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In this episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal delivers a rich expository sermon on James 5:1–6, one of the most striking prophetic passages in the New Testament epistles. Drawing on the Jewish literary and cultural context of James's original audience — Jewish Christians scattered from Jerusalem by persecution — Tony unpacks why this text is not a blanket condemnation of wealth, but a devastating judgment oracle against those who hoard riches and oppress the vulnerable. Along the way, he explores the eschatological weight of accumulated wealth, the theology of God's omniscient justice, and the stunning comfort available to the suffering believer. The episode closes by returning to James's thesis: that trials of every kind, including economic oppression, can be counted as joy because of who God is and what He has done in Christ. Key Takeaways James is a deeply Jewish book written to a specific audience — Jewish Christians dispersed from Jerusalem by Saul's persecution, not a general audience of wealthy or Gentile believers. The prophetic "Come now" signals a judgment oracle, not a direct address — James is not rebuking wealthy members of his congregation, but pronouncing eschatological judgment on oppressive landowners using a technique common in Amos, Malachi, and Micah. Hoarding wealth is not morally neutral — it is self-condemning — The corroded gold and moth-eaten garments are not just symbols of decay; they serve as legal evidence against those who refused to use their wealth for God's glory and the good of others. Withholding wages from laborers constitutes a form of murder — In the ancient world, depriving workers of their wages could literally cost them their lives. James draws on Old Testament law to frame predatory economic exploitation as a capital sin. God sees and hears the cries of the oppressed — The wages of defrauded workers "cry out" to the Lord of Hosts, echoing the blood of Abel in Genesis 4. God's justice is not passive or delayed out of ignorance — it is certain and coming. Matthew 25 reframes Christian mercy as care for the body of Christ — The sheep-and-goats judgment is not a general humanitarian mandate, but a specific call to care for persecuted brothers and sisters — and to recognize that mistreating them is mistreating Christ Himself. Trials are counted as joy through the doctrine of imputation — Suffering is not stripped of its pain, but it can be moved from the loss ledger to the profit column because God uses adversity as the instrument of sanctification and glorification. Key Concepts The Prophetic Address: Who Is James Actually Talking To? One of the most common misreadings of James 5:1–6 is assuming James is directly rebuking wealthy Christians in his own congregation. Tony Arsenal corrects this by grounding the passage in its literary and historical context. James employs a well-established prophetic technique — seen in Amos, Malachi, and Micah — of addressing an absent party in order to pronounce judgment on them, while simultaneously comforting those who overhear the oracle. His audience is the dispersed, impoverished Jewish Christians who fled Jerusalem under Saul's persecution. There were almost certainly no wealthy landowners in the room. The "Come now, you rich" is a judgment declaration directed outward, designed to assure the suffering poor that God has seen their oppressor and will act. Far from being a proof-text for radical poverty, the passage is a pastoral comfort wrapped in prophetic fire. Corroded Gold as Legal Evidence Against the Soul James's claim that gold and silver have "corroded" is deliberately shocking — and theologically precise. Gold, uniquely among metals in the ancient world, does not corrode. By saying it has already corroded, James is not making a metallurgical claim but a moral and eschatological one. The accumulated, hoarded wealth of the oppressor has lost its purpose. It sits idle while workers starve, and in doing so it becomes evidence — a legal witness — against its owner in the court of divine justice. Tony draws a direct line between this image and Jesus's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount about treasures stored on earth being subject to moth and rust. Both brothers — Jesus and James — appear to be drawing on the same shared wisdom, likely rooted in the same household and the same mother's instruction. Unused wealth does not just fail to help others; it actively indicts its holder. Counting It All Joy: The Accounting Logic of Sanctification Tony closes the sermon by returning to James 1:2 — the thesis statement of the entire letter — and unpacking the word "count" as an accounting term, directly related to the doctrine of imputation. Just as righteousness is reckoned to the believer in justification, so suffering can be reckoned as joy in sanctification. This is not a call to pretend pain isn't real, or to perform contentment. It is a theological reframing: what belongs in the loss column of the ledger can, by faith, be moved to the profit side — not because the trial was pleasant, but because God is sovereign, good, and working all things toward the believer's conformity to the image of Christ. The oppressor means their wickedness for evil. God means it for glory. The supreme example is the cross itself — the only truly innocent man, suffering the worst evil ever committed, for the redemption of His people. Memorable Quotes The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you — and the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees you — and that should be a great source of comfort. Imputation is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the loss ledger — what should be an expense — and we're able to move it to the profit. Not because it didn't hurt, and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified. Full Transcript Tony Arsenal: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you." It's always a little, uh, strange to sort of jump into the middle of a series, and, um, you know, Wes is one of the most competent preachers that I know personally, so I trust that he has given you a good and satisfying overview. Uh, but I don't feel like I would be doing my responsibility if I didn't at least touch on a few things, uh, related to the, the intro to James that I think is relevant for this particular passage in a way that maybe is not relevant for the rest of the book. So some of this I hope is review, I, I anticipate is review, but I think it's worth, uh, touching on. James, as you know, is the, the half brother of Jesus. He was the leader of the Jerusalem church, and specifically he was sort of the figurehead of the Jewish church as a whole. Um, the Jewish church was the only church for the very early part of the church's growth. There were always, uh, Gentile believers. Even in the Old Testament, there were Gentiles who trusted in the Lord of Israel and the God of Israel. They were often called God-fearers. They rarely converted all the way to Judaism, but they were sort of seen as an attachment to the Jewish people. They didn't participate in all of the blessings of the Jewish people, but they did participate in most. They often had the same kind of protection. They were in a form of covenant with God. Um, they were able to worship and offer sacrifices. The temple itself had a whole portion of the temple dedicated called the Court of Gentiles, specifically for these Jewish worshipers. And as the church spread, primarily through persecution, which we'll touch base on here in a minute, as the church spread out from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth, it took on a, an increasingly Gentile Greek flavor. As more and more primarily initially Greek converts came into the church, and then of course, as it spread to other sort of non-Hellenistic lands, other, other types of people, other nations, other people groups joined the church, the scriptures which-- the New Testament we receive primarily from Paul, at least in terms of the epistles, um, also began to take on a more Gentile flavor. Not because Paul was a Gentile, but because Paul was ministering primarily to Gentiles What we'll see here is that James is a very Jewish book. I'm sure that along the way there's been several kinds of things pointed out to you to show that, but I wanna show a couple things that not only establish James as the author, James the brother of, of Jesus, but also root the, not only the author, but the audience in a distinctly Jewish Christian, uh, context. So you don't have to turn there, I'll read this, but in Acts, uh, 15, which is the, the great Jerusalem Council, uh, we read this. It says, "With the following letter..." So the, the council meets, they make a decision about what k- what parts of the Jewish law were going to be commended to and recommended, uh, and required for the Christian believers, the Gentile Christian believers, and when they're done, they send this letter to all of, all of the churches. And it says, "With the following letter, the brothers, both apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are at, of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings." Now, I don't know about you, but I always sign my emails the same way, right? I've got, like, my work signature that I have to use, that the, the hospital makes me use with all the proper formatting and colors and fonts, but I always have the same signature. Mine is very simple. I just say, "Thanks," right? I just sign it as, "Thanks," above my signature, and I'm sure you all have that sort of characteristic way you sign a s- sign an email, or maybe it's the way you say goodbye at the end of a phone call. My father-in-law always says, "So long," which is a phrase you don't hear very often, so it's very distinct to him. We all have these little tells in our communication that sort of tip off who they're from. If you turn quickly back over to James 1, so just flip the page, uh, to the left here, he starts his letter by saying, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings." It's the only two letters in the New Testament that we have where the author identifies himself, sends to a sort of generalized audience, and then signs it, "Greetings." Now, James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the Jerusalem Church. He was the leader of the Jewish ch- the Jewish Church in general, and he signed the letter coming from the Acts Council as sort of the presiding minister. If, if we were, y- you might call them, like, the moderator of your business meeting, or we would call them the moderator of our presbytery or our session in the Presbyterian context I come from. He was the one who sort of, like, presided over there, and so the letter that went out to the churches was signed in his name and written, drafted by him. So we see this characteristic way that the letter is addressed with this final word, "Greetings," which is not used frequently in the New Testament We also see when we look at the language carefully that the audience of this, uh, of this letter, it's debated and there are good arguments, but i- in my opinion, it's very clear that the audience of this letter is not Jewish Christians in general or, uh, Jews who have not yet converted. There are some people who would say that 'cause they're called the 12 tribes. But instead it is the Jewish Christians who originally dwelled in Jerusalem and were sent out into the countryside after the persecution that was started primarily by Saul. If you look at Acts, Acts 1 which is, uh, the passage where Saul begins to persecute the church or where Saul kinda comes on the scene as the persecutor of the church, there's a couple distinct, um, distinct linguistic markers we should touch base on. Starting in verse one it says, "And p- Saul approved of his execution. And there arose a day-- that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. They were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church and entered the house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison." When we look at this and we compare it to that, uh, again, that first verse of James where he says to the ones who are scattered, we see that there's a pretty strong linguistic parallel that tells us that the people he has in mind for this letter, the people he's addressing, are the same people who were dispersed or scattered out of Jerusalem in the persecution. When he says to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, that word dispersion is not really a translation. It's what we call a transliteration. So it's not like we've taken a word and sort of given it an English word. We've just changed the word, the letters over to English letters. In Greek, the word is diaspora, dispersion, and in, uh, Acts 1, the verb used to, to sort of describe this scattering of them is diaspero. And it is a picture of scattering seed. This is what a farmer would do. So it's not even the normal word we would use when someone is fleeing persecution. It's this idea that God has scattered Christians out into the world, in this case by persecution. He scattered them out into the world to be planted. A lot of this is where we get phrases from Tertullian about the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Now, why does this matter? As I mentioned, we often think in Gentile categories when we're reading the New Testament, and for good reason. One, we're all, all Gentiles, I'm presuming. I, I don't, I don't think-- I think I mentioned this last time, and no one came up and corrected me. I don't think anyone here is ethnically Jewish with ancestry that they're directly aware of, you know, where they trace their lineage directly back. Europe is a, a big amalgamation of just about everything, so most of us probably have a smattering of different ethnicities. But none of us are ethnically Jewish to the idea that we would, uh, identify as such in the same way. And even if we were, we've been raised and grown up in a Gentile context. We live in the West. We have-- We think in different categories. And what's more is most of the New Testament is written primarily to Gentiles by someone who is ministering to Gentiles. So Paul uses a fair amount of, of Hebraisms or things that are related to the Old Testament. Of course, he's explaining the Old Testament, and he makes ample reference to the Old Testament because that is the word of God, and it is profitable for our teaching, our correction, our reproof, and ultimately for our, our sanctification. But he uses metaphors and language in a way that is not common to the Israel context that Jesus and James and Peter and the other apostles were raised in. We don't have time to go there, but there's even some metaphors that Paul uses that are actually used the opposite way in, uh, in the more Hebraic Jewish, uh, epistles we have. One example that comes to mind is, um, Paul looks at the concept of milk, and that's not necessarily a good thing, right? It's not a bad thing, but it's what immature believers use, right? They can't handle the meat of the Bible. They have to be given the milk of the gospel before they can progress to the meat. In the Book of Hebrews, which I don't think was written by Paul, and in other places, Peter uses milk as a way to talk about nourishment, right? We think of the land flowing with milk and honey. Milk was not seen as some sort of substandard food that was only for babies. It was seen as, like, the richest, best thing that you could eat. We all have a linguistic environment that we grow up in. We all have a shared vernacular. You know, if I say something like, "You can't get there from here," everyone knows what that means. Obviously, you can get there from here, but you have to take this circuitous route. We know what that means. I think if we went around the room, we probably would find that there is this shared language. And then if we took individual families, we'd find that even within those families, there's further narrowing down of sort of like inside jokes and words that are used in ways that are not necessarily the same as others So when we read James, or when we read the letters of Peter or the letters of John, we should default to thinking more along the lines of comparing them to the words of Christ in the Gospel, first and foremost, and then to the Old Testament before we start to think about them necessarily comparing them to Ja-- or to Paul or to other kind of first century Hellenistic literature. That's not, of course, to say that Paul and James contradict. I'm sure that we went through a long explanation with much detail when you got to James chapter two, which is, of course, the most famous example. Paul uses the word justification or justify in a legal sense to make or to declare someone to be righteous. It's the verdict that the judge delivers, and it communicates the status. It actually performs what it says. When the judge says, "I find you not guilty," it changes your status from being potentially guilty to being cleared of all charges. Paul uses it slightly differently. He's not using it in the sense of to make someone righteous or to declare them righteous. He's using it to say they've been shown to be righteous. They've been validated. They've been vindicated. And if we get that mixed up, that's the source of all sorts of confusion. So when we come to this passage, and we'll get there, I promise, when we come to this passage, we have to understand some of the metaphors and the language that's being used draws from an existing body of shared cultural language that is foreign to us and is in some ways foreign to the rest of the New Testament, apart from what we see in the Gospels And it's important to remember, and this is why it's so key to land, that the audience of this letter is the persecuted, poor Jewish Christians who probably had a fairly comfortable life, relatively speaking, living in Jerusalem. These are city folks. These are people that live in Jerusalem or farm into the fields immediately around Jerusalem. They were established. They owned land. They probably had family that they had to leave, and now they're scattered out into the country with nothing. They're sent out into the world with no jobs, no family connections, no social welfare. Because they've left the Jewish faith, at least from the perspective of the Jews, they can't even go to their Jewish brothers and sisters and rely on the hospitality that's required in the law of Moses This is so important when we think about how James opens the letter and delivers what I think is his thesis statement. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of every kind." Trials like not knowing where the next meal is gonna come from, not knowing where the next roof over your head is, not being sure you can feed your children. We all face real trials and tribulations in our life. Some of them are related to our faith, and some is just the fallen human condition in the fallen world we live in. But we're talking here about a totally different category of, uh, trial and persecution than most of us hopefully will ever experience That brings us to our actual passage now. James opens up this section with a linguistic marker that signifies this is a change in topic. He says, "Come now," or another way to translate it might be, "Now listen. Listen up." When my son is doing something that, uh, I need him to stop or I need to give him instructions, I hold him by his shoulders and I say, "Look at my eyes. I want your eyes right here. Look at my eyes." That's what Paul is doing. He's stopping and he's interrupting the flow of language. This shows us this is a new topic and a new audience. James is not speaking to rich Christians in his audience. First, 'cause there likely weren't any rich Christians directly in his audience. Remember, these are the, the poor Christians scattered out into the Judean countryside, into Samaria He's using a technique that's really common in the prophets. It's common in Jesus, where he's addressing the people who are not really listening as a way to establish that they will be judged, to hold them accountable, but also to comfort those who are hearing the message. This is a form of prophetic address. We see this in Amos, where he's chastising the Jewish leaders. Uh, in Malachi and Micah, this happens. Malachi is primarily, at least initially, is primarily, uh, a book that is railing against the rich leaders in Jerusalem who had oppressed their own brothers and sisters. The chances that those Jewish cr- uh, Jewish leaders were reading his prophecy or hearing his prophecy is pretty slim. So he was addressing a different group to establish the judgment that he was proclaiming on another party. Jesus does this when he says like, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees." There were probably scribes and Pharisees in the audience there, but he wasn't just talking to the people in front of them. He was pronouncing a judgment oracle, a judgment prophecy on all people who fit that category, and James is doing the same thing here James is not opposing wealth generally. Sometimes James is used as kind of a New Testament example to justify the idea that we should all be poor and wear shabby clothing and walk around barefoot and dirty all the time. Right? This is a key passage that's used, uh, in parts of the church that really emphasize sort of a poverty-based lifestyle. Think of like the wandering monks of the Middle Ages or the, the, um, sort of more radical exclusionists that exist even in our day. I remember when I was in college, I was really enamored with this figure named Shane Claiborne. Some of you have probably heard of him, and I remember I was so impressed because he, he didn't buy new shoes. He just cut new shoes out of duct tape and put them back together. Now, there's some, you know, there's some rugged, uh, rugged get-it-done-ness that, uh, I think us, uh, New Englanders can appreciate, but God does not call us to wear duct tape shoes, at least not universally. I'm not gonna comment on whether he calls Shane Claiborne to do that. I also don't think Shane Claiborne does that anymore. Um, some of us he may call to a lifestyle of poverty in association with a mission field or in association with a specific calling. He does not call us generally to be poor or to not gain wealth What he is opposing here is the refusal to use wealth appropriately for God's glory and the accumulation of wealth just for wealth's sake We'll see that as we unpack the language here a little bit. He establishes that he's not just talking about the earthly hoarding of wealth, as though somehow the very act of accumulating wealth was itself the problem. What he's doing is he's pronouncing an eschatological judgment on those who hoard wealth and use it to oppress others. We see here he says, "Come now, you rich, and weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you." Th- that word weep and howl, those are li-- those are words that are most commonly used in prophetic literature to describe the final cry of anguish. Think about the weeping and gnashing of teeth that Jesus talks about. This is the language he's using. He's talking about the final estate of those who refuse to submit their wealth to God He says, "Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be the evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasures in the last days." Now, remember what we said. We, we should read this not in light of some general wisdom, although it is general wisdom that if we accumulate wealth, it tends to not actually go well for us if we're not utilizing it in God-honoring ways. But we should read this in light of the most obvious connection, his big brother, Jesus, who taught his people, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." To maybe land this linguistic, uh, this linguistic connection a little more, I don't know, vibrantly, I'm gonna speculate a little bit. So if you don't like it, then you can disregard it. This is not God's Word. This is a speculation. I can just imagine little Jesus, little nine-year-old Jesus, and probably little six or seven-year-old James and the rest of their siblings, and there's quite a few of them. And we have Joseph, uh, who maybe at this time was still living, although probably not. We know he was living until Jesus was later, you know, 12, he was still around, but we don't know exactly when he left the picture. But he was a carpenter, and he was not, probably not overly wealthy. Uh, they had had to pick up and move, you know, cross-country anyways. They-- We don't know exactly where they were from initially, but they went to Bethlehem, and then they returned to Nazareth. They probably didn't have a lot. There were a lot of mouths to feed and only one business. They didn't have a farm. They didn't own livestock that we know of. I can just imagine a time when little J- little James or one of his sisters was frustrated about the fact that they didn't have anything. And I could picture Mary getting down and going, "Do not store up treasures in, in, uh, in heaven or on Earth. It's all gonna waste away." The same way we might tell our children kind of a, a moral kind of story. Sometimes we have this picture, last time I was here I, I spoke on Philippians 2, we have this idea that Jesus was somehow like Superman, that he, he was just pretending to be a normal human most of the time. As it touches his humanity, as, as we think about Jesus as a human, he had a, his own human set of thinking faculties, his own human knowledge. He grew in wisdom and stature is what Luke teaches us. Well, where did he get some of this wisdom? There's a good reasonable argument to be made that some of the pr- more proverbial type sayings that we see in Christ, that they actually come from the wisdom of his mother and father. And a really good reason to believe that is James relies on the same exact, uh, sort of proverbial wisdom to l- land his point. He doesn't create his own metaphor, he goes back to, at the very least we can say he goes back to the words of Christ. That's a very safe position to take. But this is the shared linguistic context that they both grew up in And he says, "You've done this in the last days." Now, the, the phrase last days in the Bible, uh, in the New Testament generally refers to the time period from Christ's resurrection to his return. We, for a lot of reasons, think about it as kind of like that climactic end period in time. Depending on your, your persuasion, maybe this is when the Antichrist comes, or maybe this is before or after, or maybe during the time when the church is raptured. But in either case, we think of that sort of last period in time before Christ finally comes back. But the New Testament writers are really talking about the entire duration, from Christ's resurrection to his return is what they're referring to. But it does have in view this idea that we are in the last times. The, the final judgment is not necessarily strictly something that's out there in the future. We are living in the last days now, and so what we do and what we say and, and how we worship and if we worship is eschatology. It is the theology of the last times He also positions this as though this is a universal thing going on with those who hoard wealth. This is a very shocking image. Um, we have very good ways to preserve things in our modern world, right? We have ways to m- to make, uh, stainless steel that won't rust, or at least won't rust quickly. But most things in the ancient world, even most precious metals, corroded. Um, I remember when I was growing up, there was this project in my hometown. I lived in a, a little town called White Bear Lake in, in, um, Minnesota, although little is relative. It's pretty big compared to most of what we have out here. And I remember when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, they had this big building project to build this brand-new, beautiful lakeside pavilion in the center of town, and it w- just gleamed in the sun. It was so gorgeous, and it was made of copper, and everybody loved it, and two years later, it was bright green. I think it's still bright green. I think they figured out it wasn't worth repairing, so they, they just, they just make sure it doesn't keep getting worse, and at some point, I'm sure they either have or will tear it down. But the one metal in the ancient world that didn't do this was gold. It's part of why gold is such a durable measurement of wealth is because it doesn't wear out. It doesn't corrode. It's very soft. It's very easy to damage it, which is why we don't build statues out of it, or we don't build, uh, buildings out of it usually, but it didn't corrode. So when James says here, "Not only your silver, which tarnishes and corrodes, but your silver and gold have corroded." Not are corroding, but have corroded. The rich hearer of this is probably, you know, sitting around like Scrooge McDuck with a pile of gold coins thinking, "Ah, it looks pretty good to me." And what James is saying is, "No, no, no. No, it's corroded. It's eating away at your heart. It's lost its value because you refuse to use it, and so it sits in a pile doing nothing for no one, except serving to further your own condemnation." This is such a crazy, shocking situation that the insanity of not using your wealth, period, the insanity of sitting on your wealth in the ancient world is going to serve as a form of evidence justifying the condemnation of these wicked fools And further, the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. There's something about money. I was-- When I was here a couple times before, I preached one of the wealth passages out of Ecclesiastes, and there's something about money that has a unique way of really, really wrecking us. Either we don't have it and we want it, or we have it and we don't wanna lose it, or we have it and we don't spend it wisely. It seems like there's an infinite number of ways to screw it up. And we landed last time that the gospel is good news because with the nearly infinite ways of screwing it up, we're going to screw it up. But the one way that he talks about screwing it up here is hoarding it and sitting on it and not using it Moving on into verses four and five, James moves us now to a more sort of temporal register. He starts out by talking about what wealth is and what it's doing and how it will ultimately affect the entire life and eternity of those in his targeted audience, those he's proclaiming this prophetic, uh, judgment against. But in verse four, he moves back to the behaviors that are being, uh, being engaged in to show the state of these people's souls. He says, "Behold, the wages of the laborers you, who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." James here points at the, at the behaviors that show this hoarding behavior, and he does it for a number of reasons. One, he needs to call out sin. That's part of the role of a Christian, and especially a leader or a minister in the church, is, um, to not only call out sin in the body of, of Christ, but in a, I think a very particular way, and there's all sorts of, uh, all sorts of theological controversies flying on around about Christian nationalism and other associated things. Some of it is just the spirit of the age. Um, post-COVID, there's a, a real strong sense that our government has failed us and we need to replace it with something else. But there is a, a true way, and I, I think some of those things are a little misguided, but there's a true way that the church, particularly her leaders, should be speaking to the culture around us, and yes, even to the government, to proclaim the truth of God into a wicked and godless culture. This might take the form o- of a m- minister who goes to a town hall meeting to speak out against a gambling association that's going to be forming, or a, an elder in the church or a deacon in the church who goes to speak to, uh, to the city hall or to the state legislature about the wickedness of abortion and about what we see it does to women's lives when they are fooled into thinking that this is the right thing for them. Again, the church is not the state, and the state is not the church, and we should be very careful not to cross those lines for all sorts of reasons. But we as a culture, as a Christian culture, in the United States particularly, have lost sight of our responsibility to speak truth in all circumstances to those in power So James is doing that, of course. But even more so, this is a way that he establishes for his direct audience, for the Jewish poor Christians who have been scattered in this diaspora, in this dispersion. He looks at them in a sense and says, "I see you. I see what's happening to you." And as God's representative, as his chosen voice for this message, as his inspired author, God sees you too This goes back again, the first two chapters of James serve as kind of a thesis statement and table of contents for the whole book. We get an idea of what may have been happening, the actual, uh, acts that were being engaged in, in, in chapter two verse six, he says, "You have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?" James has in mind here a form of predatory land purchasing, where the rich were sort of sweeping up property. They were sweeping it up, and then they were charging probably exorbitant prices to those who would lease the land to try to eke out a living. Does that sound at all like any of our current context, right? When's the last time any of us have tried to buy a house and found anything reasonable? Well, a large part of that is that there are big companies that are scooping up all the land and buying all the, the developments. Now, I'm not commenting on those particular situations. I don't know those people. I don't know their hearts, and some of those things actually are doing good things for the community. But we're familiar with this idea of someone who will purchase a resource, who will then jack the price up in order to turn a profit on it. I'm not opposed to turning a profit. Y- y- yeah, it takes money to run a business, and you have to, you have to recuperate those funds if your business is going to survive. But there's a, there's a way that that can be done that is a predatory act These rich landowners were getting fat on those that they were victimizing In our, in our modern world, we tend to think of someone who is overweight as unhealthy, for good reason, right? Too much weight, and I say that with someone with a little too much padding around the middle, so no, no judgment on this, but too much weight is not healthy, right? We hear that from our doctors, that there's a healthy weight range and there's an unhealthy weight range. In the ancient world, obesity was not the concern, right? Malnutrition was the concern. And so when you see, uh, a king in the Old Testament who's, who's noted to be fat, that's not always negative. Sometimes it is, but he's noted to be fat or he's noted to be large. Even the word for glory, I'm sure you've heard this before, the word for glory in the Old Testament has to do with being heavy. So this idea of weightiness or, um, being able to eat enough to actually gain weight instead of being thin was seen as a good thing, but not when you use it as a way to victimize other people. A person who gathers wealth honestly and enjoys it, that's, that's Proverbs right there. That's the Book of Ecclesiastes in its sort of positive sense, is that we, when we accumulate wealth and we use it for God's glory, it's perfectly okay for us to also use it for our enjoyment. God wants us to enjoy the fruit of our labor. But when we accumulate wealth and use it as a way to gain power over someone and to abuse them, that is what James is railing against here And ultimately, with the audience that James is writing to, this is a form of murder. This is why he says, "You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter." Because a person who can't feed their family in the Old Testament or in the New Testament era was likely to see them die. There are not a ton of people in modern America that are starving to death on the streets. It's not to say it doesn't happen. It's not to say that there's not things like food insecurity or malnutrition, but there are, there are plenty of places people can go to get their basic food needs met. It was not like that-- It's not like that in most of the world now, and it certainly was not like that in the ancient world. And so a, a landowner who again refuses, we're talking about the Jewish landowners, refuses to obey the Jewish law to leave some leftovers for the poor, and instead gleans all the way to the corner so that they can turn a little bit of extra pro-profit, is not only sinning against the Old Testament law, but is committing murder in the strictest sense by refusing to preserve the life of these poor, uh, Christians who are destitute And again, James is encouraging his readers here that the Lord has not ignored their plight. We can think back to the Book of Habakkuk, where Habakkuk basically lodges a lawsuit against God, saying, "You are not paying attention. You're not doing your thing. You're not being faithful to your covenant." And God says, "Let me show you how faithful to my covenant I am. The Chaldeans are on the way." And Habakkuk is like, "Whoa, wait a second here. That's not what I had in mind." God sees the oppression of the poor. He knows when His people are targeted. He knows when children are abused or when widows are ignored. He knows when the government does something to shut down a church, or when the medical institution refuses to acknowledge your personal rights. He sees those things, and He's not ignorant, and He's not static. He's not sleeping on those things. The purpose here is to comfort the oppressed by showing that God is not ignorant of what has happened to them. Just two quick Old Testament examples that use similar language. In Genesis 4, we read of Cain and his murder of Abel, and in verse eight it says, "Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?' And the Lord said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.'" Numbers, uh, 35 verses 30 says, "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. And you shall accept no ransom from him who has fled to the city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land except for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." There's a rich history in the Old Testament of language of inanimate things, land, blood, wealth, other kinds of things that give testimony to God in some way, and specifically of these inanimate, uh, impersonal things testifying to the sin of the people that dwell around them. Even Christ says, "If these people do not worship me, the rocks will cry out." Now, the rocks are not literally crying out, although it certainly would be within God's power to make the rocks sing. But Christ is not saying in that passage that the rocks are going to form mouths and begin singing Hosanna or whatever song they might have been doing. What he's saying is that the very rocks themselves give testimony to the glory and goodness of God. So even if the people around here fail to do so, the entire rest of creation is doing so, and that is what James is saying here. My dear brothers and sisters scattered in the dispersion who have nothing, and in society's eyes are nothing, some of you are facing persecution. Some of you will be killed for your faith, but God sees because the wealth that is being accumulated on the breaking of your own backs is crying out. The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you We often want justice in the moment. I think we always want justice in the moment, don't we? I think it's a really hard discipline to say, "That person wronged me, but I'm okay letting God sort it out." That is a hard pill to swallow, but it is often the pill that we have to take. It's the medicine that God uses to further our justification, our j- our, uh, excuse me, our sanctification Paul says, you know, "Do not take vengeance. Let the Lord do that." We can trust, and this is where the comfort of this passage comes for us, brothers and sisters, we can trust that when we are wronged, that when someone has done something to us that is a violation of God's law, that that sin will be punished. Now, when we're dealing with other Christians, that sin has already been punished, and so it is not, it is not appropriate for us to hold onto that and to take vengeance. That's what the parable of the unmerciful servant is all about If I as a Christian refuse to forgive my brother and sister when they've wronged me, it's me saying that I'm a better judge of their sin and I'm a better executioner than the Lord is when he punished that sin on the cross. But that sin was not atoned for when we're talking about unbelievers. When we're talking about those who will ultimately end their earthly life and find themselves waking up in flames, that sin has not been atoned for, and so God will have his justice, and we will have our justice. We won't turn there, but in Revelation, we're familiar with the passage, I think it's chapter six, where the martyred saints are under the throne and they say, "How long, O Lord?" Well, God doesn't answer their question, but he gives them new clothes. When Job cries out and he's, he's saying, "I don't understand why this is happening. Why are you targeting me, God? Why, why are you a hunter with your arrows in my liver?" God doesn't tell him why, but he says, essentially, "I'm God and you're just going to have to trust me that this is right." We see a very similar, uh, kind of situation here when we think about when, uh, when Abraham, uh, when God tells Abraham what he's about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, and then Abraham negotiates, apparently negotiates with God, uh, trying to secure the salvation of the city for the sake of the righteous. And we read starting in verse 20 of chapter 18, he says, "The Lord said to, to Abraham," he says, " 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. If not, I will know.' " God is always seeing and investigating the sin of people We're, we're teaching my son, August, the children's catechism, which is a, a great resource. Um, and one of the questions is, "Can you see God?" And the answer is, "No, but he always sees me." Now that may feel at first to some people like a little bit of a heavy-handed answer, but knowing that God sees us is not just there to correct our sin. It should do that, right? Even the secret sins we commit in the dark when, when we're not being watched by anyone else, even, even those God sees. But do you know what else He sees? He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees your progress. He sees you, and that should be a great source of comfort Now this passage, especially verse six, can be a little bit hard to apply because although we're the targeted audience, we're not the target of the judgment oracle. So I think what we have to do, we have to, we have to think about this in light of the way that God talks about the judgment of unbelievers in other places in the scripture, and how that helps us to understand kind of what our, what our status is. If you'll take your Bibles and open to Matthew chapter 25, I think the, um, the account here of the goat and sheep judgment, uh, is instructive for us Starting in verse 31, it says, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King answered them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on the left, 'Depart from me for you for, uh, depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also, uh, they also will say, answer saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not minister to you?' Then he will answer them saying, 'Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Now, this passage is sometimes understood as a general command to feed the poor or the sick, or to visit those in prisons, or any of the f- the sort of mercy ministry things that, that, um, are mentioned here. And those are all things that Christians should do, right? We should be engaged in, um, in mercy ministry to the poor, to those who are destitute. We should be mindful and thoughtful of those who have needs around us. What this passage is teaching, though, is not a general command to feed all people, but a specific command to care for your brothers and sisters in Christ when they have a need He doesn't say to the righteous, "You did these to everyone." He says, "Whatever you did to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me." All of the things that are listed here, the, the six mercy ministries that are listed by Christ here, are things that persecuted Christians were suffering at the time, persecuted Jew- Jewish Christians, and that would be common experiences for, for Jewish Christians and for all persecuted Christians. Right? They're hungry. They don't have food. Our diaspora Jewish Christians don't have land to farm, and even if they're able to scrape together enough funding to lease out a farm, they're being, uh, they're being totally overwhelmed by the cost of that. The sort of homeowners association dues of these pyramid schemes that were going on in the first century, they were so exorbitant that it wasn't even subs- subsistence farming. Christians were being thrown in, uh, in prison. They didn't have enough money to replace their clothes when it wore out. They couldn't have access to clean water. We take clean water as such a, such a basic thing, and it's so easy. You just turn on the tap, or you just go to the store and you buy a bottle of $7 water. It wasn't like this in the first century. If you didn't have a well, you didn't have water, unless you had someone who cared enough to share this precious resource with you. And so what Christ is saying to, to his people, both in the immediate audience on the Sermon on the Mount, uh, and in this, the Olivet Discourse here, what he's saying to his people is when someone in the body of Christ does not have what they need, the body of Christ should step up and make sure that that is the case, that they take care of that person. And likewise, he's saying to those who are not a part of the body of Christ, "Depart from me, I never knew you." Now, the intro to this, why it sometimes is called a parable, is the sheep and the goats. We sometimes go way too far into the arena of comparing the behavior of sheeps with the behavior of the people here, right? Sheep are nice, they're affable, they listen to you. In reality, from what I understand, sheep are pretty dumb and can be very stubborn, right? And then we, we read and we go, "Goats are stubborn, they're rebellious, they're not really good for anything." Well, there's a reason people have goats on farms. They, they can be stubborn, right? They can be destructive, but they also serve a purpose. So the point here is not that sheep are good and goats are bad. The point is that sheep are not goats and goats are not sheep. And, uh, another point that comes with this is sheep don't become goats by behaving like goats, and goats don't become sheep by acting like sheep. I have some friends that will tell you they have very affectionate, friendly, lovable goats, right? I'd, I would... If I could get my kids one of those little pygmy goats that everybody loves, I would do that, 'cause they can be very kind, very sweet, and they're very smart. But they're not sheep. And if you read this passage carefully, this fact that those who are taken to the right are, are in fact taken to the right is not because they fed the poor. It's not because they ministered to Christ by feeding the least of these. They did those things because they were part of the kingdom The King says to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The sheep on the right were always going to be the sheep on the right. They were predestined according to the counsel of God's will before all time to live and walk in good works. That's just Ephesians 2 there. That's also just James 2 there. You have faith, I will show you my faith by my works. This is evidence language, loved ones Likewise, the ones who are told to depart into eternal darkness were also predestined not to inherit this kingdom. No kingdom was prepared for them before the foundation of the world. They have no inheritance. They have nothing. They will end up in the state that they are trying to impose on these poor Jewish Christians. They will end up in the state that they may be trying to impose on some of us in this room And for the final verse here in, in chapter five, in verse six here, there's a lot of discussion and debate in the commentaries about who the identity of this righteous one is. It says, "You've condemned and murdered the righteous person, he does not resist you." Now, some commentators will take the fact that this is the singular righteous person, that he has been murdered and h- was condemned, and will take this as a reference to Christ. And that would, would make good sense, right? The Jewish, the wealthy Jewish landowners, the wealthy Jews in Jerusalem who per- who persecuted and cast out, um, the Christians, they were in the same group of people who condemned and murdered Jesus And at least at the time of writing this, and in many ways in our own day, God is not necessarily resisting them. He's allowing them to store up judgment for the coming day of wrath There are others who will take this as sort of the hypothetical singular, right? The righteous one or the righteous person is this, uh, representative hypothetical person that represents all of the persecuted Christians. And so it's more like saying, um, to the, the wealthy landowners who are persecuting Christians, "You have condemned and murdered the Christians, the righteous people, and we do not resist you." Now, at the end of the day, it's, it's always good to have good, sober, well-intentioned, text-based debates about what the Bible means. We can and we should try to convince others, uh, when we think they're wrong about what the scripture means. So that's not what I'm saying here. But in many ways, which of those two perspectives it actually is doesn't change the interpretation of this passage. Like we read in Matthew 25, like we read in Acts 9 when Christ comes and confronts Saul, what you do to God's people, you are doing to Christ himself. What you do to the body, you have done to the head. It's a little bit weird to say that when I stub my toe, I injure my head, but that's true, right? I don't injure my toe as though it's some separate piece. It's not like I'm a Lego man where I can just swap out a hand that gets cracked and put it back on. When I injure my toe, I injure myself. My whole body is injured even though it's specific to a part of my body. When you-- when someone persecutes you, when they, uh, try to extort your wealth, your funds, when they try to harm your body, when they try to take away your children, all things that are happening not just out there in the world, but in our country, even in our own region. When they try to tell you that because you don't wanna play a basketball game, that you can't play sports at all. When a city taxes a portion of a church's property because they don't think it's being used for religious purposes, they are doing that to Jesus Christ himself, and God will not be mocked This should call us both to faithfulness and to encouragement How people treat Christ or how people treat Christ's people, including how we trust, tr- uh, treat Christ's people, shows us what we think about Christ. The people who take care of the church do so because they love God, and they do it out of a regenerated heart that already loves God. And the people who hate the church do it because they hate Christ, and they do it out of their wickedness and out of their wicked heart This brings us back again to the thesis statement of James. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." And then he says later in that, uh, first chapter in verse nine, "Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass, he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower fails, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." Now, you're all coming up to the end of James here. Um, we probably have two, two more sermons, I would guess, and the rest of this chapter is reinforcing this. It's unpacking for the immediate audience and therefore for us, it's unpacking that although the rich have their punishment coming to them, that likewise our consolation, our comfort from Christ is also coming to us. He closes the whole letter out, he returns to his thesis statement to say, "I'm not going to pretend that the trials you're going through are joyful, but you can count it all joy." You can reckon it, you can impute it as joy, my brothers and sisters. You can put it in the joy column instead of the t- the pain column, right? We had discussion about the beautiful word imputation in the announcements and scripture reading in the beginning here Imputation is a, is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the, in the loss ledger, right? We're taking what should be an expense, and we're able to move it to the profit. We're able to move it to the positive side, not because it didn't hurt and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified When we are oppressed and opposed, those who are oppressing and oppose us mean it for evil, just like Joseph's brothers, uh, and Pharaoh, and all sorts of wicked men in, in the Old Testament and in our own world. Pilate, Herod, you mean, you name it in the Bible, this applies. They meant their wicked acts for wicked things, but God, rich in mercy, works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And what is that purpose? That we might be transformed into the image of Christ so that Christ may be glorified and He may be the firstborn among many brothers. When we face trials and suffering of every kind, it leads us to our sanctification and to our ultimate glorification. We do not earn those things. We don't sanctify ourselves any more than we justify ourselves, or that any more than we will glorify ourselves or will raise ourselves from the dead. That is all God's work from start to finish. But God does use these things that He brings us through as a way to bring about that work It's like he bends us over the hammer, over the anvil of trials, and he hammers us until we become a sharp sword in the hand of, in his hand. Or he polishes us with a rough cloth until we become a smooth, beautiful gem, right? Think of any number of refining things that need to be done. It always involves, if the thing was, uh, was a person, it always involves something that would hurt a little bit. It always involves a little bit of damage to wear away the impurities. Our sanctification and our glorification is no different than that. He uses adversity. He uses the wicked actions and intentions of, of evil men and women. He uses those things to glorify us. So although we should never, uh, we should never seek those things, right? You don't have to go and make yourself the soft target to the wicked people. It's okay to keep your head down. There's nothing wrong with that. The Jewish Christians were probably doing their best to keep their heads down most of the time, and that's fine. There's not any words in scripture about being a coward if you don't, if you don't put a target on your back. But your target is gonna get there eventually, and that's not a bad thing. We can welcome that. We can count it as joy because of who God is and what he's done. The supreme act of suffering, the supreme act of, of evil happened to the only innocent person there ever was, and it happened to him for us.  this episode is available below.

Parents naturally want to shield their kids from the struggles they faced — and that's understandable. But by doing that, we miss teaching them what those struggles taught us, so they can reach what we've reached. God does the opposite. He cares more about who we become than what we gain. Even Christ wasn't exempted

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak - Jesus' words in Gethsemane reveal our universal struggle. Even Christ needed prayer and community support during His darkest hour. What does this teach us about finding strength when we're pressed by life's hardest moments? Discover four biblical keys to staying faithful when you feel crushed by circumstances.

In this section of Homily Five, St. Isaac draws deeply from the ancient well of ascetical wisdom, weaving together the practical counsel of St. Ephraim with his own luminous vision of divine providence. His teaching moves with precision from the diagnosis of sin to the healing of the soul, from the vigilance of self-knowledge to the vision of God's mercy revealed through trial. St. Ephraim's words set the tone: every spiritual illness must be treated by its proper remedy. One cannot overcome a vice through random struggle or general good intentions, but only by applying a medicine suited to the disease. Just as heat is not fought with more heat, so envy, pride, and wrath are not healed through self-will or argument, but through the contrary virtues: humility, patience, and mercy. For St. Isaac, this is the beginning of ascetic discernment. The wise man learns to recognize the first stirrings of passion, and “plucks it up while it is still small,” knowing that what begins as a passing thought can quickly become a tyrant ruling the soul. Negligence is the mother of bondage. From this root teaching springs one of St. Isaac's central themes: the blessedness of patient endurance. The one who can suffer wrong with joy, though he has the means to defend himself, has entered into the mystery of the Cross. To bear insult without resentment, to be accused unjustly and respond with humility—these, he says, are the highest forms of virtue, admired even by the angels. Such endurance is not weakness but divine strength, the quiet radiance of faith proven by trial. Here we find the echo of the Beatitudes and of the Apostle's words, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” St. Isaac then warns against a subtler danger: self-confidence. “Do not believe yourself to be strong until you are tempted and find yourself superior to change.” Virtue untested is unproven. To imagine oneself firm before temptation is to invite a fall, for pride blinds the soul to its own frailty. True strength is born only from humility, the knowledge of one's dependence upon God. Likewise, knowledge itself can become a snare when it is not rooted in meekness. A “meek tongue” and “sweet lips” reveal a heart governed by peace rather than pride. Those who do not boast of their struggles or their gifts are preserved from shame, while those who glory in their works are permitted to stumble, that humility may be learned through experience. The culmination of this passage is the vision of divine providence, which St. Isaac presents not as an abstract doctrine but as an experience granted to the purified heart. God's care, he says, surrounds all, yet it is seen only by those who have cleansed themselves of sin and fixed their gaze upon Him. In times of trial, when the soul stands for the truth, this providence becomes radiant and tangible—as though seen with bodily eyes. God reveals Himself most clearly in suffering, granting His servants courage and consolation. As He strengthened Jacob, Joshua, the Three Youths, and Peter, so too He anoints all who endure affliction for His sake. In these paragraphs, St. Isaac sketches the entire map of the ascetical path. The soul begins with vigilance, pulling up the roots of passion before they grow. It advances through endurance, learning the joy hidden in unjust suffering. It is tested in humility, discovering that self-reliance is the greatest enemy. And finally, it arrives at the vision of providence, seeing that all things—even trials and delays—are instruments of divine love. The warfare is inward, but the victory is divine. The heart that ceases to rely on itself learns to rest in God, and the eyes once blinded by passion come to behold His mercy shining through every storm. This is the medicine of the soul and the peace of those who have learned the wisdom of the Cross. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:01:25 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: www.philokaliaministries.blogspot.com 00:02:00 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 156, last line on page, # 8 00:08:00 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: http://www.philokaliaministries.blogspot.com 00:10:33 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 156, last line on page, # 8 00:14:57 jonathan: Would it be fine to just print out a picture of an Icon? Want to make a prayer corner back home. 00:15:23 Jessica McHale: Father, I love this line from your blog post today: “The night is not absence but mystery, not an ending but the quiet preparation for dawn.”  These words help to bring holiness to my rest and to the sometimes challenging night vigils. Thank you! 00:15:42 Adam Paige: Replying to "Would it be fine to …" Bless the printer with holy water first

Send us a textHave you ever wondered why following Christ feels more difficult than you imagined? Many believers begin their faith journey expecting blessing, protection, and victory at every turn—yet quickly discover that trials, disappointments, and hardships are often part of the Christian walk. This tension leaves many asking: “Am I doing something wrong?”The truth is, you are not failing in your faith because you are struggling. In fact, you may be walking the very path Scripture describes as authentic discipleship.Paul's Testimony: Strength in SufferingFew lives illustrate this more vividly than that of the Apostle Paul. Once Saul of Tarsus—a man of privilege, status, and influence—Paul surrendered everything when he encountered Christ on the Damascus Road. From that moment, his life was radically redefined, not by worldly success but by relentless suffering and unwavering faith.In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul catalogues his hardships: imprisonments, countless beatings, shipwrecks, hunger, sleepless nights, and constant danger. Far from being exceptions, these became his normal reality. Yet rather than weakening his faith, these trials revealed the power and sufficiency of God in ways comfort never could.Just one chapter later, Paul shares his intimate struggle with a persistent affliction—the famous “thorn in the flesh.” Despite pleading for relief, God's answer was not deliverance but revelation:“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).Paul's response has sustained believers for centuries: “When I am weak, then I am strong.”The Biblical PatternThis paradox is not unique to Paul. It runs through the entire biblical story:Moses felt inadequate to confront Pharaoh, yet God used his weakness to display His power.David, the shepherd boy, defeated Goliath not with human strength but by relying on God.Jesus Himself declared, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).Even Christ's own journey—the cross before the resurrection—demonstrates that God's greatest victories often come through apparent defeat.What This Means for Us TodayThe message is clear: following Jesus is not a guarantee of prosperity or ease. Instead, it is a call to daily surrender, trust, and dependence. Hardship is not evidence of God's absence but the very place where His presence becomes most real.For believers navigating storms today—whether financial pressures, broken relationships, health struggles, or spiritual battles—Paul's words are a beacon of hope. Your trials are not wasted. Your weakness is not failure. It is the stage upon which God displays His strength.Living the ParadoxThis “strip-back” process—where God removes our self-sufficiency and worldly securities—deepens our reliance on Him. In the wilderness, we discover manna. In weakness, we discover grace. In suffering, we discover the felloSupport the showThank you for listening! For more inspiring content, visit our main site at RBChristianRadio.net. Explore our ministry services and celebrations at LifeCelebrant.net. If you'd like to support our work, you can now Buy Me a Coffee and help us keep spreading the word. Every bit makes a difference! God bless and see you in the next episode.

Even Christ-followers wrestle with God's Word, whether with challenging verses or questions about its truth. Sam unpacks why the Bible is trustworthy and how we're called to respond.Check out the full video here.

Rev. Cyril A. Stevens – Sermon 1060B recorded on February 16, 1986 teaching from Matthew 23:1-24 – One is Your Master, Even Christ. Pastor Cyril A. Stevens critiques the false religious practices of the scribes and Pharisees, who he argues have self-promoted themselves to positions of authority and burdened people with man-made rules, obscuring the more important aspects of…

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Co 15:12–17.

Rev. Cyril A. Stevens – Sermon 1060B recorded on February 16, 1986 teaching from Matthew 23:1-24 – One is Your Master, Even Christ. Pastor Cyril A. Stevens critiques the false religious practices of the scribes and Pharisees, who he argues have self-promoted themselves to positions of authority and burdened people with man-made rules, obscuring the more important aspects of…

For decades, conservatives have been plagued by an affliction—an almost allergic reaction to power. It's as if the only way to be truly virtuous is to lose, and to lose gracefully. Political wins are viewed with suspicion, as if governing with authority is somehow unseemly, or worse, un-Christian. But what if that mindset is not just wrong—but harmful?Take a look at Donald Trump. Like him or not, he's leading a populist resurgence that is centered not just on rhetoric, but on wielding power—on winning. Recently, he made headlines for appearing to defy a court order that would have prevented the deportation of Venezuelan gang members. Then, he took aim at President Biden's use of an autopen for signing pardons, questioning the validity of those signatures. Predictably, his critics shriek: "Tyranny!" But is it tyranny—or is it the legitimate use of power for the good of the nation?There is a long and deep conservative tradition that supports the responsible use of authority. Edmund Burke warned that power unused is power lost, and that liberty without virtue is the greatest of all evils. Russell Kirk argued that moral order requires strong governance. Sam Francis lambasted the Right for its obsession with losing honorably rather than governing effectively. Even American history is filled with examples of presidents who who defied courts and insisted on doing what they believed was right. Lincoln, FDR, Reagan, even Andrew Jackson understood that sometimes, the law is wrong, and justice demands action. Yet, modern evangelicals often act as if any use of power is suspect, embracing what Francis called the "beautiful loser syndrome"—preferring to be righteous victims rather than victorious defenders of truth and order. But what does Scripture actually say? Joseph wielded power in Egypt to save his people. Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem despite opposition. Even Christ declared, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."So today, we ask: Is Trump a tyrant, or is he acting within a legitimate and necessary conservative tradition? And more importantly, why do so many conservatives still believe that surrender is a virtue?This episode is brought to you by our premier sponsors, Armored Republic and Reece Fund, as well as our Patreon members and donors. You can join our Patreon at patreon.com/rightresponseministries or you can donate at rightresponseministries.com/donate.Political power is not everything, but it's not nothing either. And when good men refuse to use it, then evil men will pick it up and destroy societies. It's time for Christians to learn to use political power for good ends again. Let's get into it.*MINISTRY SPONSORS:**Private Family Banking*How to Connect with Private Family Banking:1. FREE 20-MINUTE COURSE HERE: ⁠https://www.canva.com/design/DAF2TQVcA10/WrG1FmoJYp9o9oUcAwKUdA/view⁠2. Send an email inquiry to ⁠chuck@privatefamilybanking.com⁠3. Receive a FREE e-book entitled "How to Build Multi-Generational Wealth Outside of Wall Street and Avoid the Coming Banking Meltdown", by going to ⁠https://www.protectyourmoneynow.net⁠4. Set up a FREE Private Family Banking Discovery call using this ⁠link: https://calendly.com/familybankingnow/30min⁠5. For a Multi-Generational Wealth Planning Guide Book for only $4.99, use this link for my affiliate relationship with "Seven Generations Legacy": ⁠https://themoneyadvantage.idevaffiliate.com/13.html⁠*Reece Fund⁠https://www.reecefund.com/*Dominion: Wealth Strategists* is a full-service financial planning and wealth management firm dedicated to putting more money in the hands of the church. With an education focused approach, they will help you take dominion over your finances.https://reformed.money/

In this episode of The Christ Cycle, Maurice Harker explores the final phases of Christ's journey—Reluctance and Return—and the powerful lessons they offer for navigating our own lives.Even Christ, in His divine mission, experienced moments of hesitation, understanding the immense trials ahead. Yet, His deep-rooted commitment to His Father's will propelled Him forward. We'll discuss how reluctance is not a sign of weakness but an opportunity to reflect, gather strength, and align with our true purpose.The Return phase highlights Christ's unwavering dedication to His mission. After retreating for spiritual rejuvenation, He re-engaged with clarity, resilience, and an unshakable commitment to His divine calling. What can we learn from this? How do we return to our responsibilities and purpose after hardship, doubt, or burnout?Join us as we break down these final stages of The Christ Cycle and uncover how Christ's example can inspire us to overcome hesitation, recommit to our purpose, and move forward with faith.Want to read the book: ⁠https://bit.ly/TheChristCycleAudioBook

In this episode of The Christ Cycle, Maurice Harker explores two critical phases of Christ's journey: Reluctance and Return. Even Christ, in His perfect divinity, experienced a moment of hesitation in the Garden of Gethsemane, recognizing the immense suffering ahead. Yet, He submitted to the will of the Father and moved forward with unwavering commitment.We'll examine how reluctance plays a role in our own lives—how feelings of hesitation, fear, and self-doubt can either paralyze us or refine our purpose. We'll discuss how Christ's example teaches us to acknowledge vulnerability, seek divine guidance, and ultimately embrace the path ahead.In the Return phase, we see how Christ re-engaged with His mission, not out of obligation, but from a place of renewed strength and purpose. By understanding this cycle, we can learn to overcome hesitation and recommit to our own divine purpose with greater faith, clarity, and resolve.Want to read the book: ⁠https://bit.ly/TheChristCycleAudioBook

Christians believe that the story of Jesus Christ doesn't end with his death on the cross or with his burial in a borrowed tomb. Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead three days after he died on a cross, and it may be one of the most challenging beliefs of Christianity. Even Christ's disciples didn't believe it when they first heard the news. But it's a cornerstone of the Christian faith.   Learn more about Mountaintop Church at https://mountaintopchurch.com 

By Jay Ledbetter in London, KY - July 13, 2024 - Each day, there's a battle raging for your emotions. If we allow him, Satan will use all his diabolical techniques to thwart your peace of mind. Even Christ's followers aren't immune to depression. Join our study as we walk through Psalm 13 to witness and learn how David successfully navigated emotional struggle finding peace and comfort in the end.

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:One of the unusual features of the times we are living in is how many different beliefs there are. Perhaps you had a taste of that at your Thanksgiving gathering. Your cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws might have very different understandings about what is right and wrong, the present state of things in the world, or what we should do about all of it. There have always been differences of beliefs. No two human beings have ever had the exact same thoughts about everything. But in the last few years the sheer number of beliefs available to be believed has increased dramatically. Sometimes you might hear of people applauding this development. More free speech and more diversity is automatically good. But many of the new beliefs contradict older beliefs. For example, either we have been made to be male and female—and that means something, or gender is just a fluid social construct. Either male and female is something intrinsic and natural, God-given, or what I've just said is judgmental and hateful. It is impossible for both views to be good. They contradict each other. So despite what people might say about diversity—that it should be welcomed, the more diverse the better—they either aren't seeing the contradictions or they aren't being totally honest. If they were being honest they would say that those who hold the older beliefs are deplorable and have no business holding any power or authority in our modern life. They should be run out of the government, run out of our universities, run out of our schools. They don't go so far as to want to kill people, but they most certainly want certain beliefs and ideas to die. The reason why they are so passionate for their beliefs is because they genuinely believe that the death of these old ideas will make the world a better place. I wouldn't be surprised if some of you had some vigorous debates on Thanksgiving whether these newer ideas would make the world a better place. I could take up the rest of this sermon time by giving you arguments for why this or that belief is bad and will lead to worse conditions rather than better ones. That might be an enjoyable way for us to spend our time. I suspect that most of us are pretty much on the same page about the various issues. But glorying in how right we are and how wrong they are would give the impression that we—with our debating, with our fighting—we are what is indispensable for Christianity and for the furtherance of Christ's kingdom. This is a very common, false assumption, which is held to particularly in our circles. Being a Christian is assumed to be the same thing as being a “conservative.” Being a Christian means that you fight for the old beliefs as opposed to the new beliefs. Christianity is us versus them. We're right; they're wrong. And what needs to happen is that either they need to shape up so that they adopt our position, or they must be eliminated. Their beliefs and ideas need to be eliminated. They must be run out of the government, run out of the schools, run out of the libraries. Being a Christian means that you are a cultural warrior. This is not Christianity. This is one of the devil's tricks. We know from St. Paul that the devil likes to dress himself up as an angel of light. There's nothing that the devil likes more than to play around in religion. What a harvest of souls the devil can collect for himself if he convinces people that Christianity is a matter of being either conservative or progressive. Then people will fight with each other over whether we should be conservative or progressive, believing thereby that they are being ever so pious, ever so religious, when in fact they will be accomplishing nothing that lasts into eternity. There is only one way for us to last into eternity, and that is by becoming a new creation. Paul says a couple of times in his letter to the Galatians that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision—an issue hotly debated at the time—counts for anything. What is needed is a new creation. I don't think I am going wrong by modifying that statement to say, “Neither conservatism nor progressivism is strong enough to accomplish anything. What is needed is a new creation.” And what is this new creation? John speaks of this at the beginning of his Gospel. He says, “To those who received the light [that is, Christ,] to those who believed in Jesus's name, he gave the right to become children of God. They were born, not of blood, or of the desire of the flesh, or of a husband's will. They were born of God.” That's how you become a new creation. You are born again through faith in Jesus's name. This is very much tied up with baptism. One of the simplest answers to the question of how to become a Christian is that you should be baptized. Jesus speaks of baptism as being “born again by the water and the Spirit.” Unless we are born again we cannot see the kingdom of God. And why is it so necessary to become a new creation? It is because the change that is needed is too great. Neither conservatism nor progressivism can save anyone from death. Neither conservatism nor progressivism can reconcile sinners with God. Neither side can exorcise evil spirits to make way for the Holy Spirit. Neither side can make anybody truly love. If anything it seems that the more we fight the more we hate, the more we dehumanize our opponents. And to what end? For greater diversity, equity and inclusion on the one side? To make America great again on the other? However grand these ideas might seem to be to people, they are far too small and temporary. Christ our Lord operates on an entirely different plane of existence. This is something that our readings today about the end of the world point out so forcefully that it strikes me as being almost brutal. We think the stuff that we deal with is so important, so consequential. The future of our country or the future of the world depends on us winning the cultural war. What our readings today reveal is that it isn't about us at all. The most outstanding thing is Jesus Christ being Lord and God. In our reading from Matthew we hear about how this King comes with magnificent splendor and power. All the souls born of Adam and Eve are gathered before him. Each and every one of you are one of those souls. The most powerful person who will have ever wielded the reins of government will be one of those souls. The most lowly—the retarded, the aborted, the slave—will be one of those souls. And how are they judged? They are judged by the presence or absence of the chief and foremost fruit of faith, which is love. Did they love? And who did they love? Did they love only their own, and to hell with everybody else or did they love the least of these? Our epistle reading is also supremely grand. Paul speaks about the resurrection and what will happen at the end. Paul is correcting the Corinthians, some of whom didn't believe that the resurrection from the dead was likely or possible. Paul says, no, there is most certainly a resurrection from the dead. If there is no resurrection from the dead then Christianity is a joke. It's simply not true if there is no resurrection. But what I find so captivating is what he says towards the end of our reading. He says that at the end Christ will bring to nothing every rule, every authority, every power. All his enemies must be put under his feet. Then he will deliver the kingdom—all those who have been raised together with Christ—he will deliver them to God the Father. Even Christ himself will be subject to God the Father. Then God will be all in all. To be honest, I'm not sure I understand everything that Paul has said. One thing is clear though: Christ's kingdom is what is extraordinarily important and there is no alternative. There is no alternative universe for DEIers, or for Trumpers, or for never-trumpers. “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.” This inclusivity is extreme! It is only in Christ that there can ever be true unity, true oneness. And there will be oneness, because either you will be in him, and one with him, or you will depart from him. This inclusivity is extreme. It seems brutal—harsh, even. But this is where it is important to remember what kind of Lord and King Jesus was. When you are tempted to believe that this is all too extreme, nasty, brutal, and so on, you must remember the way that Jesus was in the Gospels. His disposition towards us has not changed. What the Gospels reveal is that Jesus is an extremely strange king—so different from those who have earthly power. He did not enslave the world so that everybody would serve him. Just the opposite: He poured himself out for the benefit of all. He healed, he set right that which was wrong, he cast out demons, he forgave. And the works didn't need to be extraordinary or grand. On the night when he was betrayed he got out a basin, put water in it, tied a towel around his waist, and washed the disciples feet. What kind of king does that? And, of course, as you are well aware, Jesus was king in a supreme way when he was nailed to the cross, suffered God's wrath for our sins, and died. Because he died, we will not die. Because he is risen, we will rise too. This is the stuff that Paul talks about in our Epistle reading. It is going to happen to us. We will rise at his coming. Death will be destroyed forever. We will be caught up in this whirlwind of Christ's kingdom where all things will be brought to nothing and Christ will rule over everything. Then we will be delivered to God the Father so that God will be all in all. In light of all of this we must all repent and believe the Gospel. Whatever improvement projects we might have for ourselves or for others are futile. They can never reach deep enough. Nothing that we do can ever change the human heart. Only God, through the death and resurrection of his Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit can make us new creatures. This is where the extreme inclusivity, the seemingly brutal oneness, should not be seen as being as brutal as it first appears. It seems brutal because God does all this without asking for our permission or our approval. He's going to do what he's going to do whether we like it or not. Losing control, losing our say about what we think is good or what should happen, is frightening. But what if none of us is good at knowing what is good and evil? What if all our hearts are evil and in need of redemption? Then it is much better for the King, who is wise and good, to take the reins. He continues to set right that which is wrong, to cast out evil spirits, to forgive. Nobody can do what he does. He does all things well.

Sermon Text: Revelation 7   Today we celebrate All Saints Sunday, and we are brought face to face with the reality of death. And while death is all around us, and can make us lose hope, we don't have to. Even Christ died, and so there is no place we can go where Christ has not already gone. And Revelation shows us, in images and suggestions, how we can draw hope for our lives from the lives of those who have walked the way of Christ.   Want to support the work of St. Mary's? https://www.eservicepayments.com/cgi-...

On todays show its a follow up to Sept 17 edition of THE END OF DAYS... however... can Christ followers be FALSE PROPHETS and TEACHERS.... well the bible says so... how can we counter act this both believer and non believer? Well stop by and find out!

The body of christ needs business to expand the Kingdom of God. Even Christ understood this. If faith without works is dead a church depending only on faith is in trouble.

The body of christ needs business to expand the Kingdom of God. Even Christ understood this. If faith without works is dead a church depending only on faith is in trouble.

Apr 2, 2023   What makes someone the greatest? In sports terms, only a few are deemed the “G.O.A.T.” (greatest of all time). Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and so on. Even Christ's disciples were concerned with this question. How is the greatest? Listen in as Jesus gives an answer that continues to challenge our notions of greatness. As you listen in, you will be: 1. Challenged to see greatness not as how many serve us but as how we serve others 2. Encouraged to see Jesus as the primary example of greatness  

REVIVE : Minor Moment, Major Movement, Part 2 – The Selfie Life (Jonah) We live in an age where our society is geared towards a “me” mentality. Whether we realize it or not, we are all being shaped to look out only for ourselves. It's all around us – in our social media, Amazon orders, or curbside service, we believe others are here to cater to our needs. Even Christ-followers think of God being here for what they want by saying, “Lord, bless me.” “Lord, promote me.” or “Lord, give me.” God becomes sort of a means to an end. This was the story of the famous prophet Jonah. And in his walk with God, he was taught that a life devoted to God is not about us but serving Him and others. Join us for this message to learn how to avoid the dangers of the selfie life.

This is our second to last reading! This week we are reading the 58th number from "Way to Inner Peace." Easter is the end-all and be-all of our Christian Faith. I have met a few people in my life who deny the Resurrection of Christ while calling themselves a Christian. But, to be a Christian, you must believe in the reality of the Resurrection. Bishop Sheen is going to talk about how even the Apostles doubted the Resurrection, at first, because they weren't expecting it. They had to be convinced of it. Even Christ's closest companions struggled with it at first.  Three Key Points: Doubt, trust, and truth

12/18/22 - The strong ought to use their strength in Christ to assist the weak, as Christ submitted himself to lift the burden of sin from us.

Rev. Cyril A. Stevens – Sermon 1060B recorded on February 16, 1986 teaching from Matthew 23:1-24 – One is Your Master, Even Christ.

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1406-1411. Have you ever felt abandoned by God? I'm willing to bet that many of us have felt that way. Even Christ, Himself, cries out from the Cross, "My God, My God, why have You abandoned me?" The very human side of Him felt the weight of the suffering and sin and He felt abandoned. But, the important thing to remember is that God never abandons us. He is always right there holding us together if we invite Him into our suffering.   

Series: N/AService: Lord's Supper EulogyType: EulogySpeaker: Ron Drumm

Even Christ followers will have doubts and needs to process through and grow in their faith.

In today's episode, the guys talk about biblical hospitality. As Christians, we have the wherewithal to be the most hospitable people on the face of the earth. In a sense, hospitality is really a reflection of the gospel as it is the Golden Rule in practice. Listen as the guys share their best hospitality experiences. In Scripture, the word hospitality speaks of being a person who has given over by loving other people. The Dictionary defines it as the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors and strangers. God calls on us to be hospitable to everybody, even those we find difficult. Hospitality is meant to be a form of evangelism. The other side of hospitality is discipleship. As demonstrated in the Bible, hospitality is a key characteristic of a good leader. Similarly, Christians showing kindness and hospitality is the best form of advertising.  God does not bless us financially to raise our own standard of living, but so we may have more to give to others. We must not give only from the overflow while keeping the bulk of our belongings to ourselves. Romans 12 says “Contribute to the needs of the saints and sake to show hospitality. This is the way the Christian responds.” The real key to practicing hospitality is to do so without grumbling or complaining. Hospitality does take a certain amount of discomfort. To truly be hospitable means you're going to put yourself in a place of sacrifice and discomfort. The reason why we do it is because Jese was hospitable to us. Even Christ, who was entirely self-sufficient, became dependent on other people's hospitality. All of us have found ourselves in situations where we need someone to lean on for help. If you are in a situation where you don't have much to give, you can turn to God's grace. We must open out homes no matter what, but having a clean and pleasant home helps people to feel comfortable and welcome.  Thanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating!  Links:Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

Reading 1 Corinthians 15:12-15 where Paul lays down a negative argument for the resurrection of Christ and therefore our resurrection. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1406-1411. Have you ever felt abandoned by God? I'm willing to bet that many of us have felt that way. Even Christ, Himself, cries out from the Cross, "My God, My God, why have You abandoned me?" The very human side of Him felt the weight of the suffering and sin and He felt abandoned. But, the important thing to remember is that God never abandons us. He is always right there holding us together if we invite Him into our suffering. 

Specialization in the post industrial age leads to excessive trust on professionals. We feel insecure in our abilities, so we look to others to form our opinions and support our decisions. Christians, however, have a more sure word of prophesy (more sure than tradition or observation). Interested? You should be. The Bible is a gift to modern man, subject to a sovereign God, which should be read in context, not in extracted sound bites that tickle our ears. Let the recorded witnesses encourage you; let the Son of God teach you. A giant step toward equity. *** Chapter 9: Jesus Heals the Nobleman's Son (Part 1) Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee, the place where he had made the water into wine at the marriage feast.  Hearing that Jesus had come back to Galilee from Judea, a nobleman, whose son was sick to the point of death in Capernaum, went to meet him.  He besought Jesus to heal his son. To the nobleman Jesus said: “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” The nobleman replied: “Sir, come down ere my child die.” Jesus responded: “Go thy way; thy son liveth.” The man believed the promise Jesus had made to him and started toward home.  While still on his way he was met, the following day, by his servants, who said: “Thy son liveth.” The nobleman inquired as to the hour his son began to amend and his servants replied: “Yesterday at the seventh hour [1 o'clock] the fever left him. So, the father knew that it was at the same hour Jesus had told him his son lived.  Accordingly, he believed as did all others in his house. ***

One Is Your Master, Even Christ - Bethel Tabernacle by Jason DeMars

We dissect Paul's command to be kind, compassionate and forgiving with the reality that men, as leaders, often need to use "tough love" in our parental and managerial relationships. Even Christ saw virtue in directness: "Let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no,' no." (Matt. 5:37) How do Christian leaders set high expectations yet do so with love and kindness? Also, the fellows talk about the Boy Scouts and whether the program is still relevant in 2020.

Welcome to today's devotion time with Kenny Russell in Caesarea. One Life – Getting Back to the fruit! Share testimonies kenny@bulldozerfaith.com To give https://www.bulldozerfaith.com/give?fbclid=IwAR0lDqlRlq6s3MgYeJuABfWTcecCUftCOCuQYt6vwv49Fdr2EyIEMP5aW-s (https://www.bulldozerfaith.com/give) Support this podcast

Bottom Line: Christian leadership is “servant leadership” and it must start with a foundation built on scripture. Takeaways The Bible has high praise for King Josiah, "Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him." (2 Kings 23:25) These accolades are because Josiah led with a foundation built upon scripture. And, in this way, he's an example of how we should strengthen our leadership skills. We may be tempted to go to Barnes and Noble to buy the latest leadership book, but, as Christians, we should be guided by the commands given to us by God. We need scripture to give us a good foundation for servant leadership just as Jazz musicians need music theory to play beautiful solos. Even Christ built his leadership skills upon the Bible. When he was tempted by the satan in the desert, Jesus responded with words from the Old Testament. Jesus was able to carry out the Father's will because he knew his Bible.  Our task, if we want to be Christian servant leaders, is to begin by reading and obeying the Word. This is how we begin our walk on the Way.  If you'd like to learn more about servant leadership or more about the Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative, click here. 

This task-filled life is overwhelming me. I’m not sure I can do it much longer. I need a superhero to carry me away — away — away — away!This is session 3.5 of The Task-Filled Life. Download the printable Bible study at www.lwml.org/life.This is part of a series with a slightly different format. It's broken down into cycles of 6 weeks: one longer episode followed by 5 weeks of shorter devotional ones.Even Christ is from the Bible study The Task-Filled Life, by Jan Brunette, originally published by LWML.

George Floyd question; More die from doctors than police; Police are not the solution; Function of police; Gullibility of the people; What God wants; vs What you want; What to do about it; South Africa situation; Where is the solution?; Resistance is futile; Example: Kingdom caring for needy neighbors; How much will satisfy?; "Mammon" defined; Even Christ was tempted; Avoiding politics?; Christ's answer; Your choices; What your actions say about you; Becoming zombies; Cain and Abel message; Getting your rights back; Individualism; Learning by experiencing; Worship; Why do you go to church?; "Religion defined"; The true oppressors; Single-parent family problem; Degenerating society; How to recover; Anarchy; Laws are already in place; Our job!; What made America great?

During this unique season of Great Lent this year, because of the threat of the Coronavirus (COVID19), the Church has asked us to stay home. The Church has asked us to not come to Church during some of the most holy days of the year. This goes against our normal thinking, but for the good of our neighbors and society in general, we must stay away from the Church. Christ invites us, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” When we are obedient to our Church Fathers and leaders, we learn to sacrifice our will. Only after we learn to sacrifice our will, will be able to take up our cross. When we learn to be obedient to the Church, we learn to be obedient to God. Even Christ welcomed the cross because He loved us. When we sacrifice our will for God, we show our love for Him.

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We all experience pain. Even Christ experienced pain. None of us are exempt. But we don’t need to get stuck in our pain. Christ endured the cross for the joy set before him. We can see the joy in the midst of the pain. We don’t have to move from death to death. We can move from death to life as our pain produces joy and leads us to wholeness. Enjoy this conversation between me and my good friend, Rebeca Villatoro. Get your FREE Alive Living Field: https://sarahrgautier.com Let's stay connected on IG and FB https://www.instagram.com/sarahrgautier/ https://www.facebook.com/sarahraquelgautier/

Pastor B talks about the importance of surveying your circle. Even Christ had an intimate 3 that He stuck with. Is there someone in your circle that you can be honest with and they will point you back to the Cross? Christ centered friends, godly friends, friends who genuinely want you to grow in Christ. --

In a world with the scientific method and a worldwide, searchable knowledge base we rarely stop to wonder at God and his creation. Even Christ's birth is an intellectually, theologically significant story that we don't often wonder at. Let's take some time to wonder at Christ's birth again.

'For one is your Master, even Christ'

> We have been introduced to the big name of God - Yahweh. The name that Moses took to the Jewish people in Egyptian slavery. The name that connotes eternality, independence, and immutability - an eternally self-sufficient and unchanging God. He, who simply is.> We have come to know the jealousy of God - El Qanna -, which stands up to defend the relationship when sin threatens. This name speaks of His commitment in relationship. He is moved by our relationship.> We have studied the gracious and merciful God. The God who forgives and places limits on the natural consequences of sin (3 generations). Patient, loyal and generous and responding to every heart that turns to Him.> We have been encouraged by El Roi - the God, who sees. He sees our past, our mess, and our escape and yet still moves in comfort us with His presence.This morning we will consider another one of God's big names. In fact, El Shaddai is the name by which Job and Abraham knew God. Not until Moses does God introduce Himself as Yahweh.Scholars are not entirely sure what Shaddai means. The verb comes from to be strong and likely refers to the strength of God as it relates to His keeping His covenant promises. In Genesis 17 God reveals Himself to Abram as El Shaddai and says: walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” (Gen 17:2) In Job 13, he appeals to the shaddai of God and wants to appeal his case before El Shaddai. Job struggles with the suffering he has to endure when he has not sinned and makes His appeal to the God, Who is strong enough to keep His promises.El Shaddai, then, is best translated “God, the Almighty” or in a more modern vernacular: The strongest of all. Theologically we refer to His omnipotence. This divine strength guarantees that He can make true on His promises.I've drawn three biblical conclusions concerning God's omnipotence:His plan cannot be thwartedHis decisions cannot be stoppedHis might cannot be overcomeBiblical history has proven this very truth. Through all the epocs of man God has moved forward with His plan. According to Paul His plan was framed before the foundations of the earth. It was this plan that hinted at with Adam and Eve and it was the only plan to survive the flood. It was the plan that was promised to Abram, confirmed to Isaac and reaffirmed to Jacob. It was this plan that was lived out by Joseph to save Judah and took Moses and the people through the Red Sea to Mount Sinai. It was this plan that permitted Joshua to invade the Promised Land, prompted prophets to warn and Judges to fight and it was this plan the Kings forgot. It was this plan that brought the people back after the captivity. It was this plan that was revealed to a 14 year old girl in Nazareth, announced by shepherds and sought by wise men. His plan came to fruition in Bethlehem and was finished at Golgatha. God is powerful enough to ensure that His plan unfolded through some 5000 years of human history. That is might.God has proven that when He begins something or when He promises something it will come to pass. Paul underlines this confidence in Philippians 1:6.In Psalm 91 the writer builds on this confidence in El Shaddai. This Psalm brings us to a natural response to God's omnipotence. I draw three practical insights:Run to His refugeTrust in His omnipotenceRest on His plansJohn and Anna Kay had a tackboard in their bathroom with many sayings. One of those sayings captures the truth of this Psalm: God never promised a calm voyage, but he guarantees a safe arrival.Even Christ encountered this unmovable and unstoppable plan in the Garden, but through His finished work on the cross nothing can separate us from the love of God… His plan all along.

PRAYER AND PRAYER REQUESTSCol.  4:2-4 "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;  Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:  That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak."There are several things I want us to look at in these verses about prayer.THE INTENSITY OF PRAYERWe see in Paul's exhortation to the Colossians a vital key to answered prayer.  The word “Continue” means, “to adhere to one, be his adherent, to be devoted or constant to one; to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing.” This verb is a present active imperative.  The present tense represents a continuous action in the present tense.  The active voice is where the subject does the acting.  In this case I believe Paul is referring to the entire body of believers in Colossae.  The imperative mood is a command that expresses urgency.  Putting this verb in the imperative mood will have the effect of urgency on the believers there.John Gill comments: “This is not said particularly to masters, as in the foregoing verse, but to all the members of the church in general; for the apostle having taken notice of some special duties relating to persons in different stations of life, returns to such as were common to them all; as this of prayer to God is, for such prayer is intended; for though the object is not expressed here, he is in the following verse, and the Mediator Christ is supposed, and also the Holy Spirit, whose assistance is necessary to it.”We should pray fervently. James 5:16 says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."We have an example of this kind of praying in Colossians 4:12, "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."THE ALERTNESS IN PRAYERThis is brought out in the words, of verse 4, "...and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" The word “watch” means “to give strict attention to.” It is easy for the Christian to see the need for prayer but difficult for him to believe that prayer really changes things.The man who prays fervently will stay at it until the answer comes.  I cannot pass judgment upon those who do not practice in the Christian lives the thing taught by Paul in this verse.  It is not for us to pass Judgement.  Even Christ did not come to pass judgment. John 3:17, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."Our lack of convictions concerning the outcome of prayer is measured by the lack of testimony to answered prayer.  Next,THANKSGIVING IN PRAYERColossians 4:2, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" Is thanksgiving to be offered in gratitude for past answers to prayer, or, is thanksgiving to be offered in faith that what we are praying for is already on the way.One of the things that is absolutely necessary in our relationship to God is thanksgiving. Luke 17:12 18, "And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger." Jesus commented on the Samaritans attitude of gratitude.  We take so many things for granted.  Next,

Upon suffering, we cannot help but ask the question, "Why?" Even Christ asked it from the cross. In the book of Job, there are seemingly endless words from people trying to answer "Why?" for Job... but within their own purely human wisdom. The question has risk. We're prone to hold onto the answer itself more tightly than God. And in this, we can miss significant opportunities to grow in Christ. Listen or watch, and explore this universally human predicament.

Upon suffering, we cannot help but ask the question, "Why?" Even Christ asked it from the cross. In the book of Job, there are seemingly endless words from people trying to answer "Why?" for Job... but within their own purely human wisdom. The question has risk. We're prone to hold onto the answer itself more tightly than God. And in this, we can miss significant opportunities to grow in Christ. Listen or watch, and explore this universally human predicament.

None are without temptation. Even Christ was tempted. What do we do when we are tempted to use food for the wrong reasons? Rita discusses strategies to handle the misuse of food.

None are without temptation. Even Christ was tempted. What do we do when we are tempted to use food for the wrong reasons? Rita discusses strategies to handle the misuse of food.

Margins: do you have them in your life or is everything in your life maxed out. Even Christ had to have downtime. Simplify your life with Christ's plan.

Margins: do you have them in your life or is everything in your life maxed out. Even Christ had to have downtime. Simplify your life with Christ's plan.