Podcasts about christ it

The Faith of God I wonder… what life would be like without faith.I wonder how believers would stand, how they would rise, How we would walk through trials and tribulations—Without the the Faith of God. But, Isn't it beautiful to have a FatherWho thought of everything,Who set it all in place,So we could walk in it?Isn't it powerful to know that we have the faith of Christ—the God kind of faith? Yet, too often, we let our flesh take the lead.We let doubt whisper louder than truth.We let fear creep in, forgetting—Forgetting that Christ has already overcome the world.Forgetting that with Him, we don't just survive— We overcome, for we operate with the overcomer mentality. Believers, hear me—No matter the storm, No matter the weight of the world pressing against you.We are never at a disadvantage. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says that “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. So, when life happensWhen trials comeWhen that opportunity passes you byWhen that miracle you prayed for didn't come when you expected itWhen it seems like you are having an avalanche of disappointmentsDon`t be disturbedFor we have the faith of  GodGod`s Faith is what makes the difference.We are never at a disadvantage. Mark 11:22 says, "Have the faith of God."But what does that mean?It means in the midst of your storms, have the faith of God and know that the sun shines after the storm. In the midst of your problems and challanges, have the faith of God and know that a solution is on it's way. It means that no situation ends without me coming out the VictorIt is not about the faith you generate; it is about the faith God in us The faith of God is not about what you believe.It's about what He believes, and He believes in his Word. So, believers, step into what God believes.Because there is no limit to His faith.The only limits that existAre the ones we place on ourselves. But God's faith—God's faith breaks chains.God's faith tears through walls.God's faith speaks light into darkness,Life into dead places.God's faith brings peace in the face of a stormGod's faith brings joy in the middle of bad news For with God, nothing is impossible. Mary didn't argue with the angel.She didn't analyze or hesitate.She simply believed,Because she knew—What was about to happenWasn't based on her faith,But on God's. Hebrews11:11 says Sarah “judged Him faithful who had promised.”God made a promise.And if it was His promise,Then it would take His faith to fulfill it.Not Sarah's. See, as believers, we don't receive faith.We receive Christ.And He—He is the author and finisher of faith. Just like salvation,We didn't receive holiness or righteousness as separate gifts. We received Jesus.And in Him, righteousness became ours.In Him, holiness became ours.In Him, faith is not something we strive for—It's something we walk in. The faith of Christ—It makes man function like God.It moves mountains.It calls things that are not as though they were.It does the impossible. In circumstances that defeat common men, His faith defeats those circumstances Hebrews 11:3 says, “Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.” Faith comes by the word—The Word being Jesus Christ.Everything God spoke into existence came by faith.Faith is authored by the Word,And the Word is alive in us. So the next time life happens,The next time doubt knocks at your door,The next time the storm rages— Remember this: You don't just have faith.You have the faith of God.God`s faith in you.And what could not defeat Christ—Can never defeat you. So stand tall.Speak bold.Walk in faith.Not your faith, but His. Because with God on your side, Victory is not just a possibility—It's the only outcome.

THE UNSEEN Identity & Authority 9.1.24 One of the enemy's primary tactics in your life is for you to forget or fail to know your true identity in Christ. In the moment we take on a false identity, we immediately forfeit the victory and power that has been given to us. Luke 9:1-2 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Luke 10:17-19 17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Where does our authority come from? · It comes from the finished work of Christ · It comes as we align ourselves with His will Acts 19:11-16 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 1. We must walk in our identity 2. We must operate in our authority 3. We must exercise our power

Jesus placed three requirements on those who would come to Him to be His disciple or student. The disciple must hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and his own life. Hate, as we show in the message, means rejecting the pressures of family and self in order to make Jesus Lord of all and to follow Him without regard to anything else. It to bear one's cross, a willingness to suffer, even to death, for the glory of Christ It is also to surrender all rights to what one possesses and to become a steward of them, not the owner. Jesus must be Lord of every aspect of one's life.

Jesus placed three requirements on those who would come to Him to be His disciple or student. The disciple must hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and his own life. Hate, as we show in the message, means rejecting the pressures of family and self in order to make Jesus Lord of all and to follow Him without regard to anything else. It to bear one's cross, a willingness to suffer, even to death, for the glory of Christ It is also to surrender all rights to what one possesses and to become a steward of them, not the owner. Jesus must be Lord of every aspect of one's life.

Jesus placed three requirements on those who would come to Him to be His disciple or student. The disciple must hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and his own life. Hate, as we show in the message, means rejecting the pressures of family and self in order to make Jesus Lord of all and to follow Him without regard to anything else. It to bear one's cross, a willingness to suffer, even to death, for the glory of Christ It is also to surrender all rights to what one possesses and to become a steward of them, not the owner. Jesus must be Lord of every aspect of one's life.

The Bible states emphatically in Galatians 5:1 that believers are free in Christ: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). Before Jesus died on the cross, God's people lived under a detailed system of laws that served as a moral compass to guide their lives. While powerless to grant salvation or produce true freedom, the Law nevertheless pointed the way to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:19–24).  Rate our podcast! Questions or comments: info@rediscoveringbiblicalmanhood.com

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Philippians 2:9-11. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means. Topics covered: How Christ's humility leads to the exaltation of Christ -- It is God the Father who exalts Christ, just as it is God the Father who will raise us up -- Jesus exalted to the highest place -- Jesus' name above every name -- The uniqueness of the name of Jesus in the world -- The two aspects of worship: “bowing the knee” (actions), and “confessing with the tongue” (words) -- The importance of verbal acknowledgement of Christ as Lord -- In the end, acknowledgement of Christ as Lord will be universal. For more Bible studies, visit ScriptureStudies.com

In this episode, I try to convince you to at least consider studying philosophy. “ Many words do not satisfy the soul; but a good life eases the mind and a clean conscience inspires great trust in God. The more you know and the better you understand, the more severely will you be judged, unless your life is also the more holy. Do not be proud, therefore, because of your learning or skill. Rather, fear because of the talent given you. If you think you know many things and understand them well enough, realize at the same time that there is much you do not know. Hence, do not affect wisdom, but admit your ignorance. Why prefer yourself to anyone else when many are more learned, more cultured than you?” Thomas A Kempis - On the imitation of Christ “It is clear, Lucilius, that no man can live a happy life, or even a supportable life, without the study of wisdom; you know also that a happy life is reached when our wisdom is brought to completion, but that life is at least endurable even when our wisdom is only begun”  Seneca, Letters From a Stoic, XVI. On Philosophy, The of Guide of Life    “The reason we make mistakes is because we all consider the parts of life, but never as a whole. The archer must know what he is seeking to hit; then he must aim and control the weapon by his skill. Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind.” Seneca, LXXXI. On the supreme Good, Letters from a Stoic “What does the debauchee lose? Manhood. What does he lose who made him such? The qualities of a modest man, the chaste character, the good neighbor. What does the angry person lose? A coward? Each to his portion. No one is wicked without some loss or damage.” Epictetus, Discourses, Book II, Chapter 10.  “Let the part of thy soul which leads and governs be undisturbed by the movements in the flesh, whether of pleasure or of pain; and let it not unite with them, but let it circumscribe itself and limit those affects to their parts. But when these affects rise up to the mind by virtue of that other sympathy that naturally exists in a body which is all one, then thou must not strive to resist the sensation, for it is natural: but let not the ruling part add to the sensation the opinion that it is either good or bad” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book V, 26. “No better burden can a man carry on the road than a store of common sense; better than riches it will seem in an unfamiliar place, such is the resort of the wicked” The Poetic Edda, Sayings of the high one, 10.”  People think that they can clear up profound matters if they consider them deeply, but they exercise perverse thoughts and come to no good because they do their reflecting with only self- interest at the center.” Hagakure: The way of the Samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Pg 3

Website- http---www.brministry.org-What does the Bible say are ways that we can help others be free in Christ-- It is our goal as counselors not to have our counselees follow us, but to follow Jesus. If you counselee is following you, then you are missing a key teaching in Scripture.

'I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.' Colossians 1:24-29 ----- The world urgently needs to hear the story of God's redemptive opportunity provided in Christ It is the privilege of the Church to deliver this wonderful story to the world A story that is timely * Previously unclear * Presently known A story that is transformational * An infusion of divine presence * An expectation of a glorious eternity A story that is our sacred trust * It requires informed proclamation * It requires wholehearted participation What was once a mystery is now meant to be known Understand the value of the trust we hold Become extremely familiar with the substance of the story Enlist your life for its duration to deliver this story to all who need to hear

'I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.' Colossians 1:24-29 ----- The world urgently needs to hear the story of God's redemptive opportunity provided in Christ It is the privilege of the Church to deliver this wonderful story to the world A story that is timely * Previously unclear * Presently known A story that is transformational * An infusion of divine presence * An expectation of a glorious eternity A story that is our sacred trust * It requires informed proclamation * It requires wholehearted participation What was once a mystery is now meant to be known Understand the value of the trust we hold Become extremely familiar with the substance of the story Enlist your life for its duration to deliver this story to all who need to hear

If you are in Christ, then your sins are forgiven. Yes, Christ paid the price for all sins on the Cross, but it is only those who are in Christ — those who have faith — who benefit from this forgiveness. And this forgiveness is total, God promises not only to forgive, but says that He will forget our sins — a total erasure. ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.' As Christians, we are called to turn and show the same forgiveness and mercy to our brothers and sisters that God has shown to us in Christ. Forgiveness is part of the Christian life with regard to the Christian's relationship to God and also with regard to the Christian's relationships with others. The Law accuses us — it reveals our sins —, but we are not called to despair, but to repent and rejoice. God has already forgiven all of your sins; in the words of Christ: “It is finished.” Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes Psalm 139 (ESV) See Also Further Reading Parental Warnings None.

Good Morning RCF, If it is your first time joining us either here in person or online- welcome, we are glad that you have chosen to join us. My name is Caleb- I am the lead pastor and this morning we are going to be looking at the first half of Acts 18. So if you brought your Bibles, either paper or electronic that is where we are going to be but before we jump in and get to work would you please pray with me: Lord we have so much to be thankful for. Most importantly, above all else- thank you for who You are and for the way that You work in our lives. Thank You for your unconditional love, your endless mercy, your protection, your grace, your constant provision. When we are mature we can even be thankful for your correction, your discipline. We acknowledge that we do not always trust You and we certainly do not always obey You and in response to our disobedience- to our sin, You sent Christ to the cross in order to put on display Your Holy, perfect love. Jesus we thank You for voluntarily going to the cross to offer redemption to any and all who would humble themselves. As we prepare to dig into the Scriptures- Holy Spirit we ask for You to open our hearts and minds to receive the truth so that we will be encouraged to develop a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord who is the Creator of all. Holy Spirit we ask for You to speak, for we your servants are listening. In the powerful name of Jesus Christ we pray- amen. Our question as we get started: What Trauma do you have? We all have trauma in our lives- trauma stays with us- even if we process our trauma well- in healthy ways- trauma is a life long thing. What does your trauma look like and how have we processed it? Processing trauma is dreadful, hard, painful and perhaps the worst of all- unavoidable. Whether we want to process trauma or not- isn't really the question- the question is how are we processing our trauma. Most of us, perhaps all of us at one time or another have tried to avoid the processing of our trauma and so we try to stuff our trauma down and the world is happy to offer plenty of options for stuffing trauma (alcohol, drugs, sexual pleasure, pursuit of wealth, becoming a workaholic, a hobby of some kind) whatever method of stuffing trauma we prefer at first seems to be a pretty great little short cut but in reality- until we actually process our trauma the short cuts actually prolong and magnify the impact of the trauma which means that the short cut isn't really a short cut at all. When we haven't processed our trauma when we are triggered by something and the trauma comes roaring back within us- we can become monsters who lash out and cause all kinds of pain both in ourselves and those around us. Several years ago I was sitting with a group of people and something was said that was not directed at me but I was there in the meeting and I took offense (which can certainly point to some of my own areas of growth that I had at the time) and I responded while in the midst of the group- now wait a minute- that is not fair- you can't say that. Now I was looking at the topic at hand, not realizing that the person I was challenging had been triggered by some of their trauma and their response so strong and they specifically referenced events that had taken place years before that had nothing to do with the issue at hand and I was completely caught off guard. I don't even know what we are talking about anymore- I thought we were talking about this issue over here. Obviously this person had some past trauma to process and because they had not yet done that work they had become a monster who was lashing out at those around them. 2 Trauma can be caused by any number of things; Death of a loved one, past mistakes, divorce, abuse, being involved with family dysfunction, some kind of traumatic accident, a medical emergency of some kind, natural disasters- any number of things can cause trauma and if we don't process it well than we can become a ticking time bomb. All trauma is hard to deal with but an extra level of complexity exists with trauma that we are responsible for it. Part of the processing of trauma is assigning responsibility and blame to specific people. Is it my fault or someone else's fault or a combination? We can't help but run the different scenarios through our minds- if I had done this differently- if I had sold the house and moved to a different state, if I had chosen a different …. than maybe things would be better. Should of, could of, would of- is part of the processing of trauma and I am not convinced that it can be helped but this part of processing isn't actually beneficial because it is either trying to fix the trauma which is impossible- trauma cannot be fixed- it happened and because it happened there is pain. So when we run the should of, could of, would of through our minds we are trying to undo what has already happened and that is impossible. Now assigning blame for what happened can be appropriate depending on the trauma, especially in situations where consequences need to be enforced to ensure the trauma isn't repeated again…but even assigning blame for what happened (if you can- sometimes you can't depending on the trauma- someone dies of an aneurism for example) even if we are able to assign responsibility to someone else- it still doesn't give us peace because having someone to blame for what happened again, doesn't fix what is broken. So identifying who is responsible for our trauma is certainly a part of the processing but if fixing trauma is impossible- what is a realistic response to our trauma when we have processed it well? It sounds crazy- but through a relationship with Christ, we can have our joy and peace restored even with all of our traumas. Acts 18 provides a great example of how to deal with trauma, the chapter opens with a nonchalant reference to some significant trauma and as we work through this passage I think there is great relevance and lessons for each of us to learn: Acts 18:1–3 After this (after Paul spent time Philosophizing with the people of Athens) Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. (which was some 46 miles to the west) 2  And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3  and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. Archeologists have the decree issued by Claudius from AD 49 that expels all Jews from Rome because of a certain Chrestus who kept causing civil riots in the city. Chrestus is thought to be an alternate spelling for Christ based on the Latin pronunciation for Christ. It is most likely that the Jews were expelled from Rome because of the riots that were caused over the discussion of whether or not Jesus is in fact the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed One of God who provides forgiveness for sins. So Christianity is causing quite the stir all over the Roman empire- 3 especially in Rome where the course of action chosen to reestablish peace was to kick out all the Jews. Over the last few years I have talked with several families that have lost their homes in fires some were afraid for their lives as they fled from fires but were stuck in traffic. The trauma is significant- some of them have shared their story with me more than once. To be in life threatening danger for so long not knowing if they were going to be burned alive, to loose so much, so suddenly- the trauma stays with you. Aquila and Priscilla lost their home and the business clients that they had built up because they were connected to the civil unrest and their connection is ethnicity- perhaps they participated and contributed to the chaos in Rome, but perhaps not- either way they were forced out and had to begin rebuilding their lives. We are not told whether Aquila or Priscilla were Christians prior to meeting Paul- scholars speculate and we can fight over it if we want to but at the end of the day it really doesn't matter- at some point either before or after meeting Paul, Aquila and Priscilla become devoted disciples of Jesus Christ and they become valuable long term partners in ministry who went on to travel extensively with Paul as they worked to spread the Gospel and establish churches. To sustain himself on a daily basis while in Corinth, Paul partnered with Aquila and Priscilla. No doubt as they sat next to each other working the leather they would talk about their experiences and I can just imagine the conversations that they would have as they share their stories and experiences. How Paul would weave in the Gospel and the goodness of God while also talking about his own trauma, being beaten, imprisoned multiple times, being stoned and left for dead, fleeing for his life over and over again and yet- God's faithfulness. Can you imagine the conversation as they are processing their own traumas? I don't understand, if God is so good than why were my wife and I thrown out of Rome- we lost so much- we suffered greatly at the injustice of an edict that was so far reaching. I don't understand why God allowed this to happen to us- these are the kinds of questions we ask as we process the trauma…and yet in the midst of the hardship and sorrow that is very real, look at what God did, for Aquila and Priscilla they were seemingly placed by God to be at the tip of the spear, to be on the front lines of spreading the Gospel… in a way they were having their Jonah experience: God's intense involvement in their lives often does not free us or protect us from significant hardship. In Paul's case, in the midst of the beatings, jail cells, riots, death threats; Paul sees demons cast out, people healed, the lame walk, earthquakes that set him free and the most unlikely people surrender their hearts to Christ- for example, the jailer- the one directed to be his captor, is the one who accepts Christ as his personal Savior along with his entire household. In a moment we will read of another most unlikely of individuals who accepts Christ. When we process our trauma the first step is triage- the initial grief that comes as we consider what was lost, to acknowledge that the pain and suffering are real and tremendous- this is a necessary and important part of the processing trauma is the grief- but if we stay here, or we try to stuff it because it is easier than processing our trauma further than triage than our trauma can 4 become a cancer in our soul that grows to produce bitterness that eats away at our joy. If we are willing to process our trauma- than we learn to focus on what the Lord is doing and that is where joy is restored, peace is attained and a person can truly declare the goodness of God even in the midst of their hardships. When we continue to read through Acts it becomes obvious that Aquila and Priscilla were not bitter at God for being thrown out of Rome but became thankful for the way God guided and directed their lives. I have the privilege of listening to people as they share their story, and they describe their trauma because it is part of their story and then they start to talk about their personal relationship with God and they declare how God is good- they have joy- they have peace- and the sorrow is still real but they are not bitter or angry- there is peace. When I speak with people who have lost their spouse to cancer, of their spouse is now in prison or a child who died by suicide- horrific traumas and they express the heartbreak and they don't tell me how the hardship was used by God for good- they don't understand or comprehend any redeeming feature- but they are able to declare the goodness of God as they see the Lord working in their lives. There are tears, lonliness, sorrow- but also joy and peace as they focus on who God is and how He continues to work in their lives- that is when I listen and I try to learn. Other people I meet with discuss their trauma which can be 30 year old, and they discuss it as if it happen a month ago- they are stuck and their trauma is all consuming- there is no forgiveness for themselves or anyone else- bitterness doesn't even begin to describe their heart. They are consumed by anger and no closer to healing than when the trauma first happened. Joy and peace are nowhere to be found and if God is real- if- He is distance and uninvolved. How have we processed our trauma? We all have it and at times- even when we can see the goodness of God being worked out in our lives- we can still be triggered. Triggers can be very unexpected both in timing and in what they are. Sometimes we know when we are going to be triggered- a specific anniversary that hits every year or special song or phrase or place where memories were made, but at other times we can just be living life and all of a sudden, something triggers us: Acts 18:4–8 (ESV) 4  And he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5  When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6  And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” So things are going as they have gone in every other town- some people are accepting the Gospel, while others refuse to consider the truth of who Christ is and are not only resistant but hostile. Acts 18:6 And when they opposed and reviled him… 5 The word revile indicates personal attacks- no longer are the Jews discussing a Biblical understanding of who God is- they are no longer talking about how the Old Testament points to Christ they are now intentionally attacking Paul and trying to tear apart his reputation so that he will be disqualified from teaching in the synagogue. Seeking truth is no longer the goal- now the goal is to attack Paul. I would expect this to be a bit of a trigger for Paul and his traveling companions who have seen this pattern unfold over and over again. I would expect that once they start hearing the arguments turn from debating Scripture to personal attacks they begin thinking- ok, here we go again, how long until these verbal attacks become physical attacks like they have in so many other towns. By this time Paul's traveling companions have started to be fairly aggressive even insistent that Paul leaves town before things get physically abusive. In Acts 17:10 and 17:14 we are told that Paul's fellow Christians immediately sent Paul, they are making Paul leave before things get any more dangerous. I would imagine that Paul's traveling companions, Silas and Timothy are speaking regularly with Paul about moving on- when to leave town, what things should be prepared in case they need to leave at a moment's notice, food, clothing, a bit of money. Trauma does that to us- we expect the worst, we prepare to minimize the suffering as best we can When Paul sees that he is now being personally attacked- that the Jews are no longer able to hear the message but are only wanting to attack the messenger, he has a strong and calculated response. When I spend time with my older brother, one of his favorite things to do is inform me with a specific hand gesture that I am number one. He is usually informing me in some discreet fashion so that other family members don't notice but he is usually laughing- I used to ask “what was that for?” His most common answer- cause I can. No reason. Now he hasn't stopped informing me that I am number one but I have stopped asking why. When my boys or Abby catch on- cause our kids are watching all the time- that will be a fun conversation to explain what being number one means... So why on earth am I talking about this in a sermon- in our culture- informing someone that they are number one with a specific finger has tremendous meaning. In Paul's day- to shake out your garments was a powerful symbol of warning and impending judgement. To shake out your garments also flirt with, suggested, point towards proclaiming a curse. This is an extremely strong and offensive gesture. Why would Paul make such an offensive gesture: because the judgement of God is real and the consequences for rejecting Christ are severe and last for all of eternity. This is offensive and people don't like to talk about judgement and consequences but Paul is communicating one last time to a people who are not willing to listen, unwilling to consider the truth of Christ- and he is trying to show the severity of their decision to reject Christ. 6 Often the cultural expectation is that if a Christian is doing what they are supposed to than they are never going to cause offense- that is not Biblically accurate. This is extremely difficult- because we need to be wise and Holy Spirit filled to know how best to navigate each situation, each relationship, each conversation. At times the best thing- the wise action is to keep our mouths shut, other times we need to be bold and declare the truth of God. How do we know when to speak and when to be silent? It is my experience that wisdom points towards the harder of the two. When I want to talk and tell someone what I know, how right I am and how wrong they are- that is often when I need to shut up. When I don't want to engage- I don't want to enter into the conflict- that is often when it is necessary for me to take a step of faith and present God's truth. Another indicator for me is to evaluate my fear- how is my fear influencing me- often our fear is self- focused- so fear often points us in the wrong direction. So Paul declares the severity of rejecting Christ by shaking off his garments before them and then we are told of the many who receive Christ: 7  And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8  Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. (Crispus is perhaps the most unlikely person to accept Christ, being the leader of the synagogue…) Pastor Levi is quickly teaching Josh our new high school director to tease me about pretty much anything they can. Once of the things they tease me about is the phrases that I use all the time. When we are discussing a Bible lesson for any age group- my number one question is: why do they care? When we are discussing logistics for some event or ministry need- I am often approached with hey should we do this or that- my response is almost always- there are pluses and minuses for everything we do- which option is the best one? Then we talk it though. When I read that Paul left the synagogue but kept meeting in the house next door to the synagogue, I go- man that is really confrontational. That is like rubbing salt in the wound as people are walking down the street towards the the synagogue- as they have done for years are now entering the house next door- week after week there is this reminder- it is in your face very confrontational. Now the positives is that every Jew and God-fearing gentile is used to walking to the synagogue on the Sabbath- so the house next door is very convenient with routines staying the same and you get to see if there are any more opportunities to interact with others who have not yet surrendered to Christ but wow this was confrontational. The hatred that would have been felt by the Jews as they stood on the steps of the synagogue and glared at everyone who walked into Titius' house… and then to see the ex-ruler of the synagogue who had placed his faith in Christ…it certainly reveals Paul's ability and willingness to engage with anyone which would 7 have been viewed as a threat by those who wanted nothing to do with Paul or Christ… It would have been so much easier- so much less confrontational to meet on the other side of town or at least a couple blocks away but that is not what happened- Paul was willing to engage in the tension and stay in it but the hostility of the Jews, the personal attacks had to be causing Paul and his companions to question how long they were going to be able to stay in Corinth. … but then God speaks- Acts 18:9–11 (ESV) 9  And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10  for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11  And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Paul hears that and we think- Oh good, we can relax. How exciting- God has promised to protect us. We can put the emergency bag away and have confidence that the threats are just words and nothing is going to come of it. We are not told- but I assume that Paul was excited to hear of God's protection for him, that he can plan to stay in Corinth for an extended period of time- and so I assume- now this isn't scripture- this is Caleb but I assume that the first time Paul sees Aquila and Priscilla after receiving the dream from God that Paul was excited to tell them. I wonder what thoughts Aquila and Priscilla had: I assume that they would have been excited and happy to hear of God's protection- that they would get to continue to minister with Paul and sit under his teaching but I wonder did they also had thoughts of ... that sure would have been nice if God would have done that for us- so that we didn't loose everything in Rome… I'm happy for Paul but what about us… Trauma will make us go there. Even when we are processing our trauma in healthy ways- part of that processing is dealing with thoughts and feelings of- good for you- but what about me? And these thoughts can open the door for bitterness to set root in our hearts or these thoughts can cause us to question God's love for us, these thoughts can be used to distance ourselves from the Lord so we harden our hearts or on the other extreme these thoughts can be used to beat ourselves up for even having the struggle- if we were a more faith filled Christian we wouldn't have thoughts like this. Trauma happens to us, and we develop triggers and we can't help that- sometimes even good things can be triggers. That is why we must be intentional about how we process our trauma- are we focusing on God, who He is and how He is working in our lives or are we focusing on our circumstances, on ourselves- anything other than focusing on God will produce brokenness in our hearts and minds. Through a personal relationship with Christ we can process our trauma and experience joy and peace. To the world this sounds crazy- impossible and it is if we don't know Christ. I had lunch with a guy who went to my youth group as a middle school student- he is now in his 20's, graduated from college a few years ago, working…makes me feel old… anyway during our conversation he said that he would prefer to reject the existence of God but he is intellectually honest enough to admit that no one can prove that God does not exist so he is unwilling to say that God does not exist but pretty much lives like God isn't real. During our conversation which 8 we didn't get to finish due to time he talked about religion being good in that it helps people to be a good person -but the belief in God is unnecessary… I am freaking out- I could barely stay seated in the booth- I wanted to jump all over that kind of thinking because it is exactly backwards- Transformation comes through a personal relationship with God- not by wanting to be a good person… Sure- when we wake up in the morning most of us want to be a good person but as soon as we are confronted with a situation to cut a corner, to say something not true, take something that is not ours, do something for selfish gain- how long does our desire to be a good person hold us back? Let me ask the same question another way: When was the last time you fought with your spouse because you were being selfish? When was the last time you got on a device and looked for something inappropriate? When was the last time you didn't give your employer your best because it was Friday or Monday or because someone wasn't watching and no one would notice that it is gone? When was the last time you declared someone to be inferior to you- by calling them some derogatory name or by informing them that they are number one? Now that is just the average daily stuff that we deal with- When we are forced to deal with our trauma- whatever it looks like for you- the only healthy way to process our trauma is to focus on God and how He is working in our lives. All the different ways to suppress our trauma; drugs, alcohol, work, hobbies, sexual pleasure- none of these are effective long-term and the desire to be a good person isn't going to be very effective when we are dealing with something as painful and powerful as trauma. So God gives this awesome, wonder promise of protection and Paul stays in Corinth 18 months preaching the word: Acts 18:12–17 (ESV) 12  But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, (that is equivalent to our governor- a proconsul was appointed by the senate in Rome) the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, The tribunal is a formal court setting. Here in California we have 58 counties and so there are 58 superior courts- one in each county. Above these 58 superior courts are 6 court of appeals and above these 6 court of appeals is the California Supreme Court. The decisions of the judges in the 58 superior courts and certainly decisions of the court of appeals influence, set a precedent on how other cases are handled in the state- but the California Supreme Court influences, sets a precedent for cases that are handled in the rest of the nation. When the Jews made their united attack they are not just trying to get Paul kicked out of Corinth- they are trying to set a precedent for the entire Roman empire- They want Christianity to be outlawed- they want to put an end to this movement as forcefully as possible. 9 When Paul gets served the summons- whatever that looked like- what do you think was the first thing that went through his mind: God, I don't understand- You said: Acts 18:9–10 (ESV) “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10  for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” God, what are You doing- where are You? How can you not call this an attack? Should we run and not even show up for the court date? Can I trust You? Are your promises really true? My trauma says no- but when I look at how You have worked- yes- but I am afraid and for good reason- the decision of this case is by far the most far reaching decision that an official has made towards Paul specially but Christianity as a whole. You said no one will attack me to harm me- so am I to breakdown and analyze what exactly did you mean by this phrase- because this isn't what I expected or had in mind? Is the win in the courtroom already secured- because if it is- this would be the first win in front of a Roman official? Usually I always end up getting beaten and imprisoned by officials. Lord my past trauma is beyond triggered; what are you doing? In my study this week, scholars also point out that there is a significant amount of information about this Gallio- he was a gifted lawyer so he excelled in dealing with issues of legality. He was also known to be anti-Semitic which wasn't reassuring even though Paul's accusers were also Jewish. This angst would have been beyond measure. Acts 18:12–17 (ESV) 12  But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, 13  saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” 14  But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. 15  But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” 16  And he drove them from the tribunal. 17  And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this. The Jews wanted to punish someone so they beat Sosthenes- the ruler of the synagogue. We don't know if this Sosthenes is the one mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1- it could be but Sosthenes was a common name so it very well could be someone entirely different. There is plenty of speculation and theories- we can fight over it if we want but who it is really isn't the point- the point is that they went for Paul but the court didn't hand him over, so they attacked someone completely different. God provided the victory and protection for Paul and this decision played a significant role in allowing Christianity to continue to spread throughout the rest of the Roman empire for more than a decade. This was a massive win- and Paul wasn't even allowed to say a word. God took care of all of it. 10 God really can be trusted. God really is good. His word really is true, His promises are absolute- it doesn't always look the way we expect and our trauma demands that we rely on ourselves but the Lord is active in our lives and He is working if we are willing to look and listen. I needed to get a couple cars smogged this week and my regular guy wasn't available so I went to a completely different shop that I have never used before. During the 15 or so minutes that you have to small talk about whatever, the mechanic asked what I did for a living. I took a deep breathe and said that I am a pastor- and waited to see his response. He lit up and started telling me his experience of serving in the church and that took up the rest of our time. I paid the bill, and as I jumped in the car to leave I told him I would be back the same time the next morning with the other vehicle that needed smog. Next morning I pull in and somehow we get on the subject of his family and growing up years and this guy who I have just met- informs me of some horrific abuse that he and his siblings endured and proceeded to explain how that abuse impacted him as a teenager and continued to impact him as an adult with sinful behaviors that he engaged in. He shared details, personal stuff about how the abuse caused sinful behavior that has impacted the rest of his life. He shared some hard painful life altering details that made my eyes get big and when I got in the car and started to drive away and I went- holy smokes- what just happened- I was just listening and I felt emotionally drained and bewildered and encouraged. As I have processed the conversation I was blown away at how this man was able to process his trauma and identify how the abuse got expressed in very destructive sinful behaviors that he took responsibility for and I noticed how he referenced the cross of Christ which provides forgiveness and redemption. He talked about being thankful multiple times and how he worked diligently to break the chain of abuse in his own family. He kept saying how he is thankful and blessed. The trauma is real, there is certainly pain and sorrow, but through a personal relationship with Christ there is also peace and joy. How are we processing our trauma? As we close, would you pray with me: If you would like prayer for a specific situation or perhaps you would like to speak with someone about your relationship with the Lord- please make your way over to the round tables- someone will be there to speak with you. Benediction: Phil 4:7 7  May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Sermon by Dr. David Rountree on June 18, 2023 at New Covenant Church in Anderson, SC. Scripture Passage: 1 John 5:16-17 Outline: OUR MINISTRY AWARENESS OUR MINISTRY AWARENESS- SINS UNTO DEATH WILL NOT BE FIXED -Various Interpretations a. Blasphemy against HS (Mk. 3:20-30) b. Distinction between capital offenses and non-capital offenses c. Apostatsy by a Christian -Sins unto Death: a. Grumbling and complaining against God b. Wrongly taking the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:28-32) c. Sins that bother the conscience in James 5:14-15 OUR MINISTRY ACTION 1. Reconciliation: It is the will of God for us to care for our Christian brother's welfare. (Gal. 6:1-2) 2. Repent: Recognize it is the plan of God that we deal immediately with sin and not trifle with it. (1 Jn. 1:9; Ro. 6:23) 3. Request grace: Let every sight of sinning be stimulus for our praying. 4. Rest in Christ: It is clearly God's will that his children not rest in sin. www.nccchurch.net

Even though the resurrection is definitely a historical event and factual evidence of the deity of Christ - It is even more. Jesus' resurrection and our lives intersect today and that makes all the difference! In a world of doubt, discouragement and delay – we need fresh assurance of new life! Jesus did not only talk about the reality of resurrection, He actually IS our resurrection and our life

Fervor and accuracy are offered to all who are in Christ- It is good to have both, but one without the other can give room to worldliness. In this passage, we have an account on how Apollos had much fervor, but fell short in accuracy. Aquila and Pricilla, however, took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately -v.26-. Apollos along with Aquila and Priscilla exemplified how we must be willing to lovingly receive correction and to lovingly correct each other- We must work together to sharpen one another. Fervency and accuracy then come with faithfulness and consistency through the Holy Spirit by the grace of God-

A letter from Christ- It was apparent that many of the Corinthians' lives had changed. But not because they were following the letter of the law. For "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." Some unbelievers will read your life before they ever read the Bible. What will they notice?

Do you remember what your were before Christ-- It is not difficult to look at this present world and see them immersed into confusing darkness. Such were some of us, but God's grace abounded-

In trying to grow and work together, teams can face many pitfalls that lead to conflict and failure. In the second part of this episode, author and speaker Pat Lencioni outlines more common dysfunctions that can hinder a team and shares how they can be remedied. YOU WILL LEARN:· Why accountability is vital.· Why inattention to results is so harmful.· What the good life means to him. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:https://www.tablegroup.com/pat/“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” by Pat Lencioni “Boundaries,” by Henry Cloud S1E015, An Interview with the Man on the Moon “Searching for and Maintaining Peace,” by Father Jacques Philippe “Brother Odd,” by Dean Koontz“The Passion of the Christ” “It's a Wonderful Life” NOTEWORTHY QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE: “When it comes to accountability on a team, peer pressure is the best thing.” – Pat Lencioni“The leader needs to be the ultimate source of accountability, but not the primary source.” – Pat Lencioni “Accountability is an act of love.” – Pat Lencioni “You can't stay focused on the collective results of the team if you're not holding each other accountable for what's necessary.” – Pat Lencioni “The good life is about having peace, no matter the circumstance.” – Pat Lencioni See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Daniel 12 is closely tied to 1 Corinthians 3, telling us that there will come a day when the works of believers will be inspected and tested by fire. God will give rewards at the bema seat of Christ to those who have worked for His kingdom with… · Pure motives · Right conduct · Humble service There are 3 things you need to know about the bema seat of Christ… It's not for salvation. (1 John 2:2) It's for believers. (Romans 14:10, 12) It's for rewards. (2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 22:12) Paul writes to the church in Corinth, "...You are God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it” (1 Corinthians 3:9-10). The bema seat of Christ is about what we build for Christ. Jesus Christ is the foundation of everything we do. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”—1 Corinthians 3:11 In this sermon, Pastor Chad Glover explains how rewards given at the bema seat of Christ are released. He challenges believers to think about… · What motivates our actions? · What does our conduct reflect? · How do our acts of service glorify God? Do you know Jesus and want to better understand the rewards He has for you? Join Abundant Life as we shine for Him, building what truly matters and lasts. Don't forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! Connect with us on Social Media · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abundantlifels/ · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abundantlifels Get additional resources for a Daniel Bible Study · Get the FREE Daniel Bible Study to go with this sermon series: https://livingproof.co/ministry/daniel-bible-study/ · Get additional teaching to go with sermons: https//livingproof.co/Daniel-Series

IS JESUS ENOUGH? If God never answered any one of our prayers ever again, would we still live for Jesus? The desperate state of the human condition leaves us heavily dependent on God's graces. However, is the person of Jesus Christ, enough to keep us loyal, simply because of what He's already done? So, what is the human condition? This verse tells us: JEREMIAH 17:9(NLTSE) “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? The good news is that God can change a willing yielded heart: EZEKIEL 36:26(NLTSE) And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. The apostle Paul had no expectations or sense of entitlement based on the promises of God. As long as he had Jesus: PHILIPPIANS 3:7-8(NLTSE) 7 “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” It's good that we have an expectation of faith, trusting in God's supernatural provision, but let's consider the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 Vs7 by faith Noah, vs8 by faith Abraham, vs11 by faith Sarah, vs20 by faith Isaac, vs21 by faith Jacob, vs22 by faith Joseph, vs31 by faith Rahab HEBREWS 11:13(NLTSE) All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth These heroes are inspirational, but the real challenge to our hearts is from vs 35-39 HEBREWS 11:35-39(NLTSE) 35 “Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised” Jesus told Paul that His grace was all Paul needed, not His provision: 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9(NLTSE) Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me For us to have a sense of sufficiency in Jesus, well have to have a depth of relationship in Him, that comes from personal experiential knowledge of Jesus. Something we've learnt and experienced for ourselves and not just taught to us by someone else: COLOSSIANS 3:3(NLTSE) For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God There's absolutely nothing wrong with learning from others, but what do you have that you've learnt from Jesus personally? May God help us to find contentment in Jesus for what He's already done, while trusting for future needs 1 TIMOTHY 6:6(NLTSE) Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth

Galatians 2:16 In OT, there are three types of laws: Civil Law: how Israelites live with and among each other. Ceremonial Law: circumcision, food, dress, daily practices. These laws made you ritually clean and accepted in Temple worship. Made Jews distinct from other nations—ethically and culturally. Moral Law: summed up in the Ten Commandments. We are only made right before God through faith in the completed work of Jesus. Righteousness: Civil righteousness—nation's public laws that lawyers defend. Cultural righteousness—standards of a family, school, or social group. Ethical righteousness—the Ten Commandments—don't kill anyone or commit adultery. Righteousness by faith in Christ – It is all based on the work Jesus has done for us. We can do nothing to earn it, achieve it, or keep it. It is not active; it's passive. We only received it based on what Jesus has done. Passive righteousness. Galatians 2:18-20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Salvation by Faith (Saving Faith): • I believe in the trustworthiness of God. • I believe in the message of God. • I believe in the work of God's Son. Living by Faith (Daily Faith): • I continue to trust in the work of Jesus. • I continue to trust in God's faithfulness—to supply all my needs, forgiveness—when I sin, and grace when tempted to try to work my way back into his favor. • I continue to embrace and hold onto the truth of Scripture. DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOORE Get Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo. LIVING GROUNDED Learn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected. CAREGIVING Do you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org. CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPS You're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side. FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUP Community Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!

This episode of The Jeff Dornik Show is sponsored by the explosive new book by Robert F Kennedy Jr, The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health. Order your copy today at https://amzn.to/36D0LLg.Dr Judy Mikovitz has seen Anthony Fauci, Big Pharma and the powers-that-be up close, and personal. She's seen just how corrupt they truly are. In fact, she was arrested, despite not committing a crime. Her constitutional rights were violated to keep her silent. She was put under a five year gag order to keep her from exposing what was truly going on with Fauci & Co. Now, she's not holding back.I had the opportunity to have her on The Jeff Dornik Show, and I really wanted to focus on a few specific issues: what is covid-19, how dangerous are the vaccines and how did they pull off the scam. That is all extremely important to understand, especially because Dr Mikovitz has seen this technology up close and understands the science behind it all. I strongly encourage you to listen to the entire episode for the details on what's really going on with covid and the vaccines.But the most important segment is towards the end, where I asked her, “What's the point of this all?” Her answer was somewhat surprising, especially when compared to many of my other guests' response to this question. However, it's also an extremely wise answer that I'll break down below. There's multiple facets, and we'll take each one separately.“Yes, (this is about) genocide. But keep remembering the word liability, because all liability returns if you can make a vaccine safer. “In 2011, when it was clear that blood supply had been contaminated, women had been infected with XRMVs and women got AIDS, this is what Tony Fauci did. He put the women in the “you're crazy” and he let them keep giving blood and he destroyed their families and their brains. “The end goal is to kill them all, that four or five percent, and cover it all up forever because you don't have autopsies. All the data's gone, theoretically. All the proof of what they did is gone.”This is a huge allegation that Dr Mikovitz is making, but if anyone can make this claim authoritatively, it's her. Essentially, one aspect of these vaccines and the rampant death is to wipe out the evidence of Tony Fauci infecting these women with XRMVs and giving them AIDS. If they die, the evidence of his crimes die with them.Dr Mikovitz continued:“And then you've got God out of our life, because these viruses change your brain, I guarantee you. It's not easy to live with these viruses, and I live with them. I've got ‘em. We've got proof of what they were doing. “They knew the vulnerable populations: the Blacks. Yes, old people need to die because you stole their money. It's their whole drive it to a one world order and you become god. You take over our immune system and you become god. “The goal is to get God out of our country, the United States of America. One nation under God with liberty and justice for all. That's the goal.”The next purpose for the covid-19 plandemic is to eliminate God from our society. Obviously, I've made the point time and time again that the goal of the Democrat Party is to eliminate God in America. Their directly violation of our Constitutional Rights that are given to us by God Himself is a middle finger towards God, denying His very existence. Since we believe that our rights cannot be take away by government, the fact that they do so anyway is an attempt to deny the existence of God.As Karen Kingston explained in yesterday's episode, the globalist powers-that-be are also trying to replace God and become the god of this earth through hacking our bodies through transhumanism and taking away our free will. The only thing standing between these evil people and accomplishing their goals are God-fearing people, who they are coming for next.“This is a war of principalities. This is a war against God-fearing people, and God-fearing people are walking right into the Holocaust slaughter like they did in the 1930s. This is just the continuation of the Holocaust.”We were all taught in history class that Nazi Germany ended at the conclusion of World War II. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case. The Holocaust has returned, and we are witnessing the depopulation agenda rearing its ugly head again. And who is the target now? God-fearing people… Christians.Dr Mikovitz warns that Christians are facing persecution on par with Nazi Germany's Holocaust of the Jews in the 1930s. Since we have the Holy Spirit in our lives, the powers-that-be should not be able to control our thoughts and free will. That's a danger to these globalists, since they want complete and utter control of every man, woman and child. Their solution is to wipe us out, and that's what Dr Mikovitz is warning is coming.We still have time to right the sinking ship. We have time to wake people up with the truth. It starts with refusing to comply with their tyrannical edicts and boldly proclaiming the truth to our brainwashed friends and family. Red-pill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. We have only a limited time before the Holocaust is back targeting followers of Christ… It's literally do or die time.If you'd like more information on the deep-seeded corruption of Tony Fauci, order a copy of Robert F Kennedy Jr's book The Real Anthony Fauci. Throughout this interview, Dr Mikovitz continually recommended that everyone read that book. Head on over to https://amzn.to/36D0LLg and order a copy today!

It doesn't matter what's going on in your life right now, the good, the bad or the ugly, one day soon, Jesus is coming back. And when that happens, the dead will be raised first, and those who are alive and believe in Jesus will be taken up in glory. Now that … that's something to look forward to. The Dead Will Rise in Christ It's an interesting question, isn't it? What's going to happen to you when your time on this earth is done and dusted? That will happen in one of two ways. Either Jesus will return – at which point everything on this earth will be over. Or – and perhaps you consider this option to be more likely – your body is going to give up the ghost when you breathe your last breath and your heart stops beating. And it's that latter option that we're going to talk about right now. We're in the middle of a series of messages that I've called Merchants of Hope. Hope is such an important thing. Without hope, today's not worth living – and tomorrow … well who cares? So many people – can I say, even people who believe in Jesus – are living without hope. And that's crazy. Because our lives – whether we believe in Jesus or not – don't end with a beep. There's life after death – either in the presence of Jesus for all eternity – hallelujah – or apart from Him, in a place of eternal punishment and anguish and regret – that place with Satan and his demons that we call … hell. Hmm. So … where are you going to go after your beeeeep? Well, I believe … in fact I know … that last heart beat is not the end. It's just the beginning of where you're going to spend the rest of your eternity. And there are two parts to that eternity for anyone who believes in Jesus. The part between when you die and when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead, and the part after Jesus' return. Let's talk about the first part first. If you believe in Jesus, here's what  will happen to you. Immediately upon your death, you will go to be in the presence of Jesus, in conscious blessedness – having escaped your punishment because you have put your faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus – in the fact that He paid for your sins on that cross. Just like the criminal who hung next to Jesus on that fateful day. Have a listen to what happened to him Luke 23:39–42: One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!' But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.' So … exactly when would this man be in paradise with Jesus? Today. The Apostle Paul knew it too, that straight after his death, he would be in the presence of Jesus. Philippians 1:21–23: For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. What happens to him when he departs this life? He is going to be with Christ. So if you and I die before Jesus returns, and if we believe in Jesus, we go immediately to be with Him, in His Presence. Just sit there now for a minute and look at all your present circumstances – all your pressures and worries – through the lens of that truth. See that hope, that certain hope – is meant to make a huge difference in your life. Paul the Apostle wrote that letter to the Philippians while he was in a Roman dungeon on death row. Have a read of it some time. It's full of hope and rejoicing – because it's written by a man who sees his present bleak circumstances through the lens of his certain hope in Christ. And at some point, Jesus will return and we will all – those who believe in Jesus and those who don't – stand before Jesus in judgement. We've already talked about that. And when that happens, those who believe in Jesus who have died, will rise in Him. Have a listen – 1 Thess 4:13–16: But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Now we're going to talk about what happens after that next week on the program. I'd love to go there right now because it's awesome, we just don't have time, so you and I are just going to have to wait. Just picture this glorious day. The dead in Christ will rise first. I was in a hospital a few months ago, visiting a friend who has since died of cancer. Hospitals have always seemed to be impersonal, sterile places. He was in a room of three other men who were also dying. The smell of death is a powerful thing, in this sanitised, brightly lit place with linoleum floors polished so much that it squeaks when you walk on them. There's something stark and confronting about death. It's inevitable. It's not pleasant. And yet at the other end of that, is this triumphant, jubilant day when all those who have died in Christ will rise again with Him. Hallelujah. That's the hope. That's why you and I and anyone else who believes in Jesus can look at our present day circumstances through the same lens as the Apostle Paul on death row. That's why Paul wrote: When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.' ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? Hallelujah!' I know there are some people listening today who have lost a loved one … and you miss them terribly. Perhaps your wife or your husband. Well the good news is that if they believe in Jesus, one day you will see them again – because they will be raised in Christ. Or perhaps you're getting pretty close to the end of your life, through old age or sickness – and you're staring death down the barrel and that's a scary thing for you. Wherever you and I are on our journey through life and towards death, the important thing to know, the thing that Jesus wants you to know – not just in your head but in your heart is this. Death is not the end, it's just the beginning. It's the beginning – for anyone who believes in Jesus – of an eternity praising Him and worshipping Him and celebrating with Him. It's the beginning of an eternity without fear or tears or sickness or pain or illness. It's the beginning of an eternity, that compared to our fleeting lives on this earth, is so awesome, so forever that you just can't compare the two. That's why Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote this to his friends in Rome – Chapter 8 verse 18: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. Friend, the eternity that lies ahead for you is as glorious as it is certain. That's what Jesus wants you to know today. That's the hope, the certain hope that He wants to fill your heart with … today. The Living Will be Taken Up So you get up tomorrow, it's a day like any other day – or so you think – but completely unbeknown to you – it's not just any day. It's the day that God decides to send Jesus back to this earth. The thing that Christians call … the second coming. Jesus Himself described what it would be like. Not some guy on television claiming to be Jesus. But a huge, cataclysmic event that none of us – not you or me or anyone else – will possibly be able to miss: Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:29–31) I'm imagining – that's going to be kind of hard to miss isn't it. You're getting ready to go to work, you're brushing your teeth, thinking about what the day holds. If you're anything like me, you're mind is already running through your to–do list and then … this. Friend, that's what it's going to be like. Your mundane, every day reality, totally interrupted, totally disturbed, totally come to an end – together with the day that all the other 7 billion-plus people on planet earth had planned – it's going to be over. Because Jesus has just returned. The 24-hour news cycle is over. The newsreader on TV – nothing left to read. Can you imagine? Are you ready? Because it can happen at any moment. 1 Thess 5:1–5: Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you, yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So here's the question, if you believe in Jesus and you are still alive on that day when Jesus returns? What's it going to be like? And more importantly, what's going to happen to you on that day? That's worth knowing I think. Well, the Bible has the answers. In fact, Jesus has the answers: Then he said to the disciples, ‘The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there! ' or ‘Look here!' Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them —it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.' Then they asked him, ‘Where, Lord?' He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.' (Luke 17:22–37) It's pretty dramatic. Do you see the picture that Jesus paints – it's a business as usual day. Everybody is going about their normal business and then … one will be taken up and the other left. Whoo! The Apostle Paul describes it this way: Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51–53) Friend, are you ready for that? In your heart of hearts are you looking forward to the day when the Lord returns? There are two things that I'm sick of. I'm sick of these doomsday people who keep predicting the day on which Jesus will return. I think to myself – What are they nuts?! Jesus made the point, you're not meant to know when … just be ready. But at the other end of the scale I'm so desperately concerned about people who believe in Jesus and yet don't seem to believe in the imminent return of Christ. We behave as though this life is going to last forever. We behave as though the rest of eternity is a million years away. Friends, it's a lot closer than you think. In the context of eternity, it's just around the corner. It could be this very day, this very hour that Jesus returns. That's the certain hope that you and I have if we believe in Jesus. That's the future that lies ahead. Jesus could come back – today, tomorrow, next week. I don't know whether you're enjoying your life so much that you're completely immersed in it – or whether you're having such a rotten time that you're drowning in your misery – or whether you're somewhere in between. Wherever you are, whatever's going on in your world, if you believe in Jesus, you have a certain hope that Jesus is coming back for you soon. And that … that's meant to make a difference. Just as I sit here chatting with you, I'm about to head off on a couple of weeks' leave. I love doing what I do – but it's hard work and I need a break. So with my wife, I'm heading off for 12 days – away from emails and writing and recording radio programs, and managing a global team and all that stuff that I love – just to take a break and have a rest. I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to that these past weeks, how much I'm looking forward to it now. The sun, the ocean, the rest, the time with my wife. Awesome. But here's what I've been thinking about – if Jesus returned the day before I head off on my holiday, would I feel robbed … or rewarded? Would I want to say to Jesus – Look Lord – I've got a 12 day holiday planned, can you please come back at the end of it. In fact Lord as I look at my diary, hmmm, busy that day, meeting, speaking engagement – I'm thinking next month would be a much better time. Does that work for you? Let's get it into our diaries and it's a date. Do you se my point? So many of us are so caught up in the things of the world, in our day to day reality that our hearts aren't filled with the hope of Jesus' imminent return. And I have to tell you – that is such a tragedy. Listen to what Paul says Colossians 3:2: Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Come on. Set your gaze, your vision on the things that are above, on the certain hope you have. Because Jesus is coming – ready or not. A Chance to Repent I've said a few times in this series that without hope for the future, our lives cease to have value and meaning and purpose. People who take their own lives do so, because they've completely lost hope. But look at the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Have you given your life to Jesus yet? Would you like to? Well, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't give you the opportunity to do just that. So if you want to step into the hope that you can have through what Jesus did for you on the cross, then why don't you pray this prayer with me in your heart. Pray it to God: Lord God as you've shared this amazing picture of what is to come with me today through your Word, and I can't put this off any longer. I've been running from you and running but it hasn't been working and today Lord is the day that I've come to my senses. Today I want to say sorry for all the things that I've done wrong and turn my life over into your hands. Please forgive me through the price that Jesus paid for me on the Cross and give me a new life. Put your Holy Spirit in me to give me the power to live my life for you. Lead me wherever you will. Call me to whatever you would call me to. And give me the courage to take up my Cross and follow you, in Jesus' name. Amen. If you have just prayed that prayer with me then you are forgiven, you have a new life in Christ, all the old things have passed away, the slate is wiped clean – and all things are new. And you have just stepped into the certain hope of resurrection after death and a life eternal in the very Presence of God. Welcome to the rest of eternity with Jesus. Let me encourage you to find a Bible believing Church and become part of a dynamic, vital faith community to worship and serve God and to grow in your relationship with Him. Because none of us can walk this walk with Jesus on our own. Sure the moment that we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, He pours His Holy Spirit into us. But He also means for us to learn and to be encouraged and held accountable by other members of his family. I can be a bit of a loner sometimes, and I have to tell you sometimes the people at church can drive me a bit batty. And so the easiest thing in the world would be for me not to belong to a church. But over the last almost 20 years, what I've learned is that the transformation of my life has happened in the community, as I've been part of God's family. That's why being part of His church is so incredibly important. Giving your life to Jesus isn't a one-time thing, that you do for a few weeks and then forget, any more than permanently losing weight is about a 3 week crash diet. Giving your life to Jesus is about living the rest of your life for Him. Jesus promised that that wouldn't be an easy thing to do. He promised us that the path would be narrow and hard. He promised us that we would be persecuted. He promised us that taking up our cross and following Him would be a tough gig. So – here's the thing. If you have just given your life to Jesus, get together with some fellow believers and let them help you on the journey. In fact, if you've just given your life to Jesus – I've recorded a series of 10 messages called So Now What? and probably the best thing that you can do right now is have a listen to them, because they're all about the thing that you need to do and to put in place to lay some solid foundations early, in your relationship with Jesus. You can get a hold of those messages online, in the Jesus section of our website – at christianityworks.com. I really encourage you to get along and have a listen – establish a prayer life, get into God's Word and read the Bible every day. Become part of a vibrant Bible-believing church. Because I want to see you in eternity. I want to hear you say to me – "Hey Berni, remember that day you shared that message on the radio? It changed my life. I'm here now because God used that message in my life." I want those promises of eternity to be for you!

Bernadette Johnson started using drugs when she was 11 years old. Her addiction lasted until her early 30's and ended when she began to cry out to God to help deliver her from the addiction. Johnson shares her miraculous story of supernatural healing from narcotics as well as her amazing journey of recovery in this special episode of "Good Religion". Today, Johnson is a minister, author, wife, mother, and grandmother who uses her testimony to help save others. Her book, Maturing in Christ: It's Your Choice is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Maturing-Christ-Its-Your-Choice/dp/B08JVV9VCC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30823GC1JF6O&keywords=maturing+in+christ%3A+it%27s+your+choice&qid=1646102933&sprefix=maturing+in+christ+it%27s+your+choice%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-1 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cherie-hardy/message

Bernadette Johnson started using drugs when she was 11 years old. Her addiction lasted until her early 30's and ended when she began to cry out to God to help deliver her from the addiction. Johnson shares her miraculous story of supernatural healing from narcotics as well as her amazing journey of recovery in this special episode of "Good Religion". Today, Johnson is a minister, author, wife, mother, and grandmother who uses her testimony to help save others. Her book, Maturing in Christ: It's Your Choice is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Maturing-Christ-Its-Your-Choice/dp/B08JVV9VCC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30823GC1JF6O&keywords=maturing+in+christ%3A+it%27s+your+choice&qid=1646102933&sprefix=maturing+in+christ+it%27s+your+choice%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-1 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cherie-hardy/message

Women are ministers of the new covenant in Christ “It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

  Freedom as we know it is under attack, be it freedom of speech or Christian liberties and so much more. Please wake up American citizens. If up do not stand up for something, you will fall for anything. Take time to research your constitutional rights. Did you know that the 4th amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. Through the Fourth Amendment, the Constitution protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. However, the Fourth Amendment is not a guarantee against all searches and seizures, but only those that are deemed unreasonable under the law.  Or the 8th amendment protects against Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. I would encourage you to search the laws of each state and the constitutional laws as well; it is your choice, your freedom. Webster's dictionary defines freedom of speech as “the right to express facts and opinions subject only to reasonable limitations (as the power of the government to protect itself from a clear and present danger) guaranteed by the 1st and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution and similar provisions of some state constitutions.” According to this definition, freedom of speech is a right given to the citizens of the United States by law. In that sense, freedom of speech is not a biblical concept but a political one specific to a particular time and place in history. The founders of the United States believed that humankind has certain “inalienable rights,” including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson spoke of these rights as having been endowed to man by his Creator; he called the right to liberty “inherent” and postulated that governments are instituted in order to allow man (the governed) to secure those rights and to pursue his rights freely. In Jefferson's mind, the liberty and consent of the governed were imperative for governments to be efficient and beneficial. Under that umbrella of privilege falls freedom of speech. The idea that the Creator has endowed us with the right to liberty is debatable, but God indeed created man with a free will. Adam and Eve had the liberty to partake of any fruit in the garden (except one), and they even had the liberty to disobey. God created man to serve Him, to know Him, and to enjoy Him forever in eternity, so liberty within the bounds of righteousness is certainly a biblical ideal. Christians believe that serving God and enjoying a relationship with Him is the ultimate liberty. The ultimate freedom is found in belonging to Christ (Galatians 5:1; 2 Corinthians 3:17). Sin brings bondage (Romans 7:14), but the one who belongs to Christ is spiritually free (Romans 8:2). But does that spiritual freedom from sin entail political freedom of speech? Perhaps not directly, but speaking the truth in love is a biblical mandate (Ephesians 4:15). Therefore, any government law that guarantees citizens the right to speak the truth aligns with godly principles. By the same token, any law that suppresses a person's right to speak truth is working against God's command. Freedom of speech does not guarantee that truth is told, of course, but it does permit it to be told. In the final analysis, there is no conflict between biblical principles and the civic principle of freedom of speech. The Bible states emphatically in Galatians 5:1 that believers are free in Christ: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). Before Jesus died on a cross, God's people lived under a detailed system of laws that served as a moral compass to guide their lives. The Law, while powerless to grant salvation or produce true freedom, nevertheless pointed the way to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:19–24). Through His sacrificial death, Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, setting believers free from the law of sin and death. God's laws are now written in our hearts through the Spirit of God, and we are free to follow and serve Christ in ways that please and glorify Him (Romans 8:2–8). In a nutshell, this is the definition of Christian freedom. Despite the First Amendment, in the United States today, Christians do not have total freedom of speech. There are things we believe, ideas clearly taught in the Scriptures, that are now considered “hate speech” in our world of political correctness. A society that proudly proclaims freedom of speech and then creates laws against hate speech is talking out of both sides of its mouth. Laws and governments aside, there are still what we might call “social laws” in place, and when Christians are faced with ostracization due to their beliefs, it certainly does not demonstrate freedom of speech. Many believers throughout history have been persecuted by their societies because the expression of their beliefs did not line up with the status quo. A notable example is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whose refusal to bow down to the king's idol landed them in the midst of a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:1–26). God wants us to obey Him and to speak according to His Word. If obedience to that principle makes people hate us or gets us thrown in jail or even killed, we are not to back down. God wants us to speak the truth boldly (Ephesians 6:20), but He never promises that we will always be free to speak without consequences.  So are you willing to stand up?   As Christians, the two things we can do to stand up for Christ are to live according to His Word and grow our own knowledge of Him. Christ said, “Let your light shine before men…” (Matthew 5:16). This means that we should live and act in a way that supports the gospel. We should also arm ourselves with knowledge, both of the gospel (Ephesians 6:10-17) and of the world around us. First Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” All we can do is live and teach as Christ would and let Him take care of the rest. Again I encourage you to do your own research. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I humble myself before You, Your will not mine be done. Forgive me for being selfish and deliver me from insisting on my own way at the expense of others. I will mediate on your Word day and night. By the grace of God I will be an obedient doer of your Word, seeking to love as You have loved me. I renew my mind to your Word, and pray that your Word will dominate my thoughts, words and actions. I submit to Truth so that I will not be seduced or deceived by the works of the devil. I am born of God, I am born of Love and by Your grace I am strong in you, Lord, and in the power of your might. Today, I choose the way of Love, in the name of Jesus! Scripture References: 1 Peter 5:6; 1 Corinthians 13; Romans 12:2; 1 Online References  Got Questions and many more Take a look at Fox Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson they will give you something to think about  

What is going on in America? Are we turning into a dictatorship nation?  Do not undermine my authority. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. American workers, many of them are being extorted and held hostage by this covid shot mandate. There being force because many workers want to take care of their families. So what about their constitutional rights, which have been violated, which is also discrimination. Reality: A person can respect the position but does not respect the person that's reality. Satan is using leaders elected leaders for his destruction of America. But Jesus defeated Satan AND WILL defeat him again. What makes it OK for a woman to say my body my rights in kill an unborn child so why is it not okay for a person to say my life my rights in refused to get of Covid shot, and don't say that is different because both issues are dealing with rights in the life of others. A man has no say, so if a woman chooses to get an abortion, but he may want to keep the child, grandparents have no voice, so if a woman wants an abortion, they would like to have grandkids. This list can go on. But my religious beliefs as an American citizen are being threatened taken away from me because I do not want to get a covid shot to lose my job. Is that American justice just asking? Yes, COVID is real. I know I had it, but I believe in the healing power of Jesus Christ. Read plasm 91.  To my understanding, you have the Department of Justice wants to try to file suit against Texas because they upheld the law by making abortion illegal.  I wonder what God's word says about abortion: I know in the book of proverbs it says speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves for the rights of all who are dissolute speak up and judge pretty defend the rights of the poor and the needy in this proverbs 31 verses 8 through 9. No, I'm not the most intelligent person in the world, but I'm smart enough to know the unborn child could not speak for themselves think about that. I also have another question is our leaders directly or indirectly helping to promote terrorism within our nation? I'm just asking this question because I genuinely don't know but looking at what's going on here and now, I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering this. OK, now let's get back to the subject of abortion. The Bible never specifically addressed abortion; however, there are numerous teachings in the scripture that make it abundantly clear what God's view of abortion is. Jeremiah 15 tells us that God knows us before he forms us in the womb. Psalms 139 verse 13 through 16 speaks of God's active role in our creation then the formation in the womb verse 22 through 25 prescribed the same penalty is death for someone who causes the end of a baby in the womb yes for someone who commits murder. Now to me, this indicates that God considers a baby in the womb to be just as much of a human being as a fully grown adult such as you and me I. for a person that believes in Christ, a Christian abortion is not a matter of a woman right to choose it is a matter of life and death of a human being made in God's image Genesis 1 verse 26 and 27 Genesis 9 verse 6, now put what does the Bible say about abortion put abortion is murder it is the killing of a human being who has created an image of God. Are the American people living in a state of terror? Afraid that they may lose their job being a federal or government job if they refuse to get the covid shot or afraid to get kicked off an NFL team or they refuse to get the Covid picture, what about the rights of the American people. Something else is shocking to me. Why would anyone want to use the legacy of a deceased person to get what they want, be they a politician or just a regular Joe on Streets? Why would you want to use a dead person for your gain? It appears that particular politician is throwing the US constitution out the window for their self-interest, not America inserts interest their self-interest. Just look around America. We live in the signs of the time, whether you choose to believe it or not your choice.  I believe that there are many warnings in the Bible about the power of the government taking over or, let me say, the increasing government control. Yes, as Christians, we are to obey the laws of the land, but if the land laws go against God's laws, Bing will not follow. I want to clarify that this is not any form of rebellion, nor is this a political podcast. This is Christian freedom. The Bible states emphatically in Galatians 5:1 that believers are free in Christ: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). Before Jesus died on a cross, God's people lived under a complicated system of laws that served as a moral compass to guide their lives. The Law, while powerless to grant salvation or produce true freedom, nevertheless pointed the way to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:19–24). Through His sacrificial death, Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, setting believers free from the law of sin and death. God's laws are now written in our hearts through the Spirit of God, and we are free to follow and serve Christ in ways that please and glorify Him (Romans 8:2–8). In a nutshell, this is the definition of Christian freedom. An essential aspect of Christian freedom is our responsibility not to return to living under the Law. The apostle Paul compared this to slavery: “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Continuing to live under the Law after salvation is merely a legalistic form of religion. We cannot earn righteousness through the Law; instead, the Law's purpose was to define our sin and show our need for a Savior. Christian freedom involves living not under the burdensome obligations of the Law but God's grace: “For sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). In Christ, we are free from the Law's oppressive system, we are free from the penalty of sin, and we are free from the power of sin. Christian freedom is not a license to sin. We are free in Christ but not free to live however we want, indulging the flesh: “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13, NLT). Believers aren't free to sin but free to live holy lives in Christ. Christian freedom is one of the many paradoxes of the Christian faith. True freedom means willingly becoming a slave to Christ, which happens through a relationship with Him (Colossians 2:16–17). In Romans 6, Paul explains that when a believer accepts Christ, they are baptized by the Spirit into Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. At that moment, the believer ceases to be a slave to sin and becomes a servant of righteousness: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17–18, ESV). Only Christians know true freedom: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). But what does Christian liberty look like in a practical sense? What are we free to do and not do? What can we watch on TV? What can we eat and drink? What can we wear to the beach? What about smoking and drinking? Are there limits to Christian freedom? In 1 Corinthians 10, the apostle Paul gives a practical illustration of Christian freedom: “‘Everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:23–24, NIV84). In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul mentions members attending meals in pagan temples, just as they had done before receiving Christ. They felt free to continue participating because they thought these festivals were merely a normal part of the social culture, and they didn't see their actions as pagan worship. Paul laid out several warnings, reminding the Corinthians of Israel's dangerous flirtation with idolatry in the Old Testament. Then he handled the practical concern of eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. “Everything is permissible,” the Corinthians were saying. True, Paul says; Christians have a great deal of freedom in Christ. However, not everything is beneficial or constructive. Our freedom in Christ must be balanced by a desire to build up and benefit others. When deciding how to exercise our Christian freedom, we ought to seek the good of others before our good. In Judaism, restrictions were placed on purchasing meats in the market. Jews could only buy and eat kosher meats. Paul said believers were free in Christ to buy and eat any meat (1 Corinthians 10:25–26). However, if meat sacrificed to idols came up, believers were to follow a higher law. Love is what limits Christian freedom. Later in the chapter, Paul wrote about eating meat as a guest in someone's home. Christians are free to eat whatever they are served without questions of conscience (1 Corinthians 10:27). But, if someone brings up that the meat has been offered to an idol, it is better not to eat it for the sake of the person who raised the issue of conscience (verse 28). While believers have the freedom to eat the meat, they are compelled to consider what's best for those who are observing their behavior. Romans 14:1–13 raises a key determiner in understanding the limits of Christian freedom. In the passage, Paul again brings up eating meat sacrificed to idols and observing certain holy days. Some believers felt freedom in Christ in these areas, while others did not, and their differing perspectives were causing quarrels and disunity. Paul emphasized that unity and love in the body of Christ are more important than anyone's convictions or Christian liberty: “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister” (Romans 14:13). Essentially, Paul's message to the New Testament believers and us today is this: even if we believe we are right and have Christian freedom in an area,[sPause sec=2.6 ePause] if our actions will cause another brother or sister to stumble in his or her faith, we are to refrain out of love. Paul spoke again of the matter in 1 Corinthians 8:7–9: “Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food, they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near God; we are no worse if we do not eat and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” The issue in New Testament times was eating meat offered to idols; today, other “gray areas” arise in our Christian walk. Romans 14:1 calls these “disputable matters,” areas where the Bible does not give clear-cut guidelines on whether a behavior is a sin. When faced with gray areas, we can rely on two guiding principles to regulate our Christian freedom: let love for others compel us not to cause anyone to stumble and let our desire to glorify God be our all-encompassing motive (1 Corinthians 10:31). [sPause sec=2.6 ePause]

In honor of the 500 year anniversary of St. Ignatius of Loyola's conversion, Pope Francis has declared an Ignatian Year with the theme “to see all things new in Christ” It is thus, an opportunity to know and deepen Ignatian spirituality. Help us to open the door to the new Angels of the New Era series, in which everyone can experience God's voice in this angelic way of mental prayer.

Victory in Christ- It is because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross that we have the opportunity to walk and live in His victory. Our love for Jesus and His Spirit working in us should be our motivation for serving God, not religious tradition or the philosophies of man.

-Politics and the Gospel of Christ- It is a provocative sermon title. Intentionally so. --As citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, behave - carry yourselves in this world in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Said in another way, let your politics be worthy of the gospel of Christ. And stand firm in your faith- stand firm for the truth- stand firm for the gospel.-But what does all of this look like-

The Power of Intimacy with Christ | “It's a Heart Thang” If you desire a closer relationship with God, you will be blessed by this podcast. This episode is filled with practical teaching on how to live in authentic intimacy from the heart. I share some of my experiences with God in the supernatural and how walking in rhythm with God from the heart is essential for taping into God'sglory. The Holy Spirit has taught me and is teaching me how to live out of my heart. God meets us in our sincere passion for him. Giving ourselves to God situates us nigh the heart of God and puts us on path with God's will for our lives. Learning to give your heart to God and to live dependent on him is intentional. Giving God your heart will cause you to discover the will of God for your life and if you learn to fully surrender, God will lead you into the precision of God for your part in God's plan. You will take away from this episode, practical teaching on the power associated with living and loving God from an authentic heart.

https://youtu.be/zq-b2vircEk Pluck your eye out Matt 5:27-30Was supposed to do a wedding in Texas in March- I cancelled- didn't want to get sick or stuckIve seen a lot of people take a lot of precautions with covid over this past year. Distancing. Covering. Washing. Planning. Changing their plans. Doing everything they can to make sure they they don't get infected and they don't die. Wearing masks in cars. Not shopping, travel work etcPublic service announcements, tv, web, radio, announcements in parking lots. EVERYWHEREAnything and everything at whatever cost necessary to live and not die. Road signs- maskup!I wonder if we took that drastic of measure to stay away from sin. Just as much protectionIn these verses Jesus uses the example of lust to expose a heart condition and then uses hyperbole to describe the drastic measures we should take to keep ourselves from sinThe stakes couldn't be higher. Hell is the destination for those who don't take it seriously.  Jesus says sin Starts with Intent Intent is shown in our first verse 27 “You have heard that it was said [i]to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.To Jesus this sin of lust starts with intent “to lust for her” it's a plan to sin. Not just lust all sinJames 1:15  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. DESIRE+ACTION = Sin = DeathThe desire to lust is a desire to sin and is equal with actually committing the sin of adulteryJesus is drawing attention to the fact that adultery is listed as the 7th commandment “thou shalt not commit adultery” which the jews were apparently using as an excuse to justify lustThe whole “I didn't do it, just thought about it” defense, that in their minds they thought OKIt's the moral equivalent of my brother not touching me in the back of the car as a kidWithout spending a ton of time going into every scenario lets make it simple- Sex is only for married people who are man and a woman and intimate thoughts are to be reserved for themPictures, moving or stationary. Random people etc. the sin of the eyes and the lust of the flesh ANYTHING outside of that is sin according to Jesus. A longing look. An extended thought. Anything. Very very high bar. Many people probably have or do struggle with this. Not just guys. I was in the Army with females. They are just as bad. But I don't want to spend our time together just limiting to the sin of lust- all sin is equally as grievous. The non-lusters are not off the hook this morning. You're just as vile. Sin is sin. And it all starts with intent. And intent and desire are just as bad as action. Must be rooted outPeople have too long lived in a world where they think its ok to think something they don't act on- Murderous thoughts, lust, greed, anger, envy, covetousness, sexual deviancy etcGod judges the intents of our hearts. He looks deep into our hearts and sees what we valuePsalm 44:21  Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.Man. This is scary. I need more time to work on my heart. Its far from perfect. Jeremiah 17:10 10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.Yikes- not just the heart- but the mind too- God looks at what I'm thinking about and what I desire and he wants it to be pure. Lord Jesus help us! Fill us with your Holy Spirit! Enable us to live for you! We need you father!We need the Holy spirit to help our hearts! We can't meet this standard on our own strength! How do we fix the intent of our hearts?Be born again- Become a new creation in Christ- It changes- but the flesh still wars! SooooBible reading and bible preaching Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,

https://youtu.be/zq-b2vircEk Pluck your eye out Matt 5:27-30Was supposed to do a wedding in Texas in March- I cancelled- didn’t want to get sick or stuckIve seen a lot of people take a lot of precautions with covid over this past year. Distancing. Covering. Washing. Planning. Changing their plans. Doing everything they can to make sure they they don’t get infected and they don’t die. Wearing masks in cars. Not shopping, travel work etcPublic service announcements, tv, web, radio, announcements in parking lots. EVERYWHEREAnything and everything at whatever cost necessary to live and not die. Road signs- maskup!I wonder if we took that drastic of measure to stay away from sin. Just as much protectionIn these verses Jesus uses the example of lust to expose a heart condition and then uses hyperbole to describe the drastic measures we should take to keep ourselves from sinThe stakes couldn’t be higher. Hell is the destination for those who don’t take it seriously.  Jesus says sin Starts with Intent Intent is shown in our first verse 27 “You have heard that it was said [i]to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.To Jesus this sin of lust starts with intent “to lust for her” it’s a plan to sin. Not just lust all sinJames 1:15  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. DESIRE+ACTION = Sin = DeathThe desire to lust is a desire to sin and is equal with actually committing the sin of adulteryJesus is drawing attention to the fact that adultery is listed as the 7th commandment “thou shalt not commit adultery” which the jews were apparently using as an excuse to justify lustThe whole “I didn’t do it, just thought about it” defense, that in their minds they thought OKIt’s the moral equivalent of my brother not touching me in the back of the car as a kidWithout spending a ton of time going into every scenario lets make it simple- Sex is only for married people who are man and a woman and intimate thoughts are to be reserved for themPictures, moving or stationary. Random people etc. the sin of the eyes and the lust of the flesh ANYTHING outside of that is sin according to Jesus. A longing look. An extended thought. Anything. Very very high bar. Many people probably have or do struggle with this. Not just guys. I was in the Army with females. They are just as bad. But I don’t want to spend our time together just limiting to the sin of lust- all sin is equally as grievous. The non-lusters are not off the hook this morning. You’re just as vile. Sin is sin. And it all starts with intent. And intent and desire are just as bad as action. Must be rooted outPeople have too long lived in a world where they think its ok to think something they don’t act on- Murderous thoughts, lust, greed, anger, envy, covetousness, sexual deviancy etcGod judges the intents of our hearts. He looks deep into our hearts and sees what we valuePsalm 44:21  Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.Man. This is scary. I need more time to work on my heart. Its far from perfect. Jeremiah 17:10 10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.Yikes- not just the heart- but the mind too- God looks at what I’m thinking about and what I desire and he wants it to be pure. Lord Jesus help us! Fill us with your Holy Spirit! Enable us to live for you! We need you father!We need the Holy spirit to help our hearts! We can’t meet this standard on our own strength! How do we fix the intent of our hearts?Be born again- Become a new creation in Christ- It changes- but the flesh still wars! SooooBible reading and bible preaching Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,

Jan 3, 2021 Who Am I? Our Identity in Christ - It's a Wonderful Life by Eau Claire Wesleyan Church

Galatians 6:14 — Have you heard a Christmas sermon on the death of Christ? It seems like an odd mix, but in this sermon on Galatians 6:14, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the importance of the cross to the birth of Jesus. He argues that you cannot understand the birth and incarnation of Christ— the reason we celebrate Christmas— without the cross. Why? First, the Messiah’s sufferings are prophesied throughout the entire Old Testament in passages such as Isaiah 53 and Genesis 3. Second, the cross was the real object of Jesus’ incarnation. Jesus was born for the express purpose of being the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. In this way, He was born to die, and this makes Him unique among any other person who has been born. Third, only the cross explains some of the audacious things that Jesus claimed and that were recorded in the gospels as being said about Him. Additionally, the cross was the lowest point that the Son of God has come to. He was enthroned in Heaven, yet He left His rightful place to come to earth and live the life that no one else has— a perfect one. He did all of this with the knowledge that one day, He would die an unjust death for the sins of the world so that those who accepted His sacrifice could have forgiveness from their sins. This is the reason we celebrate Christmas and is, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds us, why the cross is central to correctly understanding Jesus’ birth. 

Talk 5       God’s Superior Wisdom   Today we’re continuing our study of 1 Corinthians 1:18 -2:16. Last time we discovered nine problems with human wisdom:   It is foolishness to God It does not recognise God It rejects the message of the cross It rejects Christ who is God’s Wisdom personified It is totally different from and inferior to God’s Wisdom It is useless as a means of winning others for Christ It is an insecure basis for our faith in Christ It gets you nowhere! It leads only to death It crucified the Lord of glory   Today we’ll be considering God’s superior Wisdom   One of the causes of division in the Corinthian church seems to have sprung from a human and worldly wisdom which was totally contrary to the wisdom of God. These two kinds of wisdom (God’s and man’s) are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 1:18 -2:16   But first it will be helpful to mention some other NT verses which refer to God’s wisdom.   Romans 11:33 33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!   Romans 16:25-27 25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him - 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.   Ephesians 1:7-10 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment - to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ   Ephesians 3:8-11 8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord   Colossians 2:2-3 2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.   1 Timothy 1:17 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen   Jude 25 24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-- 25 to the only wise God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.   From these passages we learn that:   Only God, who is eternal, is truly wise God’s wisdom is beyond our understanding God’s wisdom is a mystery The mystery is the message of Christ crucified – the gospel God’s wisdom is manifested in his church   With this in mind we can now turn to today’s passage and see what more we can learn about God’s wisdom.   The ‘foolishness’ of the gospel is described in 1:18-2:5. However, in 2:6-16 it is seen as God’s revealed wisdom. This is the passage we’ll be looking at today, but, as I am not attempting a verse by verse commentary in these talks, for those who are interested there are additional notes on 1:18-2-5 at the end of the notes on today’s talk.   We now turn to Chapter 2. Please have your Bible open there.   In the previous section Paul has been talking largely about human wisdom.  Now he turns his attention to the wisdom of God.  This is true wisdom.  The main point of this section is that those who are still ‘of this age’, who do not have the Spirit, do not understand the wisdom of God in Christ crucified.  Paul’s concern is to get the Corinthians to stop acting like non-Spirit people and understand who they are in terms of the cross.   v6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.   Although man’s wisdom cannot lead him to God, God’s wisdom can lead man to him.  The very message that is foolishness to the unbeliever is wisdom in God’s eyes.    Mature here means spiritually adult.  The Corinthians were showing their immaturity by boasting in a wisdom that was not the wisdom of the cross.   v7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.   In this verse Paul sees God’s wisdom as eternal It was ordained before the world began but is hidden from the wisdom of man.  It is (literally) in a mystery, a secret once hidden but now revealed in the gospel.   v8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.   None of the political rulers of the day had possessed this divine wisdom or they would not have crucified Christ.  It was by their so-called wisdom that he was put to death.   The Lord of glory - Another example of a title clearly applied to Jesus but which in the OT was applied uniquely to Jehovah (Ps. 24:7-10).   v9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"   Human wisdom is based on the observation of the senses (Cf. modern Logical Positivism).   v10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.   Divine wisdom is not perceived with the senses but is revealed by the Spirit.  It’s possible that some of the Corinthians were being influenced by an early form of Gnosticism. They supposed that they could by searching plumb the depths of God’s being.  But only the Spirit of God can know the thoughts of God. See next verse:   11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.   The key to understanding God’s wisdom lies with the Spirit. How can we really know the thoughts of another?  A man can only know his own thoughts.  Similarly, only the Spirit of God can know the mind of God. True wisdom comes to us by revelation from the Holy Spirit   12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.   We have received God’s Spirit so that we may understand… We have not received the spirit of the world (Satan, the god of this age 2 Cor.4:4).  Any suggestion that a Christian could receive any spirit other than that which comes from God would be totally foreign to Paul’s thinking.    13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.   The revelation of the Spirit is what enables Christians to understand God’s wisdom.  It is also what enables us to preach it! This is what we speak…             Expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words   The gospel is a spiritual truth and must be proclaimed with spiritual words – words taught by the Spirit (not with human wisdom) There could even be a reference to spiritual gifts here (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:1 pneumatika).    14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.   Note that the ‘man without the spirit’ (psuchikos - natural) does not accept the things of the Spirit.  They are foolishness to him because he cannot understand them.   15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:   By contrast, ‘the spiritual man’ (pneumatikos) can make judgments about all things because he has the Spirit.   16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?"  But we have the mind of Christ.   Mind here = spirit.  ‘In the Greek Bible that Paul cites the word “mind” translates the Heb. ruah, which ordinarily means “spirit”’ (Fee pp 119-120).   Note again that Christ is identified with Jehovah (cf. Isaiah 40:13).    Finally, note the connection between the Spirit and the cross in this passage.    2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,   7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit   God’s wisdom is revealed in the cross God’s wisdom is revealed by the Spirit The things of the Spirit may be discerned by their relationship to the cross It is only by preaching the message of the cross with the power and wisdom given by the Spirit that we can hope to bring others to Christ who is the Wisdom of God.     Additional notes on 1:18-2:5   a) God’s ‘foolishness’ – the cross (1:18-25)   In v17 Paul reminds the Corinthians that the Gospel had not been preached to them with human wisdom lest it should detract from the cross of Christ 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?   v18    but to us who are being saved   There are only two groups of people in the world as far as God is concerned, not Jew and Gentile but those who are being saved and those who are perishing.   Note the continuous tense here.  The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are on their way to destruction, but it is the power of God to those who are on their way to salvation.    v19    I will destroy   Man’s wisdom has been destroyed by the cross.  Any wisdom that man may seem to have is rendered meaningless by Calvary.    v20    age......world   The terms are used synonymously here.  The emphasis is that the world is passing, transient.             scholar   Fee (p 71) rightly points out that this should be translated expert in the law.   v21    The world though its wisdom did not know him   Paul rejects the claim that man can know God through wisdom (cf. Romans 1:18-31).              The foolishness of what was preached   It is not the act of preaching but the content that is referred to here (as NIV makes clear – cf. AV ‘the foolishness of preaching’).  It is through the apparently foolish message of Christ crucified that God is pleased to save those who believe.   v22    Jews......Greeks   Both Jews and Gentiles are looking in the wrong direction unless they look to Christ. The answer is not in miraculous signs, nor in human wisdom. The search for these is an expression of man’s rebellion against God.  The answer is the message of the cross.   Power and wisdom are still the two basic idolatries of our fallen world.   v23    but we preach Christ crucified   Christ crucified, by human standards, is the very opposite of what each group is looking for. Indeed a crucified Messiah is a contradiction in terms - ‘fried ice’!   The verb crucified is in the Perfect Tense which speaks of a past act the effects of which are still felt in the present.  Christ’s atoning death is still efficacious.   v24    to us who are called   Salvation is rooted in a divine, not a human decision - but this does not deny the necessity of a human response.             power..... wisdom   Note the different effects the preaching of the Gospel has.  Power contrasts with stumbling-block, wisdom with foolishness.  The cross was a stumbling block to the Jew because of Deuteronomy 21:23 - Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (cf. Galatians 3:13).   v25    the foolishness of God   Of course Paul is not ascribing foolishness to God.  He is saying that God’s truth which seems foolishness to the unbeliever is wiser than the unbeliever’s wisdom.  He uses the neuter of the adjective - to moron - instead of the noun - moria - here (literally the foolish thing instead of foolishness).  This points to a particular act of God’s foolishness (the cross).  Compare weakness where again the neuter of the adjective is used.   ‘Had God consulted us for wisdom we could have given him a more workable plan, something that would attract the sign-seeker and the lover of wisdom.  As it is, in his own wisdom he left us out of the consultation’ (Fee, p 77).   b) God’s ‘foolishness’ - the Corinthian believers (1:26-31)   v26    think of what you were when you were called   This verse has been much used as evidence of the sociological structure of early Christianity.  See Fee pp 80ff for a brief discussion.  However,   ‘The truly unique feature of early Christianity was its nonhomogeneous character, that it cut across all sociological lines and accepted as “brothers” slave and free, Jew and Gentile, male and female” (Fee, p 81).   vv27-28                foolish...... weak.......lowly   It is the things which the world considers foolish, weak, and lowly that God has chosen to nullify or render inoperative the things considered to be wise, strong and noble.  The purpose of this is in verse 29 - that no-one may boast before him. In Christ God has already set the future in motion, whereby the present age is on its way out.   v30    righteousness ...... holiness..... redemption   NIV gets the translation right here (AV is misleading).  Righteousness, holiness and redemption are three different aspects of God’s wisdom.  They’re all central to Paul’s theology and result from the cross.   v31    he who boasts.... let him boast in the Lord   The verse clearly refers to Jesus, but it is a quote from Jeremiah 9:23-24 where it is Jehovah who is referred to (cf notes on 1:2 and 1:8.   Boast here has the sense of trust.   c) God’s ‘foolishness’ - Paul’s preaching (2:1-5)   v1      I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom   When Paul came to Corinth he did not try to persuade them with human philosophy.  He simply preached Christ crucified (v2).  The cross cannot be rationalised.             The testimony about God   Testimony or mystery? Texts differ (marturion or musterion).  Barrett prefers testimony because (a) mystery is in the context and could have affected a copyist subconsciously, and (b) testimony is more suited to the initial proclamation of the Gospel.   v2      I resolved   Paul’s determination here is probably not because of his apparent failure at Athens (Acts 17).  ‘He is not contrasting his evangelistic method with that which he employed elsewhere, but with that which others employed in Corinth’ (Barrett).  Cf Fee, p. 92.   v3      weakness, fear ...... much trembling   See note on Acts 18:1.  The weakness may refer to some observable physical condition.  Astheneia normally means sickness and this is by no means impossible - cf Galatians 4:13-14.   v4      not with wise and persuasive words but with ....... the Spirit’s power   Having contrasted human wisdom with the cross in vv 1-2 he now contrasts it with the Spirit’s power.  This does not necessarily refer to signs and wonders here - note the absence of reference to miracles in Acts 18.  Fee, p. 95, believes it refers to their actual conversion with the accompanying gift of the Spirit which was probably evidenced by spiritual gifts, especially tongues.    

Have you ever been challenged to defend your faith in Christ? It's becoming more and more difficult to boldly stand with our convictions, but the Lord calls us to stand strong and let HIM fight those battles. Today, Pastor Jeff introduces his new series "Battle Ready" and offers four ways in which we can find our strength in God to defy the enemy. Music videos used in today's message: "Battle Belongs" by Phil Wickham (Official Lyric Video) https://youtu.be/johgSkNj3-A "Something Good" by Gateway Worship {lyric video by AliveChurch Vinita} https://youtu.be/xYZ8QVBLa34

How do we remain in Christ? It's week two of our RE: series and Pastor Jason Greene walks us through Colossians 2:6-7. Join us as we explore how to walk with, be rooted in, and built up by Christ.Get the RE: Reading plan at bethel.ch/re-reading-planResources and a transcript for this episode can be found at bethel.ch/podcasts.Connect with us online at bethel.ch or find us @bethelchurchwa on Instagram and Bethel Church WA on FacebookThis message was recorded on September 27th, 2020.

Can humility bring you closer to Christ- It's a question that needs to be answered in today's highly volatile environment.

"The Body of Christ" - It is something that is commonly said amongst believers. But how often do we really assess our mindset on this important aspect of being a Christian. The truth is that we are really the body of Christ, but we need to continuously be intentional in the way we see the church as a whole. Connect with us on Instagram @TransformThursdays or through our email at: transform.thursdays2020@gmail.com Feel free to DM us or send us an email on your thoughts from this discussion or if you have anything that you would like us to pray about.

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you are disqualified. (2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV) What is being in the faith? Without question, it is faith in Christ Jesus. I don’t think any believer would argue with that, but just in case, here are some verses about it: Acts 3:16, 6:7, 14:22, 16:5, 26:18; Romans 3:22, 26; Galatians 3:22; Philippians 1:27, where a parallel is drawn between the gospel of Christ and the faith of the gospel; Colossians 1:4, 23, 2:5, 7, 12, and so on. First Timothy 3:13 settles it for me: “in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” The following portion of the Scripture tells us exactly how the faith in Christ is defined. Do you want to know what the Apostle Paul called the faith in Christ? It is clearly stated when Paul preached to Governor Felix and his wife Drusilla. 24 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self- control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid (became frightened, “trembled” in at least 7 translations, terrified, much alarmed) and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” (Acts 24:24, 25 NET- parenthesis- my comment) Faith in Christ was defined in this passage as a message that expounded on righteousness, self-control, and judgement to come. What? Really? Does that sound like most modern-day “gospel” messages concerning faith in Christ? That was the essence of Paul’s gospel message. Some would say that there is no need to tell sinners they need self-control or to speak of judgment because that would not be very loving towards them, but Paul did that. Some may think that to speak to sinners about righteousness is a waste of time, or not something that will be conducive to their conversion, and that it may turn them off to the gospel. Tell that to the Apostle Paul. The text calls righteousness, self-control, and judgement to come a “faith in Christ” message. Have our gospel messages been missing some things? Righteousness, self-control, and judgment as the definition of ministering the faith in Christ sounds almost identical to what Jesus said the Holy Spirit was sent to do. “And He, when He comes, He will convict (expose, convict, reprove, rebuke) the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8 NKJV) What Paul stated to Felix, and what Jesus said to His disciples, were both referring to the same thing. Paul used the term “self-control” when talking about “sin”. The connection between sin and a lack of self-control should be obvious. If you sin, it is because you did not exercise self-control. Self-control is control of your actions by the Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit. “Self” does not infer that you are by yourself or that you are alone in this matter. It infers that the action starts with you. The Holy Spirit is not your enforcer, but He is your Helper. (John 16:7) In other words, the Holy Spirit will help you to do what is right. He will not make you obey God’s Word, but He will help you to do what is right according to God’s Word. The word convict (Gr. elegcho) in John 16:8 is translated in Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon as “reprehend severely, call to account, correct, to show one his fault.” The same word is found in 2 Timothy 4:2, 1 Tim. 5:20; Titus 1:13, 2:15; Hebrews 12:5, and in the words of Jesus in Revelation 3:19: As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. (NKJV) Rebuke, that is, to reprehend severely, call to account, correct, to show one his fault must come when a lack of self-control is evident. (See also elegcho in John 3:20, 1Corinthians 14:24, and Ephesians 5:11.) Sin is the result of a lack of self-control that opposes God’s Word and commandments. James 1:14-16 in the Amplified Bible clarifies the process of sin from lust or some evil desire, to conception, and to execution.  The word elegcho in Luke 3:18, 19 is translated rebuked: 18 And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to the people. 19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil deeds that he had done. John the Baptizer was proclaiming the “good news” or the gospel to the people, and it was not at all sugar and spice and everything nice. Go back into Luke chapter three and begin reading from verse three. You will see all the elements of rebuking, such as “reprehend severely, call to account, CORRECT, to show one his fault.” He called those practicing sin “offspring of vipers”! That was not your typical sermonette with all smiles and niceties! 7Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Luke 3:7-9 NET) Then, to top it all off, he had the gall to call Herod the tetrarch to account because of his adulterous relationship with the wife of his brother. Verse 18 says that even with all of John’s rebuke, correction, conviction, exposing, and calling to account that it was THE GOSPEL, the proclamation of the good news! And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to the people. (Luke 3:18 NKJV) Good news of the gospel? Does Luke chapter 3 sound like our interpretation of what can be included in a good gospel message? No, it does not! It makes one wonder if something could be missing from our gospel messages if it is only preaching about salvation, healing, and the blessings of God! Yes, there is something terribly missing if that is all the people hear out of their preacher or pastor. Sometimes, there must be rebuke, correction, conviction, exposing, and calling to account. These cannot be left out when necessary, that is, IF it is a real gospel message. John was a minister according to the meaning of a true gospel message. Even Jesus was tough and no-nonsense often, and He was specifically anointed to announce the good news or gospel message. (Luke 4:18) Take a look at Matthew 23 where He viciously rebukes the hypocritical among the Pharisees, and slams Jerusalem for killing the prophets sent to it. Read the whole chapter. It's an eye opener. Does the following sound like any "good news message" we know of today? Remember, Jesus said this, and it was not "sugar and spice, and everything nice." I say this because many think all Jesus taught was love and acceptance (tolerance), and He was always soft toned, and tame as a little lamb. Nothing could be further from the truth! Here are some excerpts from the fiery preacher and astonishing powerhouse known as Jesus: "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Therefore you will receive greater condemnation... Fools and blind... You make your followers twice the sons of hell that you are... “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence... For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness... "  And, one more for the road:  "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?"  Jesus was no pushover. In Revelation chapters 2 and 3 His rebukes and calling into account were hard and often harsh. It is true He also praised the churches when they did what was right, but He held nothing back in His messages to the churches when a sharp rebuke was necessary.  Now read in Mathew 11:20-24 and the Master's rebuke against the cities of Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum because even though great miracles were done in them, they refused to repent. He condemned Capernaum to hell (Hades)! That was good gospel preaching, but wait because there is more. So, you want acceptance or tolerance in the words of Jesus? Here is His idea of acceptance and tolerance for those that refuse to repent and continue in their sin. Are you ready? It's a spanking for the backside! 23"And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:23, 24 NKJV) There's your tolerance.  I’ll never forget one brother in the Lord, himself a minister and teacher, that told me before I stood to preach and minister, “Brother, just preach Heaven to them. Give them Heaven!” I knew something was off, but it took me some time to learn from the Lord what it was. If all you do is preach “good or inspiring verses” and uplifting and positive messages without the other we have been talking about, then we have missed Heaven’s idea of good news. It may not seem like all of what John the Baptizer preached was good news, but that would be an assessment from a human perspective. From the Scriptural perspective, and therefore from God’s viewpoint, it was all good news because it brought conviction and correction. John’s gospel message called people to account and allowed the Father to work on their hearts so repentance would come, and real change could take place in their lives! Think about that. Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, and he had an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. (Revelation 14:6 NET) Are you ready for a shift in your thinking? It will shock all those that think “gospel” is sweetie pie and kind preaching. It will shock all those that think we should have sweetness in our gospel message because if it gets too harsh people will leave or tune out the message.  Next is a sample of the eternal gospel, but pay close attention to the content. It covers areas not traditionally understood as a gospel message. 7 He declared in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!” 8 A second angel followed the first, declaring: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! She made all the nations drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” 9 A third angel followed the first two, declaring in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, 10 that person will also drink of the wine of God’s anger that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke from their torture will go up forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have no rest day or night, along with anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12 This requires the steadfast endurance of the saints—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to their faith in Jesus. 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: ‘Blessed are the dead, those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, because their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:7-13 NET) Gospel announcement included revelation, instruction, rebuke, correction, mention of God’s anger and wrath, the lake of fire for the followers of the beast, and the hour of God’s judgment! It pointed out the immorality of those following Babylon’s example. Notice that gospel preaching includes faith in Jesus, but also mentions obedience to God’s moral commandments. It even speaks of the coming judgment where believers will be rewarded for their good works. Wow, all that and a call to the fear of God to headline that gospel message! Does that sound anywhere near to what many believe to be the gospel message? Gospel includes a whole lot more than salvation, healing, deliverance, and the blessing of God. Gospel includes more than telling people about the plan of salvation and the Lord Jesus.  Here is more proof of what I am writing about. 9 Realizing that law is not intended for a righteous person, but for lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 sexually immoral people, practicing homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, perjurers—in fact, for any who live contrary to sound teaching. 11 This accords with the glorious gospel of the blessed God that was entrusted to me. (1 Timothy 1:9-11 NET) What? Paul says that these are in accord or agree with the glorious gospel message. That means that within the gospel message there will preaching against these sinful lifestyles and practices. Why, because at times there must be exposing of these things. There must be correction and calling to account even before the lawless, rebellious, ungodly, sinners, unholy, profane, murderers, sexually immoral, practicing homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, perjurers and for all those that live contrary to sound teaching. That means that sound teaching will teach people to live contrary to all those things mentioned or inferred.  The references in Luke, Revelation and First Timothy reveal that the gospel includes all these elements usually not associated with “gospel preaching.” What gospel message are you listening to? In general, many in the body of Christ have gotten away from such preaching themes. Messages have been watered down to the place they often sound like psychological hogwash and not like the Bible. At one church I attended, they brought in some foolish person to teach that women see through pink glasses and men through blue. Could you imagine that instead of going to the Scripture, they were teaching that nonsense to couples at Church? I exited and never went back after the first few minutes of the man’s psychological talk. It was all talk with ZERO anointing! It was all an offshoot of the “women are from Venus” and “men are from Mars” psycho-babble that is really against the sound teaching of Scripture. So many churches have moved away from real strong gospel messages, and have embraced messages of self-help, cotton-candy, sugar-coated fluff meant to “inspire” the senses instead of informing, rebuking when necessary, correcting weird and wrong ideas, exposing sin, and revealing the truth of God’s Word. Churches have often become country clubs and entertainment venues with no power from heaven, no anointing, and no conviction. Some started with an anointing, and later lost it by trying to become respectable and likeable.  Some have gotten away from ministering to the sick through the laying on of hands (of course, dead churches don’t do that anyway), and many no longer pray in public for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues. I am speaking about so-called Spirit-filled churches or Pentecostal, Charismatic, Full-Gospel churches. Many no longer have altar calls. If they pray for people to receive Jesus, it is done without an altar call. Everybody is led in a prayer and the “saved” no longer make a public confession of their faith in Christ Jesus. Have you noticed that some churches let altar workers pray with those that stay after the service is dismissed? The pastor rarely prays for people. Other churches, instead of teaching the saints according to God’s Word, they entertain their audience for an hour or two! Hollywood style entertainment has invaded many churches with their “broad is the way” (known as Broadway) replacing the straight and narrow way Jesus taught. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13, 14 NKJV) So, what did Paul preach according to the faith in Christ to Felix and Drusilla? Here it is in a nutshell. 1. Righteousness: The main points: * It is a gift (Romans 4:23-25, 5:17) received upon initially believing and trusting in what Jesus did and provided for us when God raised Him from the dead and we confessed Him as our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9, 10). *The gift can be interrupted by sin, but confessing our sins before the Lord, we can be forgiven and cleansed from all un-righteousness, restoring our relation to God. See 1 John 1:7-10, 2:1,2. *Righteousness includes righteous living according to God’s moral commandments. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him… Little children let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous… In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. (1 John 2:29, 3:7, 10 NKJV) See also Titus 2:11, 12; and compare it with Titus 1:8, where a leader must be “righteous”. If righteousness is only a gift that has nothing to do with conduct or lifestyle (Christian character) then why bother to list it as a qualification? No, Paul taught that righteousness is also a lifestyle of doing what is right. See also 1 Timothy 6:11- “pursue righteousness, godliness” and 2 Tim. 2:22- “flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Even after our initial cleansing in the blood and the renewal in the Spirit that placed us in His righteousness, we must pursue righteous living as an everyday reality. 2. Self-control Main points: Self-control is “self-restraint, temperance, control of ones passions, desires, and sexual impulses.” It means to control yourself according to God’s word and commandments, His requirements. You dominate your body’s unruly desires. The Holy Spirit will not do it all for you. He requires your personal and individual participation. He will empower you to have dominion over your body and rule over any passion or evil desire that would try to get you off the Word and holiness. It is God’s armor, but we must put it on. God will not put the armor on you. (Eph. 6:10-17) We are to put off the old man and put on the new man. (Eph. 4: 22, 24) We cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, and we put on the Lord Jesus (Romans 13:12-14) The above means that every Christian has a daily responsibility. Every day we are to take up our cross and follow Him. If we do not put on Jesus today, then we are without Him during that day. If we do not put on the armor of light daily, then it never will come on you on its own. Nothing is automatic in God’s kingdom and you have responsibilities, orders, commandments, requirements, duties, and something is demanded of you daily. Some have said, “Oh, I just couldn’t help it. I just had to do it.” Lies, Lies, Lies! That person didn’t submit to God and did not resist the devil. (James 4:7) They yielded to the unrenewed mind, conformity to the world, and the old man. They yielded to works of the flesh. Nobody made them do anything. They did it! Examine every time you ever did something wrong. I have and I know that I yielded to sin because I flat out desired the wrong thing. I let the wrong thing get into my mind and work on my flesh, and I sinned! It was not God’s fault but my own. An admission like that demonstrates spiritual growth when you are willing to admit or confess your faults and receive forgiveness and cleansing from the Lord. (See James 5:16. And 1 John 1:9.) That truly demonstrates humility when you admit your wrongs and come before God in repentance. (See Proverbs 28:13.) The humble are the ones that get the grace (1 Peter 5:5, 6). Examine yourself whether you are in the faith! Isn’t that our main text from 2 Corinthians 13:5? 3. Coming Judgment Main points: Eternal judgment in Hebrews 6:1, 2 is one of the principal teachings of Christ. Eternal judgment is both for the righteous and the wicked. There is eternal judgment and a judgment that comes on those that refuse to repent and continue to practice sin. *Judgment on the wicked: Revelation 20:4, 12, 13, 21:7. *The judgment seat of Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:10. *Judging yourself so you stay out of judgment while on the earth: See 1 Corinthians 11:29, 34. First John 1:9 is a great and powerful gift to the followers of Jesus. It is our way out of certain judgment and our way back into cleansing, forgiveness, and the unchanging righteousness of Jesus. For forgiveness and cleansing, all we have is His shed blood for us. He is the propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins (1 John 2:1, 2), and His blood cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) We have much more to say about all this, but that is sufficient for today. Hear the podcast Repentance Part 10 and be mightily blessed!

What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? It can sound scary, but I believe it can change your life if you adopt this way of thinking. Through Jesus, we can put our old lives, our old decisions, and our old identities to death. We are new creatures, living by faith, every day, with a God who loves us unconditionally.

Did you know that God’s primary way of blessing the people of this earth is through the Body of Christ? It’s true, the Lord has called His church to be the primary avenue in which He expresses His Love for all people. This is Pastor Tom Arnould, I would like to invite you to join me now for a message, I shared with our Good News Church family titled “Bless and Do Not Curse.”

Did you know that God’s primary way of blessing the people of this earth is through the Body of Christ? It’s true, the Lord has called His church to be the primary avenue in which He expresses His Love for all people. This is Pastor Tom Arnould, I would like to invite you to join me now for a message, I shared with our Good News Church family titled “Bless and Do Not Curse.”

The Metaphysical Theater Podcast on Anchor The Metaphysical Theater: John Tvrz Johntvrz.com 'metaphysics-in-action'  The Act of Being as God is being now. Theory of Acting. the theatrical performance is in fact stage to the 'theatre of the world.' And this metaphysical theater within myself is open. The world of the stage, of roles, Metaphysical Theater is upon the electronic virtual wind. Name blows in secret, invisibly traveling to you now. The Metaphysical Theatre provides us with an apt metaphor for a discourse on what has traditionally been the subject matter of metaphysics. The point of metaphysics in both the metaphysical theatre and in life, the act which presences "that-which-is" remains elusive. The performance which To speak of as if it were controlled by a prior presence (ideal or otherwise) something and not the thing itself. The metaphysical notion. Philosophy, then, reveals itself to be What I am suggesting, however, is that by re-interpreting these notions as elements of a theatre, Even by complete spiritual revision of all notions is my mind over-ridden by Christ It is the metaphysical theatre metaphor which makes this discourse on being as a living breathing performance possible. Imitation of God pleases God, even if he knows you ate upon the state in mortal costume of flesh and bone blood and love, fear and Hate, wisdom and sweet holy words to proceed out of my mouth. It not only enables us to construct an ontology of presence But it does this as a product of a metaphysics that moves beyond presence itself. And our winding scenes lead back to God the face in the mirror before you. A conceit is a kind of metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever way. Often, conceits are extended metaphors that dominate an entire passage or poem. Metaphysical poet John Donne was known for his conceits (often called metaphysical conceits)met·a·phys·ic the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space. abstract theory with no basis in reality. "his concept of society as an organic entity is, for market liberals, simply meta Metaphysics is philosophical: it's about explaining the fundamental nature of the world and what it means as humans to inhabit it. Spirituality, on the other hand, is experiential and has more to do with spiritual practices and the development and discovery of the self. The metaphysical theater here now within myself expressed out upon this stage is the unification of the quantum fields of the serial multiverses.

Chosen in Christ -Redemptive Inheritance of the Saints Pt1 on Sound the Shofar | Warn-Usa.com | WIBR/WARN Radio   Chosen in Christ -It is a new study that we begin this week. For all believers in Christ Jesus, we will discuss some of the most descriptive verses concerning our Inheritance and it's manifestation.  Inheritance is the result of the Full, complete Revelation and Manifestation of the Son of God to us and our response to that inheritance.  Jesus Christ to the glory of the Father with power and might manifested Redemption to those who believe upon his name and sealed our inheritance by the Holy Ghost which has been given to us.  In the midst of Darkness, we are that light of the Lord. It is here where the Inheritance meets the daily walk for the Lord. In the turmoil and trouble we see in this world; there is hope, there is power, there is deliverance, and that is in Christ Jesus who gave us redemption and inheritance.   To get the Books from the Watchman Dana G Smith go to his website http://www.DanaGlennSmith.com    Chosen in Christ - It is a jaded, corrupt society that we live in today. In the time of the Apostles they experienced the same thing. The same hope the Apostles and early church found in Christ Jesus, many today have also experienced. Even with this, the trials of the world and living in such a society demands that the power found in Christ's Resurrection be found in us, through him who first loved us.   Find other Links and info https://linktr.ee/warnradio

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Have you ever played the word association game? Many of you have, but for those of you who haven't the game goes like this: someone gives you a word, and then you are to say the first thing that comes to your mind upon hearing that certain word. If we were to play that game today and I gave you a few words to associate how would you answer? If I were to say food, you might say Pizza. If I said instrument, you may say Guitar. If I said, “movie” what movie would pop into your mind? I may say Batman and you would respond with Robin. If I were to say “Tennessee Vols Football Fan”” you might say, “SAD”…. right???… Many of these would be pretty easy to associate with something else wouldn't they? But what about this one: Christian… What comes to mind when you hear the word “Christian”??? That term has become very vague in how we as a society use it hasn't it?? When speaking of being a Christian people often say things like “I'm Christian because my parents were Christian” or, “I'm a Christian because I'm from the south” Or “I'm a Christian… But I don't care about that church stuff.” “Christians do this” “Christians don't do that” “Someone is a Christian if they pray before their meals” “Someone is NOT a christian if they see an R Rated movie, unless it's the passion of the Christ” It seems as if in our world today it's tough to pin down what we associate with the term “Christian" because we've made it into a ton of things. Did you know that Jesus never used the term “Christian”? The first time we see the term “Christian” used in the scripture is in Acts 11:26 when it says, “26 in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. “ So, if the followers of Jesus were not known as Christians what were they known as??? The text tells us… The disciples….. Consider this: The word Christian is used only 3 times in the entire bible… The word disciple is used 281 times in the New Testament alone… We see that even though our primary term would be “Christian” The authors of the New Testament, inspired by the Holy Spirit, primary term was “disciple” You may be thinking right now, “so what? Christian, disciple, tomato, tomAto, it's all the same…. Why does it matter if we changed our name from disciple to Christian?” Check out what Andy Stanley says of this when he says, “I want to suggest to you that in changing the primary word that we use to describe ourselves, we lost the clarity that the word disciple conveyed about what a follower of Jesus actually is.” So, if we know that “Christian” can mean a ton of things, what does disciple mean?” When looking at the word disciple in the original language we see that in the simplest of terms it means “learner”… or “follower” I hate to say this, but I believe that in our day and age, a lot of people who call themselves Christians are not actually disciples. Just because our parents went to church, does not make us a disciple. Just because we are from the south, that doesn't make us a disciple. Just because we choose not to watch R-rated movies does not make us a disciple. So, what does? One pastor says that, “Being a disciple is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you.” And I believe that God is calling all of us to be His disciples. From the text here I believe we see 3 realties of being a disciple of Christ: First I believe we see the reality that…….. JESUS DOESN'T CHOOSE THE BEST, HE CHOOSES THE WILLING. 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Here we see that Jesus is making his first selection of the disciples he's going to build his dream team with. If you were a religious fan back in this day, I can imagine you would have had your predictions of who Jesus was going to pick. Will it be one of the amazing scholars in Egypt? Or will it be one of the great philopshers from Athens? No. No. I know, it has to be one of the most powerful men from Rome… And the religious fans would've waited in anticipation to see who Jesus' first selection would be… Those of you who know me, know that I love sports… Especially, the eight time national champion Kentucky Wildcats. I sometimes become convicted though, that I get more excited about sports then I do about church… So, I started wondering. What would happen if people treated church like they do sports… Check out what Kyle Idleman has to say about this: See if you can imagine this one.  People arrive hours early for church. On Sunday mornings, they don't just set a backup alarm on their cell phones to assure they wake up in time —they set a backup for the backup. Throughout the week, they talk about what happened the previous Sunday as excitement builds for the upcoming church service. There are all-day radio talk shows devoted to reviewing last week's service and breaking down the next one. There's even a  TV show called “ChurchCenter” that runs highlight clips of  church activities that have happened across the nation.  When Sunday comes, the people load up their trucks, SUVs,  and sedans hours before the service starts.  “Hurry,” Dad says frantically. “We're behind again.”  “It's 6:00 a.m.” Mom says. “Church doesn't start for five  hours.”  “Last time we left at this time, we had to park three miles  from the sanctuary and sit in the nosebleed seats. Someday, I re-  ally want to sit in the front row. But you have to camp out on the  church lawn to have any chance of that.”  The roads are really congested on the way to church, no matter how early you leave. At church, there are vehicles parked as  far as the eye can see. Some members are tailgating, laying out  elaborate spreads of barbequed meats on portable grills. Lawn  chairs dot the church parking lot. Some people have television  monitors and satellite dishes so they can catch updates from  other worship services while they wait for their own to begin.  Even in the dead of winter, they'll be out here in the same  numbers. And once the church doors open, the masses begin fil-  ing into the sanctuary, cheering with great passion and excite-  ment. As the service starts, the people are all on their feet — not  that they ever sit down. A bunch of young guys stand in the front  row. None of them wears a shirt, but each one has a letter paint-  ed on his chest. Together they spell J-E-S-U-S.  After several hours of worship and an extra-long sermon, peo-  ple start looking at their watches. Everyone is thinking the same  thing: “I hope the service goes into overtime!” Did any of you go to the NFL draft in Nashville this year? They said it was somewhere around 500 thousands people in attendance. People love the draft…. One of the most outstanding draft selections in the history of football came at a very unexpected time in the year 2000. The person walks to the stage to represent the New England Patriots. He takes a deep breathe and says… “With the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL draft, the New England Patriots select… Tom Brady, QB from the university of Michigan…” And everyone looked at each other and said… “WHO!?!?!” Not knowing that he would go on to be the greatest football player of all time. What if there was a disciples draft??? “With the first pick in the very first disciples draft Jesus Christ of Nazareth selects…… Simon Peter & his brother Andrew, fishermen from the city of Capernaum.” And everyone looked at each other and said “WHO?!?!” Fisherman were not on the top of the board of the religious list back in this day. Most likely, they had little education, little spiritual perception, and little to none religious training. It was an unexpected pick… Little did they know, they would be the ones Jesus would use to turn the world upside down. John Macarthur: speaks of this when he says, “God skipped all the wise of the day! The great scholars were in Egypt; the great library was in Alexandria; the great philosophers were in Athens; the powerful were in Rome. He passed over Socrates the great thinker and Julius Caesar. He chose men so ordinary it was comical. No Rabbis, no teachers, no religious experts...” Don't miss what I am about to say: God may not always call the qaulified, but He always qualifies the called…. Paul describes it even better there in 1 Corinthians 1:26 when he says, 26  Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” So, whether it is a lack of education, it's an insecurity you may have, a weary heart, or a sinful past, despite our shortcomings Jesus calls to everyone of us as he did Peter and Andrew and says, “Follow me… Be my disciples….” We see the reality that Jesus doesn't choose the best, He chooses the willing. Not only that, but we also see the reality that…… 2. TO FOLLOW HIM, WE HAVE TO LEAVE ALL. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Notice the two things they left in this passage. The Boat Their Father I think the author wants us to notice something here.. The boat is what the place they were most comfortable. Their father was one of their most significant relationships.. The author is trying to show us that a call to follow Jesus is one where He has to be of utmost importance to you, or it's not gonna work out. We see that Jesus says something similar in Luke 9:57. It says, “57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” In other words, being a disciple means being out of your comfort zone. We're not gonna stay in the boat the entire time. 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Again Jesus shows us that we have to love Him above everything and everyone in order to follow Him. One of the most popular teachings on this subject would be when Jesus said in Matthew 10:38, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What do we know about a cross? It's a death instrument. Jesus is saying, if you are not willing to die to yourself daily, then you can't follow me. A call to follow Jesus means dying to anything that would be a hindrance to the work he's called you to. A call to follow Jesus is one that requires anything living within' us that causes us to love something else more than Him, to be put to death. That's why Deitrech Bonnohefer so accurately said, “When Christ calls a man to follow Him, He bids him come and die.” I know what you are prolly thinking… “Wow.. This doesn't sound fun at all to me.” All this talk about dying… I thought that following Jesus meant to have abundant life, not all this talk of dying.. So, which one is it Noah, does being a disciple mean dying or living? Here's the answer: Yes…. Let me expound… Here we see one of the great paradoxes of Jesus. Taking up your cross means dying to yourself. Trading in your earthly desires for the heavenly desires Christ wants to give you. Trading in the lie of trying to be fulfilled by things of the world, and becoming fulfilled by the things of God. It is the process of dying to the flesh, and living by the spirit. Becoming less of who you were before you knew Christ, and more of who He is calling you to be. The Apostle Paul had this same idea when he wrote to the Galatians and said, “20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” I like the way a popular worship song puts it when one of the lyrics say, “I found my life, when I laid it down." A call to follow Jesus means that we are to leave all. We are to love Him and seek after His will more than anything else in our lives… When it comes to being a disciple, not only do we see the reality that Jesus doesn't choose the best, he chooses the willing; not only do we see the reality that he calls us to leave all, but lastly we see the reality that…. 3. HE COMMANDS US TO SPIRITUALLY REPRODUCE. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus says, if you follow me, I will MAKE you fishers of men.. Not, “If you do this bible study, or you memorize this gospel presentation, then I'll make you fishers of men.” NO! In this text there's a command, and a result… The command: Follow Jesus. The result: become a fisher of men. Spiritually reproducing is not just something that a disciple does, spiritually reproducing is the main factor of who a disciple is… Have any of you heard of the Ennegram thing going around? It's basically like a personality test.. Like, a 7 is this. And if your result is a 4 then that means that you like this, but you don't like this… I don't know… I have to get my students to explain it to me… But, Jesus gives us a bit of a similar personality test in John 15:8..  “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples.” How do you prove you are a disciple? By bearing fruit. And if you are not bearing fruit, you have reason to question whether you are a disciple at all. Jesus tells His disciples how to bear fruit in His famous Great Commission: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In his book, The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman said: “When will the church learn this lesson? Preaching to the masses, although necessary, will never suffice in the work of preparing leaders for evangelism. Nor can occasional prayer meetings and training classes for Christian workers do this job... Individual women and men are God's method. God's plan for discipleship is not something, but someone.” Church, when it comes to making disciples, WE ARE PLAN A, AND THERE IS NO PLAN B. That's why we are happy to share with you guys this morning that we are launching what is called the “Who's Your One” campaign. We are encouraging every member of the church to identify one person whom they know that is spiritually seeking or lost, and commit to praying for that person, and taking the initiative in being the first piece of the puzzle that could help that person come to know Christ… Now, if you have been in church for a while, you may have heard of or been apart of something like this before. So, you may be wondering, what all this will entail. If it will be like the evangelistic campaign you did this time, or that time. I believe the best way I can explain what this campaign is, is to first tell you what it is not. 1. Who's Your One will not be motivated by guilt. Far too many times in the church culture we see a lot of these evangelist efforts driven by something of the effect “If you really love Jesus, you'll go knock on this door, hand them this gospel track, give this presentation” Who's Your One is not that… 2. Who's Your One will not simply be a leverage point for us to brag of our evangelist success. Will we be excited about people coming to Jesus? Yes! Will we be doing it all so that we can show everyone how amazing we are? No! We will do everything for the glory of God, and not ours. 3. Who's Your One will not be a process in which we turn people into projects… We will not approach people who do not know Jesus and turn them into our own little project that the church has us working on… Rather, we will love that person as Jesus would love them, and show them that we want them to know Christ because we love them, not simply because we are involved with a churches evangelist campaign. Through Who'sYourOne, I believe that God is going to show us that He is calling all of us to be His disciples. And we can jump into this season with confidence because we know that even though we may not be the best by the world's standard, God loves to use those who are weak to shame the strong. We know that if we follow Him and love Him above all else, he will in return give us a life that will truly satisfy and fulfill all we could ever long for. And by knowing these things, and believing them, we know that He will use as His disciples, to make disciples, all for the glory of His name.

This sermon covers the purpose for miracles. Do miracles convert people to Christ-- It also looks at the matter of kneeling. 34 min. MercySeat.net