Podcasts about Corinth

Spiritual, natural, carnal- There should not be a profession without practice, or belief without behavior. The believers in Corinth understood the truth of the gospel, but they were immature and carnal in their faith.

Daily Dose of Hope January 30, 2026   Scripture: I Corinthians 6   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, We come before you this morning, thanking you for a new day.  Lord, you are good and we rejoice in your holy and powerful name.  As we begin our day, Lord, help us focus on you.  Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on your Word and what you want us to learn today.  We get so distracted and self-consumed.  Forgive us for that, Lord.  In these next few moments of silence, help us have laser focus on your voice... In Your Powerful Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We have been journeying through Paul's letters.  Today, we are continuing through our fourth pastoral letter, I Corinthians. Today's reading is I Corinthians 6.  Paul continues to press this issue: Jesus-followers should look different than the culture around them. Why were they allowing secular courts to decide issues that should have been worked out in the church? Why were they getting pulled into disputes that distracted them from the mission in the first place? And then Paul presents a list of wrongdoings which have no place in the church. He is imploring them, "You know better!" You've been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. You are different now, new creations, so behave like it. The second half of the chapter is the discussion about sexual misconduct in the church.  Some of the Christians in Corinth were saying they had been freed from the law and now could do whatever they wanted.  Remember, this was a very sexualized society.  People from the church were still having sex with prostitutes and they were saying it was no big deal.  Afterall, they weren't living under the law. Paul says that you were freed from the Law to love God and love others.    But the issue went deeper.  The Corinthians were kind of like, "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die."  They thought that their bodies were temporary and eventually God would be doing away with them, so who cares if they have some casual sex?  It's just biology, just our bodies, right?  Not our souls.  So, what's the big deal?  Well, Paul tells them what the big deal is.   The Corinthians believed in the immortality of the soul. But Christians believe in the resurrection of the body. Because the resurrection of the body is a core doctrine of the Christian faith, we take a very high view of the human body. Paul reminds them of this. The human body is sacred.  God created you, God values you.  We firmly believe that our soul and physical body are interconnected, we can't just separate the two so easily.    This is what Paul is saying:  You can't have sex with someone and not become one flesh with them.  You can't separate body and soul. Sex is not just biology; there's something deeply spiritual about it.  Souls are connecting with one another.  I read this and it feels like Paul is in parent-mode. He is telling the Corinthians to remember who and whose they are! He even tells them he is ashamed of them.  Two thousand years is a long time and yet people are still people. We aren't any better today; I do hope everyone realizes that. Yes, we think we are quite sophisticated. We think we are quite knowledgeable. But, just like the Corinthians, we still forget what it means to belong to Jesus. We still allow the values and temptations of the world to seep into our lives. How often we blend so neatly into the world around us. How often have you believed the same lies that the Corinthians believed? Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope January 29, 2026   Scripture: I Corinthians 5   Prayer:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently journeying through Paul's letters.  Right now, we are working our way through I Corinthians.   A significant problem in the church of Corinth was both sexual immorality and sexual deviancy, which simply underscored their shallow discipleship. Corinth was a port town that was home to the Temple of Aphrodite, a pagan temple with many, many prostitutes. Sexual immorality was rampant and almost a way of life in the city. To say that Corinth was a very sexualized society would be a massive understatement.  It's estimated that one in every thirty people were prostitutes. You really see this when you visit there.  It touches every area of their culture.  So, it isn't surprising that the church was dealing with it.  What the culture deals with seeps into the church and the church is tasked with figuring out how to deal with it based on God's truth. The apostle Paul was trying to develop a holy church, based on commitment to Jesus rather than the pagan gods and ways of being. We see the struggles over these first few chapters.   In chapter five, today's reading, Paul addresses a case of incest in the church, specifically a man sleeping with his father's wife (presumably his stepmother). While this might have been acceptable in Corinthian society, it is absolutely deplorable among God's people. This kind of behavior was forbidden in the Torah and that translated into the church. The people of Jesus were also supposed to seek holiness and sexual morality was part of that. They are the body of Christ.   The issue isn't just the incest – yes, that is really bad – but it's that there are no boundaries whatsoever for sexual behavior.  And they are bringing those values, or lack thereof, into the church.  God's people have to call sin what it is and recognize it as a problem.  So, there was that.  Paul is appalled - why does this not bother them?  Their arrogance is hard to take.   Let's be real. This is just as much as issue in today's church as it was 2000 years ago in Corinth. Why don't we behave like the body of Christ, holy and blameless? We tolerate all kinds of stuff!  Do we demonstrate the same kind of arrogance and complacence? Certainly something to think about.   I do want to at least touch on what Paul says at the very end of the chapter, verses 12-13, What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you."  Basically, Christians are not called to judge those outside the church.  If someone is not a Christ-follower, then we can't hold them to the same standards.  They don't know any better really.  But, those inside the church have to be held accountable.  Paul is holding the Corinthians responsible for not dealing with the man having sex with his stepmother.  That kind of sinfulness has no place in Jesus' church.    Now, if someone committed a sin and then was repentant, that would be a different story.  Afterall, Jesus gives us all second chances and third chances and fourth chances.  If someone is serious about forgiveness and wants to change, then the church welcomes them.  If they are arrogant and refusing to change, that's when church accountability has to occur.    We struggle with this.  Accountability in general is something we struggle with in our culture.  What if this same situation were to happen at New Hope?  It would be uncomfortable and awkward but I couldn't, as the pastor, allow this man to sit in the pew with his arm draped around his stepmom for all to see.    What other situations might also require a response?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Paul likely wrote his letter to the Roman church from Corinth around A.D. 57. Though he had never visited Rome despite his extensive travels, he felt compelled to address growing tensions between Jewish and Gentile Christians there. In this episode, we explore the first eight chapters, where Paul—speaking especially to his fellow Jewish believers—clears up misconceptions, reaffirms the core gospel message, and emphasizes Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection as the means of forgiveness for sins available to everyone, Jew and Gentile alike.  Show Notes Twitter | Rumble | BitChute | Spotify | Apple -------------------------------- Support the podcast by shopping at the Truth Quest Shirt Factory. Check out our "Christian Collection" of shirts inspired by this episode.

In this powerful conversation, Jenilee Samuel sits down with Heather Shriver Burns — master coach, spiritual director, and host of the Seek First CEO podcast — to explore the real reasons many believers struggle to hear God clearly.Heather shares her personal journey from a checklist faith and high-achievement mindset to a deep, intimate, two-way relationship with God. Through loss, busyness, trauma, and relational experiences, she discovered that silence from God often isn't God being distant — it reflects what's crowded our inner world.Together Jenilee and Heather unpack:1. Why God can feel silent even when He's speakingHeather shares how her faith was more obligation than intimacy before a season of loss — and how that shifted her ability to hear God.2. How trauma and nervous system stress can block spiritual hearingBusyness, unresolved hurts, and fight-or-flight states create inner noise that makes hearing God harder than it should be.3. The power of human connection in spiritual claritySome of the clearest messages from God come through people — especially when our own connection feels muted.4. How everyday moments become God-encountersHeather and Jenilee talk about learning to notice God in mundane life — not just in quiet time or special moments.5. The importance of honest communication with GodLetting go of performance, including honesty about fear, loss, and confusion, opens up the way God actually speaks.6. Why community and relationships matter in spiritual growthWe're not meant to grow in isolation — our connections with others test, refine, and expand our ability to hear God's voice.

In about 50 A.D., twenty years after Jesus Death Resurrection and Ascension Paul of Tarsus, one sent with authority by Jesus the Lord, to preach the Good News to the nations arrived in the City of Corinth, a prominent city of the Roman empire located on the trade route connecting the Aegean and Ionian seas. He immediately began announcing the Good News: "The Crucified Jesus is the True Lord of the world."  Those believing the message were shepherded into house churches.  Then Paul preached, taught and pastored in Corinth for 18 months before moving on to other cities of the empire. See Acts 18 In 53 A.D. Paul, now in Ephesus, receives letters from the Church at Corinth and from the household of a woman named Chloe, a leader in the church.  These letters revealed alarming divisions, cliques, sexual immorality, lawsuits against fellow members, abuse of the Lord's supper, unbelief in the resurrection of Jesus, and much more within the Corinthian church.  Making things worse, Paul was being mocked as a phony apostle by members of the church in Corinth. Paul writes the 1st letter to Corinth from Ephesus in 53 A.D. to address the beliefs and behaviors of this charismatic, but grossly immature and divided church. Those today who seek to build "new creation" churches within the American empire will be blessed by this great letter.  We will make a special point of discerning in 1 Corinthians the character of wisdom and foolishness, freedom and license, as well as spiritual and childish. Come join us in this series of Podcasts on "Freedom and the Corinthians" as we "eat Corinthians" together, growing in maturity in Christ together.

Daily Dose of Hope January 27, 2026   Scripture: I Corinthians 3   Prayer:  Almighty God, Search our hearts today.  Show us those places that we need to change.  Show us where we aren't fully devoted to you and your Kingdom.  Lord, we need your wisdom and guidance.  On our own, we falter and drift.  Lord, we want to know you more.  We want to be a living example of your love and holiness.  Help us, Jesus.  Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently journeying through Paul's pastoral letters, chronologically.  Thus far, we have read through Galatians, I Thessalonians, and II Thessalonians.  We are currently in I Corinthians.    Today's reading was I Corinthians 3. Paul continues to have harsh words for the Christ-followers at Corinth. They think they live by the Spirit, but Paul tells them they actually are still living by worldly standards. He had to teach them like babies in the faith; they lack maturity. They are drinking milk rather than being able to eat solid food.  One example of this is their view of Christian leadership. They see leadership as focusing on an individual, that person having a following, pitting one person again another. In a sense, they view Christian leadership as a popularity contest. Paul makes the case that there are no individual superstars in Christian leadership. Different people have different tasks at different times. Some people plant, some people water, and others harvest. One task is not better or more important than another. They are all necessary for expanding God's Kingdom. My own experience is that Christian leadership has to be rooted in humility. The way our churches are structured doesn't always lend itself to this so we have to be very, very intentional.  I know I have to very, very intentional.  Ministry isn't about me as a pastor, it's always about Jesus and what he desires for his church. Jesus is of course our ultimate example of leadership. As a servant leader, he washed dirty feet, touched lepers, and ultimately gave up his life for those he led. No superstardom there, just a lot of rolling up sleeves, getting dirty, and experiencing sacrifice.   We find a beautiful example of Christian leadership in Philippians 2:5-8: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

This morning, the 27th of the month, I prayed Psalm 27...and as I prayed, I thought about Paul, in Corinth, as we just looked at him in Acts 18. When Paul was afraid, I just wonder, did he pray as David did 'Lord you are my light'... did Paul pray the psalms??

Episode Synopsis:Paul expressed concern that the Corinthian church would not have their offering ready upon his upcoming visit to Corinth.  As we saw last time, this offering had two important purposes.  The first was that there was a genuine need in Jerusalem as a result of an extended famine.  Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia were spared from the famine and had the means to send a significant gift to the struggling church in Jerusalem.  The second reason this mattered was that once the debate over justification had been settled at the Jerusalem Council, Jewish Christians accepted Gentile believers as their brothers and sisters–but there was still tension between the two groups who had a long and mutual history of distrust.  An offering from Gentile Christians during a time of great need in the mother church would go a long way to alleviate these tensions.But as we read in chapter 9–a continuation of the previous section of 2 Corinthians–it became clear that although the Corinthians planned to collect such an offering previously, they never followed through on their promise to contribute.  Paul was in Macedonia when word came from Corinth that the offering was not ready.  Apparently, Paul's critics and opponents in Corinth raised questions about both Paul's integrity and the true purpose of the offering.  Meanwhile, Paul had been telling the Macedonians (literally boasting) that the Corinthians promised to do likewise.  The Macedonians gave beyond their means assuming the Corinthians would do the same.  The Corinthians hadn't yet given at all.  This was shameful and embarrassing to all concerned.In chapter 9, Paul discusses the proper motives behind Christian charity.  He does away with the tithe and reminds his readers that Christians are to give as much as they can–if they can do so freely and joyfully.  He tells the Corinthians that Christians do not “give to get”–no prosperity gospel here.  Rather they are to give what they can when there is a genuine need.  The model for such giving is God's grace as manifest in the cross of Jesus Christ, the proof that God loves us and cares for us.  Christian giving does not appease an angry god (as the pagans taught), it does not ensure that we'll prosper financially or regain health (as the prosperity gospelers claim), and giving is always to be done simply because it is good to give–especially to those in need.  While there is a spiritual blessing for the cheerful giver, the Christian offering is but an act of gratitude in response to the inexpressible gift God has given to us in the person of his son. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

When Jesus began His Church, He did not intend for us to live out our calling in isolation from our fellow believers. He prayed that we would, as the Church, be united as one body. The Apostle Paul also reminded the believers in Corinth that they as part of the body of Christ, indeed functioned like a human body, with many necessary and integral parts, fit together by God Himself for the edification of the saints and the glory of God. This week we continue our conversation with Pastor Chris Legg of South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas about how he creatively and practically integrates apologetics into his ministry and how each one of us is an apologist, whether we are professionally trained in the field of apologetics or not. Also, Daniel shares his recent terrifying experience in the Grand Canyon. You don't want to miss this episode! Pastor Chris Legg, LPC, and his wife Ginger have been living out the parable of God's love for His people since 1993 and have been blessed with five great kids. He is the Lead Pastor at South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler, TX (https://www.southspring.org ) and is also the founding owner and clinical director of Alethia Family Counseling Center( https://www.alethiacounseling.com ), which offers training, counseling, speaking and business consulting in several locations in Texas.   He and his son Mark are the authors of the book Sex and Marriage, which is intended torestore the power God intended in our marriages.Learn more about SSBC at  www.southspring.org More about Alethia at https://www.alethiacounseling.comContact Chris, read any of his articles, and look for other resources at hiswebsite at https://www.chrismlegg.com and at https://chrismlegg.substack.com/. Resources from Watchman Fellowship: Apologetics Profile podcast interview with Robert Bowman, Jr., about different approaches to Christian apologetics. Atheism Profile by Robert Bowman Jr.: www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/atheismprofile.pdf Word Faith Movement Profile by Robert Bowman Jr.: www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/wordfaithprofile.pdfFaith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith, by Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman Jr. (https://amzn.to/2YKeecD)Fast Facts on Apologetics.FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.The complete Profile Notebook (Digital Edition, PDF, approx. 700-pages): www.watchman.org/DigitalNotebookSUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © 2026 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Daily Dose of Hope January 26, 2026   Scripture: I Corinthians 2   Prayer:  Holy God, We come to you today with expectancy.  We need to hear your voice.  We need to feel your presence.  Lord Jesus, we know that we are weak.  Our lives are incomplete and empty without you.  Our world is nothing without you.  Help us go through this day remembering that we belong to you.  With your Spirit in us, we have power.  With your Spirit in us, we can be bold and courageous.  We give you our day, Lord.  Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently working our way through Paul's pastoral letters.  We are currently in I Corinthians.   Today we read I Corinthians 2.  Paul begins the chapter by reminding the Corinthians about how he preached and taught when he was with them.  He wasn't arrogant, using language they didn't understand.  He very intentionally approached them with humility.  His message was, "Jesus Christ crucified" and he delivered it plain and simple.  He didn't need to adorn the message and make it fancy, he kept it straightforward so that it would be the power of the Spirit that they heard.  Paul said this so that the Corinthians could not base their faith on some kind of skillful teaching or human wisdom, but only on the Holy Spirit.   Paul then rebukes the Corinthians who seek the wisdom of the world.  Faith involves a great deal of wisdom, but it's the wisdom of God.  They don't understand it because they are still immature in the faith.    You can probably sense it from the reading, but Paul is highly frustrated with the church at Corinth. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they have access to the mind of Christ. Paul is saying that even though they are believers who have received the Spirit, they are beginning to behave like unbelievers.   Just for some background, Corinth was very much a troubled church. They were dealing with sexuality immorality, tremendous conflict (they were suing each other in civil courts), and abuse of spiritual gifts.  As we get further into the book, we will talk more about their abuse of the Eucharist, or communion.  Those who were wealthy would eat and drink first, having communion together, getting full and getting drunk.  When the poor came to the table, there would be nothing left.  Not surprisingly, Paul found this reprehensible.   How easy it is for Christians to say yes to Jesus but then sit back and not grow. There is also the temptation to slip into comfortable, easy Christianity (an oxymoron if ever there was one). The reality is in our culture and society, a person can profess faith in Jesus, go to church, go through the motions, but never know the mind of Christ. How critical it is to unite with other believers who will encourage us to grow and challenge us to live in the Spirit.   Do you have the mind of Christ? Do we have the mind of Christ as a body of believers? What will it take for us to get there?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Psychopompos - a new mythology opens with a chilling retelling of the myth of the infamous witch, MEDEA, and her husband, the Greek hero, Jason of the Argonauts. Narrated by a poet on the brink of madness, the retelling follows the wake of violence and retribution that engulfs MEDEA after she witnesses her husband accept the princess of Corinth's hand in marriage. Whipped into a frenzy, sets into motion the events that transformed her into one of history's most notorious women.Content Warning: Explicit Language, Violence.For more information about the story and podcast, a full transcript of this episode, or if you like what you heard and want to donate to this project, visit our site:www.psychopomp-cast.com.Cast:-Tate A. Geborkoff as APOLLONIUS OF RHODES & Jason of the Argonauts-Paige Hauer as Tisander-Valerie Lyvers as HANDMAIDEN-Mandyn Mueller as Alcimenes-Marie Tredway as MEDEA THE WITCH OF COLCHISCrew:-Tate A. Geborkoff - Author & Producer-Rachel Staelens - Director & Producer-Joe Palermo - Director of Sound-Roy Freeman - Musical Director & Composer-Rachael Knuckles (podcast manager)

Full Text of Readings The Saint of the day is Saints Timothy and Titus Saints Timothy and Titus' Story What we know from the New Testament of Timothy's life makes it sound like that of a modern harried bishop. He had the honor of being a fellow apostle with Paul, both sharing the privilege of preaching the gospel and suffering for it. Timothy had a Greek father and a Jewish mother named Eunice. Being the product of a “mixed” marriage, he was considered illegitimate by the Jews. It was his grandmother, Lois, who first became Christian. Timothy was a convert of Paul around the year 47 and later joined him in his apostolic work. He was with Paul at the founding of the Church in Corinth. During the 15 years he worked with Paul, he became one of his most faithful and trusted friends. He was sent on difficult missions by Paul—often in the face of great disturbance in local churches which Paul had founded. Timothy was with Paul in Rome during the latter's house arrest. At some period Timothy himself was in prison (Hebrews 13:23). Paul installed him as his representative at the Church of Ephesus. Timothy was comparatively young for the work he was doing. Several references seem to indicate that he was timid. And one of Paul's most frequently quoted lines was addressed to him: “Stop drinking only water, but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). Titus has the distinction of being a close friend and disciple of Paul as well as a fellow missionary. He was Greek, apparently from Antioch. Even though Titus was a Gentile, Paul would not let him be forced to undergo circumcision at Jerusalem. Titus is seen as a peacemaker, administrator, great friend. Paul's second letter to Corinth affords an insight into the depth of his friendship with Titus, and the great fellowship they had in preaching the gospel. When Paul was having trouble with the community at Corinth, Titus was the bearer of Paul's severe letter and was successful in smoothing things out. Paul writes he was strengthened not only by the arrival of Titus but also “by the encouragement with which he was encouraged in regard to you, as he told us of your yearning, your lament, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more…. And his heart goes out to you all the more, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, when you received him with fear and trembling” (2 Corinthians 7:7a, 15). The “Letter to Titus” addresses him as the administrator of the Christian community on the island of Crete, charged with organizing it, correcting abuses, and appointing presbyter-bishops. Reflection In Titus we get another glimpse of life in the early Church: great zeal in the apostolate, great communion in Christ, great friendship. Yet always there is the problem of human nature and the unglamorous details of daily life: the need for charity and patience in “quarrels with others, fears within myself,” as Paul says. Through it all, the love of Christ sustained them. At the end of the Letter to Titus, Paul says that when the temporary substitute comes, “hurry to me.” The early Church fathers were working to build its reach and its influence over believers. And while their lives often came to a violent and abrupt end, the seeds they sowed flourished the world over and continues to deepen the the faith lives of millions of people. Saints Timothy and Titus: Pray for us!Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - The book of 2 Corinthians betrays a strained relationship between Paul and the church of Corinth. Even though he brought the good news of the gospel to these people, and even though he started the initial congregation, they turned on him. The relationship was cold and distant and so at the end of chapter 6, Paul explains the cause. The believers in Corinth were intermingling with unbelievers. They were toying with sin. They mistakenly thought they could blend Christianity and worldliness. But in the end, they were contaminated and their relationship with Paul was compromised. The way back home for distant Christians is to root out evil and run towards holiness in the fear of God. May the Lord teach all of us that lesson as we gather in worship this weekend.

God's Faithfulness in Our Corinth Moment | The Gospel, The Kingdom, The World When Paul hit his limit in Corinth, God didn't remove the difficulty—He stepped into it with presence and purpose. This message reminds us that even when we feel like giving up, God has not walked away. He has more people to reach and more He wants to do through your life. Listen in for encouragement and clarity for your own Corinth moment. Key Insights: Even faithful believers can experience seasons of deep discouragement, fear, and doubt—and God meets us there. We are not called to save others but to faithfully share the gospel and trust God with the results. Your current opposition might be part of someone else's future salvation story. We need spiritual community, not just for connection but for perseverance in our calling. God has more people He wants to reach through your life—don't quit just because you're tired. Key Scripture: Acts 18 Speaker: Matt Petty Series: The Gospel, The Kingdom, The World Location: Burnt Hickory Baptist Church Connect with us: ° Watch this sermon on YouTube ° Follow us on Facebook ° Follow us on Instagram ° Visit our website

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Ever feel like you're not impressive enough for God to use? Like your words aren't sharp enough… Your story isn't dramatic enough… Your personality isn't bold enough. Paul's right there with you. In fact, he leaned into it. And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. — 1 Corinthians 2:1–5 Paul didn't show up in Corinth polished. He showed up shaking. No stage presence. No masterful rhetoric. No powerful delivery. He chose unimpressive on purpose. Why? Because he wanted the Corinthians to see what happens when God takes something small, simple, ordinary—and turns it into something impossible to ignore. That's what God does: He takes the unimpressive and fills it with undeniable power. Paul stripped his message down to the center point of history: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. No clever tactics. No persuasive flair. Just the gospel in plain sight. And the Spirit lit it on fire. This is the part we forget: The power was never in Paul's performance. It was in Paul's dependence. Your weakness isn't the barrier—it's the invitation. When you step forward trembling, God steps forward strong. When you open your mouth with nothing fancy to say, the Spirit supplies the power. When you choose to be faithful instead of impressive, God makes your life impossible to ignore. Unimpressive people. Filled with an unstoppable God. That's how God has been changing the world since the beginning. DO THIS: Keep Jesus at the center of one conversation today. Don't try to sound impressive—aim to be faithful, clear, and surrendered. ASK THIS: Where do you feel pressure to "perform" spiritually? What does it look like for you to embrace weakness instead of hide it? How might God want to show His power through your simplicity? PRAY THIS: Jesus, take every unimpressive part of me and fill it with Your strength. Make my words and my life impossible to ignore because Your Spirit is at work through me. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Holy Spirit"

Even cities have legacies.... Acts 18, Corinth - her legacy, end of Paul's second missionary journey, A unique peek at Paul

Pastor Chris commences our teaching series entitled “1st Corinthians: Practical Answers to Real Problems.” In this first study of the series, “Trouble with a Capital T,” we study in Acts 18 of Paul's initial visit to Corinth and the beginning of the church. We then study Paul's introduction of the letter in 1st Corinthians 1, where we learn that the church is the sanctified people of God called to holiness and that we, as followers of Jesus, have not quite yet arrived to becoming all that the Lord intends for us to be.

Introduction: In a church dispute? Remember your Relationship… (1 Corinthians 6:1-11) To OTHER BELIEVERS: we RECONCILE. (1 Cor 6:1-5) 1 Corinthians 5:12 – For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? To THE WORLD: we REPRESENT. (1 Cor 6:6-8) To SIN: we RENOUNCE. (1 Cor 6:9-10) Genesis 2:16–17 – And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Titus 2:11–12 – For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, To JESUS CHRIST: we are RENEWED. (1 Cor 6:11) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Well, good morning.Wherever you are today, welcome.My name is Justin.I'm one of the elders here at Harvest.And as we get started, I would just like to ask that you would pray for me to faithfully and clearly communicate God's word,and I will pray for you to have hearts to receive it.Amen.Well, today we're going to be talking about dealing with disputes, disagreements, beef, as the kids say.Did the kids still say beef, Pastor Jeff?Okay, confirmed.I too was young once, but as a college student, one thing my roommates and I never had beef over was where to order pizza.Listen, four guys in an apartment, that's a big decision.But we found our place, Piazza's Pizza, home to the largest pizza that I've ever seen, the big Piazza.It was the best price to food ratio in the city.The box was so big, it didn't even fit through the door.You had to tilt it just to get it inside.It would feed all of us for a whole weekend.And actually one of those weekends, a few of my friends from home came up to visit.And so, of course, we wanted to treat them to a big Piazza.But there was a dispute.My roommates and I tried to explain to them how enormous this pizza was.But my friends kept insisting, "Look, we need to order two."And we're like, "Guys, you haven't seen this pizza."And they're like, "Guys, you don't know how hungry we are. We need at least two."Okay?So eventually we gave up and we ordered two big Piazza's.And, you know, after dinner, I couldn't believe it, but we actually finished half of one.And that's when the real dispute started.Because we tried to tell them we just needed one.But the problem is, according to them, we didn't eat our share.Because they insisted we needed two.So then wild claims started flying around both sides about how many slices each side ate.And this morning, I'd actually like to present you with some evidenceso you can draw your own conclusions.Exhibit A, this is the big Piazza.And even that, I tell you, the photo doesn't do it justice.But I added some analysis to this photo because one member of the oppositionhas repeatedly stated that he alone consumed 25 slices.Exhibit B, this is his claim.And I'm telling you, I was there that night.If he ate that much pizza in one sitting,we were going to spend the night in Rochester General Hospital.Okay?Church.It was crazy.Now, we are close to the 20th anniversary of that meal.And the battle is still raging on.As far as I'm aware, this is the longest-running dispute I've ever been a part of.Debating it step-by-step, recounting what happened.And of course, laughter.Because this dispute, though still being disputed,it didn't threaten our friendships.It's a silly dispute, but I share it with you because the way that we handle disputes,that often depends on our relationship to the other side, true or false.When we are in a dispute, our relationship to the personor our relationship to the situation, that determines our response.Best friends can accuse each other of pizza malpractice for decades and be totally fine.But for real disputes, think about it.Which ones are the hardest to resolve?The ones within a family,or with a close friend, or someone you looked up to.It's far more difficult to deal with offense from someone that you know deeplythan from someone that you don't know at all.An argument that escalates, a disagreement grows into something much more,most of us have been there.And that can even happen here, within the church family.How do we deal with those disputes?Well, if you have your Bibles, you can open them to 1 Corinthians chapter 6,where we're going to dig into that.We deal with disputes because we're going after a church unified and purified, amen.And last week, Pastor Jeff taught how to get purified when there's sin in the church,when someone claims Christ yet is living in unrepentant sin,and they refuse help, they want their sin to be accepted.What do you do with that person?The Bible says, "Let him who has done this be removed from among you."You might think, "Harsh, that doesn't sound like a thing a church should do."Well, if you missed it, read 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and listen to the sermon online.You'll find out that's what the church must do.Now, this week, we read Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,discussing disputes within the church.And just like arguments about pizza,we have to remember the relationships involved.So, on your outline today,in a church dispute, remember your relationship.Number one, to other believers, we reconcile.So, 1 Corinthians 6, are you there?Let's read the first verse.It says, "When one of you has a grievance against another,does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?"So, Paul is calling out the Corinthians for dragging their disputes out into the court system.He says, "Church, why are you going before unrighteous corrupt courts for this?"But please understand in this passage,Paul is talking about civil cases, not criminal cases.This is not about someone breaking the law and being charged with a crime, okay?This is about a private dispute between two parties,and they just can't figure it out.So, they end up taking each other to court over something trivial.Now, we see trivial lawsuits today, don't we?Have you ever seen those courtroom shows where they give you the rundown upfront?He's here suing for a $67 cell phone bill.You hired a lawyer and got on a plane to Los Angeles over $67.You're going to take someone to court over that.Same idea.You'll see the trivial part as we pick up in verse 2.It says, "Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?Do you not know that we are to judge angels?How much more than matters pertaining to this life?So, if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?I say this to your shame.Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers?We'll pause there for a moment.Paul is saying we should be able to resolve these disputes internally.He's saying we are called to judge.If that sounds familiar, we saw it in 1 Corinthians 5,where verse 12 says, "For what have I to do with judging outsiders?Is it not those inside the church who you are to judge?"Not judging motives, because we can't see the heart,but we are required to judge actions.We judge the fruit.Now, what does Paul mean with this "saints" meaning believers?What does he mean with this "judging the world and angels" business?Well, he's referring to the concept of the children of God reigning with Jesus Christ in his victory.True.But we're not even going to get into all that, because Paul is using it for irony.Like, "Oh, you who will judge the world, you who will judge angels,why are you taking all your disputes to small claims court?"That's what they were doing.And actually, it was even worse than that.Because history tells us that in Paul's day, civil courts were completely corrupt.You couldn't even bring a case against someone who had a higher social standing than you.And when a case did make it to the courts, judges and juries would expect a kickbackfor a verdict in your favor,either a payment or something to help them with their standing.So the church in Corinth was not only suing each other,they were using the legal system to abuse or shake down fellow Christians of lower status.It's childish.And parents know you train young children to resolve their disputes themselves,but it takes a lot of training.Use your words.Talk it out.How would you feel if she said that to you?But until they mature, what's most often the outcome?Running to mom or dad to make a ruling.And sure, parents do need to step in sometimes,but more often than not, it's a dispute that could have been resolvedwith a conversation and some humility.But they're kids.They don't have the required patience or wisdom just yet.Paul is saying the church should be mature enough to use wisdom to resolve things internallyinstead of using lawsuits.But even if we avoid the courthouse, we can still struggle with disputes as a church.If a church member offends you intentionally or unintentionally,you don't sue them, but how do you react?Do you let it go?Or if it's just too much to let it go, do you talk to them about it?Or do you just avoid them?Or how many churches have gone through gigantic disputes over decisions like the carpet coloror chairs versus pews or the volume level during worship?Is stuff like that worth disunity with your brothers and sisters?Now, 1 Corinthians 6 doesn't outline practical steps that we should follow instead,but we know them from other places in Scripture.Matthew 18, for example, tells us to go first to the person directly,and if they don't listen, bring some others.And if they still don't listen, bring it before the church.That's the general path things should run,and some situations point us to other Scripture too.But the charge in these verses is to judge wisely.But these Matthew 18 conversations or conversations going to someone for counsel,they cannot be about gossip.That's just as destructive as a lawsuit.These conversations must be done with one goal in mind, reconciliation.As believers, we ask for forgiveness and forgive each other in order to be reconciled.That's who we are. That's what God's family does.By His grace, some of us grew up in God-fearing homes that demonstrated that's how a family works.But many of us either grew up in or we've seen family situations where that's not the case,where there is no repentance, no forgiveness, no reconciliation.Some might think, "Yeah, I've seen bitterness and I've seen grudges in a family,but reconciliation, forgiving one another, I've never seen a family like that."And that's why as a church, we must show the world that in Christ we are different.We have to show them what God's family is like, which is why, number two on your outline,in a church dispute, remember your relationship, number two, to the world we represent.So as believers, what does our relationship to the world have to do with our disputes?Well, rewind to the end of verse five.It says, "Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,but brother goes to law against brother?" And that before unbelievers?Before unbelievers. That's similar to what we saw back in verse one, before the unrighteous.We talked about the Corinthians lacking godly wisdom, but there's another problem.Taking all these disputes out into the world, what does that do to our witness?If the city of Corinth always saw the church in scandal or suing each other,what did that communicate to them about the gospel message?We have to remember that part of our relationship to the world is that Jesus called us to represent him to the world.Represent Jesus to the world.Now, listen, I'm not saying we should be concerned about image in the sense that we are marketing church,and reality is another thing.No, our concern is authentically following Jesus.We want people to see what it looks like to be transformed by Christ and living in a Christ-centered community.It's not about projecting some image, it's about our identity.Our witness is being like Jesus and telling people about him.So, infighting, legal battles, manipulation, that's what everybody else does.God's people are called to be different.If we act like the world, we've already lost.Just like it says in verse 7, it says, "To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you."Why not rather suffer wrong?Why not rather be defrauded?But you yourselves wrong and defraud, even your own brothers.Now, again, let me emphasize that we are not talking about criminal cases.But Paul is saying it would be better to just lose your money in the dispute than sue your church brother over these petty issues.Or again, maybe you're not actually going to court, but you still might need to suffer wrong.What do I mean?Have you ever been in a dispute where maybe you're 10% wrong and the other person is 90% wrong?Sometimes we still want to justify ourselves and bang the table about how less wrong we were.What about humbling yourself?What about taking the hit and saying, "You know, you're right. I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?"Our natural reaction is, "Why should I humble myself when they're wrong too?"Because of who we represent.Jesus is our example of humility, and we are that example to those around us.So to claim Christ and act like Paul describes here is a failure in our job as representatives.And you know, I talked a little bit about pizza earlier, but do you know what else I like?Frozen bananas.Well, I should be specific. Chocolate covered frozen bananas. Delicious.One time I went into an ice cream shop where I had gotten one before, but I didn't see any in the case in the front.So I thought, "Oh, they might have some in the back in the freezer."So I asked the woman working, "Do you have any frozen bananas?"And my friends who were there still quote her answer to me because she said, "Does it look like we have any frozen bananas?"Okay. I said, "Thank you." And I walked out without any dessert.Now, do you think the owner of the ice cream shop felt like she represented the store well that day?No. Just like employees represent their workplace as a body of believers, we represent Christ.If you claim Christ, you are his representative, period.In a world where everyone's flying off the handle at every disagreement, screaming or storming out of every issue,imagine the witness of a church that works through things together in love,using the highest authority of our life, God's word, to untangle the issue.No, it's not always easy. But the world will look and say, "What's going on over there? I want to be a part of that."But we have to step back and review for a moment because I don't want anyone to walk away with the wrong idea.So far, we've talked about resolving disputes in-house, not dragging disagreements to the court, and how we are presenting ourselves to the world.Those concepts could be sinfully twisted into an excuse to cover up sin.Now, we don't need to review all the sickening things that have been covered up by churches all over the world.Sinful men have tried to hide their sin, tried to hide abuse by saying things like, "Let's keep this in-house."No, they are wrong.This passage is not about covering things up or ignoring sin. Abuse in court or otherwise is sin.Covering up sin is sin. A forced reconciliation is a false reconciliation.Ignoring sin for the sake of the church's witness is a false witness.If someone's sinful act is a criminal act, then the correct response is to hand them over to the authorities.And that's God's idea, not mine. See Romans 13.I just want to be crystal clear.Paul, just like in chapter 5, is calling for the opposite of a cover up.He's calling us to recognize and remove flagrant, unrepentant sin.And that distinction is important because we all sin.It's not like, "Oh, I was coveting my friend's car yesterday."And last week, I had a lustful thought.Guess I have to leave Harvest Bible Chapel.No, of course all of us struggle with sin, but we commit that as a family,we're here to walk with each other in becoming purified by our Lord.We need each other's support and encouragement as each one of us turns away from our sin daily to become more like Jesus Christ.In fact, in him, we must renounce any relationship that we have to sin.Point number three on your outline today.In a church dispute, remember your relationship number three to sin.We renounce.Let's pick up in verse nine.It says, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?Do not be deceived.Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves,nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers,will inherit the kingdom of God."Now, reading this after the previous section can seem jarring.Paul is talking about disputes, the courts,and then he drops into this list of sins for which someone will not enter heaven.Now, understand that Paul is talking about a lifestyle of unrepentant, continual sin.Committing one of these sins or any sin in isolationdoes not automatically banish a person from heavenif that person repents of their sin and believes in the work of Jesus for their forgiveness.But why does the connection here to verses one to eight?Well, two things.First, verse one asked if believers dare take their case before the unrighteous.And then here it says, "Do you not know that the unrighteouswill inherit the kingdom of God?"Sorry, the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.Paul is saying, "Church, you should resolve your disputesinstead of bringing them before people who are living in reckless sin for them to decide."You're like, "Don't worry, I keep beef out of the legal system."Okay, well, do you bring your church disputes before unbelieving friends or family?Do you complain about the church or people in the church at work or on social media?That is bringing your case before the unrighteous for them to judge.Now, as for the second connection, recall the underhanded dealings of these civil courts.People in the church were using their influence and status to manipulate other Christians via lawsuitsto take advantage of their own brothers for their gain.That sin belongs in this list, too.See, this isn't a random list of sinfulness.This list is about not being content and reaching out of bounds to get more.And really, that goes all the way back to the first sin, doesn't it?Back in Genesis, God told Adam,"And the Lord God commanded the man saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat,for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.'"But Adam and Eve ultimately were not content with that.And so they reached outside the bounds that God created.That's the same root as every sin in this list.God says that sexual intimacy is between one man and one woman within the covenant of marriage.But people say, "I'm not content with that."Be it adultery, homosexuality, or any form of sexual immorality,instead of receiving God's gift as he intended,they reached outside God's design to take something else, or idolatry.God says we should worship Him and only Him.But people say, "I'm not content with that."They worship money, success, celebrity.They reach outside of what they know in their heart to worship anything but God.What about drunkards or revilers, people who abuse alcohol or verbally abuse others?God set a boundary around drunkenness and a boundary on our speech,but they say, "I'm not content with that.I will drink how I want and I'll say what I want."Or thieves, the greedy, swindlers, whatever they have, they say, "I'm not content with that.I want more and I'm willing to reach out and take it, even if it means stealing from my own family."And that's where the Corinthian church was, reaching out of bounds to take from their brothers and sisters.Paul says their sin is the same as these.And if you live a life of unrepentant, habitual sin, a life reaching out of bounds,you will not inherit the kingdom of God.So church, we have to ask ourselves, what should our relationship be to sin?Titus chapter 2 verse 11 says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age."We must renounce sin.That's our relationship, not embracing it, not excusing it, but rejecting it, turning away, running away.How do we do that?Well, praise the Lord, we are about to read some of the most incredible words in Scripture on that topic.Our last point today, you must remember your relationship, number four, to Jesus Christ.We are renewed.1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 11, it says, "And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified,you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.And such were some of you."Some translations say, "And this is what some of you used to be."Paul is saying, "You used to do these things, but God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for your sin upon Himself."He bore that sin in His death on the cross and then conquering death rose again in victory.And this verse applies to anyone who will repent and believe in Him as their Savior.Now, you might think that stuff that you used to do is too much to overcome.You're afraid Jesus knows who you were.Well, Jesus knows your whole story and He still invites you into a relationship with Him.He wants to release you from your sin and bring you true contentment.So repent and believe.As it says here, "If you believe, you were washed clean.Sin from your past, present, and future has been washed away in the name of Jesus."You were sanctified, meaning you were set apart as holy and you are being made holy.God is shaping you into what He already calls you.And you were justified, meaning the charges of sin against you have been dropped.You're innocent.That lifestyle of unrepentant sin, that's who you used to be.You are made new.In a dispute, you must remember your relationship with Jesus Christ because that relationship determines all other relationships.But some might think, "If I have that relationship with Christ and if I'm made new, why do I still sin?Why do we still have disputes and disagreements and fights?"I read one scholar put it this way.Imagine, I know this is going to be hard to believe, that you were caught in a snowstorm.It shouldn't be too hard.You're covered in snow, totally freezing, and you feel like you might not make it.But somehow, you crawl and you make it back to your house and you get inside.The room is warm.Maybe fireplace is going.You're saved.But even though you're safe standing in the warmth,it's going to take some time for the ice in your pockets to thaw out.You see the picture.You are secure in Christ, but not all of your sin has melted away yet.That won't be totally complete until we reach heaven.Until then, through our relationship with Christ, we are safe indoors being justifiedand we're thawing out being sanctified at the same time.So as we close, I hope you see how and why the church must deal with disputes in a godly way.We should be able to handle that stuff through Jesus.Next time you're in a dispute, step back and remember, this is my brother or sister in Christ.My goal is to be reconciled with them.Remember that we are representing Christ to the world.The way that we interact should reflect our Lord, showing the world that Jesus works.Remember that we've renounced sin and we lovingly help each other do that.We don't manipulate others.We don't reach out of bounds grabbing for more.That's not who we are.Because who are we?Remember that in Jesus, we are a people renewed.We don't serve sin or our selfish desires anymore.Together, unified and purified, we serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.Let's pray together.Lord God, I thank you for your word.God, I thank you for the church.And I pray God that when we face disputes, we would face them with godly wisdom and character, love and patience, God,that we may be reconciled, that we may be a light into the world around us.We pray and ask for your mercy, God, upon us now and we ask for you to guide us in these matters.Let us be a church unified and purified for your glory, Lord God.In Jesus' name, amen.Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 6:1-11What was your big take-away from this passage / message?How should disputes within the church family be resolved? How does that process differ for disputes with unbelievers?How and why must the church faithfully guard its witness to the world?Paul says those listed in 1 Cor. 6:9-10 will not inherit the kingdom of God. What does he mean by that?If we are made new in Jesus Christ, why do we still struggle with sin? How can we come alongside each other as believers in that struggle?BreakoutPray for one another.

First to the Corinthians- The church at Corinth was a church infected by the pagan culture that surrounded it. The Holy Spirit has much to say through this letter to the modern-day church, which has also been heavily influenced by the immorality of the current culture.

Daily Dose of Hope January 23, 2026   Scripture: I Corinthians 1   Prayer:  Abba Father, You are the potter, we are the clay, and the work of Your hands. Mold us and fashion us into the image of Jesus, your Son. Father, may we be one in You as He is in You, and You are in Him. Glory and praise to you, forever and ever. Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We have been journeying through Paul's letters.  Today, we are starting our fourth pastoral letter, I Corinthians.   Let's start by talking a little bit about Corinth.  It was a Greek city, about forty-five miles from Athens.  It was highly prosperous but also known for its immorality.  We read about Paul's time in Corinth in Acts 18 during his second missionary journey.  It's in Corinth that Paul meets Priscilla and Aquila, fellow tentmakers and believers.  He started his time there by preaching in the synagogues but the Jews were generally not responsive.  That led Paul to begin to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles in the area.  And he was very successful.  Thus, the church in Corinth included both Jews and Gentiles.  Paul stayed with the Corinthians for roughly a year and a half.  During that time, there were some Jews who brought charges against Paul for his teachings.  The discord continued after he left.  Thus, the Corinthians church was dealing with these outside pressures, as well as serious internal discord and immorality.  Paul stayed in touch with them through letters.  We have two of these letters (there were probably others) in the New Testament.   In this first chapter of I Corinthians, we immediately notice this is a letter. Paul starts by identifying himself as the author and makes it clear that the recipients are those in the church at Corinth. After a brief expression of thanksgiving, Paul wastes no time at getting to a most pressing point. There is disunity in the church. Factions have emerged over who to follow. Some say they follow Paul, others say Apollos or Cephas, and some say Christ.   We don't know the details of the disagreements, or how the factions came about. Really, I don't think the fine points are that relevant. What's more interesting to me is how Paul handles the situation. He reminds them who and whose they are. He reinforces the mission. We get so distracted by our own egos and allegiances; the mission is what suffers. The mission is sharing the Gospel, spreading the Good News of Jesus.   Let's fast forward 2000 years. How often have we as individual Christ-followers and as a church gotten off track because of disagreements with other Christians? Think about people you have personally known who have left a church because they got mad about something. Conflicts over individual personalities, music styles, bruised egos, miscommunication, or even the color of the new carpet, can totally derail a church from the true mission! What if we just had laser focus on Jesus? What if the mission trumped everything else? How might that change things?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

A shocked city, a careful army, and a plateau that decides everything. We follow the tense weeks after Athens' first win outside Syracuse, when momentum gave way to method. Nicias, often branded cautious, makes a hard strategic choice: pause late in the season, refill the coffers, request cavalry, and prepare for a siege that can actually hold under pressure. Meanwhile, Syracuse hears Hermocrates at last. His blunt case—discipline over bluster, reform over blame—shrinks a muddled command, tightens training, and sends envoys to Corinth and Sparta to turn a local crisis into a panhellenic cause.The political map of Sicily comes into sharp focus as Camarina keeps a careful distance, Naxos and Regium quietly help Athens, and both sides court allies who can tip supplies, harbors, and morale. Then the war's center of gravity jumps across the sea. Alcibiades escapes and arrives in Sparta with insider detail and a plan to exploit Athenian overreach. His advice sparks two decisive moves: dispatching Gylippus to steady Syracuse and fortifying Decelea to bleed Attica. Intelligence, timing, and audacity reshape the conflict more than any single skirmish could.Through winter 415–414 BCE, the Athenians work with rare clarity. Catana becomes an operating base; ships are refit; scouts trace Syracuse's walls and water. The conclusion is simple and stark: win the Epipolae Heights or lose the siege before it begins. Spring brings speed. A quiet sail, a rapid landing, and Lamachus' night march seize Euryelus, the gateway to the plateau. Engineers mark lines. Syracuse counters. For a moment, the expedition reaches its high watermark, the city nearly within an encircling wall. But with Gylippus on the horizon and a reformed Syracuse ready to contest every trench, the hard road truly begins. Support the show

Over the course of several missionary journeys, the Apostle Paul walked countless miles of Roman roads, carrying the Gospel in his heart like an Olympian bearing a torch. The 2025 Greece/Rome Signature Tour followed those footsteps chronologically, tracing Paul's path through some of Scripture's most compelling cities and accounts. Join Rich Ferreira and Jerrell Jobe as they reflect on the journey, from its beginning in Kavala (Acts 16), through Philippi, Thessaloniki (Thessalonica), Berea, Athens, Corinth, and finally, Rome.Building on Philippi's history as a status-driven Roman city, Jerrell then unpacks Philippians 2 and explores what it truly meant for Christ to “become a servant.”Studying Scripture in this way brings the Bible to life—real people in real places in real time—causing the stories to leap off the page! The same Living Word Paul proclaimed in Macedonia is the Word that draws us there today. Join us.Watch this summary of the trip:https://vimeo.com/1156798520?fl=pl&fe=sh2026 trip page:https://gtitours.org/trip/signature-greece-rome-2026Video podcast:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0bN0wc_lv0  

Dr. Scott Powell, JD Flynn, and Kate Olivera look ahead at the readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time— including an Advent-y passage from Isaiah, St. Paul's strong message about unity to the church in Corinth, and Jesus' withdrawal to Galilee. This episode is brought to you by the Institute for Liturgical Formation at Christendom College's Graduate School of Theology.This summer, consider spending four weeks at the Institute for Liturgical Formation— immersed in reverent liturgy and rigorous academics.To learn more, visit christendom.edu/liturgyAlready read the readings? Skip ahead to 6:50Reading 1 - Isaiah 8: 23—9:3Psalm 27: 1, 4, 13-14Reading 2 - 1 Corinthians 1: 10-13, 17Gospel - Matthew 4: 12-23 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pillarcatholic.com/subscribe

Reading 1Isaiah 49:3, 5-6The LORD said to me: You are my servant,Israel, through whom I show my glory.Now the LORD has spokenwho formed me as his servant from the womb,that Jacob may be brought back to himand Israel gathered to him;and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,and my God is now my strength!It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant,to raise up the tribes of Jacob,and restore the survivors of Israel;I will make you a light to the nations,that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.Reading 21 Corinthians 1:1-3Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,and Sosthenes our brother,to the church of God that is in Corinth,to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.Grace to you and peace from God our Fatherand the Lord Jesus Christ.GospelJohn 1:29-34John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.He is the one of whom I said,‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of mebecause he existed before me.'I did not know him,but the reason why I came baptizing with waterwas that he might be made known to Israel.”John testified further, saying,“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heavenand remain upon him.I did not know him,but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. The argument started small. They always do. A comparison here. A subtle jab there. Then suddenly the whole church in Corinth was splintering into camps — Paul's camp, Apollos' camp, Peter's camp, even a "we only follow Christ" camp said with a smug twist. Division never screams at first. It whispers. Then it fractures. I appeal to you, brothers, 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. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 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." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else. 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. — 1 Corinthians 1:10–17 Paul doesn't tiptoe around the problem. He hits the heart of the issue. Because when people start attaching their identity to personalities rather than to Christ, unity dies. And Paul slices through the noise with one sharp question: "Is Christ divided?" Of course not. But when Christ isn't at the center, people start choosing sides. Here's the truth Corinth needed — and we need: When Christ is at the center, we won't take sides. Pastors don't unite the church. Preferences don't unite the church. Personalities don't unite the church. Only Jesus does that. So why are the names of your pastor, your preferences, and your personalities so important to you? But when Christ becomes the main thing again. The sides disappear. Comparison fades. Pride quiets. Unity rises. So let this settle deep today: If Christ stays at the center, division loses its power. And said another way — because we need the reminder — When Christ is truly at the center, we refuse to take sides. DO THIS: Reach out to one believer today — someone outside your usual circle. Send encouragement. Build a bridge where a wall once stood. ASK THIS: Where have preferences quietly replaced Christ as the center? Who do you tend to "follow" more closely than Jesus? Is there a person you need to reconcile with for the sake of unity? PRAY THIS: Jesus, keep me centered on You alone. Quiet my pride, crush my comparisons, and make You the center of everything I follow and everything I love. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Make Room"

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville “And He Gave Evangelists…” (2) Introduction: What would you say are the top four greatest needs in God's kingdom today? I'm sure we could all come up with good answers to that question. I will give you my top four: The first is obvious: Christians who are passionate about knowing God, loving God, and loving lost souls.  Moms and Dads who raise their children to pursue the one true God and bring all other pursuits in service to him. Elders who equip and shepherd the flock, not “exercise authority of them” (Matthew 20:25, 1 Peter 5:1-4). Evangelists who actually “do the work of an evangelist” as outlined by Paul in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Paul told us that these last two needs, along with the apostles and prophets, were gifts Christ gave to the church for the equipping of the saints, to bring them to maturity in order to cause the growth of the body (Ephesians 4:11-16). These lessons are about gaining a better understanding of  the need for evangelists in God's kingdom and what we can do to encourage a desire to do this work.  Recap from the First Lesson When we study Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus, we cannot miss the challenge and the extensive nature of the work. Just as God set aside the tribe of Levi to spend their lives teaching Israel, so he gave “evangelists, shepherds and teachers” to the church to equip and grow the body. The failure of the Levites to fulfill their purpose led to the failure of the whole nation to live up to God's purpose. Today, God did not appoint a whole tribe, he appointed individuals who give their lives to bring the gospel message both to equip Christians and to spearhead reaching lost souls. But the shortage of evangelists is becoming more and more apparent.  Paul's Overview of the Work: 1 Timothy 4:6-16  Vs. 6: “…trained in the words of faith…”  7-8: “…train yourself for godliness”  11: “Command and teach these things.”  12: “Set the believers an example…”  13: “Devote yourself to the public reading of the Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching”  14: “Do not neglect the gift…” 15: “Practice these things, immerse yourself in in them…”  16: “Keep close watch…Persist in this…” Conclusion: These are not things that can be done by men who hold a secular job.  Why Not Be Content with the Men Preaching? “Preaching” is not “doing the work of an evangelist”  It was not God's design (Ephesian 4:11-12) Who will go out at night to teach the lost? Who will teach the lost in the daytime? Who will train and equip the church to do their part in evangelism efforts? Who will train more men to be evangelists? The Result: whole churches are being trained to neglect the lost and be content with the “99” (Matt. 18)  What Keeps Men from Preaching? First, the increasing wealthiness of our culture, which is enticing to young, college age men. The possibilities of living a comfortable and prosperous life are all around them. In conjunction with the above, relying on a church for wages feels uncomfortable and unstable to a man who plans to be married and raise a family. This is especially true when these same young men have repeatedly witnessed churches discharge a preacher every few years. (Of course that is not exclusive to preaching!) Relying on churches for support to work at a church that is not self-supporting. I have had preachers tell me they could never do what I have done and be in a church where they needed outside support. “How can I be confident that the support won't be dropped on a moment's notice?”  Second, preaching is often not a draw to younger men when they consider the whole church can become their “boss and critic.” Further, they have often seen preachers mistreated. Talk to any older preacher—their greatest trial will have come from their own brethren. Therefore, there are many who have decided to work a secular career job while utilizing opportunities to “preach a sermon” as the need arises. That certainly shouldn't be considered wrong, but it does contribute to the lack of evangelists. Third, preaching is not a “job,” it is a passion. Paul said it well in 1 Corinthians 9:16-17, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.”  I trained one man who had wanted to preach from the time he was 14 years old. He went to FC and majored in Bible (not a good idea), and then asked to train with me. I had known him from childhood, and therefore accepted him. After six months I said to him, “I think you would be happier doing something else. What do you think?” He agreed, and went back to school for a secular job. The problem wasn't that he couldn't preach a sermon. It was that it wasn't his passion. Frankly, he hadn't even learned what it meant to love God with all his heart. Too many young men see preaching as a job. Another young man possibly could have become a good evangelist, but he submitted to his wife's insistence that his working hours be only 9 to 5.  Which brings up another hindrance: wives must be passionate about their husband's work.  Fourth, embedded in preaching are hardships and choices we would rather not make: There is a very interesting “American culture” problem that has seriously affected preachers and potential preachers. When a preacher is looking for a church, it is natural to do “background checks” on the church and how they have treated former preachers. We certainly do not want to go to a place where the elders or members are abusive. On the other hand, if you were a preacher, would you want to go to a church like Corinth? No, no! Paul sent Titus to “churches” on the island of Crete who were, “…always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons.” Paul basically said, “Titus, I want you to go a fix that!” Oh my. Consider “the Law of the Lid”  How many churches today are in the category of needing good elders and a good evangelist to “put in order the things that are wanting?” There is certainly a great need, but who wants to do that!!! The first place I preached, there was one faithful member, a lady named Bernice. I was told by elders that I would be foolish to go there. “It's a retirement community and no one is interested in the gospel. And besides, over the past seven years, 50 men have gone out there and preached sermons, to no avail.” But in the first three years we baptized 60 people, and one of the same elders then said to me, “Well, it must just be fertile ground.” For seven years, Bernice could not get a preacher to go and live there and do the hard thing (not just go preach and sermon and go home). Fifth, parents rarely prepare their sons to consider preaching or talk to them about the importance of the work in God's kingdom. I'm not suggesting that parents badger their sons to preach; that is not appropriate. Instead, I would recommend two approaches: Instill in your boys and girls our identity as disciples of Christ. Instill God's love for all people and his desire for them to be saved. And help them feel the weight of our responsibilities as Jesus' disciples — Jesus appointed us, only us, to bring the saving gospel to the world. If we don't do it, no one else will! (Parable of Lost Things & our identity as the Offspring of Abraham) Prepare them, and not just your sons, but also your daughters.  How to answer commonly asked questions using the scripture (Why does worship matter? Salvation, etc. Teach them to open their mouths and explain biblical texts! That is done far better by parents than it is in our Sunday/Wednesday classes. Teach them to give a speech, not a biblical speech, just a speech. [story of Dad and the speech of Spartacus to the Gladiators]  Sixth, a lack of training and mentoring.  In other words, how many churches and preachers are intent on obeying 2 Timothy 2:2 or followed the pattern of training that we see Paul doing?  Erik, Brent, Andy, and I have all turned down young men who desired to preach because they didn't understand the extent of the work. “I didn't know I'd have to work this hard.” “I don't like you telling me what I'm doing wrong in my preaching. I just want encouragement.”  In many cases, there are those who can preach a sermon, but the work described in Ephesians 4:11-16 and the “pastoral epistles” is not being done, and therefore understandably intimidating. Why shouldn't it be? It is often not seen/practiced among evangelists, shepherds and teachers. I personally cannot count the number of young preachers who have come out of one–two year programs, moved to a church, but haven't the slightest idea what to do other than “preach.” What about reaching the lost? What about engaging the church in the effort? What about moving the church to maturity? What about equipping the saints?  The need for patience on the part of the elders and the members, and humility to learn on the part of the preacher. Berry Kercheville The post Ephesians 4:11-16 And He Gave Evangelists… (2) appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

The first admonitionPaul gives us is to walk in love. We walk in love because love is thefoundational characteristic of the Christian life. If we walk in love, we willnot disobey God or injure others, “for he who loves another has fulfilledthe law,” as we read in Romans 13:8. TheHoly Spirit places that love within our hearts. Romans 5:5, tells us that thelove of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It flows outof us because God is love. We are living with God, walking with God, andtherefore we are walking in love. Now Paul goes on to point out something else.Not only do we walk in love, but we also walk in the light. We see thisin verse 8, where he says, “For you were once darkness, but now you arelight in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” We walk in love, and we walkin light. Why? Because God is light. Remember, we are imitating our Father.When we walk in the light, we have nothing to do with the darkness of sin. Paulthen gives us specific descriptions of sins that we are to avoid. In verse 3,he says, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not evenbe named among you, as is fitting for saints.” Then in verse 4, he adds,“Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are notfitting, but rather giving of thanks.” First,we see sins of the flesh. Why do we avoid these sins? Because we are saints.Notice that phrase, “as is fitting for saints.” Saints are those who have beenset apart—sanctified—for the glory of God. We are different because we are inChrist, not because of anything special in ourselves, but because we belong toHim and have been set apart for His purposes. Myfriend, you don't have to wait for a church or an institution to declare you asaint. The moment you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, you become a saint.Even the believers in the church at Corinth—troubled as that church was—werestill called saints. They had been set apart, even though there were things intheir lives and in their church that did not belong there. That's why Paul saysthese things are not fitting for saints. Whatis fitting for saints is that we do not walk in darkness, but in light. We putaside fornication, sexual sin, uncleanness, and covetousness. Covetousness isreally a weakness of our fallen nature—an expression of uncontrolled appetites.The fornicator and the covetous person both seek to satisfy desires by takingwhat does not belong to them. We see this clearly in 1 John 2:16, which speaksof “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes.” Paul tells us thatthere should not even be a hint of these things among us. We stay away fromthem because they are not fitting for the saints of God. ThenPaul addresses our speech in verse 4—“neither filthiness, nor foolishtalking, nor coarse jesting.” These are sins of the tongue, and they arenot fitting either. Instead, we are called to give thanks. When we trulyunderstand how blessed we are in Christ—when our hearts are filled withgratitude and appreciation for God's goodness—we will not speak in ways thatare displeasing to Him. Coarsejesting is a form of speech that takes something clean and twists it intosomething dirty through cleverness or wit. People with filthy hearts and mindsdo that. They take what is pure and corrupt it with their words. My friend,that should never characterize Christian conversation. By the grace of God, weavoid these things. Why? Because we are children of light, and we are to walkas children of light. We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord.May God help us to understand these truths, to avoid the sins of the flesh andthe sins of the tongue, and to make sure that what we say and what we do bringsglory to God. May we reflect His light to a world that is filled with darkness. 

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 1:1-3. Have you ever forgotten who you are? Not your name. Your identity. The core of who God says you are. Because life has a way of chipping at that, doesn't it? One comment from someone who doesn't really know you… One failure you can't stop replaying… One season where you feel more worn out than useful… And suddenly you're questioning everything. That's exactly why Paul opens this letter the way he does. He doesn't start with correction. He starts with identity. Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 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: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 1:1–3 Corinth was a moral circus. A city where everything was loud, proud, fast, and compromised. But Paul looks straight at this messy church and says, You're God's people. You're sanctified. You're called saints. Not because they earned it. Not because their behavior proved it. Because Jesus did the work and placed His name on them. And here's the takeaway for you today: Culture doesn't get to name you. Christ already did. You are: Sanctified — set apart by God. Called — chosen for His purposes. Blessed — grace and peace belong to you. Paul says all that before addressing a single issue… because identity always comes before behavior. When you remember who you are, you start living like who you are. DO THIS: Speak your identity out loud today. "I am sanctified in Christ and called by God." Say it before you walk into work… before you see your family… before you face that thing that makes you doubt yourself. ASK THIS: Where have you let the culture tell you who you are instead of Christ? What false label do you need to lay down today? How would your decisions change if you fully lived like a "called saint"? PRAY THIS: Jesus, remind me today who I am in You. Strip away every false label and anchor my heart in Your grace. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Who You Say I Am"

Big IdeaThe letters of the New Testament remind us who we are called to be. Saints. Set apart. Different in a way that points the world to Christ.Key Scripture“To the church of God in Corinth… called to be saints.”1 Corinthians 1:2Key Points to RememberMost of the New Testament is made up of letters written to real churches with real problems.When we read these letters, we are reading someone else's mail, but God still speaks to us through them today.Paul calls the Corinthians saints, not because they were perfect, but because they were called to live differently.A saint is not a super Christian. A saint is someone set apart in love, humility, justice, and compassion.Being set apart does not mean being better than others. It means reflecting Christ in how we live.The world should see generosity instead of greed, welcome instead of exclusion, peace instead of violence.Even when the church falls short, God does not give up on us. We are still called, loved, and invited to grow.A Question to Reflect OnWhen the world looks at my life, what do they see?Do they see something that points them toward Jesus?A Prayer to Carry With You“Thank you, God, that you judge us not by the perfection of our actions, but by our readiness to live boldly in faith.”Living It Out This WeekLook for one small way to live set apart this week through generosity, kindness, justice, or peace so others might catch a glimpse of God's kingdom.

Second Sunday after the Epiphany Old Testament: Isaiah 49:1-7 1Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me. 2He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. 3And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." 4But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God." 5And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— 6he says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." 7Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, "Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you." Psalm: Psalm 40:1-12 1 I waited patiently upon the Lord; *        he stooped to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay; *        he set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth,   a song of praise to our God; *        many shall see, and stand in awe,        and put their trust in the Lord. 4 Happy are they who trust in the Lord! *        they do not resort to evil spirits or turn to false gods. 5 Great things are they that you have done, O Lord my God!   how great your wonders and your plans for us! *        there is none who can be compared with you. 6 Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! *        but they are more than I can count. 7 In sacrifice and offering you take no pleasure *       (you have given me ears to hear you); 8 Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required, *        and so I said, "Behold, I come. 9 In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: *       'I love to do your will, O my God;        your law is deep in my heart."' 10 I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation; *        behold, I did not restrain my lips;        and that, O Lord, you know. 11 Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart;    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance; *        I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the great congregation. 12 You are the Lord;    do not withhold your compassion from me; *        let your love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever, Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— 7so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.9God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Gospel: John 1:29-42 29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' 31I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." 32And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God." 35The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" 37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. 40One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). 42He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).  

ESV 2 Corinthians 1:1-7 Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus […]

Introduction: Get Purified: When There's Sin in the Church... (1 Corinthians 5:1-13) RECOGNIZE sin. (1 Cor 5:1-2) Ephesians 5:3 - But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. REMOVE the sinner. (1 Cor 5:3-5) Proverbs 22:10 - Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. Titus 3:10 - As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him... What do we hope to accomplish by throwing him out? In His heart: We hope He's ASHAMED. 2 Thessalonians 3:14 - If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. In His head: We hope He LEARNS. 1 Timothy 1:20 - Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. In His body: We hope He SUFFERS. In His Spirit: We hope He REPENTS. REMEMBER the purpose. (1 Cor 5:6-8) RESTRICT discipline to believers. (1 Cor 5:9-13) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 5What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Why do you think people have a hard time with a church removing an unrepentant sinner, when the Bible clearly commands it?What is the motivation behind removing someone from church? What does it do for the church?Explain 1 Cor 5:5 in your own words.How would you coach someone on “How exactly do I confront a brother in Christ who is clearly in unrepentant sin?”BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Open up those Bibles.The book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 5.1 Corinthians chapter 5.Imagine a scenario with me.You go to the doctor because you have a suspicious looking spot on your skin and the doctorgives you the news you don't want to hear.You have skin cancer.So for the good of the body, for the health of the body, what needs to happen with thatspot?You have to remove it, right?Right?You have to remove it.Or if you go to a doctor and they find out that you have cancer in your kidney, for thehealth of the body, what do you have to do?You have to remove it, right?If it's on your skin, for the health of the body, you remove it.If it's on your kidney, for the health of the body, you remove it.And what if there's cancer in the church?All of a sudden the brakes got pumped a little bit, didn't they?In principle, for the health of the body, it has to be removed.We're getting back into 1 Corinthians.Remember the first four chapters, one message really, it was get unified.Paul pointed out that Corinthians had a lot of problems with pride and boasting and factions.Get unified, knock it off.All right, next subject takes us to our next section here, get purified.There is another problem in the church.There was someone who claimed to be a Christian but was living in flagrant, unrepentant sin.What do you do with that guy?Let's just pause for a moment.I'm going to ask you please pray for me.To be faithful to communicate what God's Word says, I will pray for you to have a heartopen to receive it.All right, let's pray.Father, be glorified.Be glorified as we spend this time in Your Word.Be glorified in the hearts of every one of us that we would be very quick to disregardour opinions and have a heart to embrace Your truth.We thank You ahead of time, Father, for what You're going to do.Whatever that looks like to us, I guess doesn't really matter.Do what You do, Father.We pray in Jesus' name.All of God's people said, "Amen."So what do you do?What do you do when there's someone in the church who claims to be a believer but they'reliving in obvious flagrant, unrepentant sin?What do you do with that person?We're going to get right into it on your outline.Get purified.When there's sin in the church, what do you do?What do you do?First of all, number one, write this down, "Recognize sin."How about we start there?Look at verse 1 and chapter 5.Paul says, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you."Stop right there for a second.What is sexual immorality?What is that?I know what the words mean.I don't need a definition, but in our day, can somebody give me an example of what issexual immorality?Because it seems like we live in a day that anything goes.So how can we say anything's immoral if everything's okay?What even is that?Well, he goes on, look at the rest of verse 1.He says, "It's reported that there is sexual immorality among you and of a kind that isnot tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife."Okay, now, I'm not going to bore you with the homework, but according to the Greek text,here's what's going on.There was a man who married, had a kid, and his wife dies.And he remarries, probably a much younger woman, and his son has the hots for his stepmother.And they start a relationship.And the man ends up divorcing the wife, the stepmom, because the Bible doesn't say theycommitted adultery, it says they committed fornication.So the man divorced his second wife, but his son continued an ongoing sexual relationshipwith his stepmother.Pretty shocking sin, isn't it?But not as shocking as the church's reaction.Paul's like, "What are you doing?What are you doing?Even pagans would look at this and be like, "You're sick, bro!What are you doing?You're sleeping with your stepmother?"Paul's like, "Pagans are gagging at this thought."And church, you're just...What are you doing?You're just allowing this to happen?So the church today is just like Corinth.We church, we live right in the middle of Sodom.And sin in general, and sexual sin specifically, we have - I don't need to sell anybody onthis - we have very quickly moved from tolerating it, which is bad enough, to applauding sexualsin.What do you think about that, Paul?Look at verse 2.He says, "And you are arrogant.Aught you not rather to mourn?Let him who has done this be removed from among you."Paul's like, "What are you doing?This should grieve you as a church.Having one of your members be in sexual sin,you should be sad about this."He goes, "You're so arrogant.You're so fully yourselves."That's what he was talking about in chapters 1-4.Constantly spraining their arms, patting themselves on the back.See, so sick.In Corinth, they made a - we saw this in the first four chapters - they made a big dealout of who the best preacher was, and then they make a very little deal out of flagrant,unrepentant sexual sin.Not much has changed there.The church has graded that, aren't we?We're graded that.We will make a big deal out of nonsense.Oh no, we'll fight about little points of doctrine that we'll never get figured out.We'll fight about that.But one of our members can be living a destructive sinful lifestyle when we're like, "Oh, well,what can you do?"And we'll ignore that.Just like Corinth, Paul tells them and us how to deal with the sinner.But I think first we've got to make sure that we recognize what sin is, because I thinkin the landscape of the church today we've forgotten that such a thing even exists.Do we recognize sin?See, in Corinth we're going to talk more about this here in a couple of weeks, but the Greekssaw sex as a merely biological function.That's all it was.Sex was just a biological function.It's like this.You're hungry, you eat, right?That's just natural.When you're thirsty, you drink.That's just natural.And you have those urges.You just do it, because it's just natural to do that.You know what the problem was in Corinth and in our church today?Same problem.We have lost the idea that marriage and sexuality are sacred things.We've lost that.We have completely lost that concept.There is no idea around this is a holy and sacred and precious thing that needs to beprotected.We become a bunch of dogs.You study God's Word.Do you know how sacred marriage and sexuality is?This is God's picture.God says, "I have this."And then this is all the way from creation.God says, "I have this design.I'm going to take a man and a woman, and these two are going to enter a lifelong covenantwith each other."They're going to make this lifelong commitment as covenant.They're going to have a relationship with each other that's unlike the relationship theyhave with anybody else on the earth.And two will become one.And the physical manifestation of two becoming one is the act of intimacy.They're going to know each other in a way that no one else knows either of them.They know each other that way.This is a sacred thing.Thank God we find out in the New Testament that it's a picture of the gospel.It's God enters a covenant with His people and has an intimate relationship with Hispeople.It's a picture.It's sacred.The church, when we abandon God's design, we disregard the sacredness and we've abandonedall purity.And it is the church's job, yes, it is still the church's job to promote and pursue purity.To the extent, quick call back.Dr. Taylor just read Ephesians 5, but again, verse 3, "But sexual immorality and all impurityor covetousness must not even be named among you as is proper among saints."We church have to deal with people that are insane.And that requires recognizing when people are in unrepentant sin.Can we recognize that?What do you do?What do you do with the guy?Well, look at verse 2 again, last part."Let him who has done this be removed from among you."You see that?God says when someone who claims to be a believer is living in unrepentance and remove him,get him out of the church.You're like, is that really what it says?Or is that just kind of like your interpretation?No, that's what it says.Actually, you're going to see this six times in the passage.In verse 2, verse 5, verse 7, verse 9, and twice in verse 11.In this case, you remove them.Paul says you grab them by the scruff of the neck and the seat of the pants and you finda stained glass window and you throw him out.Remove him.Not, we're going to ask you to step down from your position of leadership.Not, you can still come here, but I need you to sit in the back.But, all right, listen, you can come to church here, but I'm going to ask that you're notsaying anything, just keep your mouth shut.No.Out.You're not welcome here.You're going to recognize sin.That leaves us to number 2.Paul touches on it and I'm sure maybe the Corinthians were as shocked as some of you are now.So he elaborates.Number 2, write this down, remove the sinner.What do we do?We're going to recognize sin.God give us vision for that.And when we do, we're going to remove the sinner.Look at verse 3.Paul elaborates, "For though absent in body, I am president spirit, and as if present,I've already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing."Paul's like, "Guys, I'm not even there.And I know what needs to happen."Like, how are you not seeing this?Verse 4, he says, "When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus, and my spiritis present with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for thedestruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord."He says, verse 4, "This is according to the authority of Jesus in His name, and this mustbe done in the power of Jesus."What do we do with them, Paul?He says, "Deliver this man to Satan."He says, "Throw him out into the world."Like, oh, you want to live like the world.Is that it?You want to live like the world?Okay.You want to go live like the world.You're not doing that in here.Because in here, we don't pattern our behavior after the world.So if you are, then you can go into the world and do that.Get him out.Get him out.And somebody's like, "Yeah, but you know, a guy like that, he needs church."That's true.The church doesn't need him.The Bible is clear on this.The Bible is so clear on this.Proverbs 22, look at what Proverbs 22 says, verse 10, "Drive out a scoffer, and strifewill go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease."Again, Titus 3:10, "As for a person who stirs up division."Again, this isn't just about sexual sin.We're going to see that here in 1 Corinthians 5.It's other unrepentant sin too."But as for a person who stirs up division after warning him once and then twice, havenothing more to do with him."Like, look, we've talked about this, and we've talked about this, and you're still causingproblems.I'm ignoring you.We're all ignoring you.We're having nothing to do with you.Go.Like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.You're like, time out.Why?Like, what good is it to throw the guy out of church?Like, don't we love people here?Absolutely we do.Well, then, if we really love people, why when somebody is stuck in sin, what good wouldit be to have them go out of church?Well, there's four things.Write this down on your outline.What do we hope to accomplish by throwing him out?Look, this is an act of love.You have to understand that.The most loving thing we can do is show them the door.What do you hope to accomplish?Well, there's four things you hope to accomplish, and you're going to see here, you're goingto hit them everywhere.One of the things you hope to accomplish, first of all, letter A in his heart, we hopehe's ashamed.That's one of the things you hope to accomplish.We hope he's ashamed.Second Thessalonians 3:14, Paul says, "If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter,take note of that person.Here it is again, and have nothing to do with him."Why would we do that, Paul?Look, that he may be ashamed.You're trying to shame someone?Yeah, we are, actually.Shame for that person to be out in the world, maybe with friends and family, like, "Hey,don't you go to that church?"Like, "Ah, yeah, they kind of threw me out."You got thrown out of church?That's embarrassing.Yeah, that's real embarrassing.My conduct is so bad, the church doesn't want me there.What are we driving at?We want the person to stop and be like, "What am I doing?"Right?We hope he's ashamed.Letter B, okay, that's going to the heart.Now we're going to the head.Letter B in his head.We hope he learns.We hope he learns.See, Paul told 1 Timothy 120, "Imaneus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan."Same terminology here in 1 Corinthians 5, right?"Who I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."You see that?In his head, we hope he learns.Like talking to him didn't register.So go.Go think about your choices.Again, same principle.We want the person out of the church going, "What am I doing?What am I doing that these people who love and care for me consider my behavior so badthat I have to be kicked out in the hall like an unruly fourth grader?What am I doing?"So we're hitting them in the heart.We're hitting them in the head.Letter C in his body.We hope he suffers.We hope he suffers.Verse 5 in back in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul says, "Deliver him to Satan."Whoa, why?He says, "For the destruction of the flesh."You know, Satan can touch your body, but he can't touch your soul.He can touch your body, but he can't touch your soul.And sin always eventually leads to suffering every time.You continue an unrepentant, flagrant disobedience sin.Eventually you are going to suffer.Disease.Depression.Addiction.Throw him out.Why?You've got to let him reap the consequences of his sin.You want to live like that?Let me know how that works out for you.Spoiler alert, it's going to wreck him eventually.We want the person to get out there living in his sin, if that's what he chooses to do,to get to the point where he's suffering in one of these ways, and he's like, "Whatam I doing?I wasn't suffering like this while I was actively seeking the Lord.What am I doing?"And you're like, "Wow, seriously, seriously, Pastor Jeff, you're saying you're hoping,when they're throwing out, you're hoping they're ashamed, they learn a lesson and they suffer.Is that what you're hoping for?"100%.Why?I'll look back at 1 Corinthians 5.Look at verse 5 again.He says, "Deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.Here's the end goal so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord."So that's letter D.In his spirit, we hope he repents.Listen, this is the hard reality.This is the tough love.But when somebody is in flagrant sin, refuses to repent, and they are shown the door, we'renot trying to punish them.Like, "I hate you.I hope you suffer."No, no, no.It's, "I love you, and I hope that this suffering brings you back."You know who the poster boy is for this?Is the prodigal son, Luke 15.Jesus told the story.Now, you know, maybe you're familiar with the story, but this, you know, "Dad, giveme my share of the inheritance."The kid takes it and he goes and he spends it all.And he's broke.And now he's feeding the pigs and he's so hungry, he wishes he could eat the garbagethat he's feeding the pigs.Now, remember the story?He had to get to the place where he was so broken.He says, "What am I doing?"So let me ask you, what would have happened, I know it's a made up story, but let's getin it.What would have happened if Dad would have run in to rescue him?What would have happened?Kids like him out of money and Dad picks him up."All right, son, come on home."Would the kid have learned anything?Would he?No!He wouldn't have learned a thing and he'd do it again.No dad, hard as it was, had to let him suffer the consequences of his own stupid choices.And that's what Paul's saying here.When someone continues to thumb their nose at God, despite your appeals, despite yourtears, despite your pleading with them, despite your praying with them, and they still persistin sin, Paul's like the most loving thing you can do is show them the door.Because that's always the objection.Anytime you talk about something like this, it is so unloving.It is so unloving to kick somebody out of church.No, it is not.Unloving is allowing someone to dishonor the Lord.Unloving is allowing someone to think that sin has no consequences.Unloving is keeping someone from the joy of repenting and walking with the Lord.And he's never going to repent from his sin if the church just accepts it.So what good is it to throw him out?Well, the hope is eventually it benefits him by leading to repentance.Did you know that's only one of the benefits?Actually, that's kind of secondary, believe it or not.Number three, write this down.When they're sinning in the church and you've got to remove the sinner, number three, rememberthe purpose.Yes, it's about ultimately restoring him, but there's a bigger purpose in mind than evenrestoring the sinner.I want you to see this in your Bibles.Look at verses 6-8.Paul says, "Your boasting is not good."Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened.For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of maliceand evil, but with the leavened bread of sincerity and truth.Paul gives an illustration here, and it's an illustration from Passover, Exodus chapter12.And it's an illustration also about bread.When you made bread, there would be a giant lump of unleavened dough, and you would haveto take old leaven from a previous loaf, and you would have to put it in the new doughso that that leaven would permeate the whole loaf.Okay, now dial in here, because this is such a beautiful and genius and multi-layered illustration.It's so profound.But see, leaven in this illustration, it's a picture of sin.Right?Verse 8, he says, "It's malice and evil."Paul here is saying the reason that you removed the sinner from church is the same reasonyou wouldn't put leaven in an unleavened loaf, because when you allow it in, it affects everything.You see that?It's about permeation.That's what Paul is saying here.Remember the purpose.Throw him out.Why?Because if he's here, if he's in the church, that his sin, like the leaven in the lump,his sin is going to ultimately affect everyone.You're like, "Well, what's the deal with Passover?What's the illustration there?"Again, it's just crazy brilliant.But in the Passover, remember the last plague, death of the firstborn?Israel was to put the blood of a spotless lamb in their doorposts.And when they did that, that was the defining moment.That was its separation time.We are out of Egypt now, separating from Egypt.We are called, not to separate from Egypt, we are called to separate from the world andthe ways of the world.And that's why Paul says in verse 7 that the death of Christ is our moment of separation.Just for the Jews, blood on the door meant separation from Egypt.For us, the blood of Jesus means separation from the ways of the world.You see that?And with the Passover and the leaven and the bread, here's how it all comes together.When they left Egypt, they were to take no leaven with them.Why?It was a picture of you're leaving that behind, you're not taking Egypt with you.You're separating now.So here's what Paul's saying."Church, Christ died to make you holy.Separate yourselves from the world.The ways of the world don't allow leaven.The old stuff, the sin, back in."Why?Because the purity of the church is at stake.That's why.Because like leaven, sin spreads.Sins infectious.So verse 7, here it is again, "Cleanse out the old leaven."What's he saying?Get the unrepetent sinner out.Because he's going to affect everyone.Because as people, you are more tempted to excuse and ignore your own sin.If you're in a community where we excuse and ignore sin, you are more tempted to excuseand ignore your own sin if you're in a community that excuses and ignores other people's sin.Don't believe me?If you teach in Harvest Academy, what happens if you have one kid?In the class, one kid.Just had too much espresso that morning or something.Put a little too much saccharine on the old Count Chocula.And he comes in and he is kicking people.And he is jumping up and down on the table.And he is screaming.And you don't address it at all.What eventually happens?None of you worked with kids?Oh come on.What eventually happens?Oh, you have worked with kids, right?All of a sudden, little Joey is jumping on the table.What's little Billy doing?Apparently this is what we're doing, right?Little Joey is screaming.Now all of a sudden, little Betsy looks like we're screaming.And if you don't address it, what are you going to have in about two minutes?We're going to have an entire room full of kids all acting like little Joey.And little Joey's number needs to be up on that little screen right there.That says, come get little Joey.Why?He needs to be removed.Why?Not because we hate little Joey.Because little Joey is affecting the whole class.You see?You know that same principle is true for adults, isn't it?If we tolerate or condone God help us applaud sin, what we do church is we create a culturewhere people are comfortable to sin.And it's not long before rainbow flags are hanging on the church.We're called to be different, aren't we?Aren't we called to be different than the ways of the world?Aren't we called to pursue the ways of God?Aren't we called to represent the kingdom of Jesus Christ here on earth?And you're like, oh, so what are you saying, Pastor Jeff?You have to be perfect to come here?Oh, no, no, no, no, not at all.No, no, we're not saying that at all.At least as to Paul's last point here, write this one down.Number four, resist.I'm sorry, restrict.Excuse me, restrict.Restrict discipline to believers.Restrict discipline to believers.Look at verse 9.He says, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people."You're like, what letter?Well, there was another letter, alright?He wrote them a letter before 1 Corinthians.And we don't have that letter.Do you think if God wanted us to have it, we would have it?For sure.For some reason, God didn't want us to have it.But we have some clues, right, about what was going on there.What part of that letter was, he told to Corinthians, "You need to avoid immoral people."And now he's saying, look, that's what I told you before.It's true, but I need to clarify some things here, right?Because apparently you're not getting it.Verse 10, "Not at all," meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlersor idolaters, "Since then, you would need to go out of the world."He says, look, when we say avoid sinners.He goes, I'm not talking about avoiding non-Christians.He goes, that's impossible.That is impossible.As long as you're living on this earth, you are going to interact with non-Christians.So this whole remove, separate yourself.He says, I'm not talking about non-Christians at all.Yes, we should be loving and reaching out and sharing the gospel and inviting the churchto non-Christians.Absolutely.Paul's like, I am so not talking about that.What are you talking about, Paul?Look at verse 11, here it is.But now I'm writing to you, "Not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother."Did you see that?If he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or as an idolater, revalor, drunkard, or swindler,not even to eat with such a wand.Paul's making it very clear here.He's not saying we just avoid, we avoid sinners, we avoid non-Christians.No, no, no, no.He says, I'm talking about people who claim to be born again believers but are unrepentant.Flagrantly, proudly living in sin.By the way, not just limited to sexual sin.I think you saw that.Sometimes that's the only sin the church wants to pick on because they sin differently thanus.It's not the only sin.But you have to see the difference.You have a Christian in sin, this happens all the time.All the time.You have a Christian in sin that's like, look, I am struggling.I need help.What I'm doing is wrong.I need help.And you have a different guy that is like, look, nobody tells me what to do.Who are you to judge me?What I'm doing is not wrong.Who do you think you are telling me?I can't be with this person or do this.You don't tell me what to do.Nobody tells me what to do.You see the difference?There's a huge difference in attitude and there is a huge difference in our response.Please hear me.If you call yourself a Christian and you come to me or one of our pastors, one of our eldersand you come to us and you say, Pastor Jeff, I'm stuck in sin.Please help me.I realize this is wrong and I want to honor Christ.I will do whatever it takes to get you on track and you walk with the Lord.I will work with you.I will spend as much time as we need.I will get whoever needs to be involved to get you on track in seeking the Lord the wayyou should.I will do anything in the world for you.You have to know that and there are some people in this room that know that firsthand.On the other hand, someone who calls himself a Christian but they're in sin and they'relovingly confronted, hey, what you're doing isn't right.This is honoring the Lord and they refuse to repent.Who do you think you are?You don't tell me what to do.He's out.He's out.And listen, this is an austere passage for sure.And I sure hope to heaven that none of you think that anybody is reveling in the thoughtof evicting somebody from church.This is a horribly sad and painful thing.No one is happy when this has to happen.And this isn't meant to be harsh.You see, it's confronting people in a spirit of love.It's a plea to repent because of the gospel, because of the kingdom, because of our testimony,because purity matters.That's the point.If there's flagrant, obvious sin and there's an absolute refusal to repent, then they'reout.And we can sit here today, church, and we can look at the text on the page and we can agreewith the concepts.But I'm going to tell you for a fact, it gets real hard when it actually happens to oneof us.I mean, we can agree to the concept, but when there's a face and a name, then it gets realhard.This happened a handful of times over my ministry.I could tell you stories.I could tell you stories of a man who was sneaking off and having a relationship withone of the girls in a youth group.This was at a previous church.Confronted, chip on his shoulder.You don't understand.And the man's 38, she was like 14.Confronted, he's like, you don't understand.She's very mature.We have a special relationship.The law was involved, by the way.And he went to where he needed to go.But in that conversation with him, I said, you are not welcome here.He says, where am I supposed to go?And I said, that's not my problem, but not here.Closing time, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.We had another situation with a man who asked for help in saving his marriage.And he seemed real repentant until somebody from church caught him on a date with anotherwoman out of the restaurant holding hands with her at a table.He was confronted with that.There's the door.And look, I could tell you several more, I'm not going to.But I can't tell you this.Every single time in my ministry that's happened, those have been some of the most painful seasonsof ministry that I've experienced.It's not fun.It's not fun to sit down with a brother or sister and say, you are dishonoring the Lordin your conduct, and we are begging you to turn this around.The hope, when someone is removed, the hope is always that they repent and we will joyfullyrestore them and then we all move on.It's in the rear of your mirror.We're done, you're repented.Okay, we're not going to talk about it.We're not going to bring it up.We're done.Great.That's the hope.But do you know what usually happens in our culture?Somebody's confronted with their sin.They get upset.Then what do they do?Off to Orchard Hill.I don't need to sit here and listen to this.It's a north way.Off to anywhere but here.Hope.They don't throw me out for sinning.And I'm like, I kind of hope they do.Yeah, that's typically what happens.People are disciplined and they just pack up their Bible and they go to another church.And you're like, well, so discipline didn't do them any good.Well, maybe not.But it did the church good.Tolerating sin will destroy the church.Look at verse 12.Paul says, "For what have I to do with judging outsiders?Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?"Now Paul's like, outsiders, not my business.Members, my business.Talks about judging here.I'd encourage you to underline that verse in your Bible.Next time somebody says, "Don't judge me."Listen, we've talked about this in the Sermon on the Mount.We are forbidden to judge motives.But look here, we are commanded to judge actions.We are commanded to judge the actions of those in church, those who call themselves believers.We are commanded.We have a responsibility to the person.We have a responsibility to the church and we have a responsibility to God.You're like, well, okay, what about the sin of the outsiders?What about them?What about their sin?What about the sin of the unbelievers?Well, verse 13, God judges those outside.Heard the evil person from among you.Yeah, you know the non-believers in sin, don't worry about them.God will take care of them.You love them.You share the gospel with them.You help them to know and receive and believe in Jesus Christ.But as far as their sin goes, God will take care of that.That's His job.Your job, last phrase, purge the evil person from among you.Maybe your Bible has that in quotes because that's not a new concept.That's an old testament quote.You're like from where?From Deuteronomy 13, Deuteronomy 17, Deuteronomy 19, Deuteronomy 21, Deuteronomy 22, Deuteronomy24, there was a principle for ancient Israel that is for the church.Get them out.Get them out.At this point you're like, what am I supposed to do?What am I supposed to do with this information, Pastor Jeff?And I can tell you it is my sincere hope that you never have to do anything with this information.But if you see a brother or sister in sin, you have a responsibility to encourage themto repent.Matthew 18 gives principles for the process.And I know Matthew 18 is if somebody sins against you directly, I think the principlestill stands.Go by yourself.Get the whole story.Sit down with them.It's what I think I'm seeing, actually what I'm seeing.And if they refuse to repent, get some people from your small group.Like, hey, it looks like you're making some really bad choices right now.We love you and we care about you and we want you to get on track.And if they refuse to listen to that, then you need to come and talk to me and we'lltake care of it from there.The church, we are not headhunting.We are not looking for reasons to eject people.We are not making a federal case out of something minor, okay?I saw Billy smoking a cigar at a wedding.Church discipline, no.Slow down there, deputy dog.And we are certainly not assuming or judging character.The only thing we can judge is action.This is what I see you doing.And this is where God says, "That is wrong."We're talking about flagrant, obvious, verified, unrepentant sin.And we won't be a pure church if we refuse to deal with sinners.Let's pray.Father in heaven, it's a lot easier to preach Psalm 23.But we are committed to preaching the whole counsel of God.And Father, as uncomfortable as this might be and as offensive as this might be, Father,give us the wisdom and give us the understanding that this is actually the most loving thingwe can do is to allow someone to be shown the door if they refuse to repent.Father, you know our hearts in every case.It's our hope that there is repentance and restoration.Father, you care so much about the purity of this church.And I'm asking, Father, that you would give us compassion and love, and at the same time,boldness and obedience to handle things in a way that glorify and honor you.We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

In about 50 A.D., twenty years after Jesus Death Resurrection and Ascension Paul of Tarsus, one sent with authority by Jesus the Lord, to preach the Good News to the nations arrived in the City of Corinth, a prominent city of the Roman empire located on the trade route connecting the Aegean and Ionian seas. He immediately began announcing the Good News: "The Crucified Jesus is the True Lord of the world."  Those believing the message were shepherded into house churches.  Then Paul preached, taught and pastored in Corinth for 18 months before moving on to other cities of the empire. See Acts 18 In 53 A.D. Paul, now in Ephesus, receives letters from the Church at Corinth and from the household of a woman named Chloe, a leader in the church.  These letters revealed alarming divisions, cliques, sexual immorality, lawsuits against fellow members, abuse of the Lord's supper, unbelief in the resurrection of Jesus, and much more within the Corinthian church.  Making things worse, Paul was being mocked as a phony apostle by members of the church in Corinth. Paul writes the 1st letter to Corinth from Ephesus in 53 A.D. to address the beliefs and behaviors of this charismatic, but grossly immature and divided church. Those today who seek to build "new creation" churches within the American empire will be blessed by this great letter.  We will make a special point of discerning in 1 Corinthians the character of wisdom and foolishness, freedom and license, as well as spiritual and childish. Come join us in this series of Podcasts on "Freedom and the Corinthians" as we "eat Corinthians" together, growing in maturity in Christ together.

Daily Dose of Hope January 13, 2026   Scripture: I Thessalonians 1   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, We come before you today with a sense of gratefulness.  You are a God who loves us despite all our faults.  You provide for us despite our selfishness.  You answer our prayers despite our impatience.  Lord, we are so thankful and rejoice in your Holy and perfect name.  Forgive us for the times in which we fall short and we know they are many.  Lord Jesus, how we want to do better.  Help us see others through your eyes.  We so need you.  More of you and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently on a journey through the letters of Paul, working through them in chronological order.  We just completed Paul's letter to the Galatians yesterday and today, we begin I Thessalonians.   Let's talk a little bit about Paul's letter to the church at Thessalonica.  There are some scholars who actually think this letter may have predated Galatians, but the general consensus is that Galatians was written in 49-50 and I Thessalonians was written around 50-51.  They were certainly close together, but the letters are very different.  While Galatians is critical in nature (in response to false teachers who were trying to corrupt the Gospel), I Thessalonians is an encouraging letter in which Paul teaches about living Godly lives during difficult persecution.  I Thessalonians was also written during Paul's second missionary journey.   We get the backstory of this letter in Acts 17.  Paul and Silas have gone to Thessalonica, preach the Gospel, and pretty quickly there is a strong Christian community there.  But the Christians there are accused of defying the emperor by saying they believe in another king, Jesus (refer to Acts 17:7).  Paul and Silas end up leaving the city because of the ruckus.  In this first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is trying to reconnect.  He's heard from Timothy that the Thessalonian church is doing well, despite the continued persecution.  The letter is actually from Paul, Silas, and Timothy, as they are together in Corinth and have this urge to keep the Thessalonians encouraged.    Let's look at the letter itself in chapter 1.  It was normal in an ancient letter to include some kind of prayer for the recipient after the greeting. The authors state that they continually thank God for all the people in the church, and that they remember them before God because of their work produced through faith and love and their endurance inspired by hope in Jesus.   I am most intrigued by the line "endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."  Endurance is the ability to keep going, to persevere, in the face of difficulty and suffering. We don't know exactly what kind of persecution the Thessalonian Christians were facing but it must have been pretty bad. And Paul was worried about them. They were new believers-how would they withstand these hardships? Would their faith crumble or strengthen? Apparently, they remained strong and steadfast, despite their limited experience in the faith.   This idea of endurance through hardship becomes a virtue in the early church. Here is the important part: their endurance was not a result of some kind of internal emotional strength or resolve but was a result of their hope in Jesus. Their hope was rooted in the second coming of Jesus, which will become a theme throughout this letter.   Think about your own life. How would you rate your endurance in the face of hardship? While we don't face the same kind of persecution as the Thessalonian church, we still deal with other challenges. How is your faith grounded in the hope of Christ?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Rev. James Harper preaches on 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4 in our sermon series, "A Cross-Shaped Life." Paul faced character attacks from opponents in Corinth who called him unreliable rather than engaging his theological message. His response reveals four principles for handling conflict: expect people to be messy since human nature is flawed, examine your own motives to ensure you're living with integrity, address difficult issues with love rather than avoiding them, and genuinely apologize when you've made mistakes. These principles help us navigate relationships in a way that reflects the gospel's power to love people through their messiness.

Episode Synopsis:About the time Paul began his second missionary journey, a serious famine swept through Palestine–greatly impacting the Jerusalem church.  Those who lived in the region knew how serious such things could be and so they prepared for it–stockpiling grain, spices, and animal feed, etc.  But as soon as a church was organized in Jerusalem–after Pentecost–Jewish Christians found themselves cut off from the synagogue and its well-established relief system.  Now on their own, the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were apparently suffering horribly and were in desperate need of relief–specifically funds to buy food and supplies locally.Tensions between Jewish Christians and recent Gentile converts to Christianity were apparent from the moment the gospel spread into Gentile regions–as indicated during the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15).  At that council, the church renounced the Judaizers and affirmed that God had blessed Paul's efforts to take the gospel into Gentile regions–which began in earnest after the Macedonian vision (Acts 16:9).  Paul planted churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth.  While these new churches aided and encouraged each other, Paul understood that if the Gentile churches–who had means–took an offering for the Jerusalem church, it would go a great way toward helping fellow Christians in genuine need.  It would also de-escalate the worry and anxiety that Jews felt toward Gentiles who were until quite recently godless pagans and often persecutors of the Jewish people.When Paul arrived in Macedonia, he tells us that there was some unspecified serious trouble and that he would strive to get things cleared up before he traveled south to Corinth.  Despite the troubles in the churches in Macedonia, they had taken up a surprisingly generous offering for the Jerusalem church–so much so that it was a major sacrifice, even beyond their means, which Paul describes as an act of grace.  Now he gets word from Titus that the Corinthians (who had been collecting a similar offering for a year) and had not followed through with their collection.  As a congregation they were far better off materially than the Macedonians, but were so distracted by divisions, the subterfuge of false apostles and other matters, the offering had not been finalized.  In chapters 8-9 of 2 Corinthians, Paul addresses this matter head-on.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Hello Friends! I love to hear from you! Please send me a text message by clicking on this link! Blessings to You!In this episode, Dr. Jori discusses with her listeners  Paul's exhortation to the believers in Corinth that there be no divisions among them.  Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; 1 Timothy 1:12-14; Acts 9, 22, 26; 1 Corinthians 1:1-18 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Romans 1:16-17; Matthew 12:22-28 Scripture translation used is the NASB “Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 1971, 1995, 2020 (only use the last year corresponding to the edition quoted) by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org”CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S NEW PODCAST- The First Love ProjectHere is the video introducing the podcast on You Tube-https://youtu.be/PhFY1moDDms FIND DR. JORI ON OTHER PLATFORMS https://linktr.ee/drjorishafferCHECK OUT THE DWELL AUDIO BIBLE APP:Click this link for my unique referral code.  I use this frequently. Such a wonderful audio bible app. https://dwellapp.io/aff?ref=jorishafferBIBLE STUDY TOOLS DR. JORI USES:Note: These contain  Amazon affiliate links, meaning I get a commission, at no extra cost to you,  if you decide to make a purchase through my links.Here is a link to some of my favorite bible study tools on Amazon:https://geni.us/cHtrfEMr. Pen Bible Journaling Kitshttps://lvnta.com/lv_PTrHSCogbRim4yhEDnhttps://lvnta.com/lv_mkaMOuGe6m4oHR88uqhttps://lvnta.com/lv_dgvsxOc99t663A628z  BOOKS OF BIBLE COLOR CHARTI made this chart as a helpful tool for grouping the collections of books or letters  in the Holy Bible.  The colors in the different sections are the ones that I use in my journals.  Books of Bible Chart (color) (4).pdf - Google Drive    LOOKING TO RETAIN MORE OF WHAT YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING?              CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S SERMON REFLECTION JOURNALS! Sermon Notes, Reflections and Applications Journal/Notebooks by Dr. Jori. Click the links below to be directed to amazon.com for purchase. Or search “Dr. Jori Shaffer” on Amazon to bring these up.  https://amzn.to/418LfRshttps://amzn.to/41862EyHere is a brief YouTube video that tells about the Journal/Notebooks as well:https://youtu.be/aXpQNYUEzds   Email: awordforthisday@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://awordforthisday.buzzsprout.com Support the show

How did Sparta, the most feared military state in ancient Greece, fall from grace in a single generation?In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Roel Konijnendijk and Dr Owen Rees to chronicle Sparta's catastrophic collapse in the fourth century BC. Fresh from its victory over Athens in the year 404, Sparta stood unrivalled. Yet within decades, its power would be shattered, its authority broken, and its golden age over. From decisive battles against resurgent rivals Thebes and Corinth to over-ambitious kings and a defining clash with a warband of sacred lovers, it is a gripping story of sky-high stakes and two-faced duplicity; of brutal power struggles and the cut-throat scramble to become the hegemonic power of ancient Greece.MOREMarch of the 10,000Listen on AppleListen on SpotifySparta vs Athens: The Greek World WarListen to AppleListen to SpotifyPresented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In about 50 A.D., twenty years after Jesus Death Resurrection and Ascension Paul of Tarsus, one sent with authority by Jesus the Lord, to preach the Good News to the nations arrived in the City of Corinth, a prominent city of the Roman empire located on the trade route connecting the Aegean and Ionian seas. He immediately began announcing the Good News: "The Crucified Jesus is the True Lord of the world."  Those believing the message were shepherded into house churches.  Then Paul preached, taught and pastored in Corinth for 18 months before moving on to other cities of the empire. See Acts 18   In 53 A.D. Paul, now in Ephesus, receives letters from the Church at Corinth and from the household of a woman named Chloe, a leader in the church.  These letters revealed alarming divisions, cliques, sexual immorality, lawsuits against fellow members, abuse of the Lord's supper, unbelief in the resurrection of Jesus, and much more within the Corinthian church.  Making things worse, Paul was being mocked as a phony apostle by members of the church in Corinth. Paul writes the 1st letter to Corinth from Ephesus in 53 A.D. to address the beliefs and behaviors of this charismatic, but grossly immature and divided church. Those today who seek to build "new creation" churches within the American empire will be blessed by this great letter.  We will make a special point of discerning in 1 Corinthians the character of wisdom and foolishness, freedom and license, as well as spiritual and childish. Come join us in this series of Podcasts on "Freedom and the Corinthians" as we "eat Corinthians" together, growing in maturity in Christ together.

Walking in the steps of Christ is the ultimate goal for everyone and to walk in the steps of the Apostle Paul Who followed Christ is a joy—spiritually and literally. Join Jeff as he shares such a journey.

One slogan that captures the spirit of the age is “My body, my choice.” The idea that our body belongs to us and we can with it as we please is the driving force behind the abortion movement, the LGBTQ+ movement, and physician assisted suicide. But this is not an idea that began in the sexual revolution of the 1960s. This idea is as old as sin itself, and Paul addresses it in his letter to the church at Corinth. In this sermon, pastor Mitch helps us see that sexual sin is inconsistent with God's design for the body and that the body is for the Lord. As Paul puts it, "you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:20). The Christian life is a life of obedience carried out in and with a body created in God's image. Therefore, what we do with our bodies matters

Hello Friends! I love to hear from you! Please send me a text message by clicking on this link! Blessings to You!In this episode, Dr. Jori discusses with her listeners Paul's thanksgiving for seeing GOD's grace in the lives of the believers in Corinth. Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 1:4; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; Matthew 10:1-4; Acts 9, 22, 26; Acts 18; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 1:1-8; 1 TImothy 1:12-14; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1 Scripture translation used is the NASB “Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 1971, 1995, 2020 (only use the last year corresponding to the edition quoted) by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org”FIND DR. JORI ON OTHER PLATFORMS https://linktr.ee/drjorishafferCHECK OUT THE DWELL AUDIO BIBLE APP:Click this link for my unique referral code.  I use this frequently. Such a wonderful audio bible app. https://dwellapp.io/aff?ref=jorishafferBIBLE STUDY TOOLS DR. JORI USES:Note: These contain  Amazon affiliate links, meaning I get a commission, at no extra cost to you,  if you decide to make a purchase through my links.Here is a link to some of my favorite bible study tools on Amazon:https://geni.us/cHtrfEMr. Pen Bible Journaling Kitshttps://lvnta.com/lv_PTrHSCogbRim4yhEDnhttps://lvnta.com/lv_mkaMOuGe6m4oHR88uqhttps://lvnta.com/lv_dgvsxOc99t663A628z  BOOKS OF BIBLE COLOR CHARTI made this chart as a helpful tool for grouping the collections of books or letters  in the Holy Bible.  The colors in the different sections are the ones that I use in my journals.  Books of Bible Chart (color) (4).pdf - Google Drive    LOOKING TO RETAIN MORE OF WHAT YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING?              CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S SERMON REFLECTION JOURNALS! Sermon Notes, Reflections and Applications Journal/Notebooks by Dr. Jori. Click the links below to be directed to amazon.com for purchase. Or search “Dr. Jori Shaffer” on Amazon to bring these up.  https://amzn.to/418LfRshttps://amzn.to/41862EyHere is a brief YouTube video that tells about the Journal/Notebooks as well:https://youtu.be/aXpQNYUEzds   Email: awordforthisday@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://awordforthisday.buzzsprout.com Support the show

In about 50 A.D., twenty years after Jesus Death Resurrection and Ascension Paul of Tarsus, one sent with authority by Jesus the Lord, to preach the Good News to the nations arrived in the City of Corinth, a prominent city of the Roman empire located on the trade route connecting the Aegean and Ionian seas. He immediately began announcing the Good News: "The Crucified Jesus is the True Lord of the world."  Those believing the message were shepherded into house churches.  Then Paul preached, taught and pastored in Corinth for 18 months before moving on to other cities of the empire. See Acts 18 In 53 A.D. Paul, now in Ephesus, receives letters from the Church at Corinth and from the household of a woman named Chloe, a leader in the church.  These letters revealed alarming divisions, cliques, sexual immorality, lawsuits against fellow members, abuse of the Lord's supper, unbelief in the resurrection of Jesus, and much more within the Corinthian church.  Making things worse, Paul was being mocked as a phony apostle by members of the church in Corinth. Paul writes the 1st letter to Corinth from Ephesus in 53 A.D. to address the beliefs and behaviors of this charismatic, but grossly immature and divided church. Those today who seek to build "new creation" churches within the American empire will be blessed by this great letter.  We will make a special point of discerning in 1 Corinthians the character of wisdom and foolishness, freedom and license, as well as spiritual and childish. Come join us in this series of Podcasts on "Freedom and the Corinthians" as we "eat Corinthians" together, growing in maturity in Christ together.

GRAB JEN'S NEW YEAR PLANNER: ⁠https://www.subscribepage.io/NewYearPlanner⁠-------------------------------------------------As we step into a brand new year, it's easy to focus on goals, plans, and fresh starts—but Scripture shows us something deeper: how you end one season has everything to do with how you enter the next.In this New Year episode, Jen shares a timely word about transition—that in-between space where many people feel pressure, fatigue, or uncertainty, but don't realize they're standing at a doorway.This message isn't heavy—it's hope-filled and practical. You'll learn how to recognize transition moments, avoid common mistakes people make at the start of a new year, and partner with God to enter 2026 with intention, alignment, and faith.Why endings matter just as much as beginnings in God's KingdomHow transition seasons reveal growth—not failureThe danger of starting a new year in the flesh after beginning by the SpiritWhy pressure often increases right before breakthroughHow your words, attitudes, and choices at the end of a season shape what comes nextSCRIPTURES REFERENCED:Ecclesiastes 7:8Deuteronomy 8:2–3Matthew 25:21Galatians 3:3Galatians 6:7–9Revelation 12:12Proverbs 18:21If the pressure felt heavier toward the end of the year, it likely doesn't mean you're failing—it may mean you were finishing. How you start 2026 matters, and God is eager to help you step into this new season with a prophetic perspective.--> Want help processing what God is saying about your next season?GRAB JEN'S Prophetic NEW YEAR PLANNER: https://www.subscribepage.io/NewYearPlanner------------------------------------------------------------✈️ Come to Greece with Me!We're walking where the Bible happened—Athens, Corinth & Santorini! Eat amazing food, explore history, and encounter Jesus.

SHOW 12-29-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR UR THE PRINCESS'S MUSEUM AT THE DAWN OF HISTORY Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Moudhy Al-Rashidintroduces Ennigaldi-Nanna, a princess and high priestess of the moon god in the ancient city of Ur. Excavators discovered a chamber in her palace containing carefully arranged artifacts from eras much older than her own, effectively serving as a museum. A clay cylinder found there acted as a museum label, preserving the history of ancient kings to lend legitimacy to her father, King Nabonidus, and his dynasty. NUMBER 1 THE STORIES TOLD BY MESOPOTAMIAN BRICKS Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Moudhy Al-Rashidexplains how millions of mud bricks reveal the history of ancient Mesopotamia, from the construction of massive temples to the 9-kilometer wall of Uruk. These bricks were often stamped with the names of kings to ensure their deeds were known to the gods. Beyond royal propaganda, bricks preserve intimate moments, such as the accidental paw prints of dogs or footprints of children left while the clay dried in the sun. NUMBER 2 GILGAMESH AND THE BIRTH OF WRITTEN LEGEND Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Al-Rashid discusses Cuneiform, a writing system used for over 3,000 years to record languages like Sumerian and Akkadian. She details the Epic of Gilgamesh, a tale of a tyrannical king who finds wisdom and friendship with the wild man Enkidu. While Gilgamesh was likely a real historical figure, his story evolved into high poetry about mortality and leadership. The segment notes that kingship was believed to have descended from heaven. NUMBER 3 HOMEWORK AND HEARTACHE IN ANCIENT SCHOOLS Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Excavations of a "schoolhouse" in Nippur revealed thousands of practice tablets, showing the messy first attempts of children learning to write. These artifacts include literary accounts of school life, complaints about food, and even teeth marks from frustrated students. The curriculum was rigorous, covering literacy and advanced mathematics like geometry, which was essential for future scribes to calculate field yields and manage the bureaucracy. NUMBER 4 THE ALCOHOLIC TYRANTS OF THE WEST Colleague Professor James Romm. James Romm introduces Syracuse as a dominant power in the 4th century BCE under the rule of Dionysius the Elder, who rose from clerk to autocrat. Dionysius fortified the city's geography to create a secure military base and adopted the Persian custom of polygamy, marrying two women on the same day. This created a rivalrous, "unhappy family" dynamic in a court notorious for heavy drinking and "Syracusan tables" of excess. NUMBER 5 PLATO'S FAILED FIRST MISSION TO SICILY Colleague Professor James Romm. Professor Romm details Plato's background, including his connection to the Thirty Tyrants in Athens and his philosophy of "forms." Plato was invited to Syracuse by Dion, who hoped the philosopher could reform the tyrant Dionysius the Elder. However, this first visit was a disaster; Plato attempted to lecture the ruler on ethics and moral behavior, resulting in the philosopher being dismissed from the court with dishonor. NUMBER 6 THE BANISHMENT OF DION Colleague Professor James Romm. Plato returned to Syracuse to tutor Dionysius the Younger, hoping to create an enlightened monarch, but found a court defined by drunkenness and immaturity. The experiment failed when Dion, Plato's ally, sent a letter to Carthage that the tyrant interpreted as treason. Dionysiusbanished Dion and kept Plato under a form of house arrest to maintain the appearance of an alliance, while the tyrant solidified his power. NUMBER 7 A PHILOSOPHER OBSERVES A COMING WAR Colleague Professor James Romm. At the Olympic Games, Plato met the exiled Dion and learned that the tyrant had confiscated Dion's property and given his wife to another man. Despite the growing tension, Plato visited Syracuse a third time in 361 BCE to attempt reconciliation. Romm argues that Plato's harsh description of the "tyrannical man" in The Republic was directly inspired by his personal observations of living under the roof of the Syracusan tyrant. NUMBER 8 REVOLUTION, ASSASSINATION, AND CHAOS Colleague Professor James Romm. Dion launched an invasion to liberate Syracuse, but the revolution unleashed chaotic populist passions he could not control. After ordering the assassination of a rival, Dion fell into a depression and was eventually assassinated by a faction of his own army. Rommnotes that ancient historians, including Plutarch, largely protected Dion's reputation to safeguard the prestige of Plato's Academy, despite Dion's failure to become a true philosopher king. NUMBER 9 THE TYRANT WHO BECAME A SCHOOLTEACHER Colleague Professor James Romm. Professor James Romm discusses the surprising fate of Dionysius II, the tyrant of Syracuse. After the Corinthian leader Timoleonarrived to liberate the city, Dionysius surrendered and was allowed to retire to Corinth rather than facing execution. There, the former absolute ruler became a music teacher, leading to the proverb "Dionysius is in Corinth," a saying used for centuries to describe the unpredictability of fortune and the fall of the powerful. NUMBER 10 PHILOSOPHER KINGS AND THE RIVER OF HEEDLESSNESS Colleague Professor James Romm. James Romm explores Plato's Republic, arguing that philosophers make the best kings because they perceive the true "forms" of justice rather than earthly shadows. The discussion turns to the "Myth of Er," a story of the afterlife where souls travel for a thousand years before choosing their next life. Plato warns that drinking too deeply from the River of Heedlessnesserases memory, whereas philosophers strive to recall the forms. NUMBER 11 PLATO'S LETTERS AND THE WHITEWASHING OF DION Colleague Professor James Romm. The conversation examines Plato's thirteen letters, specifically the five Romm believes are genuine regarding the Syracuse affair. Platoviewed himself as a wise lawgiver capable of reforming a tyrant, though he was naive about practical politics. In the seventh letter, Plato attempts to rehabilitate the reputation of his associate Dion, spinning the narrative to portray Dion as a virtuous victim of evil rather than admitting his political failures. NUMBER 12 THE RETURN OF THE NOBLE MONARCH Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley argues that the world has reached "peak republicanism," where republics have become inefficient political battlegrounds. He defines nobility not as a class structure, but as a quality of honorable leadership that embodies the state's values. Copley suggests modern monarchies, like that of King Charles III, are reinvigorating this role by acting as apolitical symbols of unity and diplomacy, unlike elected leaders who only represent their voters. NUMBER 13 THE DANGERS OF TRANSACTIONAL NATIONALISM Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley warns that suppression in republics often leads to uncontrollable demands for liberty, citing the collapse of the Shah's Iran and the USSR. He distinguishes between "tribal nationalism," based on shared history, and "state nationalism," which is often transactional. Copley argues that transactional systems eventually fail because the state runs out of resources to trade for support, leading to corruption and the potential fracturing of society. NUMBER 14 CONSTITUTIONS, BELIEF, AND THE EMPIRE Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley describes the US Constitution as the "de facto crown" holding the American empire together, though it faces challenges from populist movements. He argues that a "faith-based electorate" or a "belief in beliefs" is essential for social unity, noting that when people stop believing in God, they will believe in anything. Monarchy utilizes mysticism and continuity to maintain this unity, a quality difficult for republics to replicate. NUMBER 15 THE REASSERTION OF ANCIENT EMPIRES Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley contends that China is reasserting its identity as an empire, with the Communist Party seeking legitimacy by connecting with imperial history despite previous rejections of the past. Similarly, he views Vladimir Putin as a nationalist attempting to restore the memory and grandeur of the Russian Empire. The segment concludes by suggesting the US might "lease" the symbolic nobility of King Charles III during state visits to borrow necessary leadership prestige. NUMBER 16

THE TYRANT WHO BECAME A SCHOOLTEACHER Colleague Professor James Romm. Professor James Romm discusses the surprising fate of Dionysius II, the tyrant of Syracuse. After the Corinthian leader Timoleonarrived to liberate the city, Dionysius surrendered and was allowed to retire to Corinth rather than facing execution. There, the former absolute ruler became a music teacher, leading to the proverb "Dionysius is in Corinth," a saying used for centuries to describe the unpredictability of fortune and the fall of the powerful. NUMBER 10 4TH CENTURY BCE SYRACUSE

It was a cosmopolitan city. It was a commercial city. And it was a corrupt city. In short, it was very much like many of our big cities today. It was Corinth, a melting pot of people, a center of trade, and home to ten thousand prostitutes serving at the temple of Aphrodite. It was also a turning point in Paul's ministry. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29?v=20251111

Fr. Mike emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit exemplified in Paul's interaction with those in Ephesus in Acts 19 and reminds us that God wants to fill each of us with the same Holy Spirit so we can walk in his strength. Fr. Mike also highlights the power of sacramentals, the reality of demons acknowledging Jesus, and the importance of removing things in our lives that are harmful. Lastly, as we begin reading the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, we get a glimpse of Paul's heart for the people of Corinth. Today's readings are Acts 19, 2 Corinthians 1-2, and Proverbs 28:22-24. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.