blasphemous Message of Faith in Jesus, Hebrews 13:17 Not About Pastors or Church Leadership, Pastors and Elders are not the Same In Scripture, Poimenas is Plural Gift Without Authority or Gender Restriction, Biblical Elders are Mature Believers Not Leaders With Power, Elders Have Qualifications Not Church Leadership, 1 Timothy 3:1-7 is Elders in Everyday Life Not a Church Board, Ephesus' Greek Myths And Paul's Rebuttals for Timothy, Artemis Worship vs. The Gospel In Ephesus, Paul's Modesty Advice Refutes Artemis Myths Not Church Rules, Titus 1:5-9 is Elders Supporting Titus' Faith Not Church Governance, 1 Peter 5:2-3 is Shepherds Watching Over Others Not Ruling Over Others, Persecuted Elders Encouraged to Continue Caring for Fellow Believers, Biblical Pastor is a Gift, Not A Role Of Power, No Biblical Basis For Pastor-Led Flocks Or Salaries, Christ Is the Chief Shepherd Not Human Leaders, All Members Of Christ's Body Are Equal And Necessary, God Honors Every Member Of His Body Equally, Christ Alone Is the Head Of The Church, Trust The Spirit Of Christ To Lead Not Human Authority Send Matt a text about this episode!Support the showSign up for Matt's free daily devotional! https://mattmcmillen.com/newsletter

John 19:7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God." 8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." 12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar." 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" 15 But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" 16 ¶ Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.   The Jews have backed Pilate into a corner at this point. It is a matter of Jesus claiming to be King and there can be only one King in Rome. He can either save his soul or his life. If He turns Jesus loose, he loses his life, if He crucifies Him, it will be his soul. So, Pilate asks where Jesus is from, but Jesus knows it is too late for Pilate, he has already said he doesn't care about truth and so He does not answer him. It is a bad place to be when you have rejected God for so long, that He refuses to speak to you anymore. Pilate lets Jesus know that he is powerful and can let him go or he can have him crucified and Jesus speaks one more time. He lets Pilate know that He only has power because God has granted it to him. Then He lets Pilate know that his sin is less than that of the one who delivered Jesus up and I believe He is speaking about Judas. The Bible speaks of degrees of sin and degrees of reward. Hell won't be the same for everyone, just as Heaven won't. Read 1 Corinthians 3:8-15, 2 Corinthians 5:10. 2 John 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.  Revelation 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.   7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God." Le 24:16; Mt 26:55,65; Joh 5:18; 10:33 Now what the Jews are going to do is they're going to put these things together in an accusation that's going to cut both ways and it will notch it up so far that Pilate has to do something about it.  In Leviticus 24:16 it was blasphemous for a person to call himself a king in Judaism.  Under a theocracy for you to say you were a king when you weren't a king was guilty of death.  That's a religious law under a religious system under Caiaphas.  A political law, if you call yourself a king, you're fighting against Caesar as the true emperor king.  So both of these charges now of treason raise it way high and Pilate's going to have to do something about it.  If Pilate won't condemn Jesus for treason, perhaps he'll condemn Jesus if he understands that both sides of religion and the civil law would work to his benefit to see Jesus executed.  Now, Pilate well knew that law. What was that law? Pilate knew that the Jews didn't tolerate any false gods, right? Two times Pilate had brought in the image of false gods to Israel, hadn't he? On his standards when he arrived there, on the shields that he hung up in Herod's palace, both times it had caused a revolt among the Jews, hadn't it? It had caused such a reaction among the Jews that he got word from Caesar himself to remove those things or he'd be removed. And Caesar was watching Pilate because Pilate had a problem with this same issue every time. That is, dragging, or letting false gods exist in Israel. Now the Romans weren't stupid. They knew in order to subject the people; you give them enough freedom to make them content. You don't violate their religion. And so the Romans let them worship as they wanted and they did not offend them with outside gods. And so, the Jews are saying ‑ Hey, Pilate, you remember that law about false gods? Remember that one? See. The one that almost cost you last time? Yeah, well here it comes again, Pilate, He's claiming to be the Son of God, we don't believe in false gods. That just cuts because this is right exactly where Pilate's blown it twice before. Now they are sharp. They've got this plot, down to a science, they know what they're doing. And so, what they're doing is putting the pressure on Pilate to get rid of another false god. And the last two times he didn't do it, the first time it cost him his whole rule there, really, because he had to give in to them. The second time it almost cost him his life. Now they're saying to him, in effect, ‑ You going to let this one get by again? You're not going to execute what we believe to be a false god? You're going to let a false god run around among us again? You going to do this again? Guess who we'll report you to? Hmm? You know, so we'll tell Caesar. And so, the threat is too much. And they know where to hit him 8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, That leads us to Pilate's fatal panic in verse 8. Verses eight through eleven ask and answer the question who's in control of all of this mess: This is the first time the word fear comes into the storyline.  Pilate's been acting a shrewd politician, now he's scared.  Why is he scared?  Well, two very good possibilities. As if it's not bad enough to put Pilate in the spot that he can't get out of, when they said to Pilate ‑ He is making Himself to be the Son of God ‑that would automatically turn on something that Pilate well knew. The Romans were very superstitious. And the Romans believed that the gods, and demigods, often came into the world and moved among men, see. And the Jews when they said to him ‑ He makes Himself the Son of God ‑ he wouldn't have thought of that in the Jewish context, he would have thought of that in a Roman context. And he would have thought of it in a pagan context. And he would have understood it that this is ... this is a man who is claiming to be a son of a god. And then he would have thought to himself ‑ If He is, I'm in real trouble, right? I've just flogged the son of a god. The Romans were superstitious. For example, in Acts chapter 14 when Paul and Barnabas came into town and they said: Hey, these guys are terrific, we think they're gods come to earth. And they started calling them Jupiter and Mercury, remember that? That was a common superstition. Acts 28 has it again. They believed that the gods came into the world. Remember, his wife has a dream, too, in Matthew twenty-seven that sort of sets him back a little bit.  Now Pilate's got this thing in the back of his head to add to all the rest of the stuff that's scrambling his brain. Maybe I've been beating up the son of a god, little did he know. That it was God Himself, the only true God. 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. Isa 53:7; Mt 27:12,14 You say, "What's he saying? Does he want to know His address in Nazareth?" No. He knows where He's from. He is asking Him if He's the son of a god, that's what he's asking Him. Where did You come from? Are You earthly or are You from up there where the gods are? Before the flood God said: "My Spirit will not always strive with man." The Bible tells us Pharaoh hardened his heart, Pharaoh hardened his heart and then it stops and it says: "And God hardened Pharaoh's heart." There comes a time in the life of an individual who willfully rejects Jesus Christ that all of a sudden it becomes impossible. And God in Christ knew Pilate. He knew it was over. He knew Pilate had gone past the point of return. You see, back in chapter 18:36, Jesus had even said to him Every one that is of the truth hears My voice." He had given him an invitation. He declared who He was. He told him He was a King from another realm, not the world and Pilate wouldn't buy it and Pilate kept going further and further and further and further and Jesus just knew it was over. 10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" It's a shocking thing when you study in the Bible the silence of God. You say, "Why was Jesus silent?" Well, He was silent, I think, in response to prophecy. Isaiah 53:7 says: "As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth." In a sense He knew He was fulfilling prophecy in silence. But, let me give you something even greater than that. Jesus knew Pilate's heart. And Jesus knew it was over with Pilate...it was over. Nothing that Jesus said anymore would have mattered to Pilate. So, He didn't say anything. You know, it's a shocking thing to realize that a man can come to the place in his own experience with God that God stops talking to him. But it can happen.  11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." Lu 22:53; Joh 7:30 You say, could anybody ever be that guilty?" Yes, anybody who knows the truth and rejects it, according to Hebrews 6 is guilty of crucifying the Son of God afresh, putting Him to an open shame. And men today are just as guilty as the people who screamed for His blood then when they reject Him, willfully knowing the truth. And so, it's hard for me to conceive of anymore guilt than Pilate but there's more guilt than what he did in ignorance. Much more on those who should have known the truth. Theirs was the greater sin. And that shows you there's degrees of sin. It only takes one sin of the smallest degree to condemn a man to hell, but the hottest hell and the severest punishment is reserved for those whose sin is a travesty on what they know to be true. Like Hebrews says of how much greater punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden underfoot the blood of the covenant, the Son of God. The greater sin is that. Now, the one who's delivered Him raises several questions.  Who?  It's a singular verb, a singular pronoun.  The one who delivered.  So He's talking about one person.  Is it Judas?  Is it Caiaphas?  Is it Satan?  And I don't have a clear answer.  Caiaphas is representing Judaism at its worst and Pilate is representing Roman civil law and these are the things colliding in the charges right now.  Some would lean towards Caiaphas as the one.  He says, “He has the greater sin,” because under the religious theocracy, he should know.  “He came into His own and His own know Him not.”  He should know who Jesus is and he's going to deliver Him over to get rid of the problem because it's expedient that Christ die for the nation. John's expression, “handed over,” is used 11 times previously in this Gospel (6:64, 71; 12:4; 13:2, 11, 21; 18:2, 5, 30, 35, 36). In its first 8 occurrences (6:64–18:5), this verb is consistently rendered “betray” by the NASB, and in each case, it clearly is used in reference to Judas. The next 3 instances of this verb (18:30, 35, 36) are found in the context of Jesus' trials, after His betrayal and arrest, and thus they are rendered “handed over” by the NASB. I would have to conclude that when this verb is used here, it may be referring to Judas. why would Jesus mention Judas to Pilate? And why would Jesus' reference to Judas strike such fear into the heart of Pilate? From Matthew's Gospel, it would seem that Judas may already have died by his own hand (Matthew 27:3-10). Is it possible that Pilate knew about Judas' role in all this, and also that Judas had already killed himself? That might give Pilate pause for thought! Jesus has pointed out that Judas was guilty of a great sin. Judas is now dead, by suicide. While Judas may be guilty of greater sin, Jesus implies that Pilate will also be guilty, of a somewhat lesser sin. Now we begin to see why Pilate is getting more and more uneasy about condemning Jesus, and why he wants so much to release Him. Pilate seeks to instill fear in Jesus, by trying to impress Him with his authority. Instead, Jesus instills fear in Pilate, by reminding this governor where his power comes from, and by indicating that any harm done to Him is God's will. Even though the death of Christ is God's will, it will also be the result of Pilate's sin, for which he must someday give account. No wonder Pilate is getting nervous! Now, technically we all know that sin is sin.  We don't like that, but if you steal a pen from the office, or some Post-its or whatever you rip off from your office, that is somehow as bad as murder and rape and plunder and mayhem.  Now, in our view of things, well of course it's not the same.  But from a purely technical theological stance, sin is sin, right?  Even the Scripture attempts to deal with sins differently in the Old Testament.  Certain sins were punishable by more severe punishments.  So we can say there are sort of degrees of guilt, degrees of the scope of a crime; but is that really what's going on here?  If Pilate is going to be a pawn in God's program and convict Jesus Christ to die a Roman crucifixion, then how is that lesser than the one who's delivered Him?  Lu 12:48 "But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. So, we see then that Pilate says ‑ I can do what I want. And Jesus says ‑ You couldn't do anything except God gave you the power. Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar." Lu 23:2; Ac 17:7 Now, if you think it was bad before, it's bad now. Cause now they're saying ‑ We're going to report you for letting this political threat to Rome go unpunished. Now you know they were clever enough to twist it around and Pilate knew it would be the end of his life. Pilate knew to tolerate a traitor was the end. Tiberius would never permit to tolerate a traitor. And this did it. He chose in favor of his neck not his soul. They're saying, “You're no friend of Caesar if you don't kill this man.” It's blasphemous under the religious law for Jesus to make Himself out to be a king and it's treason for Him to call Himself king when Caesar is alive.  “If you don't do something about this, you're not a friend to Caesar.” And Pilate's relationship with Caesar and Tiberius are ticklish enough that he understands now that he can't do anything about this.  He has been painted into a corner and there's no way for him to win, even though he continues to maintain Christ is innocent.  Now, look at it from his picture for just a moment.  Who's he going to fall on the sword for?  This shredded human, Jesus?  Or Rome?  And if he takes it on the brow for Christ and says, “No, I'm releasing Him,” then his career as a political appointment is over.  He might be murdered.  So from a political standpoint, he commits suicide if he doesn't turn Christ over to be crucified.  13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Gabbatha - This word is not elsewhere used. It comes from a word signifying to be elevated. – the one who is lifted up should not be, but Jesus should be and will be on the cross. Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, The judgment seat in the text is the stem word “bema.”  If you know your New Testament, you know about the Bema Seat.  They bring out Pilate's bema and they put it on the pavement.  It's the Lithostrotos stone.  You can go and walk on these stones.  Those stones are beautiful, enormous, huge pieces of rock that for centuries have been walked over and within a stone's throw, envision a chair of some judgment, throne-looking apparatus being brought out of Pilate's house, sat down on these stones.  He sits to render judgment.  And, again, the layers of irony in Johannine literature.  I mean, who is going to have the Bema seat?  Who will sit on the throne judging man?  All these layers.  Here's the God of the Universe being condemned by this little pawn, Pilate, on a stupid little chair on a stupid little rock.  And the God of the Universe will be the King of the Universe on the throne of God, judging righteously.  Can't miss the layers and layers of Johannine irony.  “Behold, your king.” 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" Mt 27:62 But he won't miss the opportunity to mock them, “Behold, your king.” I don't know what he meant by that. I don't know whether it was cynical, whether it was desperate. I don't know what it was. By this time the man has lost his senses. By this time he is in a corner, he is cringing, he is panicky, his heart is beating, he is sweating, he just wants out. He's remembering that Jesus may be the son of a god. He's remembering the warning his wife had in a dream which connects up that whole divine possibility. He's remembering that Jesus is innocent. He knows the hatred of the Jews. He worries about the pressure of Rome. He's trapped. He's pounded down. He's ripped. He's got nowhere to go. And he says Behold your king. In other words, the emphasis may be on the "your," you decide. "And they cried out, Away with Him, crucify Him. Pilate said unto them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." 15 But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" Ge 49:10 Our king does not live in a house on the corner, our king does not sit on a throne on this earth; our king is other-worldly.  Lest we love our country too much to displace our Christ as our King, be very careful.  And we see the Jews doing just this.  “We have no king but Caesar.”  And if they could do it, it would be easy. Samuel goes to God and they have this great discussion.  He says, “Give them a king, but let them know what's going to happen.  He's going to take their children and their land and their animals and a percentage of their crops and he's going to extort the people to support his kingdom so they can be like everyone else.  And warn them and warn them and warn them.” So, you know, the king's inaugurated, the whole story.  We now come full circle.  We want to be like all the other people and have a king; and the bitter, better kingdoms, and divided kingdoms and the time of the judges and all the cycle down and now they're exiles and the remnants are scattered.  And now they're coming back to Jerusalem, a handful of Jews.  It's Passover.  There's a lot of them, they've kind of got their confidence up a little bit.  “We have no king but Caesar.” And this is the high priest for goodness sakes.  “No king but Caesar.” How far he's come from his mission as high priest.  16 ¶ Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. Mt 27:26, 31; Mr. 15:15; Lu 23:24 Applications: We must be careful not to displace Jesus Christ and put the government first. Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. God's sovereignty never lessens an individual's responsibility. Man's not a puppet.  At the same time, God is sovereign.  The evil that occurs with Judas and Pilate and Caiaphas and Satan is not somehow on the fringe of God's sovereignty. God would say, I planned that Jesus will die for you.”  Jesus' death on Calvary was not an afterthought because evil got, sort of run out of hand of God's Sovereignty.  The minute we say that God is Sovereign, and these things occurred, we say, “Well, how could God allow these things to happen?” I mean, after all, why couldn't He have dealt with Judas and Pilate and Satan and all those things?  Well, he could have.  And if God wanted to be a puppeteering Creator and just sort of relegate men the way He wanted to, He could sure do that.  Somehow in this context man is a moral agent who works and lives within the Sovereignty of God.  You and I have choices all the time.  Well, does man have a free-will?  Does man have a choice?  Can man make decisions?  Yes and no.  That's the answer.  Under the sovereignty of God a lot of evil goes on.  If your view of man is basically good and a free moral agent, then you have a huge problem.  If your view of man is basically, essentially evil and wicked and depraved, it makes great sense.  That God is sovereign even as man is depraved.  So both exist.  If God's sovereignty somehow dismantled human responsibility, then Christ did not need to die.  Christ only died because it was part of God's eternal plan to save man from his wicked estate. Who is responsible or guilty for the death of Jesus? Think about the disciples all running away.  Didn't Matthew know one good attorney?  He was a tax-collector for crying out loud.  He ought to know a couple of good, shrewd attorneys.  How do we help Jesus out here?  They all run away. And people around the world who are Jewish are incensed with the whole notion that any way shape or form that Jews are responsible.  Men and women, the text says that Jewish leaders were behind this but they were not solely responsible.  All humanity was responsible.  You see, it wasn't just the Jews.  The Jews were His chosen people.  They are the ones that sort of incensed the thing.  You read, go home today, and read two verses in Acts.  Acts chapter two verses twenty-two to twenty-three, actually two passages, and Acts 4:27-28.  Acts 2:22-23, Acts 4:27-28.  Peter preaching saying, “All of us are guilty.” It wasn't just the Jews who nailed Christ to Calvary.  It wasn't just the Jews who conspired, because all men are guilty, all men are evil and there's not one righteous, no not one.  Every one of us put Christ on Calvary.  So we say, well, “Couldn't God have used someone besides Judas and besides Pilate?”  Sure, He could have done anything He wanted.  He chose before the foundation of time as far as you and I know it that part of His predestined plan, He was going to use these men as pawns.  If that gives you trouble, I can't help you.  What should give you trouble is that He would love the likes of you and me. The God of the Universe threw everything at His Son because He loved you and He loved me. Are you going to please God or man? Eph 6:5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, How do you look at the death of Christ Is it a martyrdom or Is it a substitutionary death for our sins You say I'm not like Barrabbas I'm not a murderer – you and I helped kill him because it was our sin that put Him there. Our hard hearts that pounded in the nails, Is He was pierced through for our transgressions. James says if you speak badly of people you are a murderer Not a robber or thief – you steal every day because you do not give God the glory He deserves, stealing His rain and sunshine and not using the gifts He gave you to serve Him Not a rebel – Every day you don't submit to God as your Lord you rebel against Him You finally have to decide what you will do with Christ, no decision is a decision to reject Christ. Who do you believe Jesus to be, and what will you do with Him? The answer of the Bible is this: Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved”. What about it? What is this saying to us? Listen to this. It's saying this. I don't care who you are, I don't care where you live, you've got to make a decision about Jesus. And the whole point that I want to emphasize to you is first of all this: Pilate attempted repeatedly to get rid of Jesus. You know what? He couldn't do it. You know why? No man can do it. If you think you can wiggle out of a commitment to Christ and a final decision, you are wrong. No decision is a decision with Pilate. What are you going to do? You going to go for your soul or your neck? Your soul or your body? You want eternal salvation or do you want to go for the things of the world now and live it up? At least you think you live it up. You don't really live it up till you meet Christ and find out what livings all about. That's your choice. And God wants nothing more than to put you in a corner and force you to make that decision. But I say to you with all the love in my heart, make it before it's too late and you find that Jesus is silent and there aren't any answers anymore. And don't do what Pilate did. Don't pass the buck. Don't compromise. Don't run away. Pilate said that and you have to say it too. What shall I do with Jesus? And the only wise thing to do is accept Him as Savior and Lord.      Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: 4 Spiritual Growth Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Aik Wee Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/29/2024 Bible: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 Length: 65 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: 1 Fulfilling the Gospel Mandate Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Aik Wee Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/29/2024 Length: 50 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 2 Prayer Meeting Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Aik Wee Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/12/2024 Bible: Isaiah 24:1-23 Length: 67 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 1 Workshop 1 Family Worship Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Lucas Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Sunday Service Date: 6/11/2024 Bible: Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Psalm 78:1-11 Length: 51 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 3 Morning Devotion 2 Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Lucas Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/13/2024 Bible: Psalm 98:1-9 Length: 94 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 1 Workshop 1 Family Worship Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Lucas Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Sunday Service Date: 6/11/2024 Bible: Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Psalm 78:1-11 Length: 51 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 1 Workshop 1 Family Worship Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Lucas Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Sunday Service Date: 6/11/2024 Bible: Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Psalm 78:1-11 Length: 51 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 2 Devotion 1 Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Lucas Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/12/2024 Bible: Psalm 42:1-11 Length: 28 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 2 Message 4 Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Aik Wee Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/12/2024 Bible: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 Length: 60 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 2 Prayer Meeting Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Aik Wee Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/12/2024 Bible: Isaiah 24:1-23 Length: 67 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 3 Message 7 Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Aik Wee Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/13/2024 Bible: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 Length: 57 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 3 Message 6 Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Aik Wee Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/13/2024 Bible: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 Length: 60 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 3 Workshop 3 True Fellowship Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Lucas Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/13/2024 Bible: Acts 2:2-47 Length: 63 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 4 Devotion 3 Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Lucas Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/14/2024 Bible: Psalm 148:1-14 Length: 29 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 3 Message 8 Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Aik Wee Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/13/2024 Bible: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18 Length: 69 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Day 2 Message 4 Subtitle: The Day of Christ Is at Hand Speaker: Aik Wee Lek Broadcaster: Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church Event: Camp Meeting Date: 6/14/2024 Bible: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 Length: 73 min.

Welcome to Day 1 of Offer Week 2.0! In this first training of our 5-day intensive, we focus on Biblical mindset..... ....because THIS is where success begins. Strategy WON'T work without knowing Whose you are. Joy WON'T be your experience without an unwavering trust in Christ. Success simply WON'T happen without expecting that desired outcome. Listen as I go in-depth, with numerous references to Scripture (everything I do points back to what God said....His perfect Truth). Faith in Christ IS your superpower.  You need to understand that.You need to operate from that place.You need to spend time ruminating in God's exceedingly great and precious promises So you operate supernaturally. From a place of calm, confidence & certainty. In Christ, your success is inevitable! -------- SPECIAL ENROLLMENT INTO THE ACCELERATOR We are opening the doors to a very special enrollment of the Joyful 6 Figures Accelerator on Wed. June 5th (doors close Sun. June 9th).  (The Accelerator is a comprehensive business 'breakthrough' incubator - where women with service-based businesses develop their entrepreneurial skillset to hit their first $100K. A group container with significant, customized 1:1 touch.) JOIN BY JUNE 7th @ MIDNIGHT to receive TWO bonuses! 1 - Receive an additional 6 months inside (that's a full 12 months).  2 -Access to an exclusive LIVE coaching series with Judy: The Miraculous Results Quickstart: $10K in 90 days (or less) We will teach you how to decisively package your offer, confidently market your services AND peacefully sign clients. The strategies, frameworks & mindset you'll learn in this BONUS series has helped our clients earn 3-10x their investment quickly. Get ALL the details here: https://www.judyweber.co/accelerator   

Our Outline Today: "My Heart's Desire for Israel Is That They Be Saved, Part 2" Christ Is the End of the Law for Righteousness Sake to All That Believe The Word of Faith and His Righteousness Are All About Christ Risen Our Salvation Is Therefore All About Faith Alone Without Works of Law Saving Faith Must Attach to an Object and That is the Gospel Preached Next Time: But Israel Has Not Believed and Is Being Humbled By Gentiles

Christ Is... - Bro. Tommy Fike

1 Corinthians 15:17-19 NI VImplications if Christ is NOT raised• Faith has no power• You are still in your sins• The dead in Christ are lost• Christian life is pitiful and purposeless"I didn't become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist.  He never promised any such thing. Indeed, following him would inevitably bring divine demotions in the eyes of the world. Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved his divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take.”    - Lee Strobel, Case for Christ 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NIVImplications because Christ IS raised• Faith has power for today• Forgiveness is guaranteed• Dead in Christ are more aliveThe resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing!    - Frederick Buechner• Christian life is full of purpose

Today, we're discussing the recent social media controversy over the use of the phrase, "Christ is King," in the wake of Candace Owens' departure from the Daily Wire. Some have alleged the phrase can be used as an anti-Semitic dog whistle, while others say there's not reason to refuse to state the obvious truth that Christ IS king. We discuss whether there is any truth behind these claims, as well as the responses from Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing, Andrew Klavan, and Nick Fuentes. --- Timecodes: (01:05) Palm Sunday (04:12) Breakdown of controversy (13:50) Nick Fuentes & antisemitic meaning behind the phrase (26:12) Jeremy Boreing's response (28:54) Andrew Klavan's response (32:19) Non-Christian responses (36:00) The truth of "Christ is King" (47:37) Debate about Israel (57:51) Kate Middleton --- Today's Sponsors: Good Ranchers — Go to GoodRanchers.com and use code 'ALLIE' when you subscribe to get a FREE Easter ham and $25 off any box! Seven Weeks Coffee — Seven Weeks is a pro-life coffee company with a simple mission: DONATE 10% of every sale to pregnancy care centers across America. Get your organically farmed and pesticide-free coffee at sevenweekscoffee.com and let your coffee serve a greater purpose. Use the promo code 'ALLIE' to save 10% off your order. Jase Medical — get up to a year's worth of many of your prescription medications delivered in advance. Go to JaseMedical.com today and use promo code “ALLIE". Pre-Born — Will you help rescue babies' lives? Donate by calling #250 & say keyword 'BABY' or go to Preborn.com/ALLIE. --- Relevant Episodes: Ep 397 | Debunking Heretical Hot Takes on Jesus & Easter https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000515872541 Epp 966 | Where in the World is Kate Middleton? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-966-where-in-the-world-is-kate-middleton/id1359249098?i=1000648959055 Ep 970 | Katespiracy Update & Why You Can't Have It All | Guest: Leanne Jamieson https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-970-katespiracy-update-why-you-cant-have-it-all/id1359249098?i=1000649753748 Ep 953 | Andrew Tate is Wrong About Marriage | Guest: Dr. Brad Wilcox https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000645909138 Ep 840 | A Biblical Response to Andrew Tate https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000621556867 Ep 849 | Responding to Candace Owens & Andrew Tate | Guest: Jonathan Isaac https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000623215660 Ep 838 | Andrew Tate, Margot Robbie, & the Danger of the 'Red Pill' https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000621063039 --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MSL- March 08, 2024--The Matt Slick Live -Live Broadcast of 03-08-2024- is a production of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry -CARM-. Matt answers questions on topics like 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---Another Debate Review of Open Theism--Scriptures on The Deity of Christ--Is our conscience Innate or Learned--The Rapture--Women in the Pulpit--MSL- March 08, 2024

Old Testament: Isaiah 9:2–7 Psalm: Psalm 96; antiphon: v. 2 Epistle: Titus 2:11–14 Gospel: Luke 2:1–14 Gospel: Luke 2:1–20 Introit: Psalm 2:1–2, 4–6; antiphon: Liturgical Text Gradual: Psalm 98:3b–4a, 2 Verse: Psalm 95:1a, 6b The Light of Christ Shines Forth in the Darkness   Heaven and earth rejoice on this night because the glory of the Triune God is manifested in the human birth of “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). In Him, the Father's grace, mercy and peace rest upon the world. The silence of death is broken by this “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). And all we who have gone astray like lost and wandering sheep, who have “walked in the darkness” of doubt and fear and sinful unbelief, behold “a great light” in the nativity of Christ (Is. 9:2). In Him “the grace of God has appeared” (Titus 2:11). For this Child of Mary who is born for us, this dear Son of God who is given to us, will bear the burden of our sin and death in His own body on the cross. He thereby establishes a government of peace, “with justice and with righteousness,” which shall have no end; not by any work of man, but “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Is. 9:7).

You feel different because you are different.  It's hard for you to do the things that other people do, the routines that other people have, because you're not other people.  You're not a people. So stop trying to be a people. Stop trying to fit in. Stop trying to keep up. You live this Christhood, and you be your own, you be His own,  and you'll lift everyone with you.  You'll bring everyone with you, but you're not focusing on them-- that's just the side effect.  You just chant and mind your business.  You feel love where you see yourself,  where you see others,  and you mind your business. You see your business, and you feel Love,  that's how you mind your business.  And the right actions happen, but really nothing is happening. And as long as you remember nothing is happening,  even while you are in action,  you won.  I Love You I Am You nik  To claim your free gift, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it and send it to me at nikki@curlynikki.com!  Join us on Patreon to support the show, and tune into and participate in live video Q&As with me!  Support the show "Stop identifying with the world created by your mind, and a new world will open up for you."- Amma There's not a day that goes by that I don't say, "end game, cancel game, exit game"" -@farmerbill88 via IG "That Gurmukh unto whom the Lord becomes merciful, chants the Lord's Name, and wins the game of life." -Guru Ram Das Ji Herb Fitch, The Infinite Way Book Study on Kindle -- "You can't be a Republican and a Democrat at the same time. You can't be man and woman at the same time. You cannot be here and there at the same time. Because Christ is your Reality every moment spent in another identity is a life in unreality. Every moment not in Christ, not as The Conscious Christ realized is a moment that has no real exist-ence. And if there happens to be fifty years of such moments then it is fifty years of unreal existence. Again, where do you go to live in your Christhood? You don't. You shed the belief that you are something else. You start with you. You cannot behold Christ in anyone until you have started with you. You have Infinity to give and if you are withholding that Infinity from your experience, you cannot find it even for yourself. Now, if we were to make a full-time commitment to our own Christhood, it would run something like this: Your telephone rings, and you say, Hello this is Will or this is Frank, or this is Dorothy, and then the other person identifies himself and you have a little conversation. Now, at that moment you have been caught unprepared, and you have not witnessed The Christ of the one on the other side of the phone. They have caught you unprepared and they have caught you in a human consciousness. You are not living in Reality at that moment. Whatever you say to the one on the other side of that line, whatever they say to you, is valueless in the true creation. It is something that will pass, it is not Christ centered. And so one of the major lessons and the most difficult to learn is to be alert to Christ. So that, you are always in the Consciousness that where you are the Light of Christ Is, and that is all that is there. And further, that the Light of Christ is everywhere, Now. So that the first phone that rings in your house, when you pick up that phone to respond you must consciously know The Christ is always here and The Christ is all that is there. When you are willing to make this preparation, this alertness, then you are beginning your full-time commitment to Christ and you are really taking the Two Commandments seriously. You will find that the moment someone on the other end of the line says something you don't like, if you are in this conscious awareness, that only the Light of Christ can be present, something in you will recognize the Life on the other side of that line and literally give Life to that individual. You only give what is there. And then your full-time commitment in Christ as the recognition of The Christ of all those you encounter, whether visibly or on the phone or wherever or however, even writing a letter, becomes an experience in Christhood. And what comes back to you is your own commitment to Christ. As you give the life of Christ to all those in your relationships they give it right back to you." - Herb Fitch, The Infinite Way Book Study on Kindle   

Have you ever found yourself walking away from the mirror feeling unworthy, unacceptable or unlovable?So many strong Christian women are bombarded by thoughts of shame, guilt, and embarrassment from the enemy as they tear apart their flaws in the mirror. But I want you to know that this is NOT your only option.Unshakable body confidence and joy in Christ IS possible!However, in order to do battle with the lies in the mirror, you'll need a weapon…And in this episode of the HTS Podcast, you'll be getting just that- a spiritual weapon that you can use to combat the attacks of the enemy in just 3 simple steps.We'll also dive deeper to discover:Why being stuck in the body hate-shame spiral is robbing you of confidence & joyThe spiritual weapon you NEED to combat the lies of the enemy in the mirrorHow to truly see yourself as the loved, accepted & beautiful child of God you areSo if you're ready to find freedom from fixating on your flaws, so that you can finally see your body as fearfully and wonderfully made, then tune in now!

In view of both the 282nd anniversary of Edwards' preaching of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God and our evangelism efforts, we consider the doctrine of the free offer of the gospel. We consider how one who believes in the Doctrines of Grace relays the gospel to the world. We ask and answer, how do the doctrines of reprobation and election factor in to preaching Christ-- Is it proper to invite souls to take Christ and offer Him to them-- Is the gospel to be offered freely to all and the invitation given to all without exclusion-- Do the reprobate have a warrant to believe the gospel-- Is the gospel to be preached in a manner that men are to turn from their sin before placing their faith in Christ-- These are some of the questions answered by Scripture and summarized by the doctrine of the Free Offer of the Gospel.

Today's blog and podcast is a guest post by Nick Campbell of Christ Is the Cure. I introduce the post and podcast with my own words then read his thoughts addressing the social media discussion asking whether women can teach other women theology. Quick take: the answer to the title's question and conclusion is YES. I wrote that- The Bible says of itself, "All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Limiting your sharing of His word with other women to just one or two verses is a rejection of God's proclamation of the usefulness of His own words. Guest Post by Nick Campbell, Republished with PermissionNick Campbell: Christ is the Cure. @CITC_orgWebpage: https://christisthecure.org/ The original thread can be found on Twitter here-https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1671155471150125059.html https://twitter.com/CITC_org/status/1671155471150125059

God is love. This is the best news. We see God's gracious and abounding love for the world, we see him loving the good and evil alike. Not that we are lovely or inherently lovable but that he has set his love upon us. He has decided to, and we see in Christ and the cross the extreme nature of this love - that he would be the redeeming God, but more than that, he has us call him Father, having made us His children.--Why do we love-- It is our nature to, and completely unnatural for us not to, because we are made in his image and he is love. Can we say in our distress, -Why don't you love me--- You bet we can. Holding onto our little store of love, jealousy guarding it and not letting any out, just in case we may run out.--But this is not how love works, His love is limitless and freely fills us constantly, as we love freely. Are we whole and right, blameless in His sight through Christ-- Is this our own doing, or has it come as a gift-- And is this a forever state of being-- Then we are free to love.

God is love. This is the best news. We see God's gracious and abounding love for the world, we see him loving the good and evil alike. Not that we are lovely or inherently lovable but that he has set his love upon us. He has decided to, and we see in Christ and the cross the extreme nature of this love - that he would be the redeeming God, but more than that, he has us call him Father, having made us His children.--Why do we love-- It is our nature to, and completely unnatural for us not to, because we are made in his image and he is love. Can we say in our distress, -Why don't you love me--- You bet we can. Holding onto our little store of love, jealousy guarding it and not letting any out, just in case we may run out.--But this is not how love works, His love is limitless and freely fills us constantly, as we love freely. Are we whole and right, blameless in His sight through Christ-- Is this our own doing, or has it come as a gift-- And is this a forever state of being-- Then we are free to love.

Philippians 3:8-11Rev. Erik Veerman4/9/2023Resurrection Hope in SufferingOur Easter sermon text is from the book of Philippians, chapter 3, verses 8-11. You will find that on page1166 in the provided Bibles.As a background, the book of Philippians was written by the apostle Paul. He wrote it to the church inPhilippi. Philippi was on the northern coast of the Agean Sea. That would place it in the northeast areaof modern-day Greece. About 10 years before writing this letter, Paul had planted a church in Philippi.That's where Lydia had come to faith. Also, while there, he had also been severely beaten and thenbriefly imprisoned. In fact, Paul likely wrote this letter from a prison – when he was in Caesarea.The reason I'm mentioning that is one theme in Philippians is joy in all circumstances. In the lead up toour verses this morning, Paul calls them to rejoice in the Lord. Then he lists all the temporary things thatused to give him status in the world, but which he gave up for Christ.Let's now read Philippians 3 verses 8-11It is our practice to stand for our sermon text, in reverence of God's Word. We would stand for all of ourScripture readings but that would be a lot of ups and downs. So, consider this representative of ourreverence for the Holy Scripture.Reading of Philippians 3:7-11PrayerI picked these verses this morning because they deal with suffering. Last week's massacre in Nashvillehas been difficult to process. Evil and tragedy are not new. We all know that. But when they strike closeto home, it prompts questions, and it weighs on hearts. The shootings occurred at a sister church andschool in our denomination.But if I could broaden it out, every month brings new suffering and pain, some caused by evil acts,others caused by natural disasters, as we call them, others by accidents or disease. Besides the shooting,in the last couple of weeks, several deadly tornadoes ripped through Mississippi and Missouri. InFebruary, a devastating earthquake killed tens of thousands in Turkey and Syria.And we ask why? Why cancer? Why murder? Why catastrophes and deadly accidents?A common question is this, “with all the evil and suffering in the world, does God even exist?”In philosophical circles, it's called the problem of evil. If the Christian God is so powerful and good, thenwhy would he allow evil and suffering in the world?That's an important question for all of us to consider. In countless surveys about religion over the last10-15 years, the problem of evil has been one of the top 3 arguments against Christianity or against theexistence of God in general. It's not new, of course. Every generation, every individual seeks an answer.This morning, I want to address the question of evil and suffering. And I want to use these verses inPhilippians 3 as a foundation. To be sure, we don't have time for a full answer to the question. However,these verses give us a perspective on life, on suffering, and on the world. And they particularly focus onthe resurrection of Christ as the ultimate answer to our suffering.My goal is not to leave you with a dry, disconnected response. No, rather, my hope is that you mightleave this morning with both an intellectual understanding of the Christian perspective on evil andsuffering as well as a personal grasp of what Jesus' resurrection means for you.That's the flow of how we'll work through this. First, a more academic response to suffering and evil butthen second, we'll traverse down to the personal. The evil and suffering in our own lives.The General Problem of EvilIf you were to boil down the “problem of evil” argument, it would be this:• The Christian God of the Bible is supposed to be a good and all-powerful God.• A morally good and all-powerful God would not allow suffering and evil to exist.• But evil does exist.• Therefore, Christianity cannot be true.• In summary, Christianity and evil cannot co-exist.Now, there are different paths we could go down in response. One of those could be the underlyingpresupposition in the argument that good and evil exist. But if they exist, there must be a higher moralbeing that defines good and evil. That's one path. I don't think that answer, even though it's true, gets tothe question of “why.”Another path could be the assumption about God's nature. Yes, it's true that Scripture speaks of God asgood, but that's only one of many aspects of God's nature of which the Bible speaks. That could beanother path to go down in response. Certainly, that would be a helpful discussion.But what I believe is the most helpful response is to understand how the Bible speaks of evil andsuffering. In other words, the perspective it gives on the presence of evil and suffering, and God'sresponse to evil and suffering. It's to look at the whole picture of the Christian worldview andunderstand how good and evil fit.If we just focus in on the existence of God or just consider the seeming disconnect between God'sgoodness and the presence of evil, then we're not really getting to the heart of the matter. We wouldn'tsee how evil and suffering fit in to the broader Biblical narrative, nor understand how suffering fits intothe Christian's life, now and in the future.Let's look at Philippians 3. These verses help by giving us a perspective on suffering. They do thatthrough an underlying understanding of the world and our situation, but also they give God's answer tosuffering and death.Let's consider three things here. Let me list them, and then we'll go through them as the intellectualresponse to evil:• First, the presence of suffering and death• Second, a perspective of reality beyond this world• And third, God's resolution to suffering and deathI'll restate each as we go through them.Again, number 1, the presence of suffering and death.Nowhere in the Bible is evil, suffering, and death minimized. These verses are a great example of that.The apostle Paul has experienced persecution, tragedy, and loss. In fact, at the point in his life when he'swriting this, he's been stoned, left for dead, and imprisoned multiple times, including his presentimprisonment. He bears many scars from being tortured. He speaks about his suffering, here, and healludes to his own future death. It's all very real.The presence of evil in the world goes all the way back to the beginning chapters of the Bible. Originallythe relationship between God and man was intimate and their communion was pure and untainted. Butthen sin and death entered the world. Mankind, through the first man and woman, Adam and Eve,broke communion with God by breaking his command. And from that point on, the whole worldchanged. Besides death, the corruption affected all of creation. The whole world groans, as the apostlePaul wrote in Romans 8.But from the very moment when sin, suffering, and death entered the world, God began his plan ofredemption. That plan is being worked out all the way to a future day when, as the book of Revelationtells us, there will be no more tears, no more suffering, no more evil, and no more death.What I'm saying is that central to the Christian message is the reality of suffering, evil, and death in theworld. They do not disprove Christianity or the Christian God. On the contrary, those hard realitiestestify to the reality of Christianity.Second. These verses in Philippians 3 give us a perspective that goes beyond this world - beyond thephysical world of time and space. Paul makes that clear in these verses. He considers his worldly pursuitsfor the sake of his fame worthless. They are all loss to him. That's what he says. Verse 8. Paul gave themup and suffered because of it. Why? Because there's something greater. There's something greater thanthis life. He speaks about it in verse 11 - a resurrection from the dead. It's an acknowledgement that thisworld and all the trappings of the world are temporary. Life is fragile and we die. That theme is veryconsistent throughout the Bible. The momentary afflictions of this world compared to the glory of thelife to come. The Bible speaks over and over about heaven and hell. About life beyond the grave. Abouta heavenly home. As Jesus said, “in my father's house are many rooms, I go there to prepare a place foryou.”The difficulty is that we live in the world now. We are bound by time and space. So when we think ofevil, we are naturally disposed to think within the box of our world. Of course, it can be verydiscouraging. Hope can be elusive as we see and experience the vanity of life. Yet the Scriptures speakclearly of a hope and peace that can be experienced now because of a future life where there is nosuffering. That's what the apostle Paul is referring to – a future resurrection to a new heavens and earth.One, as I mentioned earlier without the burden of evil.That brings us to the third intellectual response to the problem of evil. And that's God's resolution tosin, suffering, and death.The heart of God's response is the resurrection of Christ. It's why Paul says in verse 10 that he “mayknow [Christ] and the power of his resurrection.”The very hinge upon which all Christianity turns is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Why do wesay that? Because it's through the resurrection that God reversed the trajectory of sin and suffering anddeath. And God accomplished that great reversal not through a mere man, but through the God man,Christ Jesus. The fulness of God dwelling in the fulness of man. In fact, Christ is the one through whomGod created all things, in heaven and earth. That is clear in Scripture. Hebrews 1, Colossians 1, John1.Jesus subjected himself to torture and death at the hands of his very own creation in order to redeemhis very own creation.Did you hear that? God triumphed over evil through evil and suffering. In the book of Acts, which isabout the New Testament church, it says that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan andforeknowledge of God,” It says he was “crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” But then itsays, “God raised him up.” Through the resurrection, God triumphed over evil.And just to be sure, the resurrection of Jesus was not just the return of his body to the same physicalstate before his torture and death. No, it was a resurrection to a renewed imperishable body. A physicalbody which would last forever, a body through which even now he is ruling and reigning.This is the power of the resurrection. Sin, suffering, death, and evil have ultimately been dealt withthrough it. And through it, there is a guaranteed hope beyond the pain and miseries in this life.How so? Through his resurrection, Christ has secured an imperishable resurrected life for us - one withno pain or loss or fear or evil. Without the resurrection, there is no hope beyond this life. But, as we say,Christ IS risen. Many, many bore testimony to his resurrection.The death and resurrection of Christ is the Bible's resolution to the problem of evil.Let me recap the intellectual responses to suffering and evil:• First, evil and suffering are real. Christianity speaks very clearly into that reality, revealing thewicked heart of man and the effect of sin on all creation. Evil, sin, and suffering do not undermineChristianity, but rather testify to Christianity.• Second, the Bible speaks of life beyond our present fallen condition. We are not bound andtrapped in a corrupt world with no hope. There is life beyond this life. One that is incorruptible, freefrom all evil, and death.• And third, the resurrection is the means through which God has dealt with sin and suffering. It'sthe basis of our sure hope. That's why the resurrection is the pivot point in all of history. Through it, Godis and will make all things right and new.The Personal Problem of EvilIf I ended this sermon here, it would be lacking. It's one thing to talk about evil and sin and suffering, butit's another to experience it. Some of you know that suffering all too well.Amy can tell you, when we pray for our children, one of the things I pray for almost every time is for Godto protect them from evil. I think that's what made the Nashville tragedy particularly hard for me.Especially since the pastor of the church lost his 9-year-old daughter.You see, we cannot merely work through these hard questions in our minds. No, dealing with evil andsuffering is very personal.One thing is clear in Philippians 3. These matters were also very personal for the apostle Paul. Over andover, he talks about his own pursuits… about knowing Christ and attaining that resurrection life in him.Let me highlight what he says:• First in verse 8, he writes about “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.” (hesays)• Later in that verse, he writes about sacrificing in this life, why? He says “in order that I may gainChrist”• He continues that in verse 9, “and be found in him”• Verse 10, “that I may know him”• Then he says, “that I may share in Christ's suffering, becoming like him in his death”• And Paul concludes in verse 11, “that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection fromthe dead.”Let me note this. If you have been with us in our recent series through 1 John, you will be very familiarwith the word “know.” Verse 10. “that I may know him.” The original Greek goes way beyond ourmodern sensibilities. In English, the word “know” focuses on an intellectual understanding. We processinformation. We read words. Knowledge to us today is categorizing and knowing information. Being ableto recall the information and analyze it.But knowledge of something or someone in the world of the New Testament times goes far deeper. Tobe sure, it includes a head knowledge, that we talked about, but it also comes with an intimate personalheart-felt belief. Truly knowing Christ. Not just knowing of him, but communing with himThat kind of intimate knowledge of Jesus is not optional. Paul is implying in these verses that we cannotmerely assent to Christianity's answers to sin and suffering. We can't just say that it sounds good, or justsay that its answers to evil align with the reality around us.Rather, in order to have the hope of the resurrection in your sufferings and death, you have to know theOne who suffered and died.To say it in another way, the power of the resurrection for you only comes through knowing Christ.“Knowing” in the full Greek sense of verse 10.And the way you know Christ is answered in verse 9. It's through faith in him. It's recognizing, as it says,that you cannot have a righteousness of your own, but rather you need Christ's righteousness.Let me put it in the terms that we've been talking about today. You cannot save yourself from evil, fromsuffering, or from death. Suffering itself does not save you. You cannot resurrect yourself. Rather, thereis only One who can… the One who himself triumphed over evil, and sin and death. To triumph with himrequires faith in him.And when you come to know him, and the power of his resurrection, then you will share in his sufferingand his death and will share in his resurrection. That is one of the most beautiful aspects of the Christianfaith. In our grief, in the evil we experience, and in our death, in all those things, we share in Christ'ssuffering and death. When you know Christ, he ministers to you in those sufferings… because he hasgone before you in them and has triumphed over them. Your hope for a future resurrection is found inthe power of his resurrection.It doesn't take away the tears, the suffering, or the evil in this world now, but if you come to know himand the power of his resurrection, then you will have that immoveable rock upon which to stand. Andyou will have that future resurrection hope knowing that you will triumph in him.A couple of weeks before his daughter was killed, pastor Chad Scruggs was preaching on Jesus raisingLazarus. The profound moment in that story was when Jesus wept. Jesus knew that he was about toraise Lazarus, yet he wept. Pastor Scruggs said these words as he preached, “Do you see that a strongconfidence in the end of the story does not undo or justify the absence of grief in the middle. A maturefaith adds its tears to the sadness in our world. Jesus says blessed are those who mourn… all the whilenot losing confidence how that sadness will eventually be overcome in him.”Following the passing of his daughter, Pastor Scruggs lived out that belief. He wrote, "Through tears wetrust that she is in the arms of Jesus who will raise her to life once again."I don't know how each of you deal with the presence of evil, sin, and suffering in the world… or itspresence in your own life.On an intellectual level, if the problem of evil trips you up as you consider Christianity, know this: theBible is not silent. Rather, evil and suffering's very presence is why Christ came and it's why Jesus' deathand resurrect is the linchpin of Christianity.On a personal level, each of us experiences the corruption of the world and the heart of man, includingour own hearts. At times, it will be very painful and sad. In those moments, hope in three things.• First, God has, himself, experienced pain and evil. God the Father gave up his son to suffer anddie. And the Son of God, Jesus, endured the evil of this world. We're invited to share in his suffering.• A second hope - this world is not all there is. One day, evil, sin, and suffering will all come to anend.• Third, through the resurrection, God triumphed over evil. If you know Christ and the power ofhis resurrection, you will share in Jesus' triumph… along with your family and friends who also know andbelieve in Christ.May we each have the same heart and mind as the apostle Paul: faith in the risen Lord. May we have hissame confidence, comfort, and hope. If you do not know the resurrected Christ, may today be the daythat you come to know his comfort and hope.Prayer

As God's children, we are called to live in love. What does that mean? Today, let's study together the apostle Paul's words to the Ephesians as we learn to love like Jesus. (Ephesians 5:1-14)   *****   Welcome to Walking in the Word, a Women World Leaders' podcast – I'm Julie Jenkins, and I am excited you have joined us today! Our prayer is that through this trio of podcasts, your intimacy with God will grow and your love for one another will flourish, enabling you to live out a courageous purpose driven life, fueled by the Word, led by the Spirit, and propelled forward into your God given destiny through fearless faith! This is our Wednesday edition of the Women World Leaders' podcast – Walking in the Word – where we study the Bible as we pray that God will show us how it applies to our lives today. Today, we are going to take a step into Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 1-14. Let me begin by praying for us… Dear Heavenly Father – today I thank you for your wisdom. You never fail to guide us and lead us in the path we should go. Your light always shines bright, leading us to a path that is perfect and is beyond our wildest imaginations. I ask you to shine that light right now – give us the wisdom that only you can provide as we walk through this passage together and as we carry this Word in our hearts all day. We praise you and thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen. I invite you to sit back and listen as I read Ephesians 5:1-14, from the New Living Translation… Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. 3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God's people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don't participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper,     rise up from the dead,     and Christ will give you light.”     This section of scripture is taken from Paul's letter to the Ephesians. He is writing to them about unity in the body of Christ – and he is reminding us that we who are now Christians, are held to a higher standard of living than that which was expected of us before we were followers of Christ. Now, we are called to be GOD'S people – which looks VERY different than being the world's people. Because holding ourselves to this standard doesn't come naturally, Paul provides instruction as to how we can take steps to look more like Christ. And looking like Christ IS the ultimate goal of the Christian – both in Paul's day and today. First, Paul says, imitate God! I love this! I can remember growing up and getting SO frustrated when someone else would copy my ideas – and my mom always told me, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The word imitation means the action of using someone or something as a model. Ooo – I like that word picture! Still – when we think of imitations, we can have mixed feelings. An imitation diamond certainly isn't as nice as a real diamond – unless, perhaps, you are the one paying for it! But in this case, imitation is good – because our God is perfect in holiness, and being holy is what we long for. So Paul ENCOURAGES us to imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Notice the order – we are NOT God's children BECAUSE we imitate Him, but we imitate Him because we are His children. And as His children with the Holy Spirit living in us, we have a front row seat to WHO God is – and His goodness and light draw us, and create a desire in US for goodness and light. Have you ever seen a child doing everything he our she can to look like mom or dad? Maybe it's a young child trying on high heels and lipstick like mom, or wanting to wear a tie like dad. As children grow, they see deeper into the souls of their parents, and often their longing to be like them grows deeper, too. Perhaps the daughter, as she grows, wants to reach out and help others like her mom, or to become as generous as his dad. When we first confess our belief in Christ and give ourselves to Him, we may WANT to look like God, but often at that point we can only see God and His attributes from the surface. As we grow and mature in our Christian walk, and God opens our vision more and more as we study him from our front row seats, we long to be like God on a deeper and deeper level. One of the deepest wells in God's being is His unfathomable love. Paul tells us to imitate God by living a life of love. God loves YOU! Jesus loves you so much that He offered HIMSELF as a sacrifice for YOU. Do you realize that Jesus could have called on THOUSANDS of angels to whisk Him away from the Garden of Gethsemane, to lift the cross He carried off His shoulders, and to usher Him down from the cross in glory? Just one utterance from Jesus' mouth would have kept Him from the pain and humiliation He endured at the end of His physical life here on earth. But instead, when Jesus was in the Garden being arrested, He went willingly. He endured insults and jokes made on his behalf. He stood resolutely while people spit in his face repeatedly. He allowed his body to be beaten to within an inch of death. He withstood emotional humiliation as he was tied up and led like cattle from one leader to another – all claiming Jesus' GUILT, but no one quite agreeing what he was guilty of. Jesus resolutely carried His cross for YOU, even when He could barely walk. And then He allowed Himself to be killed and experienced separation from God so you and I will never have to. Jesus did this all out of His love for us. How in the world do we imitate THAT? We can't imitate WHAT Jesus did – and we aren't called to. But we can and should remember WHY Jesus suffered and endured for us – because He LOVES us. And by seeking to respond with LOVE for others…the Holy Spirit will guide us into the path He has for each of us. 1 Peter 4:8 teaches us “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” Our love for others is our response to, and a reflection of, God's love for us. Perhaps as you are listening, the Holy Spirit is convicting you – and you immediately KNOW where and how you can love better. If you are getting a message from the Holy Spirit now, I encourage you to turn off this podcast and tune into Him, resolutely determined to follow His will. For those of you still with me…allow me to continue… because Paul continues, giving us instructions as to what love looks like… 3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. We live in a society where sexual immorality, impurity, and greed are – at the very minimum, widely accepted. But there is nothing loving or godly about any of these actions or desires. Sexual immorality and impurity are sins that harm others deeply and create ripple effects of pain. The hard truth is we never know how far-reaching the effects of our sin will be. And greed, wanting more and more, threatens to undo our love for others, causing jealousy and hurt! We don't need to have feelings of greed simply because our God is perfect – and as such, He is the perfect giver of all good gifts! He knows exactly what we need, and we can trust His perfect provision. Freeing ourselves from our greedy desires makes room in our hearts for love to grow.   Paul continues…saying stay away from obscene stories, foolish talk and course jokes. In other words…use positive, uplifting words! God is pure, and to look like Him, our stories, speech and jokes should be pure as well. Paul says, if you don't know where to begin, begin with giving God thanks – what a great way to use our words! The next verse, verse 5, may be a bit of a conundrum for some, it says:  5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. To understand this verse, we need to follow two guidelines to studying the Bible: First, always interpret Scripture WITH Scripture, knowing that the Bible will never contradict itself. And second, always evaluate the meaning of scripture based on the original intended audience. So first…what does OTHER scripture say about this topic? We are taught in many places throughout the Bible that God's forgiveness, when we give our lives to him, is complete and everlasting. 1 John 1:9 says “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” And Romans 8:16 and 17 says “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs.” – so how do we reconcile that THIS verse seems to say that if we are immoral, impure or greedy, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Let's look at our 2nd guideline – what did this mean for the original, intended audience? This letter was written to the Ephesians, and some of them were arguing that believers could live in sin and get away with it – that since God offers the Christian grace, it doesn't matter what we do, we will always be forgiven. Paul is responding to this claim, saying this is not so! He states that a TRUE Christian WILL be struck with the desire to WANT to be like and follow God – just like the child who idolizes his or her parent and wants to, at a very basic level, BE like them by dressing like them, so the true Christian WANTS to be like God. So, Paul is not saying that sin breaks the Christian's eternal bond with God, but unchecked sin may be a sign that the individual has not given his or her life to Christ in the first place.  As Christians, we WILL still sin, but as we mature in our Christianity and yield to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we WILL want to sin LESS. Paul explains further… 6 Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Child of God – our Father WANTS you to be like Him – and the overriding way that we can be like Him is to love. When we give our lives to Christ, we are infused with the power of the Holy Spirit, who gives us His light so that we can see more clearly what God's love looks like. He gives us eyes to see Him more deeply each and every day that we walk with Him. And, the more we know, the more He holds us accountable. Like the parent who expects GREAT things from her child because she knows that God has created her to make an impact on the world, God has created you to make an impact by reflecting His love and light to a hurting and broken world. God wants YOU to be part of the solution – He has a job for you! So, in Paul's words… 10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.  “Awake, O sleeper,     rise up from the dead,     and Christ will give you light.” Let's pray… Dear Father God – we WANT to look like you! We want to walk in your ways and shine your light in this ever-darkening world. As we walk today, help us put our own agendas aside, and instead walk by YOUR agenda. When we are persecuted, give us the grace to show love. When we see evil, let us speak the truth in love. When we see injustice, give us wisdom to react as you would have us react. Thank you for calling us your dearly loved children. Let us never forget that that is the most important title that we hold. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Introit: Ps. 2:1-2, 4-6; antiphon: liturgical text Gradual: Ps. 98:3b, 4a, 2 Old Testament: Is. 9:2-7 Psalm 96 (antiphon: v. 2)rEpistle: Titus 2:11-14 ProperVerse: Ps. 95:1a, 6b Gospel: Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) The Light of Christ Shines Forth in the Darkness Heaven and earth rejoice on this night because the glory of the Triune God is manifested in the human birth of "our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). In Him, the Father's grace, mercy and peace rest upon the world. The silence of death is broken by this "good news of great joy that will be for all the people" (Luke 2:10). And all we who have gone astray like lost and wandering sheep, who have "walked in the darkness" of doubt and fear and sinful unbelief, behold "a great light" in the nativity of Christ (Is. 9:2). In Him "the grace of God has appeared" (Titus 2:11). For this Child of Mary who is born for us, this dear Son of God who is given to us, will bear the burden of our sin and death in His own body on the cross. He thereby establishes a government of peace, "with justice and with righteousness," which shall have no end; not by any work of man, but "the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this" (Is. 9:7).

Paul Robson is the Co-Founder and Leader of the European men's work organization Maniphesto, which hosts a podcast, men's coaching, and men's events. I've spoken with him twice on his podcast, and I got the sense that beneath our American vs. European cultural differences, we'd find common ground. Because as I've discovered, Americans and Europeans are mirror images of each other. American externalize what is internal to Europeans, and vice versa. In that, we have a great deal to share with each other, and also a great deal to learn. In our conversation Paul and I discussed: His story from Burning Man and New Age practice to Jordan Peterson and Christianity Mastering your attention The difference between efficiency and happiness The modern separation between the head and the body The path of the monk vs. the path of marriage The core of reality being driven by story And finally, how the story of Christ IS the cosmic story for all. As I think you'll hear, through the art of speaking and listening, we as men can find the healing, transformative, and mutually-binding truths we're searching for. WATCH THIS EPISODE AND CLIPS ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/qS-3MkvgKlA https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRenaissanceOfMen MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST Army of Lovers - "I'm Crucified" Pop is Porn - ReWire the West Deeper Heaven - Christiana Hale Maniphesto Daily Journaling Practice Finding Your Ur-Father Justin Martyr Letter to Emperor CONNECT WITH PAUL AND MANIPHESTO https://maniphesto.com/ Spotify Podcast https://www.instagram.com/maniphestomen/ SPONSOR: The Renaissance of Men Coaching and Group If you feel a call unheeded in your life, I understand. I was once the same. I would have waited forever for life to come to me, but instead I made the choice to live. I made that choice in the company of men. I'm starting a new online men's group, "The Forum." And I have spaces opening in my Men's Renaissance coaching program. THERE IS MORE IN YOU. Email info@renofmen.com to find out what THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN https://www.renofmen.com https://www.instagram.com/renofmen/ https://twitter.com/renofmen https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRenaissanceOfMen

Throughout the letter to the Colossians, Paul is stating the most radical thing that could happen to a human being. He challenges our modern, materialistic, scientific conditioning with the claims of Christ and his rescue plan for the cosmos. Just a few statements to provide context. 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14). 1:16 For by him [Christ] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (1:16-20). What could read like an epic fantasy, through faith becomes the power of God unto salvation. The Gospel of Jesus Christ addresses our deepest needs and longings and speaks to the disorder of creation and our passions, the problem of evil in the world, and the mystery of origins. And Paul is saying to the church at Colossae and to us this morning that what is true of Christ IS true of us. HOW IS THIS SO? If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Fellow risen ones, last week we looked back in 2:11-12 to understand Paul's bold statement, since you have been raised with Christ… What resurrection is he referring to? 2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. What is true of him is true of us. “You may not feel like it. Learning to believe what doesn't at the moment feel true is an essential part of being a Christian… This is what the life of faith is all about.” N.T. Wright, Paul, for Everyone, the Prison Letters, p. 175.

Today, we read CCC, 659 - 682 which discusses some wild things - the "end times", the "Anti-Christ", "the "final coming" of the "glorious Messiah"... As we've discussed before, life with Christ IS wild and dramatic, but it is ALSO simple and mundane. There will be a decisive moment after which there are no more moments of choosing; however, the decisive moments come to us one at a time, day by day. The Church is not being a Drama Mama - she simply reminds us that those daily choices are important and will, in fact, one day end.

[Theme song not included, all music on this episode by Andy Squyres]“Joey Svendsen here.  This is a conversation for the ages for me and the epitome of where I'm at in how I view my faith, God and my church .  May we all accept the freedom from our arrogance.  May we strive to progress in our love."Musician/song-writer Andy Squyres discusses with Joey the following post he made on his Instagram:  The good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is always given by people who only partially understand it, and it is received by people who probably know a little less.  The preaching of the Gospel is the active work of displaying our partial understanding (or misunderstanding) of God to those who also have only a partial understanding. There is no systematic theology or statement of belief which provides ultimate understanding of God. It is not impossible to understand the Gospel, but it is never accurate to claim to have all understanding of it.  All communication of Christ IS the communication of our limited understanding of him.  Or in other words, it is the bold proclamation of our misunderstanding.The communication of the Gospel, whether by word or deed, can in no way happen perfectlybecause the God story can only come through imperfect vessels with limited understanding. This is the brilliance of God and is a testimony to his reliance on patient love rather than on control.  His good news always travels by imperfect means and yet it never stops producing peace.  This isn't to say that all presentations of the gospel are on equal footing or that we should never wrestle through theological systems of thought.  We should always seek the face of Christ in order to see him better.  But we can trust that God's grace is sufficient at the point of our limited understanding and we can rely on the fact that he is the author and finisher of our faith.  So who is the preacher you don't like?  What is the church, mega church, denomination that you have proclaimed judgement upon? I have my list.  I am guilty of holding court in my mind and pronouncing guilty verdicts on many different communities of faith who have come to different conclusions that I have.  This is arrogance which came to set us free from.  In the Church, we are witnessing a massive “leaving church” movement and I can actually see the justification for it, but I worry that there is no place to go.  Because here is the actual truth: hypocrisy abounds EVERYWHERE.  There is no human community that has eradicated hypocrisy from its midst.  Progress in love is our only aim. Andy Squyres:https://twitter.com/andysquyreshttps://andysquyres.com/https://www.instagram.com/andysquyresJoey/PWNA Instagram:  www.instagram.com/joeysvendsenCurrent DonorSee giving opportunity: https://donorsee.com/pwnahelpsSupport Us:Join us as a patron! https://www.patreon.com/pwnapodor leave a Venmo tip right @  https://venmo.com/joey-svendsenJoin the discussion:https://www.facebook.com/groups/PWNAtalkTheme song courtesy of Derek Minor:  http://www.derekminor.comSupport the show