Podcasts about Colonnade

“Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14:12-14 CSBJesus is speaking to his disciples after the Passover Feast - the last supper - and he's telling them he's leaving but they can't follow him yet. Thomas says, “We don't know where you are going? How can we know the way?” John 14:5Jesus, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. If you know me, you will also know my father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:6Jesus, “The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does His works. Believe me that I am in the father and the father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.” John 14:10-11“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”Philippians 2:5-8(ESV)All that Jesus did, God did through him. Jesus is telling us that we have access to the Father through Him, and in Him we can do greater works than even Jesus did. Do you feel qualified? God Qualifies the Called“God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest FearsWe see this throughout scripture. Here are just a few examples: Joseph - A despised younger brother sold into slavery then imprisoned. Genesis 37, 39 God helps him interpret dreams - saves his family and Egypt from a famine. Gen. 39, 41Moses - Not eloquent, slow of speech and tongue - killed someone Exodus 4:10-12 2:1-12 God calls him to lead the people out of Egypt. Exodus 3:10-12David - A shepherd boy and the youngest son. 1 Samuel 16:11 God gives him strength and courage to kill a giant - becomes King 1 Samuel 17:45-47The First Disciples - Fishermen, a tax collector, other unspecified jobs - Matt. 3:18-21 Jesus calls them to be fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 Jesus commissions them to make disciples of all nations. Matt. 28:16-20 Jesus sends them to preach, to have authority to cast out demons. Mark 3:14-15Saul/Paul - Persecuted early Christians and tried to destroy the church Gal. 1:13 Preaches that Jesus is the Son of God and spreads the gospel to gentiles Acts 9:20 Romans 3:23 NIV “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God Qualified Peter to do the Miraculous Fisherman turned disciple - Matt. 4:18-20Walked on water - Matt. 14:28-31Renamed Peter (Rock) from Simon - John 1:42 Matt. 16:18Confesses Jesus is the Messiah - Matt. 16:18Rebuked Jesus and was corrected - Matt. 16:21-23 Saw Jesus Transfigured - Matt. 17:1-5Cut off the servant's ear - John 18:10Denied knowing Jesus 3 times - Matt. 26:69–75, Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:55–62, and John 18:15-27Restored by Jesus (Feed my sheep) - John 21:15-19-------------------------------- Preached at Pentecost- first sermon - 3,000 people come to believe - Acts 2 Healed a lame man - Acts 3:1-10Preached in Solomon's Colonnade - second sermon - 5,000 believe - Acts 3:11- Acts 4:4Arrested and testified about Jesus before the Sanhedrin - Acts 4:1-22 Judgment resulting in death of Ananias and Sapphira - Acts 5:1-10Healed the sick and those with “unclean spirits” - Acts 5:12-16Arrested, put on trial and flogged - Acts 5:17-42Healed a paralyzed man, Aeneas - Acts 9:32-35Raised Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead - Acts 9:36-43Received a vision, then defended the gospel being for Gentiles too- Acts 10 - Acts 11:18 Imprisoned again then rescued by an angel - Acts 12:1-18 Writes 1 & 2 Peter Crucified around 66 yrs. OldNotes From Time Before Jesus Ascended: During his time as a disciple of Jesus, Peter saw many miracles and experienced some directly - walking on water - coin in the fish's mouth - mother-in-law healed. Disciples were given authority to heal and cast out demons. Matt. 10, Luke 9Reasonable to think Peter had done miracles while Jesus was alive too. The specific miracles Peter does begin in Acts, after the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Notes About Peter's Specific Miracles First sermon: after the Holy Spirit descended upon them and they started speaking in different tongues. Some sneered and tried to say they were drunk. Peter spoke up and and rebuke them and gave his first sermon. Takes a lot to speak in front of a large group. Jerry Sinfield joke: people would rather be the one in the coffin than giving the eulogy. 3,000 people were baptized after his message! Healed a lame man: A man who couldn't walk since birth was carried to the temple so he could beg as people came by. Peter and John walked by and he asked them for money. Peter said, “I don't have silver or gold but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk! Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong.” Acts 3:6-7 Peter was doing as Jesus did! BY FAITH: Acts 3:16 Peter tells the people, “By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong…” Judgment resulting in death of Ananias and Sapphira: Acts 5:1-10Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some property but decided to keep some for themselves. Shows Peter had supernatural knowledge of the actual amount Ananias and Sapphira sold their property for. When Ananias came in and lied to the Holy Spirit he died. After Sapphira came in and lied about the amount too, Peter prophesied she would die too. Healed the sick and those with “unclean spirits”: Acts 5:12-16Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared to join them, but the people spoke well of them. 14 Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers—multitudes of both men and women. 15 As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 In addition, a multitude came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.Healing Aeneas a paralyzed and bedridden man of 8 years.Acts 9:34 “Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed, and immediately he got up.” Raised Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead! Dorcas was a disciple - a follower of Jesus She became sick and diedTwo other disciples went and got Peter who was in a nearby town.He sent everyone out of the room. He knelt, prayed and told her to get up! Peter went from being a fisherman to a fisher of men! Jesus called Peter and Peter followed him until the day Peter died around 66 years old. God Calls Us to Follow Him And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" Luke 9:23, Matthew 16:24 "Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" John 8:12 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" John 10:27 "If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also" John 12:26 Notes: Peter started off as a fisherman. He was called to follow Jesus and he did.Through walking and talking with Jesus and watching and listening, Peter learned who Jesus was. After 3 years, it didn't stop him from making mistakes. Called out many times He kept believing and learning and growing. He kept followingAfter Jesus ascended into Heaven and the disciples were in the upper room, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and then Peter started to lead.Do as Jesus did! Matthew 28:19-20 “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.” We've been commissioned to go out into the world to do miraculous things. Leading people into the fullness of forgiveness and redemption and who they are called to be in Christ is no less than miraculous! Jesus dying, defeating death, and redeeming us from our sins is a miracle! The fullness of that miracle won't fully be realized until we die but there is nothing more miraculous than being made clean and living with our creator. God Equips Us With different gifts Romans 12:6-8 Prophesying, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Giving, Leading, Showing Mercy“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully”Through the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 12:7-11A message of wisdom, a message of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”Through the grace given to us through Jesus 2 Timothy 1:9-10“…not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace….”“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”With qualities that keep us from being unfruitful 2 Peter 1:3-8 Faith, Goodness, Self-Control, Endurance, Godliness, Brotherly Affection, Love“His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”John 15:1-8 Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Those who remain in him will produce much fruit, because we can do nothing without him. Romans 8:11 “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.”If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you - (Romans 8:11) then you don't have to do this in your own strength. You have the strength of God with you. No matter how strong you are on your own, you are not strong enough without the power of God living inside you. He's given us everything we need to live for Him! God is calling you to follow Him! As you step out in faith and obedience, he equips you with what you need and qualifies you for what he calls you to do. Acts 4:13 NIV - When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Peter and John have just preached the gospel in Solomon's Colonnade after healing a man who was lame from birth. The priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) were annoyed with their preaching, so they seized Peter and John and jailed them overnight. In today's episode they will stand before the Sanhedrin, a counsel of Jewish religious leaders who held court concerning religious matters. Seeing the healed man, the simply threaten them not to preach in the name Jesus. After they are let go, they only request to preach Christ with greater boldness. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

In this episode of The Weekly, host Jay Ewing sits down with Perry Marshall to explore John 10 and the themes of belief and assurance. As Jesus walks through Solomon's Colonnade during the Feast of Dedication, He makes bold claims about His identity—claims that challenge the religious leaders and force a response from everyone listening. Together, they discuss what it means for Jesus to say, “I and the Father are one,” why people often admire Jesus' works while resisting His claims, and how believers can find deep assurance in being held securely in the hands of the Son and the Father. This conversation invites listeners—whether confident in their faith or still searching—to listen for the Shepherd's voice and consider what it truly means to believe. Learn more at calvarybible.com #calvarybible

In this episode of The Weekly, host Jay Ewing sits down with Perry Marshall to explore John 10 and the themes of belief and assurance. As Jesus walks through Solomon's Colonnade during the Feast of Dedication, He makes bold claims about His identity—claims that challenge the religious leaders and force a response from everyone listening. Together, they discuss what it means for Jesus to say, “I and the Father are one,” why people often admire Jesus' works while resisting His claims, and how believers can find deep assurance in being held securely in the hands of the Son and the Father. This conversation invites listeners—whether confident in their faith or still searching—to listen for the Shepherd's voice and consider what it truly means to believe. Learn more at calvarybible.com #calvarybible

In this episode of The Weekly, host Jay Ewing sits down with Perry Marshall to explore John 10 and the themes of belief and assurance. As Jesus walks through Solomon's Colonnade during the Feast of Dedication, He makes bold claims about His identity—claims that challenge the religious leaders and force a response from everyone listening. Together, they discuss what it means for Jesus to say, “I and the Father are one,” why people often admire Jesus' works while resisting His claims, and how believers can find deep assurance in being held securely in the hands of the Son and the Father. This conversation invites listeners—whether confident in their faith or still searching—to listen for the Shepherd's voice and consider what it truly means to believe. Learn more at calvarybible.com #calvarybible

In this episode of The Weekly, host Jay Ewing sits down with Perry Marshall to explore John 10 and the themes of belief and assurance. As Jesus walks through Solomon's Colonnade during the Feast of Dedication, He makes bold claims about His identity—claims that challenge the religious leaders and force a response from everyone listening. Together, they discuss what it means for Jesus to say, “I and the Father are one,” why people often admire Jesus' works while resisting His claims, and how believers can find deep assurance in being held securely in the hands of the Son and the Father. This conversation invites listeners—whether confident in their faith or still searching—to listen for the Shepherd's voice and consider what it truly means to believe. Learn more at calvarybible.com #calvarybible

Today in History: Exactly three years after the Syrian Greeks had defiled the Holy Temple, the Maccabees recaptured it anddedicated it to the LORD again with a great celebration (see the historical book 1 Maccabees 4) Messiah visited the Holy Temple during Hanukkah (see John 10:22). “Then came Hanukkah; it was winter in Jerusalem. Yeshua was walking in the Temple around Solomon's Colonnade...” (TLV).Suggested Historical Reading: 1 Maccabees 1–2This week's portion is called Miketz (At the end) TORAH PORTION: Genesis 41:15–38GOSPEL PORTION: Matthew 22:1–14What verse spoke to you most today and why?Did you learn something you need to do in your life?Daily Bread for Kids is a daily Bible reading podcast where we read through the Torah and the Gospels in one year! Helping young Bible-readers to study God's Word, while also discovering its Jewish context!THE KIDS' JOURNAL is available from ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://arielmedia.shop⁠⁠⁠⁠BUSY MOMS who want to follow the Daily Bread readings on podcast for adults, can go to ⁠⁠https://dailybreadmoms.com⁠⁠The Bible translation we are reading from is the Tree of Life Version (TLV) available from the Tree of Life Bible Society.INSTAGRAM: @dailybreadkids @arielmediabooks @dailybreadmomsTags: #DailyBreadMoms #DailyBreadJournal #BibleJournaling #Messianic #BiblePodcast #BiblicalFeasts #Journal #biblereadingplan #Messiah #JewishRoots #Yeshua #GodIsInControl #OneYearBible #MomLife #MotherCulture #FaithFilledMama #BiblicalWomanhood #Proverbs31woman

Acts 3:1-5One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets."

As its 100th anniversary approaches, Rose Scott and the “Closer Look” team sit down with the staff of The Colonnade. Established in 1927, the Cheshire Bridge Road diner is one of Atlanta’s oldest restaurants, with some employees from the 1970s and 1980s still working in the kitchen and dining room. Scott talks with the owners about the history of The Colonnade, its family atmosphere among the staff and customers, the many movies and television shows that have filmed there, and the food that’s kept customers coming back for decades. Plus, in the midst of the civil rights struggle to desegregate public schools, an all-Black school was constructed to accommodate students in the College Park area. Starting from 1964, the students of Eva L. Thomas High School achieved academic excellence and athletic success. That’s until the late 1960s, when the Fulton County School Board ordered the school to be closed. As a documentary shows, this sparked a student-led protest. Rose talks with Mike Santrock, an archivist and historian for Fulton County Schools, and Ursel Brown, an alum of Eva L. Thomas High School.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flowing with God or Fighting against God?   Scale of 1-10 If flowing with God is a 10—and fighting against God is a 1—where are you on that scale? Acts 4:36-37 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. Acts 5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.  2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?  4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.  6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.  8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.  11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.   Beware of hypocrisy.   12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade.  13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.  14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.  15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.  16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.   17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.  18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.    Beware of jealousy.   19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.  20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.  22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”  24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. 25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.”  26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. 27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest.  28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!  30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.  31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.  32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.  34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.  35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.  36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.  38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Beware of neutrality. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.  42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

We're so glad you are here! Thanks for checking out Sunday's message!-- SUNDAY'S NOTES --Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. Acts 3:1-2 NLTOne of the primary reasons Jesus came was so no one would have to be an outsider. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Acts 3:3 NLTPeter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” Acts 3:4 NLTThe eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3 ESVIronically, our solution is found when we take our eyes off of our needs and focus them on our savior. The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don't have any silver or gold for you. But I'll give you what I have.” Acts 3:5-6 NLT“You know what a pacifier does, it pacifies!” Miles Siler Pacified feelings can be a huge deterrent to the incredible purposes and plans God has for you.In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk! Acts 3:6 NLTWhat God offers is exceedingly abundantly more than you could ever ask, think, or imagine! (Eph 3:20)Repentance before both God and people always provides a path back to Holy Spirit's divine provision. Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. Acts 3:7 NLT He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. Acts 3:8 NLTWhen we trust in God's provision we go from begging outside the temple to a worshiping inside the temple. All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon's Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. Acts 3:9-11 NLTWhen God does the work, God gets the worship! Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes. Acts 3:16 NLT-------------------------------------------------Download the 828 Church app!To view our latest e-newsletter, the Midweek Momentum, and subscribe to our weekly updates, go here! https://linktr.ee/828church

We're so glad you are here! Thanks for checking out Sunday's message!-- SUNDAY'S NOTES --Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. Acts 3:1-2 NLTOne of the primary reasons Jesus came was so no one would have to be an outsider. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Acts 3:3 NLTPeter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” Acts 3:4 NLTThe eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3 ESVIronically, our solution is found when we take our eyes off of our needs and focus them on our savior. The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don't have any silver or gold for you. But I'll give you what I have.” Acts 3:5-6 NLT“You know what a pacifier does, it pacifies!” Miles Siler Pacified feelings can be a huge deterrent to the incredible purposes and plans God has for you.In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk! Acts 3:6 NLTWhat God offers is exceedingly abundantly more than you could ever ask, think, or imagine! (Eph 3:20)Repentance before both God and people always provides a path back to Holy Spirit's divine provision. Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. Acts 3:7 NLT He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. Acts 3:8 NLTWhen we trust in God's provision we go from begging outside the temple to a worshiping inside the temple. All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon's Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. Acts 3:9-11 NLTWhen God does the work, God gets the worship! Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes. Acts 3:16 NLT-------------------------------------------------Download the 828 Church app!To view our latest e-newsletter, the Midweek Momentum, and subscribe to our weekly updates, go here! https://linktr.ee/828church

Acts 3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.  It's Not Over at the Gate 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”  7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk.  Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God,  10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.   11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade.  12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?  13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.  14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.  16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. 17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.  19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,  20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.  22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.' 24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days.  25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'  26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” Acts 4:1-4 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people.  2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.  4 But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.  

Who do people say Jesus is? And more importantly, who do you say He is? This sermon by Richard Bruce dives deep into the most crucial question of faith, exploring the identity of Jesus as the Messiah and the profound power held within His name. Discover how an encounter with Jesus can be a life-transforming choice, just like it was for a beggar at the temple gate. Are you ready to consider what it means to call Jesus your Lord, Savior, and Friend? Tune in to explore the step of faith. To catch up on the latest sermons from Deep Creek, go to iTunes, Spotify ordeepcreekanglican.comand check out the website for more info about whats happening. We are a welcoming and growing multigenerational church in Doncaster East in Melbourne with refreshing faith in Jesus Christ. We think that looks like being life-giving to the believer, surprising to the world, and strengthening to the weary and doubting. Transcription Taken from Mark chapter eight, verses 27 to 38, Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, who do people say I am? They replied, some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah, and still others one of the prophets. But what about you? He asked, who do you say I am? Peter answered, you are the Messiah. Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. Get behind me, Satan, he said, you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns. Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his father's glory with the holy angels. This is the word of the Lord. Sermon: Richard Bruce Well. Good morning. It's good to be with you. My name is Richard Bruce, and, I'm feeling very old today because, the last time I spoke at Deep Creek, Bob Brown invited me, and I looked this up. It was a men's breakfast out there in 2006. So, that was some time ago. And I'm also feeling, old, but also encouraged because, I've known Megan for a very long time. I was her first youth group leader, and, I was there the night that she made a commitment of faith. So it's been wonderful to journey, along with her over many years. I do want to encourage you to continue to keep all of the candidates, that had their names put forward for the archbishop in your prayers. It's a pretty tortuous process that they go through and very vulnerable. There's not too many jobs that you have. Nearly 800 people, considering you for, but that is that is the Anglican way that we do it, in Melbourne. But, encourage you to keep the candidates in your prayers. My role, currently, I am the archdeacon for Diocesan and Parish partnerships, working centrally, in the diocese. And what that looks like on a day to day basis is, I work with our prison chaplains, our hospital chaplains, op shops. And then there's a whole range of, individual church programs that work with Anglicare Victoria, Brotherhood of Saint Lawrence Benitez and other Anglican agencies. So I'm I'm kind of like the go to guy, for those things. If a parish wants to investigate doing a program like a. A breakfast program for homeless people or an op shop or something like that. I'm the person that they come to. I go and meet with the parish, talk about it, and then we work out who are the organizations or agencies that they might connect with to partner with in doing that. So I live locally in Warren, and I normally do come along and sit over quietly with my two boys. Over on the side we come in. Just the service begins and then we sneak out just as it finishes. Previously been on staff at a number of churches, but it's, It's good to be with you this morning as we finish, this, series of together. And I get to start my timer now for the sermon. So. Yeah. There we go. Megan said we had to be very careful about our timing. So there we go. Yeah, it was very encouraged that, she made it very clear that as a senior minister, the timing does not apply to her. But anyway, here we. Here we go. Who Do You Say I Am? I love this. This is. This is perhaps my favorite passage of scripture. If if someone said you could talk about any passage of scripture, what would it be? This. This would be it. I love the fact that as Jesus is walking along with his disciples, he asked that question who do people say that I am? And then he asks them, but who do you say that I am? I wonder if we we went down to the ponds this morning or we went to your favorite cafe this morning, perhaps to your workplace, to your social club, whatever it might be to to the people that you engage with. If we ask them, who do you say Jesus is? I wonder what the responses would be. I think they would be quite varied, wouldn't they? Quite varied. For the disciples, we see that when they first interact with Jesus, when they first start walking along with him, they ask that question, who? Who is this man? Who is this guy? When Jesus calms the waters. When? When they're out in the boat, what's their response? Who is this man that even the waters obey him? All the way through to this point in Jesus life and ministry, where the disciples have been walking with him for nearly three years, they've been living with him 24 over seven. Where Peter declares, you are the Messiah, you're the one that we have been waiting for. You're the one that's going to save us. Jesus shows his identity to his disciples, to those that are closest to him. And if you read the gospel of Mark and Matthew, you will see this come through clearly, where Jesus shows his authority and shows the power of God working through him in these five areas to teach his authority over sickness, over nature, over death, and the authority to forgive sins. So for the disciples, the people that are living with him. Where if there was anyone that would have said, this guy is a fraud. This guy is not real. There is. There is weakness. There is inconsistency. It would be the disciples, wouldn't it? So this is the power of Jesus asking this question of the disciples. The other people who are not living with him every day they say, well, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, still some others. One of the prophets. They're all good things. But when Peter says, you are the Messiah, this is a declaration that the disciples see him in his true identity, in the fullness of his glory, in his purpose living out. This is powerful. That's why he says, don't go telling people because he knows what the implications would be. For Jesus to fulfill 300 to 500. Old Testament prophecies about who the Messiah is. In just a few years is powerful. This is part of the proof of who Jesus is. To the disciples, as they are looking for the Messiah to come. They see it living out before them in an undeniable way. It is not insignificant that Peter says you are the Messiah. You are the one that we are looking for. The Name of Jesus Now we hear the name of Jesus many times a day. If you like me in all kinds of circumstances. We hear the name of Jesus. It is one of the most used swear words in our society, isn't it? All you've got to do is watch a movie. Hear people talking. Jesus. Jesus Christ, Lord almighty. Or as one of my bosses used to say, Jesus wept. It is used all the time as a profanity in movies, TV shows, sporting fields, whatever it might be. People use the name of Jesus, don't they? But predominantly it is a swear word. Now I find it amazing that it is socially acceptable to use Jesus name as a swear word, but yet as a Christian, as a as I like to call myself as a professional Christian, being an Anglican minister, most people know that instantly when I say I'm an Anglican minister, that I'm a Christian. If I was to use the name of Jesus and start to talk to people about Jesus, they'd get all offended and upset and I'd be told to shut up. But no one predominantly tells people if they use the Lord's name in vain, to be quiet. Not to do that. That's not inappropriate. That's not appropriate. We don't see other people's names being used as a swear word, do we? People don't go, oh, Richard. But Jesus socially acceptable? It's the norm. The third of the Ten Commandments is you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for your Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. There are consequences to speaking the name Jesus, and if you misuse it, that is sinful. That is against what God wants us to do. So if you've ever misused the name of Jesus, you have sinned. But the good news is that we are all sinners, and it is in fact by the name of Jesus that we can be saved. Romans 623 says, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now the other thing that I find amazing and I've discovered over the years. Is that people are happy to talk about God. But when you start talking about Jesus, you get a reaction. You see, it's it's kind of easy to talk about God because God's this, this thing, this power, this thing which is up there and out there that isn't really tangible. And so people are happy to talk about God. But as soon as you start talking about Jesus, I get a response. Sometimes a reaction from people, particularly for those of us who have grown up in Western culture, most of us would know about Jesus. We know about the Easter story that this guy, Jesus, died on a cross and apparently rose from the dead. But the confronting thing about Jesus is that Jesus died for me. Jesus died for you. We we have this reaction, this personal response to what someone says they have done for us. I think we see that in Anzac Day, don't we? There is this response that even though it was so long ago, there are people who laid down their life for you and I today. And there's a there's a reaction, there's a personal response. A bit of a who am I that someone who doesn't even know me, laid down their life, went to war to sacrifice themselves? That I can live the life that I live today. And I think that's part of why the name of Jesus commands such a response in us, where it's nice and easy to talk about God, but talking about Jesus, well, that's personal. That's personal. The Power in the Name of Jesus Now, the Bible has a lot to say about Jesus, and we could spend hours here just going through the Bible passages which reference his name and the power of that. But I'm just going to go through a number of Bible passages. I'm going to read them out. And as I do, I want you to just take on board the name of Jesus, the person of Jesus. And I want you to ask yourself this question if if what is being said about Jesus is true? If what is being said about Jesus is right, then what are the implications for me? Where do I stand? What is? What does this mean for me? If this is the truth? How am I going to respond to it? So let's let's have this. Bible passages: Matthew 121. He was given the name Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. John 112 to 13 yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband's will, but born of God. John 129. The next stage on the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him and said, look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John 318. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only son. John 2031 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Acts 221. Talking about the Day of Judgment, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans ten 9 to 13 that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame. Jew and Gentile. The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Philippians two 910 Therefore God exalted him, Jesus to the highest place, and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth, and under and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. They're pretty confronting passages, aren't they? Pretty daunting to think the power and authority of the name of Jesus, that everything in all of creation at his name should bow and give honor to Jesus? The name that is used as a profanity as a swear word. Is the name by which the whole of creation ought to be bowing in honor, the name by which every person can be saved. Is Jesus Christ more than a swear word? You'd better believe it. If what the Bible says is true. Then that impacts how we live our lives. For when we acknowledge that something is the truth, we either have to live by that truth or we ignore it, don't we? We all live by the truth that we believe that gravity is real, don't we? No one came in walking around wearing really heavy shoes with because we don't believe in gravity. And if we don't have really heavy shoes, we might, you know, float away. A little while ago on my social media feed. For some strange reason, I started getting all these video clips about flat earthers. I don't I don't know what I did to for it to happen, but I started getting all these clips about people trying to convince me that the earth is flat. And I was absolutely intrigued at the flat earthers. They are 100% convinced that it is the truth. I remember watching one clip where this guy started out to prove to people who believed that the earth was round, that it was actually flat. And as he did this experiment where he had a flat bit of paper and he had a light and he started to to to curve the bit of paper and talked about angles and everything. You could see that he'd suddenly convinced himself that the earth wasn't flat. So as he was trying to convince people that it was flat through this experiment, you could see the look on his face as he suddenly was like, oh, hang on a second. Hang on a second. I've. I've just just proven what I was trying to prove. And you could see him starting to think about all the consequences of this truth that he had just come to realize. That's what happens to us as we start to explore Jesus. We start to say, is this is this real? What if what are the consequences? How has my life going to change? For most people, coming to faith is a journey rather than an individual one off event. The Crippled Beggar Healed I'm going to read to us from acts and I'm a visual person, so I like to whenever there's a Bible story or something like I close my eyes and I try to visualize and and put the people into place and, and see what it's like so that I get the, the kind of full experience. So I want to invite you if you feel comfortable to close your eyes. As I read this story from acts three 1 to 16. And then I'll, I'll bring us back into the room at the end of it. But I want to encourage you to to try to picture what's occurring in this interaction. One day, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer. 3:00 in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, look at us, said the man gave them his attention, expecting that he was going to get something from them. Then Peter said, silver or gold? I do not have but what I have, I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the right hand. He helped him up and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called beautiful. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished, and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them, Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness? We had made this man walk. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus. This man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus name and the faith that comes through him that has given his complete healing to him. As you can all see. Isn't that a powerful story? Here is a man from birth. A cripple. As these disciples, as these followers of Jesus go in. They offer him Jesus healing. Can you imagine what's going through this cripples mind. He's sitting there thinking, this is. This is my life. This is how I make money. This is my identity. I'm the cripple that sits at the gates and gets money. So when Peter reaches out, his hand says, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk. Here's a choice, doesn't he? He can sit there and go, dude, I'm a cripple. I don't walk. This is. This is who I am. This is how I am. Nothing's going to change. No. Jesus of Nazareth. This. This is it. So here's a choice to make. Do I keep living the way that I've been living? Or do I accept? Do I reach out my hand in faith? And say, well, maybe this Jesus can transform my life. Maybe Jesus can perform a miracle and heal me. But what are going to be the consequences if I'm healed? What am I going to do? Don't have a job I've been begging my whole life. I'm going to be the former beggar. Everyone's going to know. Everyone's going to ask me questions. Oh, you're the guy that used to beg and Jesus healed you. What? Tell me about that. His decision to reach out his hand wasn't just a simple thing. It was a transformation of his life. It was an incredible act of faith. That would mean he was never going to be the same again. For him, for whoever his family was, for his community, for the people in the temple that day I was there the day that miracle occurred. I was there, I saw him when I went in. He was a beggar inside. He was walking around. Unbelievable. When we come and we engage with Jesus, there is a transformation that occurs. We see that throughout the Gospels. We see that from the apostles, from the disciples, even after Jesus ascension. And there are many people in this room today that could give testimony of Jesus transformation in their lives. Maybe not as miraculous as being born a cripple and being healed, but we could. All who are Christians give our testimony of what it was that caused us to give our lives to follow Jesus. How miraculous or mundane that may be. Just like the disciples, we have a testimony of a relationship with the living Jesus that has transformed our lives, that continues to transform our lives. What Good Is It? The last part of that Bible passage that we read talks about what good is it for someone to gain the whole world and yet to forfeit their soul? It's a great question, isn't it? I love Jesus questions. He kind of just. Really puts it to us. So many people in our world are trying to gain the whole world. I've known people who have acknowledged who Jesus is. I've been using these Bible passages since Meghan was a teenager. This is who Jesus is. Are you going to acknowledge who he is and accept him or reject him? Because they're the only two options. And there's going to be consequences to that decision. What are you going to do today? What are you going to do tomorrow? Next week? It's a daily decision to pick up our cross. For those who are Christians, to pick up our cross and to follow Jesus. So whether you are a person of faith or not. Jesus is who he is. He is the Messiah. He is the Christ for me. And for many people, this is the undeniable truth. Who do you say Jesus is? Who do you say Jesus is? For me, when someone asks me that question, I often get asked, why are you a minister? Or why are you a Christian? I go to a local gym in Doncaster and we were meant to be. I was meant to be going with a group of them to the football game yesterday afternoon to watch Carlton lose again. And I said, so I started to help arrange this social activity, and I ended up saying, I can't go. I've I've got to go to an Archbishop selection. And for some of those people, they were kind of like, oh, you know, it's great conversation about being an Anglican minister and conversations of, of faith. And, I was I was sitting at the archbishop's election with my daughter Bella on the, the phone here. she's she's saying I'm talking with the people from the gym, and they're I'm trying to explain what an archbishop's election is. And so I'm sitting there typing away as people are asking her questions, and I'm thinking, what a great witness. My daughter's there explaining to a bunch of people what it is about a faith and an election. I'm expecting over the next few weeks, as I'm at different gym sessions for people to to come and ask me questions of faith. Who did you elect? What was the process? Why are you a Christian? Who is Jesus? My response is always Jesus is my Lord, my Savior and my friend. The characteristic that always gets people is that last one friend. Jesus is your friend, isn't he? Like 2000 years ago. And I say, well, no, he's alive and well and I have a living relationship with my Lord and my Savior today. Just as real as the disciples had 2000 years ago as Jesus walked this planet. So what words? If you're a Christian, what words would you describe Jesus as to people? If you're not a Christian sitting here today, what words would you have used to describe Jesus? Called to be Friends One of my other favorite passages is I come to to land this message. John 1512 to 15 if we could have that up on the screen. John 15 says, my command is this love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than they lay down their life for their friends. You are my friends. If you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends. That everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you. Throughout this series you. If you've been coming along each week, you have heard testimonies. If you've been invited along by someone this morning for the first time, or maybe the 10th time. Ask them for their testimony. Ask them, why are you a Christian? Or maybe you are someone who has been a Christian for a while and you've been struggling, and there's a sense there of, I just need to recommit my life to Jesus afresh. there's nothing wrong with doing that. I've probably done that a hundred times. But today is one of those days where you have the choice. Like that beggar. Am I going to reach out my hand to Jesus? Or am I just going to sit there and say. I am a sinner. I'm a cripple. I'm not worthy. You, Jesus can't do anything. You have that choice to make. when you came in today, you will have got a bit of paper, a little bit smaller than this, but a bit of paper on the one side of it. Is a prayer of commitment or recommitment. I imagine. During the service or during the sermon, you've had a chance to read through that. On the back is what are some next steps that you can take in your journey? Like the disciples going from who is this guy? Jesus? Maybe you're not at the point of like Peter declaring that Jesus is the Messiah. But I want to encourage you with you. You've been a Christian for five minutes or for 50 years, or you're not a person of faith yet to look at. What are those next steps, particularly to do the Alpha course? I've seen so many mature Christians, faith, become alive and fresh, and have a new confidence in being a Christian in their world. From doing the Alpha course and inviting people from their world along. So if you're a Christian, I encourage you to to do the Alpha course, but during the next two songs. Want to encourage you to to privately or if you've been invited along by someone, if you want to pray. Pray this prayer of commitment to pray that prayer. Maybe you're someone that likes to do things physically. there's plenty of space down the front, down the back. If you don't. If you don't want to be seen by people, you know, go down the back, kneel, stand, do something physical in your response to Jesus. But I want to challenge you to have an encounter with the living Jesus today, here, now, that will transform your life. Closing Prayer I'm going to pray, just quickly. And then I'm going to I'm going to sit down the front just in case anyone doesn't want to come down the front. You're not alone. I'll be sitting down here, but let me pray for us. And then, the band is going to lead us in our final two songs. Heavenly father, we thank you for this day. We thank you that you call us friends, that you know each person, you know every person here. You know our hearts. You know our minds. You know how we view ourselves. You know, you know our relationship with you. You know our fears and our struggles and our joys. And I pray, Holy Spirit, that you would speak to each and every person here today to let us know that you know us, that we are loved by you no matter how much we love ourselves or how we value ourselves, no matter how distant we think we are from you. And I pray that we may this day have the faith to reach out to you, to ask you afresh or the for the first time to be our Lord, our Savior and our friend. That we may either begin that journey with you or strengthen that journey with you. But speak to us. Open our hearts, our minds, and our ears as spirits to hear from you this day. We pray this in your mighty and precious name, Jesus. Amen.

Who do people say Jesus is? And more importantly, who do you say He is? This sermon by Richard Bruce dives deep into the most crucial question of faith, exploring the identity of Jesus as the Messiah and the profound power held within His name. Discover how an encounter with Jesus can be a life-transforming choice, just like it was for a beggar at the temple gate. Are you ready to consider what it means to call Jesus your Lord, Savior, and Friend? Tune in to explore the step of faith. To catch up on the latest sermons from Deep Creek, go to iTunes, Spotify ordeepcreekanglican.comand check out the website for more info about whats happening. We are a welcoming and growing multigenerational church in Doncaster East in Melbourne with refreshing faith in Jesus Christ. We think that looks like being life-giving to the believer, surprising to the world, and strengthening to the weary and doubting. Transcription Taken from Mark chapter eight, verses 27 to 38, Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, who do people say I am? They replied, some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah, and still others one of the prophets. But what about you? He asked, who do you say I am? Peter answered, you are the Messiah. Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. Get behind me, Satan, he said, you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns. Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his father's glory with the holy angels. This is the word of the Lord. Sermon: Richard Bruce Well. Good morning. It's good to be with you. My name is Richard Bruce, and, I'm feeling very old today because, the last time I spoke at Deep Creek, Bob Brown invited me, and I looked this up. It was a men's breakfast out there in 2006. So, that was some time ago. And I'm also feeling, old, but also encouraged because, I've known Megan for a very long time. I was her first youth group leader, and, I was there the night that she made a commitment of faith. So it's been wonderful to journey, along with her over many years. I do want to encourage you to continue to keep all of the candidates, that had their names put forward for the archbishop in your prayers. It's a pretty tortuous process that they go through and very vulnerable. There's not too many jobs that you have. Nearly 800 people, considering you for, but that is that is the Anglican way that we do it, in Melbourne. But, encourage you to keep the candidates in your prayers. My role, currently, I am the archdeacon for Diocesan and Parish partnerships, working centrally, in the diocese. And what that looks like on a day to day basis is, I work with our prison chaplains, our hospital chaplains, op shops. And then there's a whole range of, individual church programs that work with Anglicare Victoria, Brotherhood of Saint Lawrence Benitez and other Anglican agencies. So I'm I'm kind of like the go to guy, for those things. If a parish wants to investigate doing a program like a. A breakfast program for homeless people or an op shop or something like that. I'm the person that they come to. I go and meet with the parish, talk about it, and then we work out who are the organizations or agencies that they might connect with to partner with in doing that. So I live locally in Warren, and I normally do come along and sit over quietly with my two boys. Over on the side we come in. Just the service begins and then we sneak out just as it finishes. Previously been on staff at a number of churches, but it's, It's good to be with you this morning as we finish, this, series of together. And I get to start my timer now for the sermon. So. Yeah. There we go. Megan said we had to be very careful about our timing. So there we go. Yeah, it was very encouraged that, she made it very clear that as a senior minister, the timing does not apply to her. But anyway, here we. Here we go. Who Do You Say I Am? I love this. This is. This is perhaps my favorite passage of scripture. If if someone said you could talk about any passage of scripture, what would it be? This. This would be it. I love the fact that as Jesus is walking along with his disciples, he asked that question who do people say that I am? And then he asks them, but who do you say that I am? I wonder if we we went down to the ponds this morning or we went to your favorite cafe this morning, perhaps to your workplace, to your social club, whatever it might be to to the people that you engage with. If we ask them, who do you say Jesus is? I wonder what the responses would be. I think they would be quite varied, wouldn't they? Quite varied. For the disciples, we see that when they first interact with Jesus, when they first start walking along with him, they ask that question, who? Who is this man? Who is this guy? When Jesus calms the waters. When? When they're out in the boat, what's their response? Who is this man that even the waters obey him? All the way through to this point in Jesus life and ministry, where the disciples have been walking with him for nearly three years, they've been living with him 24 over seven. Where Peter declares, you are the Messiah, you're the one that we have been waiting for. You're the one that's going to save us. Jesus shows his identity to his disciples, to those that are closest to him. And if you read the gospel of Mark and Matthew, you will see this come through clearly, where Jesus shows his authority and shows the power of God working through him in these five areas to teach his authority over sickness, over nature, over death, and the authority to forgive sins. So for the disciples, the people that are living with him. Where if there was anyone that would have said, this guy is a fraud. This guy is not real. There is. There is weakness. There is inconsistency. It would be the disciples, wouldn't it? So this is the power of Jesus asking this question of the disciples. The other people who are not living with him every day they say, well, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, still some others. One of the prophets. They're all good things. But when Peter says, you are the Messiah, this is a declaration that the disciples see him in his true identity, in the fullness of his glory, in his purpose living out. This is powerful. That's why he says, don't go telling people because he knows what the implications would be. For Jesus to fulfill 300 to 500. Old Testament prophecies about who the Messiah is. In just a few years is powerful. This is part of the proof of who Jesus is. To the disciples, as they are looking for the Messiah to come. They see it living out before them in an undeniable way. It is not insignificant that Peter says you are the Messiah. You are the one that we are looking for. The Name of Jesus Now we hear the name of Jesus many times a day. If you like me in all kinds of circumstances. We hear the name of Jesus. It is one of the most used swear words in our society, isn't it? All you've got to do is watch a movie. Hear people talking. Jesus. Jesus Christ, Lord almighty. Or as one of my bosses used to say, Jesus wept. It is used all the time as a profanity in movies, TV shows, sporting fields, whatever it might be. People use the name of Jesus, don't they? But predominantly it is a swear word. Now I find it amazing that it is socially acceptable to use Jesus name as a swear word, but yet as a Christian, as a as I like to call myself as a professional Christian, being an Anglican minister, most people know that instantly when I say I'm an Anglican minister, that I'm a Christian. If I was to use the name of Jesus and start to talk to people about Jesus, they'd get all offended and upset and I'd be told to shut up. But no one predominantly tells people if they use the Lord's name in vain, to be quiet. Not to do that. That's not inappropriate. That's not appropriate. We don't see other people's names being used as a swear word, do we? People don't go, oh, Richard. But Jesus socially acceptable? It's the norm. The third of the Ten Commandments is you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for your Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. There are consequences to speaking the name Jesus, and if you misuse it, that is sinful. That is against what God wants us to do. So if you've ever misused the name of Jesus, you have sinned. But the good news is that we are all sinners, and it is in fact by the name of Jesus that we can be saved. Romans 623 says, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now the other thing that I find amazing and I've discovered over the years. Is that people are happy to talk about God. But when you start talking about Jesus, you get a reaction. You see, it's it's kind of easy to talk about God because God's this, this thing, this power, this thing which is up there and out there that isn't really tangible. And so people are happy to talk about God. But as soon as you start talking about Jesus, I get a response. Sometimes a reaction from people, particularly for those of us who have grown up in Western culture, most of us would know about Jesus. We know about the Easter story that this guy, Jesus, died on a cross and apparently rose from the dead. But the confronting thing about Jesus is that Jesus died for me. Jesus died for you. We we have this reaction, this personal response to what someone says they have done for us. I think we see that in Anzac Day, don't we? There is this response that even though it was so long ago, there are people who laid down their life for you and I today. And there's a there's a reaction, there's a personal response. A bit of a who am I that someone who doesn't even know me, laid down their life, went to war to sacrifice themselves? That I can live the life that I live today. And I think that's part of why the name of Jesus commands such a response in us, where it's nice and easy to talk about God, but talking about Jesus, well, that's personal. That's personal. The Power in the Name of Jesus Now, the Bible has a lot to say about Jesus, and we could spend hours here just going through the Bible passages which reference his name and the power of that. But I'm just going to go through a number of Bible passages. I'm going to read them out. And as I do, I want you to just take on board the name of Jesus, the person of Jesus. And I want you to ask yourself this question if if what is being said about Jesus is true? If what is being said about Jesus is right, then what are the implications for me? Where do I stand? What is? What does this mean for me? If this is the truth? How am I going to respond to it? So let's let's have this. Bible passages: Matthew 121. He was given the name Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. John 112 to 13 yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband's will, but born of God. John 129. The next stage on the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him and said, look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John 318. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only son. John 2031 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Acts 221. Talking about the Day of Judgment, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans ten 9 to 13 that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame. Jew and Gentile. The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Philippians two 910 Therefore God exalted him, Jesus to the highest place, and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth, and under and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. They're pretty confronting passages, aren't they? Pretty daunting to think the power and authority of the name of Jesus, that everything in all of creation at his name should bow and give honor to Jesus? The name that is used as a profanity as a swear word. Is the name by which the whole of creation ought to be bowing in honor, the name by which every person can be saved. Is Jesus Christ more than a swear word? You'd better believe it. If what the Bible says is true. Then that impacts how we live our lives. For when we acknowledge that something is the truth, we either have to live by that truth or we ignore it, don't we? We all live by the truth that we believe that gravity is real, don't we? No one came in walking around wearing really heavy shoes with because we don't believe in gravity. And if we don't have really heavy shoes, we might, you know, float away. A little while ago on my social media feed. For some strange reason, I started getting all these video clips about flat earthers. I don't I don't know what I did to for it to happen, but I started getting all these clips about people trying to convince me that the earth is flat. And I was absolutely intrigued at the flat earthers. They are 100% convinced that it is the truth. I remember watching one clip where this guy started out to prove to people who believed that the earth was round, that it was actually flat. And as he did this experiment where he had a flat bit of paper and he had a light and he started to to to curve the bit of paper and talked about angles and everything. You could see that he'd suddenly convinced himself that the earth wasn't flat. So as he was trying to convince people that it was flat through this experiment, you could see the look on his face as he suddenly was like, oh, hang on a second. Hang on a second. I've. I've just just proven what I was trying to prove. And you could see him starting to think about all the consequences of this truth that he had just come to realize. That's what happens to us as we start to explore Jesus. We start to say, is this is this real? What if what are the consequences? How has my life going to change? For most people, coming to faith is a journey rather than an individual one off event. The Crippled Beggar Healed I'm going to read to us from acts and I'm a visual person, so I like to whenever there's a Bible story or something like I close my eyes and I try to visualize and and put the people into place and, and see what it's like so that I get the, the kind of full experience. So I want to invite you if you feel comfortable to close your eyes. As I read this story from acts three 1 to 16. And then I'll, I'll bring us back into the room at the end of it. But I want to encourage you to to try to picture what's occurring in this interaction. One day, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer. 3:00 in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, look at us, said the man gave them his attention, expecting that he was going to get something from them. Then Peter said, silver or gold? I do not have but what I have, I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the right hand. He helped him up and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called beautiful. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished, and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them, Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness? We had made this man walk. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus. This man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus name and the faith that comes through him that has given his complete healing to him. As you can all see. Isn't that a powerful story? Here is a man from birth. A cripple. As these disciples, as these followers of Jesus go in. They offer him Jesus healing. Can you imagine what's going through this cripples mind. He's sitting there thinking, this is. This is my life. This is how I make money. This is my identity. I'm the cripple that sits at the gates and gets money. So when Peter reaches out, his hand says, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk. Here's a choice, doesn't he? He can sit there and go, dude, I'm a cripple. I don't walk. This is. This is who I am. This is how I am. Nothing's going to change. No. Jesus of Nazareth. This. This is it. So here's a choice to make. Do I keep living the way that I've been living? Or do I accept? Do I reach out my hand in faith? And say, well, maybe this Jesus can transform my life. Maybe Jesus can perform a miracle and heal me. But what are going to be the consequences if I'm healed? What am I going to do? Don't have a job I've been begging my whole life. I'm going to be the former beggar. Everyone's going to know. Everyone's going to ask me questions. Oh, you're the guy that used to beg and Jesus healed you. What? Tell me about that. His decision to reach out his hand wasn't just a simple thing. It was a transformation of his life. It was an incredible act of faith. That would mean he was never going to be the same again. For him, for whoever his family was, for his community, for the people in the temple that day I was there the day that miracle occurred. I was there, I saw him when I went in. He was a beggar inside. He was walking around. Unbelievable. When we come and we engage with Jesus, there is a transformation that occurs. We see that throughout the Gospels. We see that from the apostles, from the disciples, even after Jesus ascension. And there are many people in this room today that could give testimony of Jesus transformation in their lives. Maybe not as miraculous as being born a cripple and being healed, but we could. All who are Christians give our testimony of what it was that caused us to give our lives to follow Jesus. How miraculous or mundane that may be. Just like the disciples, we have a testimony of a relationship with the living Jesus that has transformed our lives, that continues to transform our lives. What Good Is It? The last part of that Bible passage that we read talks about what good is it for someone to gain the whole world and yet to forfeit their soul? It's a great question, isn't it? I love Jesus questions. He kind of just. Really puts it to us. So many people in our world are trying to gain the whole world. I've known people who have acknowledged who Jesus is. I've been using these Bible passages since Meghan was a teenager. This is who Jesus is. Are you going to acknowledge who he is and accept him or reject him? Because they're the only two options. And there's going to be consequences to that decision. What are you going to do today? What are you going to do tomorrow? Next week? It's a daily decision to pick up our cross. For those who are Christians, to pick up our cross and to follow Jesus. So whether you are a person of faith or not. Jesus is who he is. He is the Messiah. He is the Christ for me. And for many people, this is the undeniable truth. Who do you say Jesus is? Who do you say Jesus is? For me, when someone asks me that question, I often get asked, why are you a minister? Or why are you a Christian? I go to a local gym in Doncaster and we were meant to be. I was meant to be going with a group of them to the football game yesterday afternoon to watch Carlton lose again. And I said, so I started to help arrange this social activity, and I ended up saying, I can't go. I've I've got to go to an Archbishop selection. And for some of those people, they were kind of like, oh, you know, it's great conversation about being an Anglican minister and conversations of, of faith. And, I was I was sitting at the archbishop's election with my daughter Bella on the, the phone here. she's she's saying I'm talking with the people from the gym, and they're I'm trying to explain what an archbishop's election is. And so I'm sitting there typing away as people are asking her questions, and I'm thinking, what a great witness. My daughter's there explaining to a bunch of people what it is about a faith and an election. I'm expecting over the next few weeks, as I'm at different gym sessions for people to to come and ask me questions of faith. Who did you elect? What was the process? Why are you a Christian? Who is Jesus? My response is always Jesus is my Lord, my Savior and my friend. The characteristic that always gets people is that last one friend. Jesus is your friend, isn't he? Like 2000 years ago. And I say, well, no, he's alive and well and I have a living relationship with my Lord and my Savior today. Just as real as the disciples had 2000 years ago as Jesus walked this planet. So what words? If you're a Christian, what words would you describe Jesus as to people? If you're not a Christian sitting here today, what words would you have used to describe Jesus? Called to be Friends One of my other favorite passages is I come to to land this message. John 1512 to 15 if we could have that up on the screen. John 15 says, my command is this love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than they lay down their life for their friends. You are my friends. If you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends. That everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you. Throughout this series you. If you've been coming along each week, you have heard testimonies. If you've been invited along by someone this morning for the first time, or maybe the 10th time. Ask them for their testimony. Ask them, why are you a Christian? Or maybe you are someone who has been a Christian for a while and you've been struggling, and there's a sense there of, I just need to recommit my life to Jesus afresh. there's nothing wrong with doing that. I've probably done that a hundred times. But today is one of those days where you have the choice. Like that beggar. Am I going to reach out my hand to Jesus? Or am I just going to sit there and say. I am a sinner. I'm a cripple. I'm not worthy. You, Jesus can't do anything. You have that choice to make. when you came in today, you will have got a bit of paper, a little bit smaller than this, but a bit of paper on the one side of it. Is a prayer of commitment or recommitment. I imagine. During the service or during the sermon, you've had a chance to read through that. On the back is what are some next steps that you can take in your journey? Like the disciples going from who is this guy? Jesus? Maybe you're not at the point of like Peter declaring that Jesus is the Messiah. But I want to encourage you with you. You've been a Christian for five minutes or for 50 years, or you're not a person of faith yet to look at. What are those next steps, particularly to do the Alpha course? I've seen so many mature Christians, faith, become alive and fresh, and have a new confidence in being a Christian in their world. From doing the Alpha course and inviting people from their world along. So if you're a Christian, I encourage you to to do the Alpha course, but during the next two songs. Want to encourage you to to privately or if you've been invited along by someone, if you want to pray. Pray this prayer of commitment to pray that prayer. Maybe you're someone that likes to do things physically. there's plenty of space down the front, down the back. If you don't. If you don't want to be seen by people, you know, go down the back, kneel, stand, do something physical in your response to Jesus. But I want to challenge you to have an encounter with the living Jesus today, here, now, that will transform your life. Closing Prayer I'm going to pray, just quickly. And then I'm going to I'm going to sit down the front just in case anyone doesn't want to come down the front. You're not alone. I'll be sitting down here, but let me pray for us. And then, the band is going to lead us in our final two songs. Heavenly father, we thank you for this day. We thank you that you call us friends, that you know each person, you know every person here. You know our hearts. You know our minds. You know how we view ourselves. You know, you know our relationship with you. You know our fears and our struggles and our joys. And I pray, Holy Spirit, that you would speak to each and every person here today to let us know that you know us, that we are loved by you no matter how much we love ourselves or how we value ourselves, no matter how distant we think we are from you. And I pray that we may this day have the faith to reach out to you, to ask you afresh or the for the first time to be our Lord, our Savior and our friend. That we may either begin that journey with you or strengthen that journey with you. But speak to us. Open our hearts, our minds, and our ears as spirits to hear from you this day. We pray this in your mighty and precious name, Jesus. Amen.

Leto sa blíži a s ním aj veľké množstvo nie len cestovania, ale aj rôznych festivalov, koncertov a iných dobrodružstiev. Nikto však dopredu nevie aké nástrahy na nás môžu číhať za prvým stromom či za stánkom s chutným pivkom. Byť v kľude a užívať si každý okamih je kľúčové. Preto je najlepšou voľbou uzavrieť si úrazové poistenie. V podcaste sa Martin Rinčo porozprával so Zuzanou Ondrčkovou zo spoločnosti Colonnade. Stojí za to si tento diel podcastu vypočuť. 

Peter and John have just preached the gospel in Solomon's Colonnade after healing a man who was lame from birth. The priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) were annoyed with their preaching, so they seized Peter and John and jailed them overnight. In today's episode they will stand before the Sanhedrin, a counsel of Jewish religious leaders who held court concerning religious matters. Seeing the healed man, the simply threaten them not to preach in the name Jesus. After they are let go, they only request to preach Christ with greater boldness. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Today in History: Exactly three years after the Syrian Greeks had defiled the Holy Temple, the Maccabees recaptured it and dedicated it to the LORD again with a great celebration (see the historical book 1 Maccabees 4) Messiah visited the Holy Temple during Hanukkah (see John 10:22). “Then came Hanukkah; it was winter in Jerusalem. Yeshua was walking in the Temple around Solomon's Colonnade...” (TLV). This week's portion is called “Miketz” (At the end). Think about: What Scripture spoke to you most today and why? Did you learn something about God, or something you need to do in your life? Daily Bread for Kids is a daily Bible reading podcast where we read through the Torah and the Gospels in one year! Helping young Bible-readers to study God's Word, while also discovering its Jewish context! THE KIDS' JOURNAL is available from ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://arielmedia.shop⁠⁠⁠⁠ BUSY MOMS who want to follow the Daily Bread readings on podcast for adults, can go to ⁠⁠https://dailybreadmoms.com⁠⁠ The Bible translation we are reading from is the Tree of Life Version (TLV) available from the Tree of Life Bible Society. INSTAGRAM: @dailybreadkids @arielmediabooks @dailybreadmoms Tags: #DailyBreadMoms #DailyBreadJournal #BibleJournaling #Messianic #BiblePodcast #BiblicalFeasts #Journal #biblereadingplan #Messiah #JewishRoots #Yeshua #GodIsInControl #OneYearBible #MomLife #MotherCulture #FaithFilledMama #BiblicalWomanhood #Proverbs31woman

Send us a textor an ad-free version of the podcast plus the opportunity to enjoy hours of exclusive content and two bonus episodes a month and also help keep the Bible Project Daily Podcast free  for listeners everywhere at;patreon.com/JeremyMcCandlessSubscribe here to receive my new church history podcast every few weeks at.https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comWelcome:Hello and welcome ! Today, we're diving into an important topic that many of us struggle with: knowing the right time to speak up and share the gospel. We'll be exploring Acts 5:12-42, a passage that offers valuable insights into seizing opportunities, facing opposition, and trusting in God's timing.Study Notes: When is the Right Time to Speak Up?IntroductionTheme: Understanding the right time to share the gospel.Scripture: Acts 5:12-42Key PointsA Time of Opportunity (Acts 5:12-16)Context: The apostles are performing miracles and gaining favor among the people at Solomon's Colonnade.Lesson: Seize the moment to share the gospel when opportunities arise.Application: Look for moments in your daily life where you can share your faith without hindrance.A Time of Opposition (Acts 5:17-24)Context: The apostles face jealousy and opposition from the high priest and Sadducees, leading to their imprisonment.Lesson: Be prepared to speak up even when faced with opposition.Application: Trust in God's directives and continue to witness for Christ, even when it involves risk.A Time of Oppression (Acts 5:25-42)Context: The apostles are re-arrested, beaten, and commanded not to preach in Jesus' name but continue to do so.Lesson: Persist in sharing the gospel regardless of the circumstances.Application: Recognize that faithfulness in witness may involve suffering, but God's support and deliverance will be present.Practical ObservationsLook for Opportunities: Actively seek moments to share the gospel. Avoid waiting for a perfect time that may never come.Trust in God: Whether through supernatural means or everyday circumstances, God will support you as you share His word.Be Consistent: Preach the gospel both publicly and privately, during favorable times and in the face of opposition.Final ThoughtsSharing the gospel is a vital part of our Christian walk. Acts 5:12-42 teaches us that there is no perfect time to share the gospel—every moment is an opportunity. Whether facing opportunity, opposition, or oppression, we are called to be bold and faithful in our witness for Christ.Thank you for joining us in this study. Let's commit to being courageous and consistent in sharing our faith, trusting that God will work through us in every circumstance.Support the showJeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | PatreonHelp us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

[Acts 5:29] But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. Our past __________ don't define our future ___________. [Acts 5:12-15] The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon's Colonnade. [13] But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. [14] Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord--crowds of both men and women. [15] As a result of the apostles' work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter's shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Active faith will always catch people's __________________. [Acts 5:17-21] The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. [18] They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. [19] But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, [20] "Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!" [21] So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching. When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council--the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. True faith draws _______________ in but also draws _______________. Obedience to God means we stand _______________, even when it's _______________. [Acts 5:29] But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. Our faith is proven when we obey God, not seek _________. [Acts 5:40-42] The others accepted his advice. They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. [41] The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. [42] And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: "Jesus is the Messiah." A bold faith _______________ in _______________ for the sake of Jesus.

After some “Good Morning Big Fatty” greetings, the Fat One returns with some voiceletters, an “Ask Big Fatty” question, nattering about the upcoming Podcasters of America dinner at the Colonnade in Hatlanta and a new discovery in the Apple Snack Podcast App. Happy National Indian Pudding Day.

We read about the way that God intervened in human affairs in the Bible. Does he still do that today? And if not, Why not? That's what we'll look at in our text today (Acts 5:12-42) where we see three examples of divine intervention.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --Q. How does divine intervention work today?We read about the way that God intervened in human affairs in the Bible. Does he still do that today? And if not, Why not? That's what we'll look at in our text today (Acts 5:12-42) where we see three examples of divine intervention (miracles, angels, and one more…)Before we get to the text, let's make this question personal. Have you ever found yourself in an impossible situation where you needed some divine intervention? Your back was against the wall, and if God didn't show up you'd be in a world of hurt…Early days of Alpine: we emptied our bank accounts and were still $2000 short. Went to the mailbox day of closing to find a $2000 check from out of state friends!Some of you might be in a similar placeFinanciallyRelationallyEmotionallyPhysicallySpirituallyToday, in our passage we are actually going to see a couple of unlikely interventions orchestrated by God to get people out of own impossible situations. Let's get to the text…MiraclesActs 5:12-16 (NLT) 12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon's Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. 14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result of the apostles' work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter's shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.The most amazing kind of divine intervention: miracles. A couple of observations about the text:This was a direct answer to their prayers from ch 4: Acts 4:30 “Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”The purpose was to validate their message, point people to Jesus. It wasn't about the apostles! Peter's shadow: note how the ESV says it: Acts 5:15 (ESV) they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.The Bible doesn't actually say that they were healed this way, but rather that they hoped they would be.But the big question: does God still intervene like this today?We covered this a few weeks ago in Acts 3. Here's a reminder of some of the talking points:Miracles still happen

Sunday, July 28, 2024 - Daniel Ausbun preaching from Proverbs 3:5-6; Acts 3:11-4:4

"Next time someone says something dumb about how they don't think they have to go to church to be a Christian, please remember these things. We are members of the body of Christ, if we don't assemble as the church, in a church, to have church—we are dismembering ourselves. And dismembered body parts are gross." "We're here to worship God and love people, not feel God and like people. No one ever said you had to feel close to God at church. Church isn't about how you feel, it's about worship and fellowship. It's about being challenged to grow in our faith and comforted with the promises of the Gospel." A dive into Acts 5:12-16, where we see the early church experiencing incredible signs and wonders. Join us as we explore the themes of healing, faith, and the bold witness of the apostles. We'll uncover how God's power was at work through the apostles and how these miraculous events continue to speak to us today. Main Points:     The Power of the Holy Spirit: Discover how the apostles performed many signs and wonders, demonstrating the Holy Spirit's power.     Community and Fellowship: Learn about the importance of gathering together as believers, just like the early church in Solomon's Colonnade.     Faith and Growth: See how more and more people believed in the Lord and were added to the number of believers.     Healing and Miracles: Marvel at the miraculous healings that took place, even by Peter's shadow. Application: We'll also discuss how these themes provide both comfort and challenge in our lives today. Whether you're seeking healing, longing for community, or wanting to grow in your faith, this message is for you. Let's explore how we can live out our faith boldly and trust in God's power in every area of our lives. God has Hope for you here. Join us: https://www.NewChurch.Love Please Help support more messages like these by texting the word “Give” to 832-400-5299.

Join us in a conversation with Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association President  Jacob Luke.The Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood, named after Reverend Nathan Scarritt, a Methodist missionary and educator, traces its origins to 1845 when Scarritt traveled from Lebanon, Illinois to Fayette, Missouri, founding Central Methodist University.The Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association (SRNA) was chartered on September 18, 1986. Its boundaries are Chestnut Avenue (west), Jackson Avenue (east), Independence Avenue (south), and the Cliff Drive Scenic Byway (north).SRNA has hosted events like Historic Homes Tours in the 1990s and 2000s, attracting over 1,500 visitors. The annual Scare-It Halloween event on October 31 draws up to 5,000 people, featuring decorated homes along Gladstone Boulevard.The neighborhood includes two National Register Historic Districts, featuring over 150 historic properties along Gladstone and Benton Boulevards, including the recently renovated Kansas City Museum.President Jacob Luke highlighted projects such as restoring the Colonnade, planning for Kessler Park, and the St. John Avenue traffic calming study. Approaching its 38th anniversary, the neighborhood continues its development in collaboration with partners like Legal Aid of Western Missouri and the Lykins Neighborhood Trust.SRNA, a registered 501(c)(3), meets bi-monthly at the Kansas City Museum. More information can be found at scarrittkc.org.

The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought those who were ill into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were ill and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ‘Go, stand in the temple courts,' he said, ‘and tell the people all about this new life.' (Acts 5.12-20, NIV)

Istrouma Baptist Church (BR) Feb 25, 2024 ========== February 25 | Acts Welcome! We're glad you've joined us today for our Sunday morning worship service! For more information about Istrouma, go to istrouma.org or contact us at info@istrouma.org. We glorify God by making disciples of all nations. ========== Connection Card https://istrouma.org/myinfo February 25, 2024 Tim Keith ‭‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬-‭37‬‬ Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. ‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭16‬‬ But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife's knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land? Wasn't it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn't it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.” When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him. About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the land for this price?” “Yes,” she said, “for that price.” Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Instantly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband. Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things. Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared to join them, but the people spoke well of them. Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers — multitudes of both men and women. As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. In addition, a multitude came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Unity led to Community (and Generosity) Deception led to Death Fear led to Faith Want to receive weekly announcements in your inbox each week? https://istrouma.org/email Give Online Text ISTROUMA IBC to 73256 or go to: https://istrouma.org/give Our Website https://istrouma.org

Istrouma Baptist Church (BR) Feb 25, 2024 ========== February 25 | Acts Welcome! We're glad you've joined us today for our Sunday morning worship service! For more information about Istrouma, go to istrouma.org or contact us at info@istrouma.org. We glorify God by making disciples of all nations. ========== Connection Card https://istrouma.org/myinfo February 25, 2024 Tim Keith ‭‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬-‭37‬‬ Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. ‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭16‬‬ But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife's knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land? Wasn't it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn't it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.” When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him. About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the land for this price?” “Yes,” she said, “for that price.” Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Instantly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband. Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things. Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared to join them, but the people spoke well of them. Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers — multitudes of both men and women. As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. In addition, a multitude came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Unity led to Community (and Generosity) Deception led to Death Fear led to Faith Want to receive weekly announcements in your inbox each week? https://istrouma.org/email Give Online Text ISTROUMA IBC to 73256 or go to: https://istrouma.org/give Our Website https://istrouma.org

Peter and John have just preached the gospel in Solomon's Colonnade after healing a man who was lame from birth. The priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) were annoyed with their preaching, so they seized Peter and John and jailed them overnight. In today's episode they will stand before the Sanhedrin, a counsel of Jewish religious leaders who held court concerning religious matters. Seeing the healed man, the simply threaten them not to preach in the name Jesus. After they are let go, they only request to preach Christ with greater boldness. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Istrouma Baptist Church (BR) Feb 4, 2024 ========== February 4 | Acts Welcome! We're glad you've joined us today for our Sunday morning worship service! For more information about Istrouma, go to istrouma.org or contact us at info@istrouma.org. We glorify God by making disciples of all nations. ========== Connection Card https://istrouma.org/myinfo February 4, 2024 Tim Keith ‭‭Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭21‬‬ While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astonished, ran toward them in what is called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied before Pilate, though he had decided to release him. You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer released to you. You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this. By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you. “And now, brothers and sisters, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your leaders also did. In this way God fulfilled what he had predicted through all the prophets — that his Messiah would suffer. Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah. Heaven must receive him until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about through his holy prophets from the beginning. 1. ​God Requires Us To Repent ‭‭Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬‬ Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, God's not looking for your apology, He's looking for your repentance. “godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10) Acts 26:20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. 2. God Provides Us The Opportunity To Repent 3:12 – “When Peter saw this, he addressed the people… “ 3:21 – “until the time of the restoration of all things” 3. God Rewards Us When We Repent ‭‭Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭21‬‬ Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah. Heaven must receive him until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about through his holy prophets from the beginning. Question: Once we repent, how do we continue to live in this repentance? Answer: God's Word and God's People ‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭42‬‬ They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Romans 2:4 God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭30‬‬ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. Want to receive weekly announcements in your inbox each week? https://istrouma.org/email Give Online Text ISTROUMA IBC to 73256 or go to: https://istrouma.org/give Our Website https://istrouma.org

Preacher: Kathy Maskell Scripture: Acts 2:42-47, 5:12-16 Acts 2:42-47 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 5:12-16 12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

Acts 5 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. 1 But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife's consent, he kept the rest. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God!” 5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.” 9 And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” 10 Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. 12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon's Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. 14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result of the apostles' work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter's shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed. 17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!” 21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching. When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council—the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. 22 But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported, 23 “The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!” 24 When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end. 25 Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!” 26 The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them. 27 Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. 28 “We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man's name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!” 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. 31 Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel [...]

Acts 3 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. 1 Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service. 2 As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. 4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don't have any silver or gold for you. But I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 7 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. 8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. 9 All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10 When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11 They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon's Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. 12 Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? 13 For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate's decision to release him. 14 You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact! 16 “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes. 17 “Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. 18 But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. 19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21 For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.' 23 Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God's people.' 24 “Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today. 25 You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.' 26 When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”

Jesus, the Son of God: The claim of Jesus to be the Son of God is a wild claim. If it were not true, Jesus would've been a fraud, and Christianity would have fallen apart. But if it is true, then it changes everything. If Jesus really was set apart by his Father and sent from heaven, he could be the rescuer and redeemer the world needs. Recorded on Dec 10, 2023, on John 10:22-42 by Pastor David Parks. Finding Life in Jesus' Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John's life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God's power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe. Sermon Transcript We're working through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus' Name. And today, we're in John chapter 10, considering a claim of Jesus that is either crazy or a great evil if it isn't true, but would be amazing and would be the great hope of the world if it is. And that claim is that Jesus is not just a human being but is, in fact, the Son of God, sanctified and sent from heaven. What does it mean for Jesus to be the Son of God? If you grew up in church, you might take this aspect of Jesus' identity for granted and lose sight of how radical this claim truly is. If you didn't grow up in church, you need to know that this is one of the most significant things Jesus says about himself. If it's not true, the Christian faith falls apart. But if it is true, then it changes everything. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 10:22. John 10:22–28 (NIV), “22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Let's pause here. So, John says our passage takes place during the Festival of Dedication, known today as the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. And Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Jewish people against the Greek empire about 200 years before the time of Jesus here in our passage. Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew and refers to when a rebellion led by Judah Maccabee drove the Greek army out of Jerusalem and allowed them to remove the pagan alter the Greeks had set up in their temple and dedicate (rededicate) their temple for the worship of the one true God. Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days with the lighting of the menorah and other traditions. And I really couldn't have planned it this way, but just as Jesus was all those years ago, so today, we're actually in the middle of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. Isn't that amazing? Happy Hanukkah! Anyways, this is the setting of our story, there in the temple courts of Jerusalem during Hanukkah. And it was then and there when the people confronted Jesus about whether or not he was the Messiah. Back at the end of October, when we were working through John 7, we considered this claim that Jesus was the Messiah or the Chosen One. And back then, and really throughout this whole middle section of John, we see that people are divided over this claim. Some believe in Jesus, that he is the Messiah that God promised to send, while others do not. Some recognize the signs he was doing as proof of this claim,

Welcome to Passionate Life Church! Today, Pastor Andrew continues his series on the importance of living according to scripture. We are so glad you are here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ World vs Word part 6    5th reason why we can trust the Bible.    "Historically Validated"   1. Dead Sea Scrolls Discovered in 1947 in the ruins of Qumran. Found 950 documents and 220 Biblical scrolls.   2. Burnt scroll of Leviticus found 1970. Why is it important? Discovered that it was written in 50-100 AC. Show pic.    3. Discoveries at the Temple Mount 2015-2017. Old pottery, arrowheads, colonial seal that dates to David's conquest of the city, and Solomon's Colonnade. John 10:23 NLT    Acts 5:12 NLT    4. Jabal Cattle Cult: Is their proof people lived before the flood?  Genesis 4:19-20 NIV   5. Pontius Pilate's ring and stone    6. The seals of King Hezekiah and Isaiah 2700 years old. Show pic.  2 Kings 20:1-6 NIV    7. Gideon's Jug 3100 years old. "Jerub-Baal" Judges 6:31-32 NIV   8. 3000 year old Canaanite false god temple found in a city called Lachish show pic.  2 Chronicles 25:27 NIV   9. Discoveries on Mount Ebal    The Covenant Renewed at Mount Ebal and an altar is built.     Joshua 8:30-31 NIV    The altar/cultic structure on Mt. Ebal. An earlier, circular altar was discovered beneath at the exact geometric center.  They discovered a small, folded lead curse tablet (called a defixio) approximately the size of a folded business card.     Deuteronomy 27:13-14 NIV    You are cursed by the god YHW, cursed.  You will die, cursed—cursed, you will surely die.  Cursed you are by YHW—cursed.    10. Sodom and Gomorrah  Genesis 18:20 NLT    Genesis 19:24-25 NLT   Luke 17:28-30 NLT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for listening! If you were positively impacted by this message, please leave us a comment! Be sure to like and subscribe to our channel to stay connected to this house. Join us every Sunday at 9:00am or 10:30am Spotify: http://bit.ly/passionatelifechurch Facebook:   / passionatelifechurch   Instagram:   / passionate.life.church   10393 W Alamo Pl Littleton, CO 80127 Need Prayer? Contact us at passionatelifechurch@gmail.com — ► Subscribe to our channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL88... — Passionate People. Multicultural Environment. Atmosphere to Experience God. You will feel Loved, Refreshed, and empowered. Loved: We have an atmosphere of acceptance and an environment that creates a “come as you are” message. Everyone will feel loved! Refreshed: We serve a God of the Fresh Start! No matter where you've been or what you've done, God wants to refresh you today and every day. Empowered: God wants to grow you into everything He's called you to be and do. We want to give you all of the tools you will need in order to empower you to live a life fully devoted to Jesus Christ. We are non-denominational & believe that the Bible is truth and fully written by God through man. Need Prayer? Contact us at passionatelifechurch@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/passionatelifechurch/message

John 10 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. 1 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice.” 6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to him and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and doesn't really care about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd. 17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” 19 When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. 20 Some said, “He's demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?” 21 Others said, “This doesn't sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” 22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. 23 He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father's name. 26 But you don't believe me because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one.” 31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. 32 Jesus said, “At my Father's direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?” 33 They replied, “We're stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus replied, “It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!' 35 And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God's message were called ‘gods,' 36 why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God'? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. 37 Don't believe me unless I carry out my Father's work. 38 But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don't [...]

Gerald Mosslinger, senior vice president-hotel operations for Seabourn, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about Seabourn Venture, the line's first luxury expedition ship. Mosslinger details the range of accommodations, including spectacular suite, as well the dining onboard at the Colonnade and The Restaurant, plus a brand new room service program. Most of all, he talks about how Seabourn delivers its personal brand of service on a true expedition ship. For more information, visit www.seabourn.com. If interested, the original video of this podcast can be found on the Insider Travel Report Youtube channel or by searching for the podcast's title on Youtube.

Acts 3:11-26 New International Version (NIV) Peter Speaks to the Onlookers 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. 17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.'[a] 24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'[b] 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Coming at you from the Toronto Real Estate Forum we've got Hugh Gorman joining Aaron and Adam in this episode. He is the CEO of Colonnade BridgePort. Hugh started the company in 2009 after managing several real estate portfolios throughout Canada. Colonnade BridgePort is headquartered in Ottawa, so we'll hear all about the real estate... The post Investing in Ottawa with Hugh Gorman of Colonnade BridgePort appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Jesus declared, for all the world to hear, that He is one with the Father. When we live by that truth, He will give us wings to fly. (John 10:22-42) **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am so glad you have joined us. It is April, 2023, as I record this, and I want to take a moment to congratulate the authors of our newly released book, Joy Unspeakable. In case you missed all the hoopla, Joy Unspeakable was released last week, and within the first day, it went to number one best seller in 10 categories on Amazon. We are praising God for this success – but more important than numbers and charts is what God is doing through this book. The authors who shared their stories in Joy Unspeakable are ordinary people who serve an extraordinary God! Our purpose in sharing these stories is to shine the spotlight on God and remind all our readers of how great He is. Life can be tough, and yet God is tougher! That's a fact He wants us to remember and constantly remind each other of. And just as Jesus taught using stories, today we still learn so much from stories. I hope you will pick up this book, or one of our other books, and be blessed and fed as you read. You can purchase the books by going to our website womenworldleaders.com, which will direct you to our publishing site worldpublishingandproductions.com. And while you are at womenworldleaders.com, make sure you fill out the contact form so you don't miss out on any of the exciting offerings from the ministry! On this, the Wednesday episode of the podcast, we take a few minutes to dive into scripture together. We are currently walking through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John chronologically as we study Jesus' life and learn what He wants us to know today. Today's scripture comes from John, chapter 10, verses 22-42, and we will be reading from the New Living Translation. Before we begin, let's pray. Dear Most Holy God, we thank you for the honor of being able to open your Word and meet with you in the Spirit at the same time! Father, you are so gracious to continually teach and lead us as we walk through this life. We do give this time to you and ask that you cleanse us of all unrighteousness so that we might be clean vessels with the ability to hear your voice clearly. I ask you to teach us what you want us to know today. We love and honor you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. We have been studying Jesus' teachings to the crowds as He walks closer to the His death. Jesus is trusting God's timing and path for Him, even though the crowds are getting riled up all around Him. Many are coming to Him in belief, but many are also turning against Him in anger. This alone should be a lesson to us. It is easy for us to want to make people happy – but our true calling is to live by truth. It can be so difficult to discern the right path when we long for life to be easy both for us and for the ones we love. But Jesus teaches us by His actions that we are to ALWAYS hold to God, ask Him for His wisdom and guidance, and then trust the outcome beyond a shadow of a doubt, even when it seems things are getting stirred up around us. John sets the scene for us beginning in chapter 10, verse 22…   22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. 23 He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade.  Hanukkah was a celebration of the restorarion of the temple after it had been desecrated. This is important because, as we will see, Jesus is about to publicly declare Himself as the Son of God, leading to a restoration of humanity through salvation. God's timing is always perfect. The more I study the Bible, the more I see God's perfect plan and provision throughout all of history. But even as the people celebrated the past restoration of the temple, many in the crowd were completely unaware that God was currently working in their midst orchestrating a greater restoration. Verse 24 continues… 24 The people surrounded (Jesus) and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” The people were looking for a strong warrior to lead them into freedom from government and oppression. In essence, they were looking for a Messiah who could do far less than Jesus, our true Messiah, was there to do. Jesus had taught this over and over, but they just weren't getting it. God's kingdom was beyond their wishes and dreams. Verse 25… 25 Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father's name. 26 But you don't believe me because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. A couple of weeks ago we discussed Jesus' declaration of Himself as the Good Shepherd. We uncovered that many were, and are, out to deceive and misguide us from following God. I know I have said this before, but it is of utmost importance that we EACH know that God is God and He will ALWAYS guide us into truth through His Word and His Holy Spirit. Let me say it plainly – if ANYONE contradicts the Word of God, he or she is not speaking truth – whether he is ordained, a church or ministry leader, or even your own parent. God has given us each the opportunity to know HIM personally. His Word is living and active and relevant to your life. God will never lie or go back on His Word. Yes, biblical counsel is a wonderful thing and we can certainly learn from each other, but God always has the final answer through His Word and His Spirit. God gives each of us the choice to connect with God and then to decide to follow Him or follow someone else. A shepherd CAN be deceptive, but God is our authentic shepherd. I say this not to make you paranoid, but to underscore that YOU are held accountable for your own actions. And God Himself will guide you and give you the strength to do what He calls you to do. Jesus says…I am the shepherd…my sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. But…despite our foibles and misteps, Jesus then teaches of His abounding and amazing grace…saying…that once we say yes and become Jesus' sheep… No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else.[a] No one can snatch them from the Father's hand.  What freeing and amazing words these are! When we give our lives to Jesus Christ and commit to living for Him, NO ONE can snatch us out of His hands! This should give us unadulterated freedom to do what God has called us to. In college, I took a lot of phsychology classes, and I remember so vividly studying and learning about abused children. The findings went something like this…people who are abused as children are less likely to move out of their childhood home at an appropriate age. It is more likely that the child who has been treated well to move out and face the world on her own. At first glance, this seems backwards. Shouldn't the one who is abused be clamoring to get away while the one who is covered and protected want to remain? But we are not logical beings. When we learn through mistreatement that “the world is bad,” we become shackled to fear. Our wings are clipped. But when we are showered with love and protection, we become empowered to become all we are called to be and to take on the world. The devil wants to hold you in, to clip your wings and keep you from flying. He uses fear to control you. Jesus, on the other hand, offers freedom. When you become His child, He empowers you to fly where you are called, and He promises that no one will ever snatch you from Him. And as far as you fly, as God's child you know He will NEVER leave you alone. He will always be there beside you with His love and protection. Then Jesus lays down the FULL truth of who He is, saying…30 The Father and I are one.” The Jewish people recited the schma regularly…which states “Hear, O Isreal: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” They CLEARLY understood Jesus statement, “The Father and I are one,” to mean that Jesus is one in being with God the Father. Jesus spoke truth, even though this statement put His own human life in peril…verse 31… 31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him.  And Jesus continued speaking truth…fully understanding that His life was on the line, yet also understanding that there were some listening who needed to hear more… 32 …“At my Father's direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?” 33 They replied, “We're stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus replied, “It is written in your own Scriptures[b] that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!'[c] 35 And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God's message were called ‘gods,' 36 why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God'? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. 37 Don't believe me unless I carry out my Father's work. 38 But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don't believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” Jesus is the real deal. If you still don't believe Him and the words in the Bible, I want to encourage you to ask Him yourself. Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you, and then watch expectantly. The people asked Jesus to PLAINLY state who He was. And He did. And then He also pointed to His works, which lined up perfectly with the works that Scripture clearly stated the Messiah would do. The people asked. Jesus answered. But many didn't pause to objectively consider His reponse. Instead, they followed what they had already determined in their heart was the right answer. How many times do we do that. How many times do we go to God and ask Him a question, only to misconstrue His answer to what WE want it to be? Jesus will NEVER force us to follow Him. But when we willingly follow Him, no matter how hard it may seem, I promise you He will give you wings to fly. Verse 39 tells us that many were not willing to fly. Instead, they chose to be chained to untruth. 39 Once again they tried to arrest (Jesus), but he got away and left them. 40 He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile. 41 And many followed him. “John didn't perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.” 42 And many who were there believed in Jesus. When we listen to God, He will lead us to a place of safety. He will surround us with other believers who will love and support us. Jesus' life was more difficult than we can imagine, but God provided respite for Him. God gave Jesus a place to be re-filled, to remember and reflect on His goodness. God gave Jesus green pastures in which to lie down. And He will do the same for you and me. If we let Him. Jesus declared Himself the Son of God – in unity with the Father. This fact is such a blessing to us. Through Jesus' life and death, we are granted eternal salvation. The immediate future was scary for Jesus, but He considered the outcome worth it. That is something we should all remember. Although your road may look scary and bleak, you can trust that the God who loves you will give you wings to fly to an incredible outcome. Let's pray. Dear Jesus…we can't imagine all you went through for us…and yet we thank you for how strong you were. We thank you for holding close to God and walking in truth despite the effect of your own words and actions on your physical body. Jesus, you gave it all so that we could fly. We thank you, and we ask now that you infuse us with that same strength to choose the next right path – for you and for those you love. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.      

Peter and John have just preached the gospel in Solomon's Colonnade after healing a man who was lame from birth. The priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) were annoyed with their preaching, so they seized Peter and John and jailed them overnight. In today's episode they will stand before the Sanhedrin, a counsel of Jewish religious leaders who held court concerning religious matters. Seeing the healed man, the simply threaten them not to preach in the name Jesus. After they are let go, they only request to preach Christ with greater boldness.:::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Pastor Christian Root brings today's message from Acts 3.11-26.

The interpenetration of heavens/earth (the temple at Herod's Temple) creates highly accelerated healing. All the earth's wealth can't begin to compare to the wonder of the restoration of all things that's suddenly happening in Solomon's Colonnade. As a witness, Peter explains what's happening to the onlookers who are reborn by the incursion of such concentrated eternal life.

The Church Began in Houses“When Christianity first started after the ascension of Jesus [i.e. Pentecost], Christians did not gather in church buildings but in people's homes. These were known as "house churches." One reason Christians…met in homes was monetary: the money collected went to help poorer Christians and to support missionaries and perhaps even clergy. As Christianity grew larger, the Roman Empire began persecuting Christians. Therefore, Christians were not able to build churches because that would be like putting on a big target and saying, “Here we are.” So, Christians gathered and held their meetings secretly in people's homes.”Part 1 - Acts 1-9 – AD 30-AD 40 BOOK OF ACTS TIMELINE/EVENTS - AD 30 (33) PENTECOSTHow am I currently reading/studying ACTS? Personal 'House Church Movement' Disclaimer ACTS 1:13 - 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying ACTS 2:1-4 - 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and restedon each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Where did Stage 1 of Pentecost begin? ACTS 2:6 - 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together (?) ACTS 2:46-47 - 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Saved? Revival. 3000 on Pentecost.  ACTS 4:4 – 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.  5000+ - including women and children (10,000+???) ACTS 4:23 - 23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ACTS 4:31 - 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Pentecost 2.0! Where does it happen? BOOK OF ACTS TIMELINE/EVENTS - AD 34-35 By AD 34, possibly 15,000-20,000 new believers in the Jerusalem church. 400+ House Churches would have been needed! Leadership issues?  What about bigger gatherings? – Temple (2:6?, 2:46, 3:1), Solomon's Colonnade next to Temple (3:11, 5:12) ACTS 4:1-2 - 1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead What doctrines will “greatly annoy” the authorities today? Where?  ACTS 5:17-18 - 17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. ACTS 5:20-21 - 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. ACTS 5:42 - 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. What are our “temples” today? Restaurants? Malls? Stores? Parks?  ACTS 8:3 - 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Does the “house” guarantee no persecution?  ACTS 9:17-18 - 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; ACTS 9:19b-20 – 19 …For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God. What are our “synagogues”? Same as our “temples”. BOOK OF ACTS TIMELINE/EVENTS - AD 39-40 ACTS 9:32-34 - 32 Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.”  ACTS 9:37, 39-42 - 37 In those days she [Tabitha] became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room…39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. 40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. What is the result of what happens in the house?Source: The Book of Acts – The Timeline, History & the Writings of the New Testament Letters, Bob EmeryFINAL OBSERVATIONS/THOUGHTS+ The Church BEGAN in a house + No Church ‘buildings' (earliest in the 200s, converted house)+ Revival needed houses – evangelism/teaching/discipling+ Public Meetings (i.e. Temple) often led to problems+ First 10-year period involved ONLY Jews (2:5 - “devout Jews”,   2:11   - “both Jews and converts to Judaism”)+ House-sized churches are still the norm in many places+ Fearful (masked) people won't go to big meetings, but homes?+ House meetings necessitate relational evangelism (vs. contact)

Acts 3:1-26 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the tem- ple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they rec- ognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beauti- ful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are wit- nesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. 17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Mes- siah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.' 24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

In this episode, we discuss strategic steps for Equipment Leasing and Finance companies as they grow and evolve. The leadership of some of these businesses may decide to remain a certain size and complexity and be “ lifestyle businesses”, providing healthy cash flow to the owner(s) while they continue to run the business. However, other options exist, and exiting the business for a favorable multiple to a bank or other buyer can be an excellent strategy, the dream plan for many entrepreneurs.  In this interview, we interview Bob Rinaldi and discuss the potential to grow and leverage a business to realize a win-win exit strategy.  This episode is a great follow-up to our previous show, Start Early & Exit Right, as we dive deep into many of the concepts of M&A rationale. What's unique about this episode is that it is geared toward a specific target audience, our friends in the Equipment Leasing and Finance (ELF) industry. In this episode we cover: How partners such as Rinaldi Advisory Services (RAS) and Colonnade work with Equipment Leasing & Finance (ELF) companies to prepare for a successful sale (1:00) What are the biggest challenges for the independents as they look to be “bank ready” for an acquisition? (4:00)  What are some of the biggest challenges for banks pursuing an acquisition of an equipment leasing company? (9:30) What determines the level of a premium in the sale price that an ELF company can expect? (20:00) What has M&A activity looked like in recent years and what are the prospects? (23:00) What about Private Equity buyers in this space? (26:30) How partners such as Rinaldi Advisory Services (RAS) and Colonnade work with Equipment Leasing & Finance (ELF) companies to prepare for a successful sale (1:00) Bob: My practice has evolved around three target audiences in the equipment leasing space. About 60% of my clients are independent leasing (ELF) companies that I work with through the Confidential CEO Resource℠ model. This is multi-year exit strategy planning. Whether the company exits or not is not important. The idea is to get them from point A to point B so they're prepared if that time comes. The second part of my practice is working with banks, predominantly community banks who are looking to get into the ELF space. Third, I work with a handful of service providers in the industry, as well. Rinaldi Advisory Services (RAS) offers the Confidential CEO Resource℠ (CCR) as a robust, full-scope advisory service that provides clients with a broad base of support for long-term strategic management. RAS works with CEOs and Principals to provide meaningful analysis and actionable insights. The aim is to help ELF senior management arrive at strategic and tactical decisions geared toward managing growth as well as operational and financial efficiencies. Colonnade has deep experience in the ELF industry. Colonnade is a leading investment banking firm that has completed over $9 billion in M&A transactions for clients in the business and financial services industries. Colonnade has advised many companies in the EFL sector on strategic transactions. Please see our Quarterly Updates on the ELF industry here. What are the biggest challenges for the independents as they look to be “bank ready” for an acquisition? (4:00) Bob: The biggest challenge is predominantly that these founders/owners are very much entrepreneurs. They started the business. They're very much involved in the everyday transactional nature of their business. They don't have the time to gain the perspective to look at their company objectively and determine what needs to happen to be a better company from a non-transactional standpoint or to be a better company for the purpose of acquisition. Jeff:  Let's drill down a little bit on some of the biggest challenges for the independents. There's size and scale, where are you today and where are you going? Banks are the natural resting home for specialty finance companies, and ELF companies are such a great asset class for banks in particular. Obviously, they're a number of large independents, but from the bank's perspective, what are the other things you see where companies need to focus? Is it finance and accounting? Is it operations? Is it servicing? Bob: Yes. Yes. And yes. It's really all those things. But even before you get to that, let's look at the business and find components within the business that definitely will never, ever fit in a bank. I'm able to identify those things. You then have to decide what to do with those things. Do I jettison those things completely? Do I sell those off? Do I break it outside of the company and put it in a separate entity so that what is left is sellable and simple to understand? Compare that to a buyer looking at the company and thinking, “I like this, I like this. I hate that. Therefore, I'm not doing it [the acquisition].” For example, say that there is a heavy services component of the (ELF) business; services component being something that has morphed, be it operational leases or servicing equipment that is leased. A bank can't be in that business. If that is an absolute key critical component to your leasing business, then a bank buyer is probably never going to be the buyer, which is going to leave you looking at non-financial institutional-type buyers, and they're fairly limited, so that's a problem. That is when you look at it and go: “If that's what we're always going to do, then this maybe is just going to be a lifestyle business. Let's just find ways to improve the income generation, the profitability, and keep it as a lifestyle business.” What are some of the biggest challenges for banks pursuing an acquisition of an equipment leasing company? (9:30) 1) The banks must use experienced advisors who understand the appropriate valuation models. Bob: If the bank has not been in the business before and their only experience with acquisitions has predominantly been buying other smaller banks, the first challenge is the valuation models. Banks are used to paying a multiple of book value. Leasing companies are not valued that way; their valuation is based on a multiple of earnings or pretax adjusted net income. In a typical leasing company, most of the leases are on a fixed term, fully amortizing type of a structure; therefore they just generate income. But the assets don't stay on the balance sheet that long, they continually roll-off at a rapid rate, so you've got to keep putting on more. It's really not an asset play as much as it is a net income play. Jeff: When we talk to banks as acquirers of these businesses, from either the buy-side or the sell-side, you're absolutely right. It's all about the income-generating opportunity. Yes, there are assets associated with it, but much more importantly, it's “What's the potential earning stream for this business within the bank?” (See: Discover the Rationale for a Synergistic Business Merger). Bob: That really comes down to the financial institution's advisor, a buy-side advisor. If they've not had much experience in the equipment leasing space, especially current experience like Colonnade has, they're already at a very big disadvantage because now you've got two entities that are blind and stating the same thing and focused on book value, so they're getting bad advice along with their own preconceived ideas. That's like a double whammy right out the gate. It's common when you find that a bank or their board, for whatever reason, have just got very comfortable with a buy-side advisor, who has never had that much experience at it but they've just gotten very comfortable with them and they wouldn't even conceive of going outside. A lot of this gets really back down to, “Is the bank nimble? Is the bank flexible? Does the bank have a CEO that has cut a bigger vision?” The same thing with the board, the death of any kind of an institution is just getting so stuck in your way that you just can't get out of it. 2) The CEO of the bank must have a visionary leadership style that allows the acquired company to thrive. Bob: It all still goes back to the CEO of the bank and how progressive they are, how aggressive they are. And aggressive does not mean they're careless. Jeff: The folks that we generally work with on the banking side have made that decision. They said, “Okay, we're going to get into specialty finance. We want to do it in X, Y or Z asset class, and we have the headset to bid accordingly, and that these businesses are valued differently than bank deals. The multiples are different, the metrics are different. We're committed, we've got board approval, we've got senior leadership approval and we're going to go ahead with it.” Bob: You and I know one of the smartest, most aggressive community bankers: Chuck Sulerzyski ​of Peoples Bank of Marietta, Ohio. Peoples Bank is located in the Southeast corner of Ohio, squarely in Appalachia country. How does a bank that size, originally ~$1 billion in assets when he took it over and roughly $7 billion today, make such successful leasing company acquisitions? One located in Vermont and one located in Minnesota? If you take a look at the numbers, the ROA and ROE of the bank have improved dramatically. Their yields and spreads have increased dramatically. Their asset growth has increased significantly in the commercial real estate (CRE) and in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors. His shareholders are being rewarded handsomely and will continue to be. Jeff: Chuck sets a great example. He has been aggressive in good ways. Peoples Bank also acquired an insurance premium finance company, and they're diversifying.  Chuck has the right headset in that he looks to acquire businesses to expand and diversify their geographical footprint. That's a real success story, in my view.  Bob: If you're going to acquire a leasing company that's growing, that's used to growing assets, the last thing you want to do is turn them into a bank. That's the whole premise for why you're going to buy a leasing company – is to expand the scope of the bank, not to contract it. It requires an introspective look of the CEO and his team: can they make an acquisition and not micromanage it and end up turning it into a bank? 3) Banks must be able to create objectives around diversification of geography and asset classes.  Bob: Equipment leasing is not a geographic-specific industry unlike, let's call it, commercial real estate. Banks are very familiar with commercial real estate. Real estate is always local. Commercial real estate is local, you've got to know the geography that you're in very well so that you understand the commercial real estate in that market. Banks must understand what they're trying to achieve in three to five years in terms of what percentage of their (Commercial and Insurance) C&I assets they want in various sectors.  How much do they want to get to in ELF? What do they want it to look like in three years, four years? Depending upon how big that number is, that determines the modality of the type of equipment leasing business you could get into. There are multiple facets to the equipment leasing industry: 1) small ticket, (transactions less than $250,000), middle-market/mid ticket (up to $5 million per transaction size), and large ticket (above $5 million per transaction). Jeff. Take Wintrust. They're not really “a bank”. More than 40% of their loan portfolio is insurance premium finance. They've got a big equipment finance business on top of that. There's probably 50% to 60% of loans that are non-traditional banking assets. As a result, the ROA on that bank is considerably higher than its peers; and as a result, the stock trades higher.  And Peoples, as we've discussed, has the right headset that they need to acquire or look to acquire national platforms outside of Marietta, Ohio. Obviously, they've done some bank acquisitions too in footprint, but expanding to get national business is part of the CEO's strategy.  What determines the level of a premium in the sale price that an ELF company can expect? (20:00) Bob: It falls under the quality of earnings, platform, and quality of human resources. Quality of earnings: I think about the repeatability of the earnings, as opposed to having a trend line of earnings that is a sawtooth (up and down, up and down). Quality of earnings should be fluid and show continued ramped-up growth over a period of time. Platform: The ability to scale. What's their technological capability? What's the platform built off of, is it homegrown? Is it well protected? Is it SOC compliant? If you had more capital, can you scale it? Quality of human resources: What does the management team look like? What's the average age of the team? What are their qualifications? What does the core management team look like behind them? If you cover all three of those pretty darn well, you're going to get the higher end of the premium scale for sure. What has M&A activity looked like in recent years and what are the prospects? (23:00) Bob: Activity's been strong for the past few years. Part of the activity was exacerbated when everybody thought that in 2021 there was going to be a new tax act and capital gains were going to go up.  The biggest reason over the past four to five years is because you've got an aging-out (in the midst of the Great Resignation) of the Principals of these companies. It's just a normal progression, and it happens every five years or so. You get a number of individuals who have had their own leasing companies who started them 20 odd years ago. If they started 20 years ago, here we are 20 years later, they're in their mid-60s to late 60s. If they don't get out now, when are they going to exit? Because typically there's going to be an earn out. If you wait till the age of 70 to get out, you may be working on an earn out between the ages of 70 and 73. On top of that, there's the aspect of an ELF company having a capital constraint. At some point, their capital is not going to hold them to keep borrowing on their line of credit because the debt-equity ratios will get too high and they'll have a hard time borrowing. It's really at about that time when they have to start thinking about what's next. Do we bring in another equity partner? Do we bring in some sub-debt? All that does is kick the can down the road. And I always tell them at that point: “You're already selling part of the company. Just sell the whole thing.” Listen to this podcast episode/read through the shownotes to see the Four Reasons Company Owners Consider a Transaction (15:25) What about Private Equity buyers in this space? (26:30) Jeff: We regularly get calls from folks looking to find platforms to acquire and build upon. There are some opportunities there: To remain independent, nimble, and flexible outside of the bank model, and take in additional capital to grow and potentially enhance the financing capabilities through securitizations and others. Bob: The equipment leasing industry is a fairly mature industry. It's fairly sophisticated. For an independent leasing company to bring in private equity, I see that as only a solution if you don't believe you're able to sell the whole company right now. The PE firm is investing to get double-digit returns, so that means they're going to come in and put you (as the owner/operator) on a huge ramped-up treadmill. You are going to have to keep up or they're going to lose interest. And you've sold part of the company. Now, granted, you've got a smaller piece but now have a bigger pie.  Jeff: That makes sense. There are some examples of successful private-equity-backed equipment finance companies, but as we have found – the universe of financially oriented sponsors that really want to put a lot of capital into the business and are willing to wait a long time to get their return – is quite limited. Most folks attack it from the financing standpoint. It can be a good option if you have an aging founder that wants an opportunity to take some chips off the table and let the next generation continue to run it. But you're right, it is a different exercise being put on that treadmill. Bob: It's a much different exercise. On the other hand, where it does work really well, is when a PE firm is backing a very experienced individual or a team who is going to start up a new entity. They could start this new entity and scale quickly with the help of private equity. They'd have a chance to really leverage that with some serious growth. Then it makes complete sense.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.10:1 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.Calling the sheep "by name" (v.3) does not mean that shepherds had individual names for each sheep.Rather, each shepherd used a different call.When flocks were commingled, they were separated once as the sheep followed the call of their shepherd.Concerning hearing God's voice (v.4), how do I distinguish what I know through scripture from what I sense God may be trying to tell me through life situations?Do I believe he could be leading me through objective sensations?(For more on this, click here or here.)In regard to verse 6, "figure of speech" (paroimia) is translated parabolé in the LXX. The two are functionally equivalent.Since the crowd did not understand the illustration (v.6), Jesus tries a more explicit approach (v.7ff).7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."All who came before me" (v.8) refers not to the legitimate O.T. prophets, or to John the Baptist, but to the mercenary priests of the present hierarchical system and the Pharisees (see Matthew 23:13; Luke 11:52).It would also have applied, at the time John was published, to false Messiahs within Judaism, pagan saviors or redeemer gods within the various Greco-Roman and oriental cults, and even heretical teachers who had left the church. Yet it most directly -- and obviously -- applies to the leaders (Pharisees) in John 9. Remember, there were no chapter numbers originally; these sections are connected.Jesus offers abundant life (v.10). This refers not to material prosperity (alone), but to spiritual well-being (which may or may not entail material advantages).11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.When Jesus claims to be the Good Shepherd, he:Utilizes a common biblical metaphor. For example, Psalm 23 says, "The Lord is my Shepherd."Underscores the importance of his personal relationship with the sheep.Identifies himself with the divine Messiah and son of David of Ezekiel 34. For more on the Messianic prophecy of Ezekiel 34 alluded to in this chapter, click here. See also Zechariah 13:7-9; Isaiah 40:11; and Psalms 28 and 80.Compares himself with the Jewish leaders, whom he clearly considers mercenary in their approach to shepherding. In Ezekiel 34 God himself rebukes the selfish shepherds of Israel, who had neglected the sheep.Recall also the shepherd passages of the Synoptic Gospels, especially Luke 15:1-7 and Matthew 18:12-14.The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (v.11).While it may be doubtful a shepherd would really risk his life for one sheep, it is certain that the Lord put himself at risk for each one of us.1 John 3:16, though using similar language to that in verse 11, refers to putting others first, more than to literally dying for them.16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”With respect to verse 16, see also 3:16; 6:51; 12:20,24,31-32. The Good Shepherd dies for all, not just for the Jews. The church was to include Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, one flock.No one takes Jesus' life from him (v.18).He is not saying that he was not truly to be executed, but that this would not have happened apart from his will.It was all a matter of divine timing and the will of the Father.19 Again the Jews were divided because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”Once again, the people are divided in their reactions to Jesus (vv.19-21).Some said he was insane. For even disagreeing with the party line, Jesus us insane by definition. This reminds me of the old Soviet Union. Dissidents would be sent off to the gulag. (Anyone crazy enough to reject the superior thinking of Lenin and Stalin must be insane, and thus must be committed into psychiatric care!)Some said he was possessed by a demon.Others pointed out the bad logic of such positions, citing the miraculous healing of chapter 9.22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”The setting of the this passage is the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah (v.22).Its origins lie in the so-called Intertestamental Period (c.400 BC-AD 30).It is found in the O.T. Apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees 4:59. (For the full text of this book, click here.)Ironically, since the Jewish Bible no longer contains 1-2 Maccabees, the only scriptural mention of this important Jewish holiday is in John 10 -- in the New Testament!Unlike the Feast of Tabernacles, this one could be celebrated at home.Jesus is walking under the cover of Solomon's Colonnade, which offered protection from the common winter rains (v.23). Of course this was not strictly speaking Solomon's colonnade (v.23), since the first Solomon's temple had been razed by the Babylonians in 587/586 BC.The crowd demands a direct answer from Jesus (v.24): Is he the Christ, or not? Jesus replies that the answer has already been given (v,25), but they didn't like the response (v.26).The reason: they lack faith; they aren't part of the flock.Unlike these false believers, true followers can rest assured in God's grace (v.28-29). See also the end of Romans 8.Jesus does not say that it is impossible to lose one's salvation, despite the common teaching of "Once saved, always saved." For more, click here.Jesus does not claim to be identical with the Father (v.30). They are one in action (the neuter hen), not one in person (which would have been the masculine heis). Recall that they differ in rank (order), not nature.Then Jesus adds that he and the father are one (v.30). That is, since he is one with the Father, and no one can thwart God's purposes, nobody can take disciples away from Jesus.This is a clear claim to divinity, as shown by the crowd's reaction in v.31ff. Jesus will also defend his divinity in v.34ff.In the Trinity, Jesus shares the same nature with the Father, but not the same rank, since the Father is greater than the Son (eternally).31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods'? 35 If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods'—and the scripture cannot be annulled— 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God's Son'? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.In verses 34-36 Jesus refers to Psalm 82:6, where certain prominent Israelites are called "gods."Since Jesus comes directly from the Father and obeys his will, it is a fortiori even more appropriate for him to be recognized as God's Son.For more on this, click here.Note that Jesus refers to the Psalms as "Law" (v.34).Sometimes in the Bible the word Law refers to Torah (the first five O.T. books, or Pentateuch).Other times, like here, it refers to the entire O.T.Moreover, even if they were disinclined to believe him, honest minds should be led by the evidence to see the divine origin of Christ (v.38).Still the crowd is unable to catch him (v.39). He eludes them because it is not yet his time.40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.Jesus returns to the (former) territory of John the Baptist (v.40), where he initially directed his disciples to Jesus (1:28-34). We've come full circle.He is positively received by those acquainted with John's ministry.It is evident that John was truly preparing the way for the ministry of Christ. Jesus was in no way "sheep stealing" from the Baptist.In verse 41 John's former followers admit that he had never performed a miracle.And yet according to Luke 1:15, in some sense he was "Spirit-filled" from birth.Thus it follows that being filled with the Spirit does not necessarily involve miraculous abilities or experiences.Many come to faith in Christ (v.42).In the next chapter (11) we'll read of one of Jesus' most dramatic signs: the raising of Lazarus from the dead -- also the seventh of the seven signs in John.Things to think aboutIn the last few chapters many have difficulties recognizing Jesus. This recognition may be analyzed:John 5-6 -- motivation -- people are improperly motivated.John 7-8 -- cognition -- people are unable to think.John 8-9 -- vision -- they are unable to see.John 10 -- audition -- they are unable to hear.Do I recognize the voice of our Shepherd? How well do I know his Word?Am I experiencing "life to the full" (the abundant life of verse 10)? Is anything missing?If I am a leader, why do I lead? If I am a church staff member, do I have the heart of a true shepherd, or is there anything of the mercenary in me?Do I appreciate the grace of GodNo external power can force me to leave God.Do I realize that I am the only one who can spoil the priceless gift of God in Christ?

THE THESIS: The entire Covid response was planned in advance of the “pandemic” and we need no further proof than Blackrock conspiring with the so-called Federal Reserve to conjure $3.5 trillion digits they pretend are dollars to illegally pay off their cronies and screw the taxpayers.  THE SCRIPTURE & SCRIPTURAL RESOURCES:  Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira 5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. The Apostles Heal Many 12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. The Apostles Persecuted 17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. 25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. 27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.  THE NEWS & COMMENT: [AUDIO] -  Jenn Psaki lays out a bowl of decaying word salad when asked by a reporter what the Figuread is doing about inflation  Blackrock was planning their wealth redistribution moves The Party shoved down our throats during the so called “pandemic” far ahead of the Covid Flu. As with everything else in the Great Reset, it was planned in advance and they used brutal lies and PsyOps to install it.  The Going Direct reset, from September of 2020 Now, watch the world's food supplies and entire food supply chain. . . Destruction of Food Begins in Shanghai with Fences Installed to Keep People Locked Down The AP, of course, pretends this is all a battle against a flu: Shanghai erects metal barriers in fight against COVID-19 Even the BBC is covering this: Shanghai: Green fences baffle locked down residents See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE THESIS: Sorry, but, this is all scripted. From the conjuring of $3.5 trillion in fake, retail banking “money” Blackrock told the fed to perform 4 months before the alleged pandemic--and then hid under Covid to illegally invest it--to the constriction of American farming capabilities, The Party is showing unbridled arrogance and contempt for us. This means, of course, God is going to topple them.  THE SCRIPTURE & SCRIPTURAL RESOURCES:  Haggai 2:22 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira 5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. The Apostles Heal Many 12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. The Apostles Persecuted 17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. 25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. 27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.  THE NEWS & COMMENT: Blackrock was planning their wealth redistribution moves The Party shoved down our throats during the so called “pandemic” far ahead of the Covid Flu. As with everything else in the Great Reset, it was planned in advance and they used brutal lies and PsyOps to install it.  The Going Direct reset, from September of 2020 Now, watch the world's food supplies and entire food supply chain. . . Destruction of Food Begins in Shanghai with Fences Installed to Keep People Locked Down The AP, of course, pretends this is all a battle against a flu: Shanghai erects metal barriers in fight against COVID-19 Even the BBC is covering this: Shanghai: Green fences baffle locked down residents See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.