Podcasts about Corinth

Questions Covered: 01:20 – I’m a protestant considering converting. Why was it wrong for protestants to take books out of the bible? What should I buy a Catholic bible?  11:53 – In Ender’s Game, the villains are a hive mind. If the protagonist kills the queen, resulting in the death of the entire population, is he culpable of the death of one or of many?    16:51 – 1 Corinth. 5 How do we know where to draw the line when it comes to expelling members of the Church?  21:12 – Who is the Harlot in Revelation?  28:31 – Can you explain the difference in translation in Ex 21:22 in the NKJV vs Douay Rheims. Is the woman fined or punished by death?  33:24 – Why are people concerned about the charismatic renewal in the Church?  How ecumenical can we be towards other charismatic protestants?  44:13 – What is the Church doing for people who are willing to adopt? Are there funds or grants available?  47:24 – Were there any protestant beliefs within the early Church?  52:02 – Could you recommend a biography of G.K. Chesterton and a book by him? www.chesterton.org  …

In his first letter to the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul was disciplinary. In his second, he was defensive. What changed? Well, the Apostle Paul wasn't always an apostle. He was once Saul of Tarsus, who persecuted the followers of Christ and did so in the name of Christ. After his conversion and subsequent rise to a position of authority in the church, some in Corinth still doubted his credentials. Paul wrote Second Corinthians to defend his ministry, and Ron takes us to that defense today, as he continues his teaching series, “Route 66: The Ultimate Road Trip Through The Bible.” --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/something-good-radio/support

Sign up for bonus episodes at www.themidnighttrainpodcast.com    Well since last week's episode left Logan up at night with nightmares and I still can't get the stains out of my shorts; we have decided to make this week's episode a little more on the lighter side. So we are diving deep into the wonderful world of politics! You got it, today we are going to discuss The Biden Administrations wonderful and brilliant plans and maybe even get an interview with Brandon himself! HA like that would ever happen. Fuck those guys. We are actually talking about the Antikythera Mechanism, and the mysteries surrounding it.   The Antikythera mechanism is a hand-powered orrery( a mechanical model of our solar system) from Ancient Greece that has been dubbed the world's first analog computer since it was used to forecast celestial locations and eclipses decades in advance. The ancient Olympic Games' four-year cycle, which was akin to an Olympiad, could also be followed using this method.   In 1901, wreckage from a shipwreck off the shore of the Greek island of Antikythera included this artifact. Archaeologist Valerios Stais recognized it as bearing a gear on May 17, 1902. The gadget, which was found as a single lump and then fragmented into three primary components that are now divided into 82 individual shards following conservation efforts, was contained in the remnants of a wooden box that measured 34 cm 18 cm 9 cm (13.4 in 7.1 in 3.5 in). While several of these shards have inscriptions, four of them have gears. The biggest gear has 223 teeth and is around 13 centimeters (5.1 in) in diameter.   Using contemporary computer x-ray tomography and high resolution surface scanning, a team at Cardiff University led by Mike Edmunds and Tony Freeth was able to image inside fragments of the crust-encased mechanism in 2008 and decipher the faintest writing that had once been inscribed on the machine's outer casing. This shows that it contained 37 bronze meshing gears that allowed it to mimic the Moon's erratic orbit, where the Moon's velocity is higher in its perigee than in its apogee, follow the motions of the Moon and Sun across the zodiac, and anticipate eclipses. Astronomer Hipparchus of Rhodes researched this motion in the second century BC, and it is possible that he was consulted when building the device. It is believed that a piece of the system, which also determined the locations of the five classical planets, is missing.   The device has been variously dated to between 150 and 100 BC, or to 205 BC, and it is thought to have been devised and built by Greek scientists. In any event, it had to have been built prior to the shipwreck, which has been dated to around 70–60 BC by many lines of evidence. Researchers suggested in 2022 that the machine's initial calibration date, rather than the actual date of manufacture, would have been December 23, 178 BC. Some academics disagree, arguing that the calibration date should be 204 BC. Up to the astronomical clocks of Richard of Wallingford and Giovanni de' Dondi in the fourteenth century, comparable complicated machines had not been seen.   The National Archaeological Museum in Athens currently has all of the Antikythera mechanism's fragments as well as a variety of reproductions and artistic reconstructions that show how it would have appeared and operated.   During the first voyage with the Hellenic Royal Navy, in 1900–1901, Captain Dimitrios Kontos and a crew of sponge divers from Symi island found the Antikythera shipwreck. Off Point Glyphadia on the Greek island of Antikythera, at a depth of 45 meters (148 feet), a Roman cargo ship wreck was discovered. The crew found various huge items, including the mechanism, ceramics, special glassware, jewelry, bronze and marble statues, and more. In 1901, most likely that July, the mechanism was pulled from the rubble. The mechanism's origin remains unknown, however it has been speculated that it was transported from Rhodes to Rome along with other seized goods to assist a triumphant procession that Julius Caesar was staging.   The National Museum of Archaeology in Athens received all the salvaged debris pieces for storage and examination. The museum personnel spent two years assembling more visible artifacts, like the sculptures, but the mechanism, which looked like a mass of tarnished brass and wood, remained unseen. The mechanism underwent deformational modifications as a result of not treating it after removal from saltwater.   Archaeologist Valerios Stais discovered a gear wheel lodged in one of the rocks on May 17, 1902. Although most experts judged the object to be prochronistic and too complicated to have been created during the same era as the other components that had been unearthed, he originally thought it was an astronomical clock. Before British science historian and Yale University professor Derek J. de Solla Price developed an interest in the object in 1951, investigations into the object were abandoned. The 82 pieces were photographed using X-ray and gamma-ray technology in 1971 by Price and Greek nuclear researcher Charalampos Karakalos. In 1974, Price issued a 70-page report summarizing their findings.   In 2012 and 2015, two more searches at the Antikythera wreck site turned up artifacts and another ship that may or may not be related to the treasure ship on which the mechanism was discovered. A bronze disc decorated with a bull's head was also discovered. Some speculated that the disc, which has four "ears" with holes in them, may have served as a "cog wheel" in the Antikythera mechanism. There doesn't seem to be any proof that it was a component of the mechanism; it's more probable that the disc was a bronze ornament on some furniture.   The earliest analog computer is typically referred to as the Antikythera mechanism. The production of the device must have had undiscovered ancestors throughout the Hellenistic era based on its quality and intricacy. It is believed to have been erected either in the late second century BC or the early first century BC, and its construction was based on mathematical and astronomical ideas created by Greek scientists during the second century BC.   Since they recognized the calendar on the Metonic Spiral as originating from Corinth or one of its colonies in northwest Greece or Sicily, further investigation by the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project in 2008 showed that the idea for the mechanism may have originated in the colonies of Corinth. The Antikythera Mechanism Research Initiative contended in 2008 that Syracuse could suggest a relationship with the school of Archimedes because it was a Corinthian colony and the home of Archimedes. In 2017, it was shown that the Metonic Spiral's calendar is of the Corinthian type and cannot be a Syracuse calendar. Another idea postulates that the device's origin may have come from the ancient Greek city of Pergamon, site of the Library of Pergamum, and claims that coins discovered by Jacques Cousteau at the wreck site in the 1970s correspond to the time of the device's creation. It was second in significance to the Library of Alexandria during the Hellenistic era due to its extensive collection of art and scientific scrolls.   A theory that the gadget was built in an academy established by Stoic philosopher Posidonius on that Greek island is supported by the discovery of Rhodian-style vases aboard the ship that carried the object. Hipparchus, an astronomer active from around 140 BC to 120 BC, lived at Rhodes, which was a bustling commercial port and a center for astronomy and mechanical engineering. Hipparchus' hypothesis of the motion of the Moon is used by the mechanism, raising the likelihood that he may have developed it or at the very least worked on it. The island of Rhodes is situated between the latitudes of 35.85 and 36.50 degrees north; it has lately been proposed that the astronomical events on the Parapegma of the Antikythera mechanism operate best for latitudes in the range of 33.3-37.0 degrees north.   According to a research published in 2014 by Carman and Evans, the Saros Dial's start-up date corresponds to the astronomical lunar month that started soon after the new moon on April 28, 205 BC. This suggests a revised dating of about 200 BC. Carman and Evans claim that the Babylonian arithmetic style of prediction suits the device's predictive models considerably better than the conventional Greek trigonometric approach does. According to a 2017 study by Paul Iversen, the device's prototype originated in Rhodes, but this particular model was modified for a customer from Epirus in northwest Greece. Iversen contends that the device was likely built no earlier than a generation before the shipwreck, a date that is also supported by Jones.   In an effort to learn more about the mechanism, further dives were made in 2014 and 2015. A five-year investigative program that started in 2014 and finished in October 2019 was followed by a second five-year session that began in May 2020.   The original mechanism probably came in one encrusted piece from the Mediterranean. It broke into three main parts shortly after that. In the meanwhile, more little fragments have come loose from handling and cleaning, and the Cousteau expedition discovered other fragments on the ocean floor. Fragment F was found in this fashion in 2005, suggesting that other fragments may still remain in storage, undetected since their first retrieval. The majority of the mechanism and inscriptions are found on seven of the 82 known fragments, which are also mechanically noteworthy. Additionally, 16 smaller components include inscriptions that are illegible and fragmentary.    The twelve zodiacal signs are divided into equal 30-degree sectors on a fixed ring dial that represents the ecliptic on the mechanism's front face. Even though the borders of the constellations were arbitrary, this was consistent with the Babylonian practice of allocating an equal portion of the ecliptic to each zodiac sign. The Sothic Egyptian calendar, which has twelve months of 30 days plus five intercalary days, is marked off with a rotating ring that is located outside that dial. The Greek alphabetized versions of the Egyptian names for the months are used to identify them. To align the Egyptian calendar ring with the current zodiac points, the first procedure is to spin it. Due to the Egyptian calendar's disregard for leap days, a whole zodiac sign would cycle through every 120 years.   Now we cannot show you pictures because well you couldn't see them. So we will try to describe them as best we can and we can also post them online.    The mechanism was turned by a now-lost little hand crank that was connected to the biggest gear, the four-spoked gear shown on the front of fragment A, gear b1, via a crown gear. As a result, the date indicator on the front dial was shifted to the appropriate day of the Egyptian calendar. Since the year cannot be changed, it is necessary to know the year that is currently in use. Alternatively, since most calendar cycles are not synchronized with the year, the cycles indicated by the various calendar cycle indicators on the back can be found in the Babylonian ephemeris tables for the day of the year that is currently in use. If the mechanism were in good operating order, the crank would easily be able to strike a certain day on the dial because it moves the date marker around 78 days each full rotation. The mechanism's interlocking gears would all revolve as the hand crank was turned, allowing for the simultaneous determination of the Sun's and Moon's positions, the moon's phase, the timing of an eclipse, the calendar cycle, and maybe the positions of planets.   The position of the spiral dial pointers on the two huge dials on the rear had to be observed by the operator as well. As the dials included four and five complete rotations of the pointers, the pointer had a "follower" that followed the spiral incisions in the metal. Before continuing, a pointer's follower had to be manually shifted to the opposite end of the spiral after reaching the terminal month place at either end of the spiral.   Two circular concentric scales may be seen on the front dial. The Greek zodiac signs are denoted on the inner scale, which is divided into degrees. A series of similar holes underneath the movable ring that rests flush with the surface and runs in a channel that makes up the outer scale are marked off with what appear to be days.   This outer ring has been thought to symbolize the 365-day Egyptian calendar ever since the mechanism was discovered, but new study contradicts this assumption and suggests it is really divided into 354 intervals. The Sothic and Callippic cycles had previously pointed to a 365 14-day solar year, as evidenced in Ptolemy III's proposed calendar reform of 238 BC. If one accepts the 365-day presupposition, it is acknowledged that the mechanism predates the Julian calendar reform. The dials aren't thought to represent his intended leap day, but by rotating the scale back one day every four years, the outer calendar dial may be adjusted against the inner dial to account for the effect of the extra quarter-day in the solar year.   The ring is most likely seen as a manifestation of a 354-day lunar calendar if one accepts the 354-day evidence. It is perhaps the first instance of the Egyptian civil-based lunar calendar postulated by Richard Anthony Parker in 1950, given the age of the mechanism's putative manufacture and the existence of Egyptian month names. The lunar calendar was intended to act as a daily indicator of succeeding lunations and to aid in the understanding of the Metonic(The moon phases return at the same time of year every almost precisely 19 years during the Metonic cycle. Although the recurrence is imperfect, careful examination shows that the Metonic cycle, which is defined as 235 synodic months, is only 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 58 seconds longer than 19 tropical years. In the fifth century BC, Meton of Athens determined that the cycle was exactly 6,940 days long. The creation of a lunisolar calendar is made easier by using these full integers.) and Saros(The saros, which may be used to forecast solar and lunar eclipses, is a period of exactly 223 synodic months, or around 6585.3211 days, or 18 years, 10, 11, or 12 days (depending on how many leap years there are). In what is known as an eclipse cycle, the Sun, Earth, and Moon return to about the same relative geometry, a nearly straight line, one saros time after an eclipse, and a nearly similar eclipse will take place. A sar is a saros's lower half.) dials as well as the Lunar phase pointer. Unknown gearing is assumed to move a pointer across this scale in synchrony with the rest of the mechanism's Metonic gearing. A one-in-76-year Callippic cycle correction and practical lunisolar intercalation were made possible by the movement and registration of the ring with respect to the underlying holes.   The dial also shows the Sun's location on the ecliptic in relation to the current year's date. The ecliptic serves as a useful reference for determining the locations of the Moon, the five planets known to the Greeks, and other celestial bodies whose orbits are similarly near to it.   The locations of bodies on the ecliptic were marked by at least two points. The position of the Moon was displayed by a lunar pointer, while the location of the mean Sun and the current date were also provided. The Moon position was the oldest known application of epicyclic gearing(Two gears positioned so that one gear's center spins around the other's center make up an epicyclic gear train, sometimes referred to as a planetary gearset.), and it mimicked the acceleration and deceleration of the Moon's elliptical orbit rather than being a simple mean Moon indicator that would signal movement uniformly across a circular orbit.   The system followed the Metonic calendar, anticipated solar eclipses, and computed the time of various panhellenic athletic competitions, including the Ancient Olympic Games, according to recent research published in the journal Nature in July 2008. The names of the months on the instrument closely resemble those found on calendars from Epirus in northwest Greece and with Corfu, which was formerly known as Corcyra.   Five dials are located on the rear of the mechanism: the Metonic, Saros, and two smaller ones, the so-called Olympiad Dial (recently renamed the Games dial since it did not track Olympiad years; the four-year cycle it closely matches is the Halieiad), the Callippic(a certain approximate common multiple of the synodic month and the tropical year that was put out by Callippus around 330 BC. It is a 76-year span that is an improvement over the Metonic cycle's 19 years.), and the Exeligmos(a time frame of 54 years, 33 days over which further eclipses with the same characteristics and position may be predicted.)   Both the front and rear doors of the wooden casing that houses the mechanism have inscriptions on them. The "instruction manual" looks to be behind the rear door. "76 years, 19 years" is inscribed on one of its parts, denoting the Callippic and Metonic cycles. "223" for the Saros cycle is also written. Another piece of it has the phrase "on the spiral subdivisions 235," which alludes to the Metonic dial.   The mechanism is exceptional due to the degree of miniaturization and the intricacy of its components, which is equivalent to that of astronomical clocks from the fourteenth century. Although mechanism specialist Michael Wright has argued that the Greeks of this era were capable of designing a system with many more gears, it includes at least 30 gears. Whether the device contained signs for each of the five planets known to the ancient Greeks is a subject of significant controversy. With the exception of one 63-toothed gear that is otherwise unaccounted for, no gearing for such a planetary display is still in existence.   It is quite likely that the mechanism featured additional gearing that was either removed before being placed onboard the ship or lost in or after the shipwreck due to the enormous gap between the mean Sun gear and the front of the box as well as the size and mechanical characteristics on the mean Sun gear. Numerous attempts to mimic what the Greeks of the time would have done have been made as a result of the absence of evidence and the nature of the front section of the mechanism, and of course various solutions have been proposed as a result of the lack of evidence.   Michael Wright was the first to create a model that included a simulation of a future planetarium system in addition to the existing mechanism. He said that corrections for the deeper, more fundamental solar anomaly would have been undertaken in addition to the lunar anomaly (known as the "first anomaly"). Along with the well-known "mean sun" (present time) and lunar pointers, he also provided pointers for this "real sun," Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.   A solution that differs significantly from Wright's was published by Evans, Carman, and Thorndike. Their suggestion focused on the uneven spacing of the letters on the front clock face, which seemed to them to imply an off-center sun indication arrangement. By eliminating the requirement to imitate the solar anomaly, this would simplify the mechanism. Additionally, they proposed that simple dials for each individual planet would display data such as significant planetary cycle events, initial and final appearances in the night sky, and apparent direction changes rather than accurate planetary indication, which is rendered impossible by the offset inscriptions. Compared to Wright's concept, this system would result in a far more straightforward gear system with significantly lower forces and complexity.   After much investigation and labor, Freeth and Jones released their idea in 2012. They developed a concise and workable answer to the planetary indicator puzzle. They also suggest that the date pointer, which displays the mean position of the Sun and the date on the month dial, be separated to display the solar anomaly (i.e., the sun's apparent location in the zodiac dial). If the two dials are properly synced, Wright's front panel display may be shown on the other dials as well. However, unlike Wright's model, this one is simply a 3-D computer simulation and has not been physically constructed.   Similar devices A first-century BC philosophical debate by Cicero, De re publica (54-51 BC), discusses two devices that some contemporary authors believe to be some sort of planetarium or orrery, forecasting the motions of the Sun, Moon, and the five planets known at the time. After Archimedes' demise at the siege of Syracuse in 212 BC, the Roman commander Marcus Claudius Marcellus took both of them to Rome. One of these devices was the sole thing Marcellus preserved during the siege because of his admiration for Archimedes (the second was placed in the Temple of Virtue). The instrument was kept as a family heirloom, and according to Philus, who was present during a conversation Cicero imagined had taken place in Scipio Aemilianus's villa in the year 129 BC, Gaius Sulpicius Gallus, who served as consul with Marcellus's nephew in 166 BC and is credited by Pliny the Elder with being the first Roman to have written a book explaining solar and lunar eclipses, gave both a "learned explanation" and working demonstrations of the device.   According to Pappus of Alexandria (290–c. 350 AD), Archimedes had penned a now-lost treatise titled On Sphere-Making that described how to build these contraptions. Many of his innovations are described in the ancient documents that have survived, some of which even have crude illustrations. His odometer is one such instrument; the Romans later used a similar device to set their mile marks (described by Vitruvius, Heron of Alexandria and in the time of Emperor Commodus). Although the pictures in the literature looked to be practical, attempts to build them as shown had been unsuccessful. The system worked properly when the square-toothed gears in the illustration were swapped out for the angled gears found in the Antikythera mechanism.   This technique existed as early as the third century BC, if Cicero's story is accurate. Later Roman authors including Lactantius (Divinarum Institutionum Libri VII), Claudian (In sphaeram Archimedes), and Proclus (Commentary on the First Book of Euclid's Elements of Geometry) in the fourth and fifth century also make reference to Archimedes' invention.   Cicero also said that another such device was built "recently" by his friend Posidonius, "... each one of the revolutions of which brings about the same movement in the Sun and Moon and five wandering stars [planets] as is brought about each day and night in the heavens"   Given that the third device was almost certainly in Posidonius's possession by that time and that both the Archimedes-made and Cicero-mentioned machines were found in Rome at least 30 years after the shipwreck's estimated date, it is unlikely that any one of these machines was the Antikythera mechanism discovered in the wreck. The researchers who rebuilt the Antikythera mechanism concur that it was too complex to have been a singular invention.   This proof that the Antikythera mechanism was not unique strengthens the argument that there was a tradition of complex mechanical technology in ancient Greece that was later, at least in part, transmitted to the Byzantine and Islamic worlds. During the Middle Ages, complex mechanical devices that were still simpler than the Antikythera mechanism were built in these cultures.A fifth- or sixth-century Byzantine Empire geared calendar fragment that was mounted to a sundial and maybe used to help tell time has been discovered. The Caliph of Baghdad commissioned Bani Ms's Kitab al-Hiyal, also known as the Book of Ingenious Devices, in the early ninth century AD. Over a hundred mechanical devices were detailed in this document, some of which may have been found in monastic manuscripts from antiquity. Around 1000, the scholar al-Biruni described a geared calendar that was comparable to the Byzantine mechanism, and a 13th-century astrolabe also had a clockwork system that is similar to it. It's probable that this medieval technology was brought to Europe and had a part in the region's development of mechanical clocks.   Su Song, a Chinese polymath, built a mechanical clock tower in the 11th century that, among other things, measured the positions of several stars and planets that were shown on an armillary sphere that spun mechanically.   Conspiracy Corner The Antikythera Mechanism was thought to have been created between 150 and 100 BCE at first, but recent research dates its development to approximately 205 BCE. It's interesting that this technology seems to have just vanished because comparable items didn't start turning up until the 14th century. But why did the ancient Greeks permit such a significant development to be forgotten over time? Posidonius carried on the work of the Greek astronomer Hipparchus by instructing students at an astronomy academy. Posidonius invented a contraption that "in each rotation reproduces the identical motions of the Sun, the Moon and the five planets that take place in the skies every day and night," according to Cicero, one of Posidonius' students. Which remarkably resembles the Antikythera Mechanism. However, when the Mechanism was created in the second century BCE, Posidonius was not yet alive. Hipparchus was, though. Posidonius could have built an instrument based on Hipparchus' Antikythera Mechanism, which he made many years before. What about Posidonius' instrument, though? A time traveler from the future may have developed the Mechanism, or it may genuinely be a futuristic gadget that was taken back to ancient Greece and put there on purpose if it dates to the second century BCE and equivalent technology didn't start emerging until decades later. Some people think the entire thing is a hoax despite overwhelming scientific proof to the contrary. After all, it is challenging to reconcile the Antikythera mechanism's antiquity with its growth in technology. The Turk, a fictional chess-playing robot constructed in the 18th century, has been likened to the mechanism by some. But scientists easily acknowledge that The Turk is a fraud. Why would they fabricate evidence of the mechanism's reliability? What would they be attempting to conceal? Even though it is quite old, the Antikythera mechanism represented an enormous advance in technology. So how did the Greeks of antiquity come up with the concept, much alone construct it? They didn't, according to The Ancient Aliens: “Beings with advanced knowledge of astronomical bodies, mathematics and precision engineering tools created the device or gave the knowledge for its creation to someone during the first century BC. But the knowledge was not recorded or wasn't passed down to anyone else.” Therefore, aliens either provided humanity the ability to make this gadget or the knowledge to do so, but they didn't do anything to assure that we built on it or learnt from it. It seems like the aliens weren't planning ahead very well. This theory, like the extraterrestrial one, is based simply on the observation that the Antikythera mechanism seems to be too technologically sophisticated for its period. The mythical Atlantis was a highly developed metropolis that vanished into the ocean. Many people think the city genuinely exists, despite the fact that Plato only described it in a sequence of allegories. And some of those individuals believe the Antikythera mechanism proves Atlantis existed since it was too sophisticated for any known culture at the time; they believe Atlantis, not Greece, is where the mechanism originated. According to the notion of intelligent design, a higher power purposefully created many things on Earth because they are too sophisticated to have arisen by simple evolution. Because the Antikythera mechanism is so much more sophisticated than any other artifact from that age, some people think it is proof of intelligent design. If this is the case, you have to question what divine, omnipotent creature would spend time creating such a minute object for such a trivial goal. Greece's coast is home to the island of Rhodes. Greek artifacts were placed into the ship transporting the Mechanism, which was sailing for Rome. One explanation for this might be that the Antikythera mechanism was taken together with the spoils from the island of Rhodes. How come Rhodes was pillaged? following a victorious war against the Greeks, as part of Julius Caesar's triumphal procession. Could the loss of one of history's most significant and cutting-edge technical advancements be accidentally attributed to Julius Caesar? The Antikythera mechanism may have predicted the color of eclipses, which is thought to be impossible by scientists, according to new translations of texts on the device. Therefore, were the forecasts the mechanism provided only educated guesses, or did the ancient Greeks have knowledge that we do not? According to legend, an extraterrestrial species called the Annunaki (possible episode?) invaded and inhabited Earth (they were revered as gods in ancient Mesopotamia), leaving behind evidence of their presence. The Antikythera mechanism could be one of these hints. The Mechanism uses what appears to be distinct technology that was, as far as we are aware, extremely different from anything else that was built about 200 BCE. It estimates when lunar eclipses would occur, which advanced space invaders would undoubtedly know something about. An intriguing view on the process is held by Mike Edmunds from Cardiff University. The uniqueness and technological innovation of the item are frequently highlighted in reports about it. However, Edmunds speculates that the mechanism may have been in transit to a client when the ship carrying it went down. If one device was being delivered, might there possibly be others — if not on this ship, then potentially on others from Rhodes? — he asks in his essay. There may have been more of these amazing machines that have been lost to the passage of time or are still out there waiting to be found. MOVIES - films from the future - https://filmsfromthefuture.com/movies/

When thinking of the perfect church, we do not often think of the church in Corinth. Rife with problems, this church is still called by Paul a group of saints who have been sanctified and blessed with gracious gifts. It is God that calls and puts the church together-

Paul addresses the church at Corinth: the God of all comfort, his change of plans, forgiveness for the sinner, ministers of the new covenant, glory of the new covenant, treasures in jars of clay.

Here in America, if you want to take a trip to Sin City, you'll go to Las Vegas. But in first century Greece, you'd have gone to Corinth. Corinth was Vegas before Vegas. Prostitution and debauchery ran rampant. And when a little of the pagan Corinthian culture began to infiltrate the church the Apostle Paul had planted there, Paul took pen to parchment and wrote them a letter. What did he tell them, and how much of what he said applies to our culture today? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/something-good-radio/support

Old Testament: 2 Kings 19–20 2 Kings 19–20 (Listen) Isaiah Reassures Hezekiah 19 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the LORD your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” 5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'” Sennacherib Defies the Lord 8 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “Behold, he has set out to fight against you.” So he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?'” Hezekiah's Prayer 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said: “O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.” Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib's Fall 20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him:   “She despises you, she scorns you—    the virgin daughter of Zion;  she wags her head behind you—    the daughter of Jerusalem. 22   “Whom have you mocked and reviled?    Against whom have you raised your voice  and lifted your eyes to the heights?    Against the Holy One of Israel!23   By your messengers you have mocked the Lord,    and you have said, ‘With my many chariots  I have gone up the heights of the mountains,    to the far recesses of Lebanon;  I felled its tallest cedars,    its choicest cypresses;  I entered its farthest lodging place,    its most fruitful forest.24   I dug wells    and drank foreign waters,  and I dried up with the sole of my foot    all the streams of Egypt.' 25   “Have you not heard    that I determined it long ago?  I planned from days of old    what now I bring to pass,  that you should turn fortified cities    into heaps of ruins,26   while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,    are dismayed and confounded,  and have become like plants of the field    and like tender grass,  like grass on the housetops,    blighted before it is grown. 27   “But I know your sitting down    and your going out and coming in,    and your raging against me.28   Because you have raged against me    and your complacency has come into my ears,  I will put my hook in your nose    and my bit in your mouth,  and I will turn you back on the way    by which you came. 29 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same. Then in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this. 32 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. 34 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” 35 And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. 37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. Hezekiah's Illness and Recovery 20 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.'” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 “Now, O LORD, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD, 6 and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.” 7 And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.” 8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” 9 And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” 10 And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” 11 And Isaiah the prophet called to the LORD, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz. Hezekiah and the Babylonian Envoys 12 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” 15 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.” 16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: 17 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. 18 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” 20 The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and all his might and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in his place. (ESV) New Testament: 1 Corinthians 1:1–17 1 Corinthians 1:1–17 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Divisions in the Church 10 I appeal to you, brothers,1 by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. Footnotes [1] 1:10 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 11, 26 (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 146 Psalm 146 (Listen) Put Not Your Trust in Princes 146   Praise the LORD!  Praise the LORD, O my soul!2   I will praise the LORD as long as I live;    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3   Put not your trust in princes,    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.4   When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;    on that very day his plans perish. 5   Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,    whose hope is in the LORD his God,6   who made heaven and earth,    the sea, and all that is in them,  who keeps faith forever;7     who executes justice for the oppressed,    who gives food to the hungry.   The LORD sets the prisoners free;8     the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.  The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;    the LORD loves the righteous.9   The LORD watches over the sojourners;    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10   The LORD will reign forever,    your God, O Zion, to all generations.  Praise the LORD! (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 18:8 Proverbs 18:8 (Listen) 8   The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;    they go down into the inner parts of the body. (ESV)

There are lost souls in the Church. Examine yourself for legalism.-See if you are in the faith-test yourself. The lost are part of the visible church. Their goal is not the Glory of God, but their own glory.-The Church at Corinth had problems, and Paul dealt with those problems. Many had no fruit-Paul exhorts them to examine themselves-Jesus must be in them.-Matthew 4 Jesus preaches repentance for the kingdom is at hand.-Matthew 5 The beatitudes Jesus tell us what kingdom citizens look like. The beatitudes are the fruit- the work of Jesus. Repentance and belief are not only one time events-Matthew 7 The right goal is the Glory of God -Micah 6-8- -The response of true Christians when they come before the face of God is that if Isaiah- they are undone, depart from me,-Ask yourself who is Lord of my Life. We must examine ourselves. It is the difference between eternal life and eternal judgement.

The Christians in Corinth previously indicated they were keen to provide financial help to their poor Christian brethren in Judea. In his previous epistle the Apostle Paul gave them instructions how they were organise their givings. But the Corinthians needed to be encouraged to implement Paul's instructions. In this chapter Paul outlines the grace of giving.

PDF Notes:https://abd37d12-8f30-444d-94c9-b2295c9f2852.filesusr.com/ugd/a9d811_83832c9b025344f19648478ba02e3b33.pdf

2 Corinthians 13.14 NLT 'May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.' As Paul concludes this tough letter in which he has responded to fierce criticism of his ministry, he ends by blessing the church in Corinth. These beautiful words are ones that are repeated millions of times every year as Christians meet together. They are the strongest words of blessing that could be imagined and summarise the majestic work of the Trinity. Jesus' life and ministry are wonderfully summed up in the word ‘grace'. Grace means ‘gift', and his life and death were God's perfect gift to the world. In a world in which there is often brokenness, sadness and a distinct lack of grace, it is wonderful to be able to pray for people to experience the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. His grace brings healing, forgiveness and restoration. Many things could be said of God the Father, the creator of the world. He is all powerful and all knowing. No word of praise or adoration is too great to express his majesty. But if you had to choose just one word to describe him, ‘love' would be a good choice, for God is love. The Holy Spirit was God's gracious gift to the church when Jesus returned to his Father's right hand in heaven. He lives with us and, every day, he offers to have fellowship with us and to lead us into all truth. Jesus said that it was to his disciples' advantage that he went away, so that the Holy Spirit could be sent to them. In his earthly life, Jesus couldn't be with everyone all the time. But the Holy Spirit can – and so we gladly bless one another with the encouragement that the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is constantly with us. We should never repeat these words of blessing quickly or thoughtlessly. They take us to the heart of the nature of our great Triune God, and are the strongest words of blessing that could be imagined. Question: In what way is this blessing special to you? Prayer: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all today. Amen

A sermon given by Tommy Moore on June 26, 2022 on 1 Corinthians 13. "Paul provides the final instructions of the church in Corinth. We see an encouragement toward generous giving to support other churches, practical planning of life and ministry, and an exhortation to stand firm in the Faith. Paul's primary hope for them, as he has given them all of this instruction to address the many fractures within their church family, is that they heed his words in a spirit of love for one another."

2 Corinthians 12.9-10 NLT The Lord said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. The apostle Paul revealed that he suffered from a thorn in his flesh. He didn't give any hint of what kind of thorn it was, and there have been endless suggestions over the centuries. It may well have been a physical difficulty and it has often been suggested that he had a speech impediment. This would account for the fact that he was described as being a poor preacher. But it might just have well have been a emotional, mental or spiritual difficulty. We just don't know. What is more important is that it really doesn't matter. What matters is the spiritual lesson that it taught him, namely that God finds it easiest to work in us through our weakness, rather than our strength. The person who is strong is tempted to think that they can do everything by themself. They have no need of God. On the other hand, the person who is weak knows their limitations and is eager to find support and help from others. They gladly welcome God's strength. Paul was fiercely criticised for the weakness of his public ministry. As a minister, I wince at the sharpness of these criticisms; it is clear they wounded Paul deeply. He established the church in Corinth and it was incredibly precious to him. The barrage of criticisms must have been especially hard to bear. But his answer to his critics was that all the problems he faced were actually a blessing, because they taught him to rely completely on God. It is probable that all of us will face challenging times in the future, even if life is easy and straightforward at the moment. Praise God that, as we step into that future, God will be there to strengthen us and that in those days of greatest weakness we will discover more and more of his strength. Question: When have you experienced God's strength in times of weakness? Prayer: Lord God I thank you that I can look to the future with confidence because you will always fill me with the strength that I need to face any challenge. Amen

How God speaks to us   Talk 5   Understanding the Bible correctly (Part 1) In the last talk we considered why we should believe that God speaks to us through the Bible. In the next few talks will be looking at how he does so. But first it will be important to consider how to understand the Bible correctly. We have already seen that as far as Jesus was concerned, when the Bible spoke, God spoke[1]. We also said that the writings of the Scriptures are as much the voice of God as the experience Peter had when he heard God's voice in audible form on the Mount of Transfiguration[2]. All that's true, but it clearly needs further explanation. We know from the account of when Jesus was tempted in the desert that the devil can quote Scripture[3]. The Scripture he quoted from Psalm 91 is certainly the word of God, but Satan was misapplying it, and Jesus knew it! From this we learn the importance of correctly understanding what the Bible is saying, and in this talk I'll be outlining some of the things we need to bear in mind when asking what God might be saying to us through a particular verse or passage. Before we jump to a conclusion as to what it means, there are two basic questions we need to ask: What part of the Bible are we reading? What is the context of the passage we are reading? What part of the Bible are we reading? The first thing we need to be aware of is whether the passage we're reading is from the Old Testament or the New. Whenever we read the OT it is important to remember that it is not God's final revelation to the human race. As the writer to the Hebrews pointed out: In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe (Hebrews 1:1-2).   We need to understand that Jesus himself is the fulfilment of all OT law and prophecy: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them (Matthew 5:17).   The OT is a revelation of the old covenant that God made with his people, but the OT itself promised that the day would come when God would make a new and better covenant with them. This is made very clear in the letter to the Hebrews. As Christians, we are not living under the old covenant that God made with the Jewish people, but under the new covenant which is sealed with the blood of Jesus. John 19:30 tells us that when Jesus died on the cross he declared, IT IS FINISHED. The word 'finished' here means 'accomplished' or 'completed'. Jesus had completed the work his Father had given him to do. His death on the cross provided atonement for our sins and was the fulfilment of all OT law. This is why we should always read the OT in the light of the NT. A good example of how to apply this practice is the OT food laws.   The Old Testament food laws as an example We'll use Leviticus 11:1-8 as a passage that represents the sort of things the Israelites were allowed to eat and not to eat. Camels, hyraxes, rabbits and pigs were forbidden, but an animal that both chews the cud and has a divided hoof was permitted.   We don't need to concern ourselves with why the Lord gave Moses these instructions. What is significant is that the instructions were given to the Israelites. But how do we know that they don't apply to us as well? To answer this we need to consider various passages in the New Testament.   First, notice what Jesus said in Mark 7:14-23. He makes it clear that nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them because it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body. Mark then clarifies this by saying: In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean. This certainly seems to mean that for us as Christians there's no such thing as unclean food. But how does this stand up in the light of Acts 15:22-29? In this passage we have a record of a decision made by the early church in order to resolve a particular problem they were facing at the time. Some of the Jewish believers, because of their Old Testament background, had been teaching that Gentiles who became Christians should be circumcised in line with OT teaching. This was clearly causing great difficulty for the Gentille converts and a meeting of the apostles and elders was called to resolve the problem. The decision they came to, with the help of the Holy Spirit, was that the Gentile converts did not need to be circumcised - something which Paul makes very clear in his letter to the Galatians - but that there were certain things that the Gentiles should abstain from. So they sent them a letter saying:   It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.                           But does this mean that those prohibitions apply to Christians today? In my opinion, with the exception of the last item in the list, which is of course forbidden in the rest of the NT, the answer is no. I say this for three reasons:   Acts 15 is a record of a decision made by the church at a specific time to resolve a problem that was current at that point in history. It is not necessary to understand it as being applicable to Christians today who are living in quite different circumstances. The decision was almost certainly made so that the Jewish Christians would not be unnecessarily offended. This interpretation is certainly in line with Paul's teaching in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10[4]. It is very clear from Paul's epistles that Christians are not subject to legalistic regulations, but that out of love for our fellow believers we should modify our behaviour so as not to cause anyone to stumble.   In short, Paul clearly teaches that it doesn't matter what we eat or drink as long as we can do it with a clear conscience and will not distress someone else by doing so. The underlying consideration is LOVE.  The whole law is summarised in this: For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.' (Galatians 5:14). Jesus replied: ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments'” (Matthew 22:37-40).   In this example with regard to the OT food laws, which we've used to illustrate how the Old Testament must be interpreted in the light of the New, we've been careful not to read a passage in isolation, but to compare scripture with scripture. We have also touched on another important principle with regard to how to interpret the Bible correctly – the context of the book or passage we are reading. What is the context of the passage we are reading? The question of context is undoubtedly the most important issue with regard to understanding correctly what God is saying. We've already dealt with the most basic aspect – Which part of the Bible are you looking at? OT or NT?  But there are three other areas in which context is vitally important: The literary context The cultural/historical context The immediate context The literary context The Bible is not really a book. It's a collection of books. In the Greek New Testament the word for bible is plural and it means the books. These books were written over a period of some 1500 years by a wide range of people in many different places. If we want to understand a book correctly we need to consider its genre – what kind of literature it is. Here's a brief summary of the different kinds of literature we find in the Bible: Types of OT literature Narrative (found mainly from Genesis to Esther) The Law (found in the Pentateuch, the first five books) The Psalms Wisdom (Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) The Prophets Types of NT Literature Narrative (The Gospels, Acts) Parables (found mainly in the Gospels) Letters Apocalyptic (Revelation). The reason it's helpful to know what type of literature we are reading is that although all Scripture is inspired by God[5], the way he may speak to us through it may vary according to the kind of literature it is. For example, in the narrative passages we may learn from the example of what happened to God's people in the past[6], but in the NT letters we're given direct instructions as to what to do. We learn from all these different kinds of literature, but we learn in different ways. To use the illustration of the OT food laws again, you will have noticed that I based my conclusions on what Paul said in his letters rather than on the narrative of what the early church decided in the book of Acts. I was taking the genre, the literary context, into consideration. The cultural/historical context Although the books of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit, God used human authors to write them. The epistles, for example, are conditioned by the language and culture of the first century. They speak to specific situations in the first century church. Their authors lived at a certain point in history and in a society where the culture was often very different from ours today. This is reflected in their writings and if we understand their culture we will understand more clearly what God might be saying through them. And although some passages may not seem directly relevant to us today, we should be able to see the principles being taught in them and apply them to situations that arise in our own lives and the life of the church today.   One example of this might be how we understand Paul's teaching on eating food that has been offered to idols. The Christians in Corinth were confronted with this problem on a daily basis, and there are parts of the world where Paul's teaching is still highly relevant today. However, if you're like me, this may not be an issue that has ever arisen for you personally. But does this mean that those of us who have never been in those circumstances can learn nothing from what Paul says on the subject in 1 Corinthians 8?   By no means! The principles Paul teaches will always be relevant wherever we live and whatever the culture may be. However much we may think we know, our first duty is to love other people (vv. 1-3). We must be careful that our freedom in Christ does not become a stumbling-block to those who are weak (v.9). It's better not to exercise our freedom if it's going to cause a brother or sister to fall into sin (v.13). So even if we're not in a situation where we're likely to be invited to eat meat that's been sacrificed to an idol, it's not difficult to think of ways in which we can apply the principles Paul teaches in this chapter. For example, although the New Testament nowhere teaches total abstinence from alcohol, many Christians feel that they should abstain rather than setting an example that might lead others into addiction.   So, to summarise what we've said so far in this talk, when we're reading a particular passage or verse and we want to understand what God is saying to us through it, we need to be aware of what part of the Bible we are reading – Old or New Testament. We should also bear in mind the literary context and the historical and cultural context in which it was written. If you're not sure about this, there are many different sources that will help you. The Bible you are reading may already have the information available. The NIV Life Application Bible, for example, at the beginning of each individual book of the Bible, gives you a useful summary of what the book is about, and provides a basic outline of the context it in which it was written. With all that in mind, you're now in a position to consider the immediate context. And that's something we'll be looking at next time. [1] See page [2] Page [3] Matthew 4:6 [4] Romans 14:1-21, 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, cf. 1 Timothy 4:45. [5] 2 Timothy 3:16 [6] E.g. 1 Corinthians 10:6

The Spirit Explodes Part 18 of 22 ~Success and trouble in Ephesus. ~Acts19:1–41 by Roger Kirby Some time has passed since the main events we read about in the last study. Since Paul left Corinth he has been to Jerusalem and Antioch, travelled through the area he has already been to in the south of what is now Turkey and then travelled over land to Ephesus in west Turkey. As already noted Ephesus was a large city, third largest in the Empire, and correspondingly important both to Rome and the developing churches. Though it is interesting to note that in the book of Revelation the church in Ephesus is warned that ‘if you do not repent I will remove your lamp stand from its place' and they did not repent and the city no longer exists today except as ruins. This episode has clearly been put next to that about Apollos not knowing the baptism of Jesus. This time the situation is much clearer: although they are called disciples they did not have the gift of the Holy Spirit. When asked whether they had received the Holy Spirit their reply was literally ‘we have not heard that the spirit is' probably meaning something like ‘we have not heard that the Spirit is available to the likes of us'. John had spoken about the Spirit so they must have known of his existence. Question 1: - They answered ‘no'. What can we conclude from that? Read Acts 19:8–16. Question 2: - Why do we find it so much more difficult to get everyone to hear the word of the Lord than they did? Question 3: - What is the essential difference between magic and miracle? Question 4: - Where in this passage do we hear of the direct challenge of miracles to magic? Question 5: - Where, in your culture, can you see similar things happening? Read Acts 19:17 – 22. Question 6: - Is there anything you should be burning or dumping? Read Acts 19:23 – 31. Question 7: - For the second time in this chapter Christian faith is called ‘the Way'. What does this title emphasise?  Read Acts 19: 32 – 41.   Right Mouse click or tap here to download episode 18 as an audio mp3 file

Help us to make Reformed resources available online- https---providencearp.breezechms.com-give-online

A new MP3 sermon from Providence ARP Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Life in Corinth, Part 5 - Marriage and Divorce (2) Subtitle: Life in Corinth Speaker: Pastor Andrew Webb Broadcaster: Providence ARP Church Event: Bible Study Date: 6/15/2022 Length: 59 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Providence ARP Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Life in Corinth, Part 5 - Marriage and Divorce (2) Subtitle: Life in Corinth Speaker: Pastor Andrew Webb Broadcaster: Providence ARP Church Event: Bible Study Date: 6/15/2022 Length: 59 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Providence ARP Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Life in Corinth, Part 5 - Marriage and Divorce (2) Subtitle: Life in Corinth Speaker: Pastor Andrew Webb Broadcaster: Providence ARP Church Event: Bible Study Date: 6/15/2022 Length: 59 min.

2 Corinthians 10.3-4 NLT 'We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.' Paul was under attack from people within the church in Corinth. There was a view among some of them that he was quite timid when he was with them in person but extremely bold when he was away from them and expressing himself in letters. It's never pleasant to be the target of criticism in this way and Paul responds by helping his critics to understand that he wasn't trying to impress them with powerful oratory and clever arguments. He was content to be thought of as a dull preacher because what mattered was not his clever performance but the declaration of the cross of Christ. That's where true wisdom is found. When people challenge Christian teaching, it is absolutely right that we should respond and give a thoughtful and sensitive response. But we should never imagine that people will be won over by the power of our clever reasoning. We need to rely upon the power of the Spirit and pray that he will break into their lives and convince them of their need for God. We must play our part but, without the intervention of God himself, nothing will change. The New Testament gives us much encouragement as we face the challenge of living for Christ in a fundamentally hostile society. Paul is clear that we are at war, but that this shouldn't scare us, because God has perfectly equipped us to stand up to whatever the devil might throw at us. Ephesians 6:10-18 provides us with a clear summary of the equipment that God has given to us. Paul's concern was that he and his friends in Corinth should wear the full armour of God and not imagine that, with their clever reasoning and wonderful oratory, they could somehow manage by themselves. Question: What are the mighty weapons that God has given to you today? Prayer: Loving God, thank you for perfectly equipping me for all the challenges that I might have to face. Amen

The Spirit Explodes Part 17 of 22 The magnificent couple Acts 18:1–28 by Roger Kirby   I am going to cheat a little in this study! All our recent ones have been determined by geography – following Paul's travels. If we do that here we shall have a very short study on Corinth followed next time by a very long one on Ephesus, so I am going to focus on Aquila and Priscilla, the most significant couple in the early church. Our study will cover them in both Corinth and Ephesus and glide over the fact that in between those two cities Paul finished his second journey, spent time at Antioch, and then started his third journey. Corinth was an unpromising place. It was more important than Athens in all except cultural matters. It was a seaport on the narrow isthmus of land between southern and northern Greece (as we call it now). It was a vigorous commercial centre notorious for loose living. Yet it proved to be more receptive to the Gospel than many other quieter cities. Read Acts 18:1–4. These verses introduce us to Aquila and Priscilla. Presumably they had been converted in Rome. It has been suggested that not all the Jews in Rome can have been thrown out – since there were about 40000 of them, that would have been difficult. So perhaps they had been treated as troublemakers because of their belief in Jesus. This passage tells us more about what Paul did than we have been told previously. All Jewish men, however study minded, were expected to learn a trade. Paul was a worker in canvas and leather, probably cutting and stitching at a bench or sitting cross-legged with them in a small open fronted shop in the street of the tent-makers. The three of them, working together, would have had many opportunities to chat with the passers by and tell them about Jesus. Question 1: What are the advantages and disadvantages in working while also being a pastor or evangelist? Read Acts 18:5 – 11 Question 2: What about where you are? Does the Lord have many people in your city, as yet unrecognized as Christians as is implied in Corinth? Have you any assurance about that? Read Acts 18:12 – 23. Question 3: What would you infer from that? Read Acts 18:24 – 28. Question 4: How can we avoid that sort of human weakness? Question 5: if that is so, what is it implied that he did not have, that was much more important than a mere matter of baptism? Right Mouse click to download episode 17 as an audio mp3 file

Thursday, 23 June 2022   And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, Acts 8:18   It was noted that as Peter and John laid their hands on those of Samaria the people then received the Holy Spirit. Luke now continues with, “And when Simon saw.”   There was obviously a visual effect that came about when the Holy Spirit was given. This would have been a necessary confirmation to the apostles that the Samaritans had actually been accepted by God. In other words, this visual event was as much for them as it was for the people. Otherwise, it could later be claimed that God never accepted them, nor does he accept anyone except the Jews who had an obvious audible and visual reception of the Spirit in Acts 2.   But with Luke's record of the events of Acts, it definitively points to the fact that those in Samaria had received the Spirit and were equally accepted by God. With that, Luke continues by noting that Simon saw “that through the laying on of the apostles' hands.”   It was through the physical contact with the hands of Peter and John that the event being described takes place. As noted, these people had already believed, and they had Philip there with them, but no such event took place. Now that Peter and John are present and physically in contact with the people, a visual and/or audible event occurs proving that “the Holy Spirit was given.”   This is not unlike Acts 19 where the following account will take place –   “And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.' 3 And he said to them, ‘Into what then were you baptized?' So they said, ‘Into John's baptism.' 4 Then Paul said, ‘John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.' 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 Now the men were about twelve in all.” Acts 19:1-7   At the laying of hands by Paul, these men received the Holy Spirit. Unlike now in Acts 8, the specific proofs of the Spirit are noted which are speaking in tongues and prophesying. That is probably what occurred with these Samaritans, but it remains unstated.   Whatever transpired, it was sufficient proof to Peter and John that the matter was settled. There were the necessary “two or three witnesses” to establish the matter, and therefore the matter is established. The written words of Luke confirm that it is so. Seeing this, however, it says that when Simon saw what occurred “he offered them money.”   Simon was in the business of amazing the people through magic. It may have been simple tricks to fool them or actual black arts. Either way, his source of livelihood was now gone, and he had believed in something greater. With that now the case, and with seeing the demonstrable proof that what Peter and John had taught was true, he probably thought, “If I can do this, I can continue my livelihood by doing this with others by obtaining this ability.”   The coming verses will show the utterly perverse nature of this. With this in mind, it is something that scholars jump on and immediately start claiming that he isn't saved, and his actions have proven this. On the contrary, verse 8:13 clearly and unambiguously tells us that he believed the gospel. This is what saves, not making stupid errors concerning life in Christ after being saved. If such were the case, not a person who was ever saved would continue to be saved.   The account says that the Holy Spirit was given at the laying on of hands by the apostles. We have no idea if that included Simon or not. He may have seen this in others, or it may have occurred to him personally. All that is given is the record of his belief and then of what now transpires.   Life application: Are speaking in tongues and prophesying proof today that someone has received the Holy Spirit? The answer must be, “No.” People in other religions and in false sects of Christianity also speak in “tongues,” as well as “prophesy.” As such, these things do not prove anything. So why were these things given to those in the early church in Acts?   The answer is not so much to confirm to the people that they had been accepted by God, but to confirm to the apostles that they had. In the case of Paul's laying on of hands as noted in Acts 19, that was an additional confirmation that not only had these people been accepted, but that it was after belief in Jesus' fulfillment of what John's baptism had only anticipated.   Repentance from sin imputed under the law cannot save anyone. Jews do that all the time, and not one of them is saved without coming to Christ. Only faith in Jesus' fulfillment of the law through His death, burial, and resurrection can bring about salvation.   As this is true, and as the reception of the Spirit was proof of the work of Jesus for the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 2), for the apostles that the Samaritans had been accepted by God (Acts 8), and for the apostles to know that the Gentiles are accepted by God (Acts 10), then such outward signs are no longer needed. The record of them has been established.   As for the account in Acts 19, it is a clear record for all today that repentance under the law is not enough to be saved. It is a clear sign to the Judaizers and Hebrew Roots Movement adherents that they are following the wrong path. One must place his faith in Christ to be saved. When that happens, he is saved. The historical descriptions found in Acts confirm these things once and for all time.   Lord God, how grateful we are that the book of Acts reveals to us the truth concerning Your acceptance of those who have believed the gospel. We can now read the epistles that instruct us in proper doctrine and know that we too are accepted by faith alone in the completed work of Christ. The record is given, and we live by faith in the word we have been given. Amen!  

Paul teaches at Corinth then sails for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila, who then teach Apollos about Jesus. Paul travels to Ephesus, where disciples receive the Holy Spirit when they believe, and Paul's preaching has a significant impact on the Ephesians. Sorcerers burn their scrolls and a riot breaks out.

The Spirit Explodes Part 16 of 22 Many challenges! Acts 17:1 – 34 by Roger Kirby   There are many intriguing things happening in this part of the journey as the apostolic band travels south towards the great cities of Athens and Corinth. It sounds as though they did not stop for more than a night until they reached Thessalonica, the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. Unlike Philippi it was a free city in the Emperor's favour because it had been on the right side in the civil war three generations earlier.   Read Acts 17:1 – 9. Question 1: - Probably few or none of us are good at all these things, but we will all be better at some than others. Which are you good at? Question 2: - The proving bit reads ‘proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead”. How would Paul have proved that? How can we do something  equivalent? Read Acts 17:10 – 15. Question 3: - Of the people you know who are not yet Christians who would be the most likely to ‘examine the scriptures' diligently? Read Acts 17:16 – 34. Question 4: - What makes you think more deeply about the sad and bad things in the world around you? If you don't, what should do so? Question 5: - Depending on where you are coming from, what your surrounding culture is, you may be surrounded by images, or completely free of them. Is your situation right? Would you be able to worship the true and only God better if all or most of the images you see were removed or could you do with some (perhaps a cross) to help you worship? Question 6: - What is he assuming here? Question 7: - The resurrection seemed as unlikely then as it does now. How do you argue for its reality?   Right Mouse click to download episode 16 as an audio mp3 file

School cafeterias, like large catering businesses, often prepare more food than is consumed simply because they can’t perfectly predict the need, and leftover food goes to waste. Yet there are many students who don’t have enough food to eat at home and who go hungry on weekends. One US school district partnered with a local non-profit to find a solution. They packaged leftovers to send home with students, and simultaneously addressed the problems of both food waste and hunger. While most people wouldn’t look at an abundance of money as a problem the way we do with wasted food, the principle behind the school project is the same as what Paul suggests in his letter to the Corinthians. He knew the churches in Macedonia were experiencing hardship so he asked the church in Corinth to use their “plenty” to “supply what they need[ed]” (2 Corinthians 8:14). His objective was to bring equality among the churches so none had too much while others were suffering. Paul didn’t want the Corinthian believers to be impoverished by their giving, but to empathize with and be generous to the Macedonians, recognizing that at some point in the future they too were likely to need similar help. When we see others in need, let’s evaluate whether we might have something to share. Our giving—however large or small—will never be a waste!

Episode 165 – Paul’s Places – Part 6: Galatia Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: From Paul, whose call to be an apostle did not come from human beings … but from Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from death. All … here join me in sending greetings to the churches of Galatia … I am surprised at you! In no time at all you are deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ, and are accepting another gospel. Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1, 2, & 6, Good News Translation ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re grateful to be with you today. We are in the midst of a series on Anchored by Truth that we are calling “Paul’s Places.” By “Paul,” of course, we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote at least 13 of the books out of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament. We say “at least 13” because some Bible commentators believe Paul also wrote the book of Hebrews but we cannot be certain about that. As part of his ministry Paul wrote a number of letters to various churches. Many of those letters have been preserved in the books of the New Testament. And in this “Paul’s Places” series we are taking a look at Paul’s letters to the churches that are identified in our Bibles by geographic names. These include letters Paul sent to the churches in Rome and Corinth and we have already covered those letters. Today we’re going to look at Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia. In the studio today we have RD Fierro, an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, why don’t you remind us of the reason we wanted to do this Paul’s Places series? RD: Well, I’d like to start by thanking our listeners for joining us here today. We know that the people who join us on Anchored by Truth are people who genuinely want to understand their Bibles better and the content of their Christian faith better. So, one question that people who love the Bible often encounter is how they can be sure that the Bible is the word of God. And we cite four lines of evidence that the Bible can be trusted: reliable history, remarkable unity, fulfilled prophecy, and redeemed destinies. Reliable history means that for those portions of human history on which the Bible reports the Bible’s reports can be trusted. The Bible’s history contains some descriptions of remarkable events. VK: And certainly the most remarkable event the Bible describes is the most remarkable event in all of human history – the resurrection of Jesus. RD: Right. It would be impossible for anyone today to personally testify that they were a witness to the resurrection. So, we have to base our trust in the historicity of the resurrection in the documents of the New Testament because it is those documents that bring us the clearest description of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Well, one way we can elevate our confidence in the trustworthiness of those reports is to see how the New Testament documents stack up with what we know about history from other sources such as what extra-Biblical sources report about the geography and history of the places named in the Bible. VK: We often note on Anchored by Truth that the Bible is a book that is firmly rooted in time and place. Just about every good Bible contains maps of some sort. We can make maps about the places contained in the Bible because those places were real and they are well known even outside the Bible. And just like the cities and states of today the places reported about in the Bible had their own culture, concerns, and distinguishing characteristics. And, if we match up what the Bible says about those places with what is known from secular history, we always see that the Bible’s content is consistent with what else we know. For instance, it was well known throughout the Roman Empire that the city of Corinth was famous for the amount of sexual immorality that was present within the city. So, it makes perfect sense that in 1 Corinthians the Apostle Paul spent more time talking about how to deal with sexual temptation than in any of the other letters he wrote. RD: Yes. We cannot directly test the Bible’s report of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. But we can test the reliability of the gospel writers’ reports about many other matters. When the gospel writers report that Jesus appeared before the Roman governor Pontus Pilate we can go to archeological findings and determine with certainty that Pontus Pilate was in fact the Roman authority in Israel during the time of Jesus’ ministry. When the gospel writers talk about a sudden storm coming up on the Sea of Galilee we can look at the geography of that part of Israel and see whether that makes sense. VK: Which it does. The Sea of Galilee's location makes it subject to sudden and violent storms as the wind comes over the eastern mountains and drops suddenly onto the sea. Storms are especially likely when an east wind blows cool air over the warm air that covers the sea. The cold air being heavier drops as the warm air rises. This can produce some tempestuous winds. Coupled with the fact that the Sea is fairly shallow where the wind is hitting the surface, this sudden change can produce surprisingly furious storms in a short time, as it did in Jesus' day RD: Right. So, when it comes to the so-called “Pauline epistles,” Paul’s letters to churches or individuals, we can look to see whether the character of the letter matches the character of the place. And the example you provided about 1 Corinthians is just one example of how this match takes places throughout Paul’s letters. But it also important to see whether there is a match between the concerns Paul expresses in his letters and what we know about the development of the early church during the 1st century AD. And Galatians is a particularly striking example of how that is true. VK: In what way? RD: Well, let’s start out by noting that unlike the letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, etc., the letter to the Galatians was not addressed to a particular church in a particular city. It is a letter addressed to many churches spread throughout a region. VK: Galatia was a large Roman province in Asia Minor which is modern day Turkey. During the 1st century AD it was a major province of the Roman Empire. It was about 200 miles in its greatest extent from east to west, and varied in width from 12 to 150 miles. It was one of the largest provinces of Asia Minor. Galatia in Paul’s day was a region roughly equivalent to the State of New Jersey. But its boundaries varied at different times as circumstances dictated. It didn’t have any natural boundary, except on the north. So, it limits varied based on conquests, or by the will of the Roman emperor. RD: Yes. In Paul’s day Galatia had the Roman province of Pontus on its east, Bithynia and Paphlagonia on its north, Cappadocia and Phrygia on the south, and Phrygia on the west. So, one thing let’s note right up front is that there is no mention at all of Galatia in the Old Testament but it appears in 4 of the New Testament books in addition to the book we call Galatians. VK: And that makes perfect sense. At the time the last few books of the Old Testament were written in the mid to late 400’s BC, the Persian Empire was in charge in the Mideast including what would be modern day Turkey where Galatia was located. The name “Galatia” began to be used after 278-277 B.C., about 150 years later. The name Galatia came into use when a large body of migrating Gauls (Galatai in Greek) crossed over from Europe and conquered a big part of Western Asia Minor. Gaul as most listeners will know was an ancient name for the region we now call France. RD: Right. After the Gauls conquered much of what we call Turkey they were gradually confined to a district, and boundaries were fixed for them after 232 B.C. This originated an the independent state of Galatia, that had three primary three city-centers, Pessinus, Ankyra and Tavia. Since the conquering Gauls had brought their wives and families with them, Galatia continued to be a distinct Gaulish race and ethnic group. This would have been impossible if they had come as simple warriors who took wives from the conquered inhabitants. Galatia remained an independent state until its last king gave it over to the Romans and it became a Roman province. VK: So, it’s important to note that even though the name Galatia has long since passed into history in the Apostle Paul’s day Galatia was a well-known region. When Paul, Peter, and Luke mentioned Galatia in the books they wrote people of their day knew exactly what they were talking about. And people in their day would have known that Galatia had a distinct identity so it would have made sense for Paul to address a letter to the Galatians even though it was a region not a single city. RD: Right. So, remember the purpose of this “Paul’s Places” series is to see whether the content of the letters Paul wrote makes sense when it comes to what we know about the geography and culture of the people to which Paul addressed his letter. So, as you mentioned one important point is that readers of a letter addressed to the “churches in Galatia” would have known who was intended. A second point is note that we know from the book of Acts that Paul traveled through the region of Galatia during all three of his so-called missionary journeys. Acts 16:6 and 18:3 both specifically mention Paul spending time in Galatia and Phrygia. VK: It also makes perfect sense that Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, would mention Galatia and Phrygia together. Phrygia was the region immediately south and west of Galatia. [13:30] Any traveler going from Israel and Syria to the west would travel through both regions on the way to Greece which Paul visited on his second and third missionary journeys. We should also, note, however that Paul was in Galatia on his first missionary journey as well but only in the extreme southern portion of it. RD: Yes. So, because Paul was in Galatia on all three of his missionary journeys there is some disagreement among scholars as to when Paul wrote the book we call Galatians. Some scholars think he wrote it early in his ministry career and date the letter to around 49 AD right after his first missionary journey. Others think he wrote is during the latter part of his third missionary journey and date the letter around 55 or 56 AD. Those who date it later note that on his 1st and 2nd missionary journeys Paul remained in the southern part of Galatia whereas in his 3rd missionary journey he seems to have gone farther north. So, it would make sense that after going through some territory he had either not visited, or spent very little time in, he would write a letter to a group who still identified themselves ethnically as “Galatians.” VK: The latter dating for the epistle to the Galatians makes sense from another standpoint. In Galatians, chapter 1, verses 18 and 19 Paul says “Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother.” When Paul says “then after three years” he appears to mean after his conversion. In Galatians, chapter 2, verse 1, Paul also wrote [15] “Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.” Those verses are from the New International Version. If Paul was referring to his first trip to see the Apostles in chapter 2, then that is a total of 17 years Paul is referring to. The best scholarship indicates that Jesus died in 33 AD and Paul was obviously not converted until after that. So, let’s say Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus in 34 AD, then it would have been at least in the early 50’s AD before Paul wrote Galatians. RD: Yes. So, all this validates the authenticity of the epistle to the Galatians as a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a distinct group of believing churches in the northern part of modern day Turkey. And the content of the letter continues to reinforce this point. The main purpose that Paul wrote Galatians was to refute the idea that Gentiles had to adopt Jewish customs and practices in order to become Christians. This was an idea that circulated fairly widely during the 1st century AD and it was specifically advocated by a group of religious agitators who said circumcision was a required part of becoming a Christian. So, for anyone who understands the gospel this was a very serious problem. VK: The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins. We often say that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This is made very clear from Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 8 and 9. Those verses say, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” That’s also from the NIV. RD: Yes. The agitators were trying to add works to faith for salvation to be possible. At a minimum they wanted circumcision to be part of the requirements for salvation but there were also some who wanted to add the Jewish dietary laws as mandatory requirements as well. And the Apostle Paul who had been saved directly by Jesus himself was having none of it. VK: That’s something we heard in our opening scripture from Galatians, chapter 1, verse 1. In that verse Paul said, “From Paul, whose call to be an apostle did not come from human beings … but from Jesus Christ and God the Father.” Paul was emphatic that his call to be an apostle had come directly from Jesus and the Father. Paul was emphasizing right at the start of his letter to the Galatians that he had received his ministry directly from the hands of the Father and the Son. This meant that Paul absolutely knew what it took to be saved. So, any threat to the idea of grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone was not a secondary matter. It was a threat to the heart of the gospel. RD: Exactly right. The agitators who had been troubling the Galatians were posing a serious threat to the Galatians’ understanding of their faith. So, Paul took on this serious challenge exactly the way you would expect – forcefully and directly. Paul used some of the most forceful language you find in any of his epistles in chapter 3 of Galatians. VK: Verses 1 through 3 of chapter 3 say, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” That’s from the New International Version. But listen to how the Amplified Bible puts verse 1: “O you foolish and thoughtless and superficial Galatians, who has bewitched you [that you would act like this], to whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified [in the gospel message].” I think it’s fair to label that language as being direct and forceful. RD: Right. So, again, all this points to the reliability of the letter. Paul was trying to correct a serious error that had entered the churches in Galatia. So, Paul didn’t try to sweet talk his audience out of their mistake. He wasn’t, as the old timers used to say “pussyfooting around.” The agitators had seriously compromised the gospel for the Galatians and Paul intended to correct that error in a way no one would misunderstand. VK: At this point we need to remind everyone that at the time Paul wrote Galatians, or any of his letters for that matter, the Christian church was in its infancy. This is long before any of the doctrinal or creedal statements had been formulated – long before any of the famous church councils had been held where the theologians hashed out such basic doctrines as the deity of Christ and the dual nature of Jesus. In coming to grips with what the life, death, and resurrection of Christ meant the early believers in the 1st century church had the oral messages being brought by the apostles and their first disciples but they had very limited written instructions. The Jewish converts to Christianity had the Old Testament that they could look to but probably the vast majority of the Gentile converts had limited, if any, familiarity with the Jewish scriptures. In other words, there may have been legitimate reasons that some of these questions about circumcision and dietary restrictions were being asked – but that didn’t make them less threatening to the heart of the gospel. RD: Exactly. There were many questions circulating in the early church – some were legitimate and some were not. Some were primary to the faith and some were not. So, as we started out saying in this episode one of the hallmarks of the authenticity of the letters that Paul wrote to the churches is the fact that he had to address questions by the early believers that have been settled now. As church history progressed the church did hold those famous councils, doctrinal statements were developed and distributed, and eventually there were schools and organizations that taught and conveyed the determinations that had been made. But all of that was decades, and in some cases centuries, ahead of the church when Paul wrote Galatians. VK: [23] So, from a human standpoint, we see that the issues Paul was discussing in the letter to the Galatians make perfect sense for the stage of development of the church at that time. This is solid evidence that Galatians was written during the mid 1st century AD. By the time the 2nd century AD rolled around some of these early controversies were starting to be settled and frankly the church as a body was moving onto other issues from whether Gentile converts had to be circumcised or follow Jewish dietary laws. So, what we can see clearly from the content of Galatians is that it addressed issues that were germane during the first decades of Christianity but not much later. Paul’s letter to the Galatians also addressed the very serious problem that agitators were trying to subvert the gospel by adding works as a necessary component of salvation. This was a serious problem and Paul’s language in forcefully rebutting it was consistent with the seriousness of the issue. And we can see that it made for Paul to address a letter to churches in Galatia because the ethnic distinction of many parts of Galatia meant that they had a well-known, and distinguishable identity. Is there anything else that you would like to point out as evidence within the book of Galatians that provides evidence of its authenticity? RD: Well, we don’t’ have much time but let’s quickly go over two more points. First, as we mentioned Galatians was addressed to multiple church bodies not just one single church. As such it’s not strange to find out that Paul did not mention any individual believer by name which he often did when writing to a particular church. There are no greetings or salutations where Paul singles out anyone for commendations or personal greetings. This makes perfect sense where Paul knows he is going to have to send so strong a rebuke that he going to call his recipients “foolish.” Paul was a pastor. He praised people very publically but was very careful with his correction. Second, Paul undertook a strong defense of himself and his ministry in Galatians because the agitators were apparently questioning his authority to put pressure on the Galatians. This pressure was in effect to make the Galatians appear more “Jewish.” VK: That would also make sense when we remember that Judaism was one of the officially recognized religions within the Roman Empire – but Christianity was not. So, some of the people probably thought that if they appeared more Jewish it would relieve some of the pressure and antagonism that was starting to be directed at Christians by the Roman authorities. RD: Exactly. As we’ve mentioned before anyone who refused to worship the Roman Emperor – the Caesar – was considered to be guilty of sedition unless that person was worshipping another recognized religion. The Judaism was recognized but Christianity’s status was uncertain. In some places they saw Christianity as a sect within Judaism but in many places they did not. Ultimately, the early church went through a lengthy period of severe persecution because Christianity was deemed to be a new and threatening religion. The early Christians could not declare that Caesar was lord because they, and we, have only one Lord and master, Jesus Christ. VK: All that fits together perfectly in demonstrating that Galatians was an authentic letter written by the Apostle Paul in the mid 1st century AD. The content of the letter is consistent with the issues of the day and Paul’s tone in rebutting a serious attack on the heart of the gospel was entirely reasonable. RD: Right. Many people who have limited familiarity with the Bible have this misimpression that the Bible – because it contains reports of some supernatural events such as the appearance of angels and the resurrection of Jesus – must be filled with legends that make no sense in the real world. But nothing could be further from the truth and the Pauline epistles demonstrate they were real letters to real people about real issues confronting those people. In addressing those issues Paul would talk about the supernatural component of the Christian faith because Christians firmly believe in heaven, angels, Christ’s ascension, and a host of other supernatural things. But the reason we can have confidence that the supernatural realm is real is because the Bible is a book firmly grounded in space and time and the Bible writers simply wrote about supernatural events as truthfully as they did the issues that we can verify through our normal senses. VK: 20 or 30 years ago there was far less reason for the need for a “Paul’s Places” series. The information we’re covering was still good information but in those days people accepted the Bible as being true even people who didn’t specifically consider themselves Christians. But today much of that has changed so we have to be prepared to carefully and reasonably demonstrate that the Bible fulfills all the attributes of both being true and being God’s word. Well, as we always do let’s close with prayer. Today let’s listen to a prayer for our first responders – the men and women who rush toward danger when most of us trying to escape it. Anyone who is willing to hazard their own safety for the welfare of others certainly needs the superintending protection that can only come from an Almighty God. ---- PRAYER FOR FIRST RESPONDERS VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quote from the Good News Translation) Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1, 2, & 6, Good News Translation Galatians 1 Barnes' Notes (biblehub.com)

In this Episode we honor the fathers among us and delve into 1 Corinthians 15 & 16! The “gospel" (which comes from the Greek word for “good news”) is the news that God has entered his creation, shown us the way to have a relationship with him, and is bringing about restoration, freedom, and a new way to live within a new kind of community. Looking back at Paul’s letter to the early gospel community in the ancient city of Corinth helps us to see how the gospel impacts real life. A wide variety of topics are covered in this letter: party divisions, immorality, lawsuits, marriage, idolatry, pagan customs, the Lord’s Supper, Paul’s ministry, gifts of the Spirit, the resurrection, church finance, and numerous other subjects. Seeing the world with “gospel glasses” changes everything--how we relate to each other, our every-day life situations, even our past, present, and future.

The church at Corinth had many people spiritually helping to build the church but few were using the right spiritual materials. They were involved in church work, but their message and motives were wrong. So, in one of the most convincing pieces of Scripture, Paul warns about a coming judgment when Christian works will be revealed and rewarded.

You've heard the saying, "actions speak louder than words." That's one of the big ideas from 1 Corinthians 4. Paul views himself as a father-figure to the church in Corinth. He not only teaches them the right things about Jesus, he's personally living out those principles in his daily life. Good spiritual guides and mentors don't just talk the talk; they walk the walk.

INTRODUCTION As the people of God, we are partakers of Christ's sufferings. Because of this, we are partakers of one another's sufferings. And because of that, we are partakers in one another's comforts. But in order to receive the comfort that we ought to receive, the apostle's doctrine here requires some unpacking. THE TEXT “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation” (2 Cor. 1:3–7). SUMMARY OF THE TEXT This is a passage that is saturated in comfort. Paul begins by blessing God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 3). By way of apposition, this God is called the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort (v. 3). As the God of all comfort, the Father comforts Paul and his company so that they might be able to pass on that comfort to those who are in any kind of trouble (v. 4). The comfort that is passed on is explicitly identified as the comfort that was received (v. 4). It is the same comfort. Paul then says that as the sufferings of Christ abound, so also his consolations abound (v. 5). Paul then presents a very interesting line of thought. If the apostolic band is afflicted, it is for the Corinthians' “consolation and salvation.” If the apostolic band is comforted, that too is for the Corinthians' “consolation and salvation” (v. 6). This can work because the afflictions and the comforts are the same for Paul and for the Corinthians (v. 6). Paul's hope concerning the Corinthians was therefore steadfast, because as they were partakers of the suffering, they would also be partakers of the consolation (v. 7). THE RABBINICAL BLESSING In the first century, the first of the nineteen synagogue blessings began this way: “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob . . .” He is also called the Father of mercies. What Paul is doing is taking those words and recasting them in order to rejoice in God as the God of all comfort. This recast synagogue blessing also appears elsewhere (Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3). Remember that Paul is dealing with some Judaizing adversaries here, and so he is showing Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, not a continuation of it. Simeon and Anna both were waiting for the consolation of Israel (Luke 2:25). The Messiah Christ was the promised comfort of Israel (Is. 40-66). This sets the stage for the comfort that Paul is talking about. It is an explicitly Christiancomfort. PRESENCE OF COMFORT This short passage accounts for about one third of all the New Testament references to comfort. The word is used here in both noun and verb forms, and it is a peculiar kind of gospel comfort. We are servants of the suffering servant, after all, and a servant is not greater than his master (John 13:16; 15:20). A few verses earlier (John 15:18), John says that if the world hates us, we should know that it hated Christ first. In the verses immediately following in this chapter, Paul records his gratitude at being delivered from a deadly peril in Asia (2 Cor. 1:8-11), which we will get to soon enough. But he was also greatly encouraged by the good news that Titus had brought back from Corinth (2 Cor. 7:6-7). The revolt at Corinth had been quelled, and Paul was comforted in that as well. AUTHENTIC MINISTRY The charge against Paul is that he must not be a genuine apostle. How could he be? If he had been a genuine apostle, he wouldn't be getting into so much trouble, would he? And certainly, by any reasonable measurement, the apostle Paul appeared to be genuinely snake bit. He lived on the lip of perpetual death—“For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor. 4:11, NKJV). This was a ministry that was constantly on hairpin turns at high speeds on two wheels. That's right. Authentic ministry careening down Rattlesnake Grade. What had Paul endured? He goes into it in depth later in this epistle (2 Cor. 11:23-30).  Flogged five times. Beaten with rods three times. Stoned. Shipwrecked. Hungry and thirsty, cold and naked. Jail time in various places. Should we put all this in the glossy prospectus that we send out to prospective donors? If you were on a pastoral search committee, what would you do with an application like this? If you were looking for a spokesman for your church, is this the man you would send out to the cameras? THAT OLD DEVIL RESPECTABILITY If we are biblical Christians, we should always want to maintain in our own ministries the same tensions that were in evidence in biblical ministries. On the one hand, we are told that an elder must have a good reputation with outsiders (1 Tim. 3:7). But then Jesus tells us that there is a kind of honor and respect that is a stumbling block. “How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” (John 5:44). The apostle Paul told the Galatians that he wished that the false advocates of circumcision would go whole hog and cut the whole thing off (Gal. 5:12). But in the very next verse, he urges them “by love [to] serve one another” (Gal. 5:13-15). And he told the Philippians that he wanted them to have their love abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment (Phil. 1:9). This was shortly before he called the false teachers he was dealing with evil workers and dogs (Phil. 3:3). We are servants of a crucified Messiah. This did not happen because Jesus got along so well with the established authorities. And if we accompany Him in the pathway of His sufferings, as we are called to do, we are invited to partake of all the comforts that the God of all comfort might offer.

Persecution— You know, I don't know if you have ever faced a time of persecution in your life. But if you have, you will know that it can be a very scary and difficult experience. And you can often wonder how God could possibly be at work in such a circumstance. We might even think that that persecution is a sign that we have done something wrong or that God is somehow absent. But nothing could be further from the truth, especially when we are talking about the Church; because when we look back at the broad scope of church history (of which the book of Acts plays a major part) we find that persecution never really slowed down (much less stopped) the growth of Christianity; rather it caused Christianity to thrive and grow in its purest form. Wherever persecution arose, it would end with the Church being stronger and the growth of Christianity more widespread; and I would also add deeply committed. Why Persecution?— Now why does that persecution come? It isn't because of the positive difference the church might make in a community. Nobody has a problem with any religious group for feeding the hungry or taking care of the needy. In fact, there have been instances where churches have received rewards for doing those kinds of things; and those things are good, and I would even say are signature marks of being true believers because that is what Christ did. And being rewarded or recognized for that may not be bad in and of itself. But often the world loving and rewarding you can be a negative sign; because what it can signify is that a Church has become too much like the world and that it is failing to preach the true message of the Gospel, which is offensive to those who are still lost. Being rewarded by the world system would have never happened in the book of Acts. And the reason for that was because the early Church recognized that they were called not to be the comforters of a community (at least not centrally), but were called to be the conscience of the community. And the reason persecution would often rise against Christianity was because the Church was revealing and challenging by the Word of God what was wrong in the lives of the people of whatever community it resided in. They met people's physical needs, but they also challenged people's worldviews and talked about sin and their need for repentance. And that is where things get heated; when Satan rises and begins to stir people to try to silence or dispel the Church. And that is what we will see in our passage today as well. If you have it, go ahead and look with me at Acts 19:21. It says… Acts 19:21 (LSB)— 21 Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” Macedonia & Achaia— Now Macedonia was [The region located across the Aegean Sea on the mainland of Greece. The cities of Philippi and Thessalonica {and also Berea} were located there.] And it was here that the Gospel had first crossed from Asia into Europe. [Achaia included the church in Corinth]. Now what this verse does is it [provides an outline for the rest of the book of Acts; because after Paul leaves Ephesus, he would return to the churches in “Macedonia” and “Achaia” (or Greece, 20:1-2), then go back to Jerusalem (21:17), and then eventually proceed to Rome (28:14).] Why Rome?— Now why did Paul want to go to Rome? Well, everywhere that Paul went, he could see the influence of Rome. And so he wanted to take the message of the [to the world center of influence and power.] If he was living in our day and age, he would be setting his sights on Washington D.C., or perhaps Hollywood. But for him, that was Rome. Plus we see in Romans 15:22-24 that he intended to use Rome as a launching point for a ministry in the strategic region of Spain. And so we have a crucial turning point here in the book of Acts as [from this point on, Rome became Paul's goal. {And we know that} He would ultimately arrive there as a Roman prisoner (Acts 28:16).] Now it says here in… Acts 19:22 (LSB)— 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. Timothy & Erastus— Now Timothy was of course a dear assistant (and really an adopted son) of Paul, to whom Paul wrote two letters known as first and second Timothy. But Erastus is a little bit less well known. However, he also [was a committed follower of Christ who was not only Paul's helpful assistant but also Corinth's city treasurer (see Romans 16:23).] And part of Erastus' and Timothy's job on this journey to Macedonia is in fact to collect an offering for the church in Jerusalem, which was very poor; there were a lot of needy people in that church. And so [Paul wanted to take a love offering from his churches as a gift to the church at Jerusalem. {And} The reason he wanted to go {back} to Macedonia and Achaia was to collect this offering.] And that just shows how dedicated Paul (and all the Church) was to making sure that the needs of people were being met. 1 Corinthians Being Delivered— Now [Paul apparently wrote 1 Corinthians during the springtime, near the end of his time in Ephesus (cf. v.21; also 1 Cor. 16:5-10). Paul sent the letter to Corinth with Timothy and Erastus (see 1 Cor. 16:10), and then later left Ephesus to go through Macedonia and eventually to Corinth himself as well (see Acts 20:1-2; 1 Cor. 16:5, 8-9).] So Paul sends them into Macedonia while he himself lingers for a time in Asia. Look with me at… Acts 19:23 (LSB)— 23 Now about that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. The Way— Now what is the way? Mandalorian fans, don't answer that. This trouble was not caused by a group of Mandalorians. No, [“The Way” {was a phrase used to designate}…those who followed the way of Christ—the Christians.] And so the teachings of Christianity (propagated by Paul) are really what is at the center of this conflict. It says in… Acts 19:24 (LSB)— 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; Artemis/Diana— Now Artemis (or Diana, as she was also known) was a fertility goddess, much like the Baals of the Old Testament. And because she represented fertility, she was depicted as a woman with many breasts. And there was a large statue of her that was said to have come from heaven (19:35). And this image was in the great temple at Ephesus, a temple which was so great it was one of the wonders of the ancient world. But there would be festivals held in her honor; and these involved orgies, carousing, and many unspeakable things. And [It is likely that the riot described in this passage took place during the annual {week-long} spring festival held in her honor at Ephesus.] And (like we saw recently) there was a huge industry that was built around her that [had become more significant in the time of Paul since the city was beginning to lose its significance as a center for international trade] and became more dependent on foreigners who would come and deposit money at her temple, buy idols of her, etc. And so people in that industry were very highly interested in keeping the worship of her going, because that had become more of the center of their economy. And one of these men who was involved in that industry became very concerned when he saw people beginning to abandon Artemis in favor of this Jesus whom Paul was preaching about; a man by the name of Demetrius, who is described as a silversmith, who made silver shrines to Artemis,…bringing no little business to the craftsmen {which [suggests Demetrius may have been the head of the silversmiths' guild—which would explain his taking the lead in opposing the Christian preachers.]}. And of these other fellow silversmiths it says… Acts 19:25-27 (LSB)— 25 these he gathered together with the workers of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is from this business. 26 “And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable crowd, saying that things made with hands are not gods. 27 “And not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be considered as worthless and that she, whom all of Asia and the world worship, is even about to be brought down from her majesty.” Profit, Not Doctrine— Now notice that Demetrius raises no particular disagreement with Paul's teachings about Jesus Christ other than the fact that Paul is saying that things made with hands are not gods. And when you think about it, that is a pretty gutsy thing for him to say in that context. And it shows that he is not of the mindset that Christians (like many say Christians need to do) just need to keep to themselves and never tell anybody else they are wrong in what they believe. The early Christians did not have that mindset at all; and Paul certainly didn't. He wasn't afraid to tell people what was right and what was wrong. Being God's Voice— And you know, that has direct implications for us as individuals, because you and I also are to be the convicting voice of God for those around us. But somehow we modern Christians have gotten into our heads that the chief commandment in Scripture is to just get along with everybody else. Don't make waves and do not (by any means) ever be judgmental. And we think that that is being loving to other people. However, that is not being loving at all when we consider that many of the things that people are playing around with are destructive to their lives. And if sinful people can be completely comfortable around us, then we aren't doing our jobs; we are not being the Church. We are not really striking at the heart of what can bring lasting, eternal change to people's lives. That is one of the things that I so admire about my church, Renton Park Chapel; because while we want to be a church where everyone feels welcome to attend, we also want what they encounter in our lives and in our worship to bring conviction to their souls. That is something that the early Church clearly understood and practiced. They weren't afraid to call a spade a spade. And that's not just in the interest of “being right“, but was an expression of love. We want people to come as they are; but we also recognize that God loves them too much to leave them enslaved to the things that are bringing destruction to their lives. He wants to free them from all those things by conforming them into the image of His Son Jesus. And that means making significant changes to their lives. And any church that is more interested in keeping its attendees happy than in helping them to be holy is not being the Church. And so let's be the Church. Let's strive to (in love) be the conscience of our community, pointing the way to Christ. Then we will have the gift of seeing God's light overcome their darkness. Let's do so. Amen.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. — 1 Corinthians 13:1 Imagine that you want to impress a friend with a special party. You put all your energy and attention into getting the details just right. But you get so stressed out in the process that you ignore your friend. Your friend might say, “I don't want a fancy party; I just want to spend time with you!” In your efforts to make something beautiful, you end up missing the point. Your friend doesn't require a lot of fanfare and expense; your friend just wants the beauty of your personal time and attention. Some of the Christians in the city of Corinth had the special gifts of speaking in tongues and prophesying. They thought these gifts were impressive, and the whole community tended to focus on these displays of faith. As a result, though, they ended up missing the point of Christian community, which is to love one another. The apostle Paul wrote them a letter (1 Corinthians) to encourage them to get back to the basics. And in chapter 13 he describes the self-sacrificial kind of love (agape) that follows the pattern of Jesus himself. Jesus has shown us the most beautiful way, the way of love. Following his example, we can let go of worrying about being impressive. Instead, we can focus on what's truly beautiful—and that is self-sacrificial love. God, sometimes we get distracted and forget about the most beautiful thing of all. Restore us again to the beauty of your love in Jesus. Amen.

2 Corinthians 8.10-11 NLT 'Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving.' Does any of this ring a bell with you? It certainly does with me! We begin to do something and we feel very enthusiastic about it, but then other things get in the way. Here in Corinth, the church had shown a desire to give money to support Paul's collection for the Christians living in poverty in Judea. But, over time, they seem to have forgotten about it. Paul is now eager to remind them of their earlier enthusiasm and encourage them to turn that into action. It is said that the path to hell is paved with good intentions. That is to say, anyone can have good intentions, but what matters is that we do something about them. Another wise saying is that people with good intentions make promises, but people with good character keep them. If we are to be effective, we need to ensure that our lives are tuned in to God and that we are continuing to grow in strength and maturity. That will only happen as we spend time with God. Even Jesus himself, who was both a perfect man and the Son of God, needed to spend time with his heavenly Father. We can be sure that our daily openness to God in prayer will be fundamentally important to our ability to keep on track with his will. This is a good moment to think back through the last few months. Perhaps you heard about a charity that desperately needs help, or a person who was struggling to make ends meet, or an organisation in your church that needs someone to give support. Stop and think for a moment and then ask God whether, like the church in Corinth, this is the moment when you need to be turning your good intentions into action. Question: Is God reminding you of action that you need to take right now? Prayer: Loving Father, forgive me for those times when I have failed to turn my good intentions into action. In the power of your Spirit, make me stronger so that I can become more effective for you. Amen

Let's compare words to actions today. Hi, I'm Mike Henry Sr. with Follower of One. Thanks for joining me again today on the Follower of One podcast, I'm honored that you listened to these and I'm grateful when you share them. So please share this with your friends. Also, please communicate with us. You can reach me at mike@followerofone.org and let us know what you think about the podcast or what you'd like us to talk about.   Today, I want to challenge us in the workplace. One of the things that I studied from time to time is what the kingdom of God is or what it means in our lives. And I came across this passage in 1st Corinthians 4:20 that I wanted to talk about. "For the kingdom of God does not consistent talk, but in power." And that's 1st Corinthians 4:20 from the English Standard Version. In this chapter, Paul's kind of defending himself. He's talking about how the people of Corinth have started listening to other people, many of whom are not all that accurate in the way that they lead.   And so Paul who's away is talking about when he comes back. And he's defending himself a bit, but this nugget kind of exists as a single verse, right in the middle of this conversation. And his point is the kingdom of God is backed up by action. Not by words.   We don't reason people into the kingdom of God. We can't talk people into believing about Jesus. Little about our words actually causes anything to happen. Words can hurt and words can create pain and difficulty, but words and talk are not the meat of what's going on in the global universe. The kingdom of God, it's not a piece of ground. It's not a place that you can point out on a map.   It's the group of people who are obeying God. When we obey God, we see his power work through us. It meets us. When we step into the water, then the river is parted when we do certain things because we trust God, we see him act. Our trust, working with our actions, causes us to see God working. And this is not about words. We can't talk our way into the kingdom of God. This is going to boil down to what did we do? And today I want to challenge us as believers. What do we do because we follow Jesus? Are we the kind of people who trusted Jesus and we go to church once a week and we do as little as we can.   Like I talked about my original strategy was to be the third to last guy into heaven because I didn't want to work any harder than I had to. But this is not about work. It's about the power. It's about the power of God to change who I am and to cause me to live differently so that others might ask. The kingdom of God results in me living a changed life. I follow God and I do what he says and my life changes. And then others are prompted to ask.   And that's what we try and do in the Follower of One online community. We try to challenge one another to live differently because we follow Jesus. When we do, we experienced this new life. We sense God's presence in everything that we're doing. And we see the truth of this passage that the power of God is in the results of a different life from following him. Today, let's choose to follow God. Let's choose to obey him. No matter what we're called to do in our workplace, let's find a way to love others and to live differently. Maybe someone will ask us and we will get to talk, but we bring the kingdom of God to our work place simply by obeying Jesus and doing what he says.   Let's do that today. Let's obey him in our workplaces. Let's love others and be ready to serve other people because that's what Jesus. Thank you for listening to this podcast. Thank you for being a marketplace minister. Consider joining us in our online community at https://community.followerofone.org, where you can take part in the next marketplace mission trip.   There's always another marketplace mission trip coming up and you might check that out as well. Thanks very much.  

The Apostle Paul instructed the church in Corinth in 1 Cor. 11:1 to, "Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ." He was basically inviting them into his walk with God. There is a great need in this hour to instill a living legacy of knowing Jesus and His wonders into those within our spheres of influence. Join me this week on "Maintain the Flame" as I share (Pt. 4)  of this important theme on "Handing Down A Legacy" and prepare to be encouraged and stirred.

2 Corinthians 8.7 NLT 'Since you excel in so many ways— in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love — I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.' This is a remarkable verse. The two letters that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth lift the lid on a community which was very divided, disorganised in its worship and in which there were serious disciplinary issues that hadn't been addressed. And yet Paul was able to come up with a long list of their good qualities! I love the fact that he is so encouraging to them. It's so easy to become overwhelmed by the failures of people and churches. We get depressed by their inadequacies, but the danger is that we could overlook their qualities, and everyone has some. It would be a good exercise to think about the most annoying person that you know and write down a list of their excellent qualities. The trouble is that if we concentrate too much on people's shortcomings we will never see their finer qualities, and our relationship with them never stands a chance. And, in just the same way, if we only look at a church's weaknesses, we may totally overlook the ways in which God has blessed it. Paul drew attention to the Corinthian church's great qualities because he wanted to encourage them to be great at giving as well. He was eager for them to make a significant contribution to the collection that he was taking up for the Christians in Judea who had suffered a great famine. He pointed to the example of the believers in Macedonia who, even though they were very poor, had been incredibly generous. He didn't want the Corinthians to miss out on the blessing of being generous as well. And, because of his love for them, he didn't want them merely to be good at giving. He wanted them to excel. He wanted them to be the best. If we love people, then we are not going to be content with them merely doing well. We will want them to be and to do their best. Let's keep that thought alive in our minds today as we meet people. Question: What do you learn from the way in which Paul encouraged the Corinthians to give? Prayer: Lord God, I thank you that you love me so much that you want me to be the best for you today. Amen