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Every Christian faces trials. Some arrive suddenly, while others remain far longer than we would choose. During these difficult seasons, believers often wonder what God is doing and whether their suffering has any purpose. In this episode of Contending for the Word Q&A, Dave Jenkins explains what James 1:2–3 and 1 Peter 1:6–7 teach about trials and testing. Scripture shows that trials are not random interruptions to the Christian life. God uses them to test the genuineness of our faith, produce steadfastness, deepen our trust, and lead us toward spiritual maturity. Counting trials as joy does not mean ignoring pain or pretending difficulties are easy. It means trusting that God is faithfully working through circumstances we may not yet understand. For more from Contending for the Word Q&A please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-qa/
Audio taken from the live teaching "Destroy These 5 Lusts Or They Will Destroy You!" - https://youtu.be/a87RuPgOVmoEvery Christian faces temptation, but temptation becomes dangerous when we allow it to grow into uncontested lust. When you study the Scripture, lust is more than sexual desire; it is any strong, disordered craving that pulls our hearts away from God and toward sin.In our Bible study today we are going to identify the 5 major forms of lust that secretly attack the soul, and discover how to recognize them, and how to restrain them.Key Scriptures used in today's teaching: James 1:12-15Other Scriptures referenced: 1 John 2:15–17; Galatians 5:16; Matthew 6:22-23; Proverbs 4:20-23; 1 Timothy 6:9-10; Mark 10:42-45; 2 Timothy 3:1-4; James 1:14-15In today's study the key Scripture as well as 1 John 2:15-17 was read from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation. All other verses are read from the New Living Translation (NLT).If you prayed with Tiff, click here https://lostlamb.org/ and let him know! Be sure to check out the playlist “New Beginnings” - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsX8E19Azl58_FjxELPxjnsL8CAtmama4Thank you for listening, and subscribe for new content each week. Connect with Tiff Shuttlesworth:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LostLambAssociation/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffshuttlesworth/ X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiffshuttleswor Learn more about my ministry: https://lostlamb.org/ Learn more about my ministry in Canada: https://www.lostlamb.ca
His People – 07/30/2026 – Ken Samples | on 5 foundational New Testament terms every Christian should know. For more faith-filled, Gospel-centered content, download the Pilgrim Radio app today on Google Play and Apple, or stream at PilgrimRadio.com.
Every Christian goes through wilderness periods where we experience times of trial and testing. Pastor Adriel Sanchez shares how we can grow in the wilderness by becoming less reliant on ourselves and more aware of our dependence on Christ and the provisions of God. FREE DOWNLOAD OF JUSTIFICATION & SANCTIFICATION A clear introduction to justification and sanctification. Learn how Protestants and Catholics differ on the gospel and why it matters. FOLLOW US YouTube | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter WHO WE ARESola Media serves today's global church by producing resources for reformation grounded in the historic Christian faith. For over thirty-five years, Sola has walked alongside Christians in their faith, pointing away from novelty and ourselves, and toward Christ and his gospel as proclaimed in the Scriptures, articulated in the ancient Christian Creeds, and summarized in the confessions of the Protestant Reformation. Learn more: https://solamedia.org/
“You're Not Fixed Up — You're Made New.” Pastors Aaron and Heather Perdue break down 3 things every Christian must know from 2 Corinthians 5:17–21: you are a new […] The post 3 Things Every Christian Should Know | The Perdue Podcast Live EP 18 appeared first on Charis Christian Center.
The Waiting Well - Infertility, Faith-based Encouragement, Trying to Conceive, Fertility
Every Christian woman navigating infertility eventually faces the deeper question beneath “Why me?”: Can I still trust God if my path to motherhood looks nothing like I imagined? This episode explores how infertility exposes our fears about God's character and why lasting peace comes not from certainty about the outcome, but from confidence in the One who holds it.
Power to Be a Witness: Why Everyone Needs the Holy SpiritWhy did Jesus tell His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit before fulfilling the Great Commission?In this message, Pastor Jonathan Morgan reveals that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not simply for a personal spiritual experience—it's God's empowerment for every believer to become an effective witness. Jesus never reserved evangelism for pastors or missionaries. Every Christian has been called and equipped to share the gospel and lead others to Christ. Building on Mark 16 and Acts 1, this teaching explores why the Church's greatest mission isn't merely growing attendance, transferring church members, or winning cultural debates—it's seeing hearts transformed through the gospel of Jesus Christ.In this message you'll discover:* Why every believer—not just pastors or missionaries—is called to preach the gospel* The true purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit* What Jesus meant by "You shall receive power... and you shall be My witnesses"* Why the gospel is the power of God to transform lives* How sharing your testimony opens the door for healing, deliverance, and salvation* The biblical strategy for changing communities and nations* Practical ways to begin sharing Christ with confidence in your everyday lifeKey Scriptures:* Mark 16:15–18* Acts 1:4–8* Matthew 9:17* Matthew 13:33* Matthew 23:15Jesus didn't call His followers to stay silent. He empowered them with the Holy Spirit so they could boldly proclaim the good news, pray for the sick, see lives transformed, and make disciples wherever they go.The mission field isn't only across the ocean—it's across the street.If this message encouraged you, let us know in the comments:How has the Holy Spirit empowered you to share your faith? Sundays at 8:30 & 10:30 AMWe are branded by the fire of God. We carry the fire of God to ignite our generation to burn for Jesus. Find us:www.fuquayrevival.comwww.facebook.com/cornerstonefuquayig: @cornerstonechurch.fv
Kyle Worley is joined by Lauren & Tyler to discuss the story of “The Pilgrim's Progress.” Questions Covered in This Episode: What is Lithos? What is Pilgrims' Progress? Why should everyone read it? What is it an allegory for? Why did the book's popularity fade? Why is there a renewed interest? Why would you tell a family that this story is worth their time? What resources would you recommend are necessities for family discipleship? Guest Bios: Tyler Van Halteren founded Lithos Kids in 2020 after seeing the impact short bedtime stories had on his son. He is the author of the Little Pilgrim series as well as The Kingdom of God Bible Storybook. Canadian by birth, Tyler previously served as a pastor in rural Ontario and later as a Bible professor in Cambodia. His growing young family now resides in Canada. Tyler holds a M.Div. from The Master's Seminary. Lauren Ducommun and her family served as missionaries in Indonesia before returning to Canada. She joined the team in 2020 and currently oversees our US warehouse, social media content, marketing, editing, and proofreading. She also modernized The Pilgrim's Progress: Legacy Edition and formatted Paradise Lost: Legacy Edition! Her family now resides near Fort Worth, Texas, where she works from home with her two kids, ages nine and thirteen. Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Lithos “The Pilgrim's Progress” by John Bunyan “Little Pilgrim's Big Journey” by Tyler Van Halteren Follow Us:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | WebsiteSupport Training the Church and Become a Patron:patreon.com/trainingthechurchYou can now receive your first seminary class for FREE from Midwestern Seminary after completing Lifeway's Deep Discipleship curriculum, featuring JT, Jen and Kyle. Learn more at mbts.edu/deepdiscipleship.To learn more about our sponsors please visit our sponsor page.Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Want to Start or Grow a Successful Business? Schedule a FREE 13-Point Assessment with Clay Clark Today At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com Join Clay Clark's Thrivetime Show Business Workshop!!! Learn Branding, Marketing, SEO, Sales, Workflow Design, Accounting & More. **Request Tickets & See Testimonials At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com **Request Tickets Via Text At (918) 851-0102 See the Thousands of Success Stories and Millionaires That Clay Clark Has Helped to Produce HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/testimonials/ Download A Millionaire's Guide to Become Sustainably Rich: A Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Successful Money-Generating and Time-Freedom Creating Business HERE: www.ThrivetimeShow.com/Millionaire See Thousands of Case Studies Today HERE: www.thrivetimeshow.com/does-it-work/
Every Christian has a testimony. It may be dramatic or quiet, but if Jesus has changed your life, He has given you a story of His grace, mercy, and transforming power. In Mark chapter 5, Jesus sent a man, whose life had been radically changed, back to his own people with one simple assignment: “Tell others what the Lord has done for you.” In the same way, God desires to use our testimonies to point people to Christ, open doors for the gospel, and reveal His power to a world that desperately needs hope. Speaker: Pastor Ben Dixon Scripture: Mark 5:18-20 Series: Reach Out Thank you for Joining. For more information visit www.BenDixon.org or fill out a Northwest Church Connect Card - https://nwc.churchcenter.com/people/forms/118663
Pastor Nathan concludes our At the Movies series with an empowering message titled Hold the Line. In this message, Pastor Nathan uses The Avengers as an example to reveal a powerful biblical truth of endurance for the gospel. Just as The Avengers stood together when everything was on the line, as Jesus' followers, we are called to hold the line together, encourage one another, and remain faithful to Jesus. In Matthew 24, Jesus reminds us that faith is proven by enduring to the end. Every Christian will face a moment when pressure is overwhelming, the battle feels impossible, and quitting seems easier than standing firm. The question is, will we hold the line, or will we run? No matter what you're facing, God is calling you to stay faithful. Don't loosen your grip. Don't quit before your breakthrough. Jesus is coming back soon, and until that day, we are His ambassadors. We will pray, worship, serve, give, and stand firm together as one body for Christ. "Go all in for the One who already went all in for you." -Pastor Nathan Green. In our At The Movies series, we are using movies people recognize to reveal the Word of God. Join us Sundays at 9AM or 11AM! Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more messages on faith, discipleship, and following Jesus in everyday life. — If you accepted Christ we'd love to meet you! Click the link below to introduce yourself so we can help you along your faith journey! Click Here!
Today's Service Summary: "Ignorance Is a Silent Killer" Key Scripture: Hosea 4:6 — "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Main Message: Spiritual ignorance is dangerous because it leaves believers vulnerable to deception, fear, and poor decisions. The Bible is the primary way God speaks and reveals His will for our lives. Every Christian should continually read, study, meditate on, memorize, and hear God's Word to grow spiritually. God's Word is a lamp that guides us one step at a time, helping us make wise decisions and walk in His will. The pastor shared personal testimonies of how God used Scripture to provide direction, encouragement, and confirmation during important moments in his life and ministry. The message concluded with a challenge to seek God's will daily, trust His guidance, and build a strong foundation in His Word. Highlighted Quotes "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6) "Ignorance is a silent killer spiritually." "Open Bible, God speaking. Closed Bible, God not speaking." "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105) "Not my will, Father, but Yours be done."
Pastor Nathan concludes our At the Movies series with an empowering message titled Hold the Line. In this message, Pastor Nathan uses The Avengers as an example to reveal a powerful biblical truth of endurance for the gospel. Just as The Avengers stood together when everything was on the line, as Jesus' followers, we are called to hold the line together, encourage one another, and remain faithful to Jesus. In Matthew 24, Jesus reminds us that faith is proven by enduring to the end. Every Christian will face a moment when pressure is overwhelming, the battle feels impossible, and quitting seems easier than standing firm. The question is, will we hold the line, or will we run? No matter what you're facing, God is calling you to stay faithful. Don't loosen your grip. Don't quit before your breakthrough. Jesus is coming back soon, and until that day, we are His ambassadors. We will pray, worship, serve, give, and stand firm together as one body for Christ. "Go all in for the One who already went all in for you." -Pastor Nathan Green. In our At The Movies series, we are using movies people recognize to reveal the Word of God. Join us Sundays at 9AM or 11AM! Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more messages on faith, discipleship, and following Jesus in everyday life. — If you accepted Christ we'd love to meet you! Click the link below to introduce yourself so we can help you along your faith journey! Click Here!
Spontaneous short episodes recorded Off The Cuff from the heart and life of Matt Knoll
HOW TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX6NdGnm_vASUBSCRIBE https://www.youtube.com/c/biblelineLIKE https://www.facebook.com/biblelineminCOMMENT ask us a question!SHARE with all your friends and familyHave a Bible question? The questions@biblelineministries.org email address is not longer in use, but you can:- Explore Pastor Jesse's full teaching library: https://www.youtube.com/@BibleLine/playlists- Watch a clear gospel presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX6NdGnm_vA- Ask your question live on air during our YouTube call-in show:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLElaVGv3oAZ6Y9q4uV9TOX5PMEYimFXqgSupport Bibleline - https://www.calvaryoftampa.org/donate/Bibleline is a ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida and is hosted by Pastor Jesse Martinez.LIKE THIS? CHECK THESE GUYS OUT:@Northlandchurchstc@YankeeArnoldMinistries@focusevangelisticministriesinc@TheKeesBoerMinistryChannel@FishersWithFaithMinistries@QuentinRoad@NorthsideChurchAthens@C4CApologetics@OnoDiamante#bibleline #salvation
Spontaneous short episodes recorded Off The Cuff from the heart and life of Matt Knoll
In today's homily, Fr. Tyler Mentzer, MIC, explores the timeless wisdom of St. Bonaventure, who teaches that Christian perfection comes not through knowledge alone, but through the burning love of Jesus Christ. Discover the Franciscan path of prayer, humility, grace, and total union with God.Fr. Tyler Mentzer reminds us that holiness is not reserved for theologians or mystics. Every Christian is invited to this same journey. The path to perfection is simple, though demanding: reject sin, cultivate humility, live a holy life, pray fervently, meditate on Christ's Passion, and allow God's grace to inflame your heart. As St. Bonaventure teaches, the goal is not merely to know about God, but to become so united with Him that love itself transforms us.Readings for July 15th 2026: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071526.cfm ★ Support this podcast ★
What happens when students step away from the constant noise of social media, academic pressure, and cultural confusion? In this episode, Kasey Leander sits down with Dustin Jizmejian, Senior Director of Conferences and Events at Summit Ministries, to explore why immersive Christian experiences can have a lasting impact on a student's faith, worldview, and purpose. Today's students are more connected than ever, yet many feel increasingly anxious, isolated, and uncertain about what is true. Dustin explains why intentionally stepping away from everyday distractions creates space for meaningful conversations, authentic community, and a deeper encounter with God. Together, they discuss how Scripture shapes our understanding of retreat, discipleship, and spiritual formation—and why Christian conferences remain one of the most effective ways to equip young people with a biblical worldview. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, youth pastor, educator, or student, this conversation will encourage you to think differently about the power of intentional discipleship and investing in the next generation. In this episode: Why are students more anxious, isolated, and distracted than ever How constant digital noise shapes identity and faith Why stepping away creates room for spiritual growth What the Bible teaches about retreat, community, and discipleship How Summit's student conferences help young people build a resilient biblical worldview Stories of students whose lives were transformed through Summit Why lasting faith is often formed through an immersive Christian community How parents and churches can better prepare students for today's culture For more than 60 years, Summit Ministries has equipped thousands of students to think critically, evaluate competing worldviews, and embrace God's truth with confidence. Through two-week summer conferences and other immersive programs, students engage with leading Christian scholars, build lifelong friendships, ask honest questions, and develop a faith that can withstand today's cultural challenges. If you want to help the student in your life grow in wisdom, confidence, and a biblical worldview, there's no better place to start. Learn more or register at Summit.org. If this episode encouraged you, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a parent, pastor, youth leader, teacher, or student looking for practical ways to grow in truth and live faithfully. Have a question you'd like us to discuss on a future episode? Email us at podcast@summit.org.
Who Taught You to Believe That? | The Ancient Warning Every Christian Needs Every Christian is being discipled by someone—but are they leading you toward Christ or away from Him? In this episode, Lenny Esposito explores Deuteronomy 13 to uncover God's timeless warning about false prophets, counterfeit gospels, and the subtle influences shaping our faith today. From modern church movements to social media algorithms, learn how to test every teaching against Scripture and recognize the voices that truly lead to Christ.
Every Christian struggles with worry and doubt. Today we're going to look at what Jesus says about worry and the superpower to overcome it. Discussion Guide: https://longhollow.com/the-forgotten-jesus-podcast-discussion-guides Notes: https://longhollow.com/theforgottenjesuspodcastshownotes
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We have built some real momentum in the readings for this first half of summer. Of course, you may have a congregation that is in a week, out a week — or, if you have lots of snowbirds, either your sanctuary feels more full or more empty. But the texts march on, and so do we!This is the second Sunday inside Matthew's parables chapter. Last week the Parable of the Sower opened the section; this week we get the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds. Both parables share an image of a field, a sower, and a problem — but they ask different questions. The Sower asks what happens to the word once it has been scattered. The Wheat and the Weeds asks how to live in a field where good and bad are mixed and indistinguishable, and what to do when the impulse rises to sort it out ourselves.Image courtesy of Sickle of Truth: A Bible Student BlogThe Old Testament tracks both lead toward the Gospel in different ways. * Track One follows Jacob deeper into Genesis — to the famous dream at Bethel, where Jacob, fleeing his brother's anger, lays his head on a stone and sees a ladder reaching to heaven. Psalm 139 pairs with that scene by insisting there is no place where God's presence does not reach. * Track Two offers a choice between Wisdom of Solomon's meditation on the lenient sovereignty of God and Isaiah's short, sharp declaration of God's uniqueness; both are paired with Psalm 86, including its prayer for an undivided heart. * The Epistle continues the long climb through Romans 8 — today's portion includes some of Paul's most stirring language about being children of God, the groaning of creation, and the patience of hope.A note for preachers following a series: this Sunday continues the new arc of parables. The Sower (last week), the Wheat and the Weeds (today), and in coming weeks the Mustard Seed, the Yeast, the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl, and the Net — these images are the way Jesus has chosen to talk about the kingdom of heaven. Our job as preachers, increasingly, is to slow down enough to let the images do their work.The ReadingsGenesis 28:10–19aFirst Reading (Track One) — Jacob's Dream at BethelSummaryJacob is on the run. He has just cheated his brother Esau out of their father's blessing, and Esau has vowed to kill him. Rebekah has sent him toward her brother's house in Haran, ostensibly to find a wife but really to keep him alive. The selected verses pick him up somewhere on the road, alone, in an unnamed place at sundown. He takes a stone, puts it under his head, and lies down. And he dreams: a ladder, or stairway, with its foot on the ground and its top reaching up into the heavens, and the angels of God going up and down on it. God stands beside him — or above the ladder — and renews the covenant once given to Abraham: this land, descendants beyond counting, blessing for all the families of the earth. And then the line on which the whole scene turns: I am with you and will keep you wherever you go. Jacob wakes, and the first words out of his mouth are: Surely the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it. He is afraid. He calls the place awesome. He sets up the stone as a pillar, pours oil on it, and names the place Bethel — house of God.Key Ideas for Preaching* Jacob is fleeing the consequences of his own deception. The grace God gives him in this dream is given to a manipulator on the run. Where in your congregation are people quietly assuming that God's presence is reserved for those who have their lives sorted out, and how might Jacob's story interrupt that?* “Surely the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it.” That is one of the most honest lines in Genesis. Jacob discovers that God has been somewhere he did not expect, and he himself was the last to notice. Where in your people's lives might God have been present in a place they did not credit, and what would it look like to wake up to it now?* The ladder is set up on the earth. The traffic on it is two-way — angels ascending and descending. Heaven and earth are connected, and the connection runs in both directions. How might this image steady a congregation that imagines God as remote, or imagines spiritual life as something we have to climb up to?* The promise God speaks to Jacob is mostly about presence: I am with you and will keep you wherever you go. Not just here at this holy site, but on the road. What might it mean for your people that the God of Bethel is the same God of every uncomfortable, unconsecrated place their lives will take them?Significant Cautions* Do not romanticize Jacob into a hero of the dream. He is, at this point in Genesis, a deceiver running from his consequences. The point of the scene is not Jacob's virtue but God's grace toward someone who has not earned it.* “House of God” language can be too quickly applied to a church building. The place Jacob names Bethel is a piece of open ground with a stone in it. The text is not really endorsing sacred architecture; it is naming places where God surprises us.* The promise that Jacob's offspring will inherit the land has had a long and painful history of being used to justify the taking of land from other people. If you touch this part of the text, handle it carefully and avoid reading the ancient promise as a blanket endorsement of any modern claim.Psalm 139:1–12, 23–24The Psalm (Track One) — You Have Searched Me and Known MeSummaryOne of the most intimate and personal psalms in the Bible. The opening verses celebrate God's deep knowledge of the psalmist — sitting down and rising up, the thoughts before they are spoken, the path before it is taken. The middle section asks the question Jacob might have asked: where can I go from your presence? The answer is: nowhere. Not heaven, not Sheol, not the wings of the morning, not the deepest sea, not the darkness. Even the darkness is not dark to God; the night is as bright as the day. The lectionary skips the harder middle verses and picks up at the closing: search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts; see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.Key Ideas for Preaching* This psalm reads like a meditation on Jacob's realization — surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. The psalm extends that to every place. Where in your congregation might people need to hear that there is no place outside God's attention, and what does that mean for the places they are quietly afraid to go?* “Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day.” That is one of the most beautiful sentences in the psalms. How might your sermon let your people feel the kindness of that line — not God's surveillance, but God's presence in the very darkness they have been hiding in?* The closing prayer asks God to search the psalmist — not to judge but to lead. That is a remarkable posture. Where in your people's lives might openness to being known by God be more freeing than the long work of self-management?Significant Cautions* God's constant knowing can feel like surveillance, especially to people who have lived under abusive or controlling authorities. Be gentle with this language. The God of Psalm 139 holds us, not watches us.* The omitted middle verses (19–22) contain harsh language about hating God's enemies. The lectionary leaves these out for good reason. If you reach for them, handle them with care.Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16–19First Reading (Track Two, primary option) — You Are Lord of AllSummaryFrom the book of Wisdom, part of the Apocrypha (or deuterocanonical books, depending on tradition). The selected verses celebrate God's universal sovereignty and patient mercy. There is no other God beside this one, the text says, and this God's strength is the source of righteousness. Because God is sovereign over all, God can afford to be lenient — to spare all, to be patient with all, to leave room for repentance. And then the closing line that may be why the lectionary pairs this with today's Gospel: through such acts, God teaches the people that the righteous must be kind.Key Ideas for Preaching* The connection the text makes between God's sovereignty and God's mercy is striking. Because God is in total command, God can be patient. Cruelty and impatience are the marks of weakness, not strength. Where in your congregation has impatience been mistaken for moral seriousness, and what would it look like to learn the patience of the strong?* “The righteous must be kind.” That is, in five words, the ethical conclusion the text draws from God's character. Where in your congregation has righteousness been imagined as something other than kindness, and what might shift if these two were not allowed to come apart?Significant Cautions* Some traditions (most Protestant ones) do not consider Wisdom canonical. If your congregation's tradition uses Isaiah 44 instead, the next section of this guide covers it.* “The strong are merciful” can sometimes shade into a paternalism that treats mercy as something dispensed from on high. The text is reaching for something different — a mercy that flows from confidence, not condescension.Isaiah 44:6–8First Reading (Track Two, alternative option) — I Am the First and I Am the LastSummaryA short, sharp declaration of God's uniqueness. The Lord, the King of Israel, the Lord of hosts, declares: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let them speak. Who can declare the things to come as I have done? Do not fear, do not be afraid. You are my witnesses. Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.Key Ideas for Preaching* “Do not fear, do not be afraid.” That phrase, echoing several Sundays back in Matthew 10, anchors this short text. The reason not to fear is the same: there is no rival power. What does it look like for your people to hear that the deepest threats they imagine have, in the end, no real competing authority?* “You are my witnesses.” That is a striking thing for God to say. It places God's people inside the testimony, not at the edge of it. Where in your congregation might the language of witness need to be recovered — not as performance, but as the kind of life that quietly testifies to what is true?Significant Cautions* “There is no other god” has sometimes been used in interreligious contexts in ways that flatten and demean other faiths. Isaiah is speaking inside a particular ancient struggle against idolatry, not handing the church a position paper on world religions.Psalm 86:11–17The Psalm (Track Two) — An Undivided HeartSummaryA continuation of the psalm we already heard a few weeks ago (Proper 7). The selected verses contain one of the most quoted lines from the psalms: teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. The psalmist gives thanks for God's steadfast love and deliverance, names the trouble he is in (the insolent and the ruthless are after his life), and pleads for help, for a sign of favor, for God's strength.Key Ideas for Preaching* “An undivided heart.” That is a request many of us would not dare to pray, because we know how divided our hearts are. The psalmist is honest about needing to be given a single-mindedness he does not yet have. Where in your congregation might the gift of an undivided heart be more needed than the discipline of trying to manufacture one?* The psalmist names that ruthless people are after his life — and then, in the same psalm, names God as merciful and gracious. Both things are true at the same time. The psalm does not pretend the threats are not real in order to praise God. How might your people learn to hold real danger and real praise in the same prayer?Significant Cautions* “Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may be put to shame” is honest prayer but easy to weaponize. Be careful preaching this verse in a way that gives moral cover to grudges your congregation is already nursing.Romans 8:12–25The Epistle — Children of God, Heirs with Christ, Creation GroaningSummaryPaul continues the unfolding of Romans 8. We are debtors not to the old way of living, he says, but to the Spirit. All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God — not slaves anymore, but adopted, with the right to call out, in the most intimate language Paul can find, Abba! Father! If we are children, we are heirs, joint heirs with Christ, sharing in his suffering and in his glory. The passage then opens out into one of the most cosmic visions in the New Testament. The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed. The creation itself waits, with eager longing, for the revealing of the children of God. The creation has been subjected to futility — not by its own choice — in hope. It groans. We groan with it. We who have the first fruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait for adoption and the redemption of our bodies. We were saved in hope, and hope that is seen is not hope. We wait, with patience, for what we do not yet see.Key Ideas for Preaching* Paul calls God by the name Jesus called him — Abba. That is the Aramaic word a child would have used, intimate, not formal. The Spirit makes us able to use that word too. What might it shift in your people's prayer life to hear that the language of intimacy with God is not reserved for spiritual experts?* Paul includes the whole creation in the work of redemption. The trees, the soil, the seas, the suffering creatures — they are not background scenery to the human drama. They are part of it. They groan; they wait. How might this widen your congregation's sense of what salvation includes?* “Hope that is seen is not hope.” Christian hope, by definition, is hope in something we cannot yet point to. We do not have it in hand; we wait for it. Where in your congregation has hope been collapsed into optimism, and how might Paul's patience steady it?* The passage holds together suffering and glory in a way that does not minimize either. Paul does not say the suffering is not real; he says it is not the final word. What does it look like for your congregation to grieve honestly and hope honestly in the same breath?Significant Cautions* “If we suffer with him” has sometimes been used to bless suffering that should be opposed. Paul is talking about the cost of belonging to Christ, not about staying in abusive relationships or harmful situations. Be careful here.* The adoption language has been used in ways that exclude or shame those for whom adoption is a complicated family experience. The word is theological here — about being made part of God's family by grace — but it lands on a particular set of human stories. Handle it with awareness.* “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory” can be heard cruelly by someone in real, present suffering. Paul is not minimizing their pain. He is naming an even larger reality. Say so.* The cosmic creation imagery (the whole creation groaning) has sometimes been used to bless any sentimental view of nature. Paul has something more specific in mind — a creation broken, in hope of being remade. Do not flatten this into pantheism or sentimentality.Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43The Gospel — The Wheat and the WeedsSummaryJesus tells another parable. The kingdom of heaven, he says, is like someone who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds in among the wheat, and went away. When the plants came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared as well. The servants come to the master, alarmed: did you not sow good seed? Where did these weeds come from? An enemy has done this, he answers. They offer to go and pull them up. The master refuses. No, he says — in pulling up the weeds, you would uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time, the reapers will sort them out. The lectionary then jumps to Jesus' private interpretation with his disciples. The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one; the enemy is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. The weeds will be gathered and burned. The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen.Key Ideas for Preaching* The weed in this parable is almost certainly darnel — a real plant that looks identical to wheat in the early stages of growth. You cannot tell them apart until the grain heads form. The master's refusal to let the servants pull up the weeds is not a moral instruction about tolerance; it is a botanical fact. They literally cannot tell. How might your sermon take that fact seriously and let it reshape the whole feel of the parable?* The servants in the parable are confident. They are sure they know which plants are weeds. The master, gently, refuses their confidence. Where in your congregation has confidence about who is in and who is out crept in, and what would it look like to take the master's caution seriously?* Jesus tells the disciples that the field is the world — not the church. That is worth saying out loud. The parable is not giving the church permission to be lenient about who belongs inside its life. It is talking about the much larger field of the world, where good and evil grow together, and where we are not the reapers. What does it look like for your congregation to know the difference between the church's discernment and the final judgment of the world?* The history of Christian attempts to pull up the weeds in advance is, frankly, awful. The church has identified the wrong people as weeds in every generation. Where in your congregation's past, or in your congregation's present, has someone been pulled up who was, in fact, wheat? How might honest naming help your people walk more humbly into the future?* The parable is not a call to moral passivity. The wheat still has to be tended. Injustice still has to be opposed. What the parable forbids is the human attempt to do the final sorting now. How might your sermon hold together active love for what is good and patient restraint from premature judgment?Significant Cautions* This parable has been used in some of the most damaging ways imaginable — to identify whole groups of people as “weeds”. Every Christian generation has done it, and every Christian generation has been at least partly wrong. Be especially careful with any application of this parable to actual people.* “The field is the world” means just that. The parable is not a license for the church to be lax about its own internal life. Paul and other New Testament writers have plenty to say about that. But the parable is talking about the larger field, where the final sort is not ours.* The interpretation in verses 36–43 is fierce — furnace, weeping, gnashing of teeth. Be careful with this language. It is in the text, but it is not the central point. The central point is the master's caution to the servants in the first half: let both grow together. The judgment language is the backdrop, not the foreground.* “Let anyone with ears listen” has been preached as a kind of warning. It is better heard as an invitation. The parable is doing slow, careful work; the listening it asks for is patient.* The parable can be misused in the opposite direction — as a license to ignore evil because the harvest is coming. It does not say that. It restrains us from premature sorting; it does not absolve us from active love and justice in the meantime.Thematic ConnectionsThe Gospel is the natural center for the day. The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds is one of the most pastorally and politically important parables in Matthew, and the preacher who slows down with it will find that it has much to say to the moment in which most congregations are gathered — a moment in which the human impulse to sort people into wheat and weeds has rarely felt more intense.On Track One, Jacob's dream at Bethel pairs with the parable in a quiet but pointed way. Jacob is, by any honest measure, a weed in his family's field at this point in Genesis. He has cheated his brother and is running from the consequences. And God meets him with grace. The story is its own commentary on the parable: the people we would have written off as weeds turn out to be, in God's hands, wheat in the making. Psalm 139 widens the point: there is no place where God's knowing does not reach, no darkness God does not see clear through. The God who finds Jacob on the road is the same God who finds us in whatever country we have been hiding in.On Track Two, the connection runs through the question of who has the right to judge. Wisdom of Solomon names God as the sovereign whose strength expresses itself in patience. Isaiah names God as the one and only — with no real rivals to fear. Psalm 86 asks for the gift of an undivided heart. Together, these texts ease the listener into the Gospel's harder claim: the final word about wheat and weeds is not ours.Romans 8 sits inside the day as the cosmic frame. The whole creation groans. We groan with it. The hope we wait for is not yet visible. The patience Paul asks for is the same patience the master asks for in the parable — a willingness to let the field be the field, to let the harvest be the harvest, to trust that the One who set this all in motion has not lost track of any of it. The same Spirit who lets us cry Abba is the Spirit who teaches us to wait.For preachers continuing the series: the parables arc is now two weeks old. The Sower last week named God's lavish scattering. The Wheat and the Weeds this week names God's patient deferral of judgment. Together they form a particular picture of the kingdom — generous in its giving, patient in its sorting, and not finally in our hands. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe
From Grace to Greater Grace Romans 12:6-14 Every Christian has received gifts from God, but discernment begins not with extraordinary revelations, but with a quiet heart that learns to recognize where God is already at work. Drawing on St. John Chrysostom's image of the vessel, this homily explores how repentance, prayer, humility, and faithful cooperation with God's grace enlarge our capacity to receive His life. The goal of the Christian life is not to envy another's calling but to become fully ourselves in Christ, growing "from grace to greater grace, from love to deeper love." Enjoy the show! --- In today's Epistle, Saint Paul says something both wonderfully encouraging and deeply challenging. He reminds us that every one of us has received gifts from God. No one here has been overlooked. No one is unnecessary. The Holy Spirit has given each of us something through which He intends to build up the Body of Christ. But that immediately raises a question. How do we know what our gift is? Sometimes we imagine that discernment means waiting for a lightning bolt from heaven. We think that one day God will suddenly reveal exactly what He wants us to do. Usually, that's not how it works. More often, discernment grows out of a life that has already become quiet enough to hear God. Part of your discernment is simply paying attention. What has God placed in your life? What opportunities has He given you? What needs has He placed before you? What abilities has He entrusted to you? Those are often the first clues to discovering your vocation. Discernment isn't first about discovering a career or even a ministry. It is learning to recognize where God is already at work and joining Him there. Saint John Chrysostom has a beautiful insight here. He says that Saint Paul is careful to preserve two truths at the same time. First, every gift is truly a gift. If someone has the gift of teaching, or leadership, or generosity, or mercy, there is no room for pride because none of us manufactured these gifts ourselves. They have all been entrusted to us by God. But Chrysostom also says there is no room for laziness. He uses the image of a vessel. God pours out His grace generously, but the amount a vessel can receive depends upon its capacity. The larger the vessel, the more it can hold. The more the vessel has been enlarged through faith and repentance, the more room there is for God's grace to work. That means our task is not to envy someone else's gift. Our task is to enlarge the vessel. Notice what Paul doesn't say. He doesn't tell us to manufacture the grace. He tells us to become capable of receiving it. I was reminded of that recently while traveling in Italy. Everywhere we went, coffee was served in those little espresso cups. Perfectly fine for espresso—but after a few days I found myself missing my big American coffee mug! A larger vessel simply holds more. But then it occurred to me that size isn't the only thing that matters. A large cup that is full of old coffee grounds, grime, or yesterday's leftovers still can't receive fresh coffee. Before it can be filled, it has to be cleaned. The same is true of us. God is always pouring out His grace. The question isn't whether He is willing to give it. The question is whether we have made room to receive it. Repentance cleans out the vessel, and the spiritual life enlarges it. How do we do that? By repentance. By prayer. By worship. By humility. By learning to quiet the passions that so often drown out the voice of God. This is why the spiritual life is so important. Before we can use our gifts well, we must become the kind of people who can receive and exercise them wisely. And that requires stillness. We live in a noisy world. There are constant opinions, constant distractions, constant arguments, constant anxieties. Every day someone tells us what we should fear, what we should desire, what we should be angry about. It becomes very difficult to hear God when every other voice is shouting. One of the greatest acts of spiritual discipline is simply learning to become quiet. Not merely quiet on the outside. Quiet on the inside. Quiet enough that we stop reacting to every impulse. Quiet enough that we stop needing to prove ourselves. Quiet enough that we can finally listen. Only a quiet heart can recognize the gentle movements of the Holy Spirit. There is another temptation, and it's a subtle one. Because we rightly confess God's grace, we can begin to think that our role is simply to wait. "If God wants me to become holy," we tell ourselves, "He'll make it happen." But Saint John Chrysostom won't let us think that way. Grace is always God's gift. But he reminds us that the beginning lies with us. We enlarge the vessel. We exercise the gift. We practice the virtues. We pray. We repent. We forgive. We become faithful in the little things. God supplies the grace, but He does not bypass our freedom. He invites our cooperation. And our cooperation is required because the command is to love God and our neighbor, and love requires action. This is what the Fathers mean when they speak of synergy—not that we earn God's grace, but that we freely cooperate with it. And that finally brings us to trust. So much of our anxiety comes from believing that everything depends on us. What if I make the wrong decision? What if I miss my calling? What if I should be doing something else? But those are the wrong questions. The right questions are much simpler. Am I becoming faithful? Am I becoming humble? Am I becoming the kind of person who can receive what God wants to give? Because if the answer to those questions is yes, then God is perfectly capable of directing your life. As we look through the Scriptures, one thing becomes obvious. God has never had trouble finding capable people. Egypt had capable people. Babylon had capable people. Rome had capable people. Finding competent men and women has never been God's problem. What God delights in finding are hearts that are willing to trust Him. Hearts humble enough to learn. Hearts faithful in the little things, day after day. Hearts open to receiving His grace. That's why comparing ourselves with other people is such a waste of time. God isn't asking you to become someone else. He's asking you to become fully yourself in Christ. So don't spend your life wishing you had someone else's gift or someone else's job. Don't imagine that if only you could preach like this person, sing like that person, organize like someone else, then God could finally use you. That isn't His question. His question is: What have I already entrusted to you? And what kind of vessel are you becoming? Are you enlarging it through prayer? Through repentance? Through trust? Through love? The saints were not people who received different grace from us. They simply spent a lifetime enlarging the vessel because God delights in filling every vessel that is offered to Him. God has already given you everything you need for today's obedience. Just look around you. There is no shortage of opportunities to love. There is no shortage of people who need encouragement. No shortage of burdens to help carry. No shortage of prayers to offer. No shortage of forgiveness to extend. The opportunities to love are already waiting for us. And here's the beautiful thing: as we are faithful in these little things, God enlarges the vessel. He entrusts us with more—not because He needs more accomplished, but because He is teaching us to love more deeply. That's the joy of the Christian life. God is not merely giving us work to do. He is forming us into the kind of people who can love as Christ loves. Every act of obedience, every quiet prayer, every burden we help carry, every hidden act of mercy is one more way that the Holy Spirit shapes us, little by little, into the likeness of Christ. And that is the greatest gift and the highest calling of all. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Have you noticed how much spiritual language sounds the same these days?Manifesting.Alignment.Energy.The universe.Partnership.Sometimes the words sound familiar enough that we stop asking where they come from. And that matters. Because two things can sound similar on the surface while leading in completely different directions underneath. In this episode of the Kingdom Spiritual Intelligence series, I unpack the difference between manifestation and Holy Spirit partnership. Not to create fear, but to increase discernment. Not everything spiritual is sourced from the same kingdom.We will talk about:• The difference between manifestation and Kingdom partnership• Why source matters more than methods• The role of authority in the Kingdom of God• Why God is a Father, not a force• How spiritual language can hide counterfeit beliefs• The question every believer should ask: Which kingdom is this coming from?The goal is not suspicion. The goal is relationship. Because the more clearly we know the King, the easier it becomes to recognize what does and does not belong to His Kingdom. Learn more at https://www.ivibrantliving.com/
Every Christian is a witness. Not just those with a special calling to evangelism, but every person who claims to follow Christ carries a testimony in the way they live and the way they speak. Colossians 4:5-6 makes this clear, calling believers to walk wisely toward those outside the faith and to speak in a way that is both gracious and truthful. This is not an abstract ideal. It is a practical, daily reality. People around us are constantly drawing conclusions about Jesus Christ based on the lives of those who claim to follow Him, whether we are aware of it or not.
0:14 Podcast Introduction1:16 Testing New Lenses5:37 Israel's Cycles and Burdens8:14 The Sheepfold Defined12:26 Church and Cultural Drift15:55 Greek Philosophy Enters19:37 Scripture Corrects Us23:32 Hellenization of Christianity25:58 God in Biblical View29:11 Timeless God Debate31:46 Bible and the Reformation33:44 Miller and Bible Study37:36 Adventist Reading Approach40:04 One Flock, One Shepherd43:14 Closing Prayer and ThanksSign up for my newsletter to receive fresh posts, encouragement, and Bible reflections straight to your inbox. There is a blog post that accompanies this episode at PrMarlon.comConnect with me.Check out our church at Cloverdale.orgThe intro music Fleet of Happy Fingers by Ryan Bell
This message was given by Pastor DJ Ritchey on Sunday, July 5, 2026 at Memorial Heights Baptist Church.
Every Christian is in the ministry, whether we realize it or not. God desires each of us to serve Him and serve others. In today's message, Pastor Cucuzza explains what this looks like and how we can best bring glory to God as Pastor continues his verse-by-verse study in the book of Colossians.
What's the one verse that drives your life and shapes your faith journey? You need a verse to call our own that challenges you to live purposefully. In this week's message, Pastor Jim Ramos introduces the idea of a 'death verse'—a scripture that will define you when you meet Jesus face to face. This message is from The MAG, The McMinnville Area Gathering for men in McMinnville, Oregon. Want to protect your marriage? Get our free ebook: 7 Guardrails to Protect Your Marriage Before It's Too Late. Has Men in the Arena helped you make a change in your life, small or large? We want to hear your impact story! You can start a ministry to father the fatherless in your church! Learn how with our sponsor, Kids Outdoor Zone at https://kidsoutdoorzone.com/arena.
What would you do if the thing that scares you the most actually happened? For many creators, having their gift or career taken away would feel like a death sentence. Could you trust God if your future as a creator was uncertain? In this transparent episode, host Allen C. Paul shares how he handled a potentially career-threatening injury, and the lessons he learned about faith and trusting God with your creative dreams when the storms of life come your way. You'll discover the Biblical truths and foundational mindset you'll need to overcome the fear of the unknown that could paralyze you as you pursue your God-given goals. Send us a message!Please vote for my Podcast Movement speaker submission! It only takes a second and will help me share valuable tips with more wonderful creators like you - and build a bigger base that will bless our God and Gigs community. Vote here - https://allencpaul.com/voteVoting ends July 21st, so please cast your vote right away!Support the showDownload our FREE 7 Day Prayer Devotional for Creatorshttps://godandgigs.com/prayerFOLLOW US ON SOCIAL! InstagramFacebook YouTubeWant to be a guest on The God and Gigs Show? Send us a message on PodMatch, here! © 2026 Paul Creative Solutions
Spontaneous short episodes recorded Off The Cuff from the heart and life of Matt Knoll
1 Peter 3:8-18 (ESV)This is a THMC EM sermon by Lead Pastor Tim Park spoken at The Home Mission Church in Los Angeles, CA.Visit us on our Website or our Instagram for updates.
Spontaneous short episodes recorded Off The Cuff from the heart and life of Matt Knoll
Send us Fan MailIt's been said of Robert Murray M'Cheyne that he is someone who, "being dead yet speaketh". Robert Murray M'Cheyne only ministered for seven years, but those seven years had a huge and lasting impact. He not only put together one of the most popular Bible reading plans, but he was a man, that once saved, never wasted time on "worldly things." He was fully and completely devoted to God, and we can learn much from him!Thanks for tuning in! Be sure to check out everything Proverbs 9:10 on our website, www.proverbs910ministries.com! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Rumble, YouTube, Twitter, Truth Social, and Gettr!
Every Christian holds dual citizenship, belonging both to an earthly nation and to the kingdom of God. In this special one-week message, Pastor Brent explores what the Bible teaches about rightly ordering our loves and allegiances, with Christ's kingdom always coming first.
Learn the seven traits you need to live a victorious Christian life
In this episode of Take Heart, Cory Wing explores the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. From Israel at Sinai to the New Covenant in Christ, Scripture reveals that every Christian has direct access to God through Jesus, our perfect High Priest. What does it mean to be part of a royal priesthood? How should that shape your worship, service, and daily life? Cory explains how believers are called to offer spiritual sacrifices, proclaim God’s excellencies, and live faithfully in every sphere of life.
The 7 Men Every Christian Woman Should Run FromChapters:00:00 - Intro02:06 - Man #1 — The Unbeliever03:41 - Man #2 — The Charmer With No Character05:34 - Man #3 — The Spiritually Passive Man07:17 - Man #4 — The Angry Man09:27 - Man #5 — The Spiritually Manipulative Man11:30 - Man #6 — The Man With No Accountability13:16 - Man #7 — The Double-Minded Man14:58 - What to Do Next?For more information visit Pastorvlad.org
In this episode of Take Heart, Cory Wing explores the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. From Israel at Sinai to the New Covenant in Christ, Scripture reveals that every Christian has direct access to God through Jesus, our perfect High Priest. What does it mean to be part of a royal priesthood? How should that shape your worship, service, and daily life? Cory explains how believers are called to offer spiritual sacrifices, proclaim God's excellencies, and live faithfully in every sphere of life.Watch all of our videos and subscribe to our channel for the latest content >HereHere
Most discussions around the Jezebel spirit miss the mark. Pastor Craig Caster shatters the misconceptions, revealing its true origin rooted in spiritual warfare — not just a demonic label, but a call to awakening. If you're tired of being deceived and ready to understand how this spirit influences women, men, and the church, this episode is your breakthrough.Explore how Jezebel's roots stretch back to Genesis and the rise of idolatry, rebellion, and manipulation — all tactics Satan used then, and still uses today. Pastor Craig shares eye-opening insights on Satan's three primary lies: doubting God's Word, denying consequences, and embracing independence from His authority. You'll discover how these deceptions fuel not just the spirit of Jezebel but the chaos we witness in families, churches, and communities.We break down real, tangible strategies to combat this spirit—how to disciple women, defend your marriage, and confront spiritual blindness. Pastor Craig emphasizes the biblical truths that expose the devil's schemes and empower believers to stand firm. If you want to protect your loved ones, recognize the lies, and reclaim authority over your spiritual life, this is essential listening.In a culture obsessed with self-reliance and rebellion, understanding the spiritual warfare behind Jezebel isn't optional—it's vital. This episode will ignite your faith, refine your discernment, and equip you to confront evil with truth. The spiritual battle is real, but victory is available when you know your authority in Christ.Are you ready to break free from deception? To see past the lies and step into biblical victory? Then don't miss this episode—your spiritual awakening starts now.
Every parent is shaping their child's heart. The question is: what are you shaping it toward? In Deuteronomy 6, God gives parents a vision that's far bigger than simply raising well-behaved kids. He's calling us to raise disciples who know and love Him. In this message, Pastor Spencer Martin shares practical wisdom for Christian parents on raising children in the Lord. Discover how your own walk with Jesus shapes your parenting, why everyday family rhythms matter, and how to build a Christ-centered home. In this message, you'll learn: - Why parenting starts with leading yourself spiritually - How to disciple your children through everyday moments - Biblical principles for discipline, family rhythms, and spiritual leadership - How to create a Christ-centered home - Why parents can have hope, even when parenting feels discouraging Whether you're parents to young children, teenagers, or adult kids — or preparing for a future family — this message will encourage you with practical biblical parenting principles and the hope of the gospel.
There is a side of America's story that most people were never taught, and it changes the way you look at this nation entirely. Behind the familiar names, founding documents, battles, speeches, and symbols is a much deeper story, one filled with conviction, sacrifice, providence, and a Christian heritage that has been quietly buried under generations of revision and forgetfulness. In this special Fourth of July message, we are going to pull back the curtain on the real story of the United States of America, and you may be shocked to discover just how much of our nation's beginning was shaped by people who understood that freedom without God cannot survive.
The 7 Women Every Christian Man Should RUN FromChapters:00:00 - Intro02:26 - Woman #1 —The Seductress04:39 - Woman #2 — The Contentious Woman06:42 - Woman #3 — The Jezebel08:52 - Woman #4 — The Unbeliever10:25 - Woman #5 — The Idle Woman12:11 - Woman #6 — The Woman Who Uses Tears as a Weapon14:38 - Woman #7 — The Double-Minded Woman Who Loves God and the World17:21 - Close & Call to ActionFor more information visit Pastorvlad.org
“For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT) As believers, we have the sacred trust of the gospel message. Jesus has given us our command: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15–16 NLT). That’s another worthwhile cost of following Christ: the responsibility of sharing His Good News with others. Every believer is called to do it. Every Christian is tasked with getting the gospel message out. In his letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul mentions “the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God” (1 Timothy 1:11 NLT). Emphasizing the sacred trust of the gospel again in 1 Thessalonians 2:4, he wrote, “For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts” (NLT). Here’s what that means. As Christians, we all have the same gospel. And we each must ask ourselves the question, “How am I getting the gospel out?” It doesn’t matter how other people are getting the gospel out. That’s their responsibility. What matters is how we’re doing it. That’s our call as followers of Jesus, and it’s one we can’t ignore. Too much depends on our obedience. We need to think about our family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and others in our sphere of influence and ask, “Am I getting the gospel out to these people in a way that’s clear, concise, and impactful?” Jesus sees exactly how diligent we are in carrying out our sacred responsibility. In the last chapter of the New Testament, He says, “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds” (Revelation 22:12 NLT). That reward will be directly connected to how faithful we are in this life. Often, we place far too much stock in this life alone. We act as though everything that’s going to happen happens here. Of course, a lot of significant things do happen in this life. The most important decision we will ever make happens in this life: the decision about what we do with Jesus Christ. But we mustn’t let the things in this life distract us from our responsibility regarding the next life. Paul framed the urgency of our mission perfectly when he wrote, “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:14–15 NLT). Our faithfulness here will result in rewards there—in Heaven, and when Heaven comes to earth, when we go home. Reflection question: What does faithfulness to the gospel message look like in your life? Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available. — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this week's episode Frs. John and Sean explore the baptismal call to share in Christ's threefold office as priest, prophet, and king. What do these titles actually mean for ordinary Catholics? Drawing from Scripture, tradition, and everyday life, the podcast examines how all the baptized are called to offer sacrifice, proclaim truth, and exercise stewardship. Far from being reserved for clergy, the mission of priest, prophet, and king belongs to every Christian as a participation in the life and mission of Christ Himself.
For the best experience, visit our YouTube Channel!For those who followed me when I was on social media regularly, you know that I love a good thrift store! There is a special kind of joy in thrifting that can't be replicated online. You walk into the store not knowing what you'll find, and every shelf holds possibility. There's something especially satisfying about finding a beautiful theology book on a shelf for just a few dollars. Over the years, thrifting has become one of my favorite ways to build a library. Not only is it more affordable, but it feels like the true reflection of what I'm finding in a book about God: treasure.In today's video, I'm taking you along and sharing:• How I hunt for theology books in thrift stores.• How I discern which books are worth bringing home.• Why I recommend some books to others and keep different books for my own reading.• Practical tips for thrifting theology books and building your own library on a budget.If you'd like my theology book lists and recommendations, we'd love to hear from you! Email us at phylicia@phyliciamasonheimer.com.Visit our newly launched Summer Shop at www.everywomanatheologian.com.My new favorite! Carry your summer reads in our new Preach Christ Summer Tote, designed to keep your favorite books close at hand all season long.At Every Woman a Theologian, we believe theology isn't reserved for scholars. Every Christian is invited to know God more deeply through His Word. Subscribe for rich biblical teaching, practical discipleship, and encouragement to think biblically and live faithfully in everyday life. And if you'd like Bible teaching delivered right to your inbox, join our email list for the latest resources, recommendations, and updates.#ThriftingBooks #TheologyBooks #ChristianBooks #BookRecommendations #BibleStudy #EveryWomanATheologian #PhyliciaMasonheimer #ChristianYouTube #BookThrifting (edited)