Podcasts about faith in jesus

Processing the sudden loss of a parent is never easy—especially when that parent is also your pastor, mentor, and spiritual hero. In this raw and unfiltered episode, Dave Leake shares his journey just days after the unexpected passing of his dad, Pastor Jeff Leake, unpacking grief, shock, the five stages of grief, and how to cling to hope, legacy, and faith in Jesus in the middle of tragedy. If you're navigating grief, loss of a father, or trying to understand how to process sorrow as a Christian leader, this honest conversation will help you grieve well while still moving forward in God's purpose.LinkTree:https://linktr.ee/AllisonParkLeadershipNetworkEmail:Jeffl@allisonparkchurch.comDavel@allisonparkchurch.comInstagram:@Jeffleake11@Dave.Leake

Faith isn't always easy to demonstrate. Many people place their trust in ideas, believing that people are good or that there's something more beyond this life, yet they struggle to trust what they cannot see. But, there comes a moment when each of us must make a decision: Will we choose this world and its temporary things, or will we choose what is eternal? In today's message, Pastor Ken encourages you to make that decision and choose Christ. Place your faith in Jesus and allow Him to show you the way.

Help Persecuted Christians TODAY: https://csi-usa.org/ Christian Solidarity International On today's Quick Start podcast: NEWS: The FBI releases the first chilling surveillance images tied to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, showing a masked suspect tampering with security cameras outside her home as investigators tighten the timeline. Her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, pleads publicly for answers as questions mount. FOCUS STORY: A new survey reveals how many Americans are actually reading their Bibles — and how people feel when they miss time in Scripture. MAIN THING: Human trafficking isn't just an overseas problem. Filmmaker Richie Johns joins Billy Hallowell to discuss Still Hope, a powerful new film inspired by true stories of trafficking survivors right here in America. PLUS: A former skeptic explains why studying more than 1,500 near-death experiences led him to faith in Jesus. LAST THING: Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” PRAY WITH US! Faithwire.substack.com SHOW LINKS Faith in Culture: https://cbn.com/news/faith-culture Heaven Meets Earth PODCAST: https://cbn.com/lp/heaven-meets-earth NEWSMAKERS POD: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/newsmakers/id1724061454 Navigating Trump 2.0: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/navigating-trump-2-0/id1691121630

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260210dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 Who Are You? Have you found yourself yet? Many of us are on a quest to find ourselves, or at least were at one time in our lives. We live in a world so full of people, groups, and ideas that we wonder where we fit. And so, we spend much of our lives searching for an identity—looking for a way to define ourselves. There is no shortage of possible answers to the question. Perhaps we define ourselves through our athletic or musical abilities. As our skill and prowess grow, so does our self-esteem. Or maybe we define ourselves by our level of popularity. As our reputation with others increases, so does our own feeling of self-worth. We may define ourselves through our careers. As we climb the ladder of success, we also climb the ladder of value in our own eyes. Have you discovered the problem with all these methods of finding or defining ourselves? Eventually, (hopefully before it is too late), we discover the emptiness of all these things. We will inevitably find others who are more athletically or musically gifted than we are. There will no doubt be something we do or say that will harm our reputation with others. And we will likely have one business failure or another. When all these things happen, our sense of value, identity, and self-worth will be shattered. Then what? Thankfully, God has provided the answer to the question, “Who are you?” Through the work of Jesus as our Savior, God has made us his chosen people. He says that we are his “special possession.” This happened because Jesus came to live and die in our place to take our sins away and to make us right with God. Through faith in Jesus, we now have a new identity. We are God's people. And that is an identity that can never be taken away from us. Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for making me yours through faith in Jesus. Help me to always and only find my identity as your child. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

If you placed your faith in Jesus, we are celebrating with you!Subscribe to Our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHNDPb5XMkf1LyqoTU30vg Help Support and Grow our Ministry to reach people around our community and spread the love of Jesus: https://transformchurch.com/giving/ Stay connected with us through our:Transform Church Website: https://transformchurch.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transformchurchnj/Plan your next in-person visit. We are located at:Rutherford Location- The Williams Center9AM, 11AM, 1PM 15 Sylvan St, Rutherford NJLyndhurst Location- 10AM, 12PM525 Riverside Ave, Lyndhurst NJ

God Sees a Jesus Follower as Being “In Christ”; Therefore, God Sees a Jesus Follower as His Son or Daughter MESSAGE SUMMARY: As Followers of Jesus, you are "In Christ" -- God looks at you, as a Jesus Follower, and He sees Jesus in you. Throughout the Epistles we find: "In Christ" or "In Him". In Galatians 3:14, Paul tells you that your faith in Jesus makes you “In Christ” and a recipient of God's Covenant with Abraham: “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.". Also, Paul goes even further, in Galatians 3:25-28, to tell you that, through your faith in Jesus, you no longer need any kind of intermediary because you are “In Christ” and you have a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe: “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”. When God sees you, “In Christ" as a Jesus Follower, He sees Jesus, the Son. Therefore, God sees you as His son or daughter.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus' name, amen.   Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Despair. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Joy. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 3:21-26; Romans 6:5-11; Romans 6:22-23; Psalms 63:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Essentials Part 3 – Incomplete Finished Work”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

0:00 Intro / Mark E. Shaw1:12 Podcast22:00 Wrap upStream the video library for addiction counselor.COUNSEL — https://theaddictionconnection.thinkific.com/

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260210dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 Who Are You? Have you found yourself yet? Many of us are on a quest to find ourselves, or at least were at one time in our lives. We live in a world so full of people, groups, and ideas that we wonder where we fit. And so, we spend much of our lives searching for an identity—looking for a way to define ourselves. There is no shortage of possible answers to the question. Perhaps we define ourselves through our athletic or musical abilities. As our skill and prowess grow, so does our self-esteem. Or maybe we define ourselves by our level of popularity. As our reputation with others increases, so does our own feeling of self-worth. We may define ourselves through our careers. As we climb the ladder of success, we also climb the ladder of value in our own eyes. Have you discovered the problem with all these methods of finding or defining ourselves? Eventually, (hopefully before it is too late), we discover the emptiness of all these things. We will inevitably find others who are more athletically or musically gifted than we are. There will no doubt be something we do or say that will harm our reputation with others. And we will likely have one business failure or another. When all these things happen, our sense of value, identity, and self-worth will be shattered. Then what? Thankfully, God has provided the answer to the question, “Who are you?” Through the work of Jesus as our Savior, God has made us his chosen people. He says that we are his “special possession.” This happened because Jesus came to live and die in our place to take our sins away and to make us right with God. Through faith in Jesus, we now have a new identity. We are God's people. And that is an identity that can never be taken away from us. Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for making me yours through faith in Jesus. Help me to always and only find my identity as your child. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Rev. James Harper preaches on 2 Corinthians 3:1-18 as a part of our sermon series, "A Cross-Shaped Life."  Paul addressed the Corinthian church's confusion about the relationship between the old Mosaic law and faith in Jesus. He explained that Jesus didn't come to add to the old covenant but to fulfill what was incomplete. The new covenant through Christ brings three revolutionary changes: God's presence is now permanent rather than temporary, our hearts are set free from uncertainty about our standing with God, and we are gradually transformed into Christ's image as we live before His face. This transformation happens through living 'Coram Deo' - before the face of God - allowing His presence to change how we speak, act, and think in every aspect of life. Plan a visit to FPC Douglasville where you will find Bible-focused worship, preaching, and teaching, and a great community for adults, teens, and children!  www.fpcdouglasville.org/planavisit

This video features several church leaders sharing personal stories of overcoming life's challenges to illustrate what it means to have "victory" through faith in Jesus. The speakers discuss navigating long-term marriage, leading a church through difficult transitions, and finding hope in the face of aging and loss. They emphasize that everyone has a unique story to tell and invite listeners to reflect on how God's presence provides comfort and a future hope beyond earthly struggles.

If you placed your faith in Jesus, we are celebrating with you!Subscribe to Our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHNDPb5XMkf1LyqoTU30vg Help Support and Grow our Ministry to reach people around our community and spread the love of Jesus: https://transformchurch.com/giving/ Stay connected with us through our:Transform Church Website: https://transformchurch.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transformchurchnj/Plan your next in-person visit. We are located at:Rutherford Location- The Williams Center9AM, 11AM, 1PM 15 Sylvan St, Rutherford NJLyndhurst Location- 10AM, 12PM525 Riverside Ave, Lyndhurst NJ

We're not saved by our good works, but when a man asked him how to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. Is this a contradiction to the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus?Join me for today's Daily Word & Prayer to learn more.Scripture Used in Today's MessageMark 10:17-27To find Tom on Instagram, Facebook, TiKTok, and elsewhere, go to linktr.ee/tomthepreacher

God wants the whole world to find life through faith in Jesus, and the way he gets the message out is through his people. How do we do it? Praying, walking, and talking.

THE HOLY SPIRIT PREPARES THE HEART (Acts 9:32-10:23) Today's lesson is a continuation of the three conversions that we began to study with the salvation experience of the Ethiopian eunuch, followed by the conversion of Saul of Tarsus as he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.   In each of these examples, we looked at the three elements that brought these men to the feet of the Savior.  It is through these three elements that we can see how God works to bring a person to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  It is through these three elements that man is given the choice to accept Christ and make Him their Lord and Savior, or reject Him. First, the Holy Spirit of God who begins the work in the heart of the lost person.  This is essential, for without this work nothing will happen.  We will see a tremendous example of this as the Holy Spirit prepares the heart of Cornelius. Second, the Word of God.  This is also essential, for it is the Word of God that provides the basis of our faith.  It is because we know that its promises are true that our faith in Jesus rests.   Third, the man of God.  When God gets ready to save somebody, He uses human instrumentality.  God doesn't reach out of Heaven and simply convict, and convert, and save a person without human instrumentality being involved someway. That is the plan of God.  Now, I am not saying that God couldn't do it by Himself, for He can do anything He wants, but that is not His plan.  Listen, the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God is primarily a ministry of cooperation. He will not do it without you, and you cannot do it without Him.  He will not do it without you, and you cannot do it without Him.  The Bible tells us that faith cometh by the hearing of the Word of God, and in today's lesson it will be Peter that the Holy Spirit prepares as the man of God.   It is important to understand the concept that as a lost person it is our sins that condemn us, but that is not what sends us to an eternity in hell.  We will be judged and condemned to the fires of hell for the light of Jesus Christ that we have rejected.  It is the rejection of Jesus as our Savior that sends us to hell, not the fact of our sins.   Click on the link below to hear a message on how the Holy Spirit works to prepare the heart of a believer. This is a live recording of The Master's Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.

I believe the book of Revelation is intentionally shaped by the rhythm of the seven Jewish feasts, with deep echoes of the Exodus and Israels wilderness journey woven throughout its visions. We have already seen how this works in chapter 1, where the imagery echoes Passover. Passover marked Israels deliverance from slavery through the blood of a substituteand in Revelation 1:1216, that substitute is revealed in all His risen glory. Jesus stands among His churches as the victorious Lamb who was slain and now lives forever. Because of His sacrifice, the Christian belongs to God. If you have been redeemed by Almighty God through His Son, what is there to fear? Jesus Himself answers that question: Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades (Rev. 1:1718). Our confidence is not rooted in our circumstances, but in the One who has conquered death itself. As we move into Revelation 23 and read the seven letters to the churches, the dominant echo is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately followed Passover. This feast called Gods redeemed people to live holy lives, set apart for Him (Lev. 11:4445; 1 Pet. 1:1617). Israel removed all leaven from their homes as a visible reminder that they belonged to the Lord and were no longer to live under the old patterns of corruption. That same call still comes to us today: You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:1920). Each of the seven churches faced real and pressing challenges in their own dayand what they struggled with are many of the same things we struggle with today, just dressed differently. While we will look at each church individually, here is a brief snapshot of what we will encounter: The church in Ephesus had lost its first love. The church in Smyrna was about to suffer tribulation for ten days. The church in Pergamum struggled with faithfulness to sound doctrine. The church in Thyatira tolerated a false teacher within the congregation. The church in Sardis was spiritually lethargic and nearly dead. The church in Philadelphia faithfully clung to the word of God. The church in Laodicea was lukewarm and missionally useless. In every one of these churches, there was the danger of leavensin quietly working its way through the house. And the call of Christ was to remove it: through renewed love for Jesus and for one another, faithful endurance in suffering, a commitment to truth, intolerance for evil, vigilance against spiritual apathy, unflinching obedience to Christ, and a wholehearted devotion to the mission of God. About forty years before Revelation was written, Paul wrote about Gods expectation for His church: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:1-2). Revelation 1 is about the One who makes our salvation possible. Revelation 2-3 addresses the kind of people He calls us to be. So, when we come to Revelation 4, we encounter the One on the throne who is holy, holy, holy! The City of Ephesus When the gospel came to Ephesus, it was a wealthy and influential trading city, best known for the Temple of Artemis (also called Diana), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The citys economy, culture, and moral life centered on the worship of this goddess. Artemis worship was deeply sexualized and demonic, marked by ritual immorality and idolatry (1 Cor. 10:20). Ephesus was a place where spiritual darkness was not hiddenit was celebrated, institutionalized, and profitable. Into this city, the gospel came with unmistakable power, as it always does in Gods timing and in His way. What we read in the epistle to the Romans was experienced in Ephesus: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes... (Rom. 1:16). When the apostle Paul preached Christ in Ephesus, lives were transformed, and the worship of Artemis was directly challenged. So disruptive was the gospel that those who profited from idolatry feared economic collapse, admitting that Paul had persuaded many that gods made with hands are not gods at all (Acts 19:26). Paul spent over two years there, and in this spiritually hostile environment, God birthed a faithful churchthe same church later addressed by Christ Himself in Revelation 2. What makes Jesus words to Ephesus so sobering is not the citys darkness but the fact that a church born in such devotion, perseverance, and truth would later be warned: You have abandoned the love you had at first (2:4). So what happened? To answer that question, we need to first recognize the many things Jesus praises the church for. What the Ephesian Church Was Doing Right The Ephesian church was commended for many things by Jesus such as their toil, patient endurance, and intolerance for evil. Heraclitus, a native of Ephesus and philosopher, spoke with open contempt of his citys moral corruptionso severe that later writers summarized his viewby saying no one could live in Ephesus without weeping.1 The fact that the church was able to endure for forty years in a city known for its sexual promiscuity and demonized idolatrous worship, while holding on to biblical orthodoxy, is staggering! Because of their orthodoxy and fidelity to the Word of God, the church was intolerant of evil, refused to ignore false teachers, and shared Jesuss hatred of the Nicolaitans. Forty years earlier, Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church: I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears (Acts. 20:29-31). This is what the church did well, and Jesus praised them for it. Now, notice what Jesus does not say to the church in Ephesus. He does not say they were being too orthodox. He does not say they were too truthful, or that their intolerance of evil, false teachers, and the works of the Nicolaitans was too extreme. Jesus does not tell the church to dial it back but instead celebrates these as examples of what they were doing well. What the church did well was refusing to yield to the pressures from their city to conform. Before we look at what the church got wrong, we need to address who the Nicolaitans were and why Jesus hated their teaching. From what we know, the Nicolaitans were a heretical Christian sect associated with the teaching of Balaam (Rev. 2:14-15). They taught that the grace of God permitted freedom to engage in the kinds of things their pagan neighbors enjoyed, such as sexual immorality and full participation in pagan temple feasts. Why? Because grace covered it all. We will come back to Balaam when we look at the church in Pergamum, but for now what you need to know is that Balaam is known for his false teaching that served to seduce the men of Israel to engage in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab that also resulted in the worship of their gods in place of obedience and worship of Yahweh (see Num. 25). The Nicolaitans did not deny Jesus, they just reinterpreted what obedience to Jesus really meant, in that you could both be loyal to Jesus and actively pursue and participate in the kinds of things the Word of God commands the people of God to flee from. The Ephesian church was rightfully commended for their hatred and intolerance of the works of the Nicolaitans because Jesus shares their hatred for the same reasons. Listen carefully. Jesus does not merely disagree with teachings of the Nicolaitans He hates them. He hates any belief that suggests a person can remain loyal to Him while willfully embracing the very sins He died to free us from. The cross was not a license to make peace with sin; it was Gods declaration of war against it. To claim Christ while pursuing what nailed Him to the tree is not freedomit is self-deception. Christ did not die to make sin safe, but to make His people holy. 1 Richard D. Phillips, Revelation, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: PR Publishing, 2017), 91. What the Ephesian Church Got Wrong So what was it that the church in Ephesus lost? Well, we know it wasnt the churchs orthodoxy. It was the love they had at first. What love did they have at first? I believe the love the church lost was a combination of their love for Jesus and others. I believe this because of what the apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the Ephesians and what Jesus said the church needed to do to regain the love they had lost. First, lets look at Jesus criticism in verses 4-5, But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. The way back to regain what they had lost was to first remember where they had fallen or had lost sight of their love, then to repent by doing the works they had done at first. What were the works they had done at first? We are given a few clues in Ephesians about the church from what Paul says at the beginning and the end of his epistle to the Ephesians. 1st Clue: For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers... (Eph. 1:15-16) 2nd Clue: Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. (Eph. 6:24) I believe that the love the Ephesian church lost had to do with the love they had for Jesus and for one another. The New Living Translation captures this in their translation of Revelation 2:4, But I have this complaint against you. You dont love me or each other as you did at first! When a group of religious leaders asked Jesus to identify the most important commandment, His response was clear: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:3739). Genuine love for God leads to love for othersyou cannot claim to love God while refusing to love those who bear His image. As our love for God grows, it overflows into love for those around us, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you find this hard to accept, consider the words of the apostle John: If someone says, I love God, but hates his brother, that person is a liar; for anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20). I believe the Ephesian church, first known for their faith in Jesus and their incorruptible love for Him, became the catalyst that fostered in them a love for one another, which they were known for in the early days of the churchs existence. Their love infused their faith in Jesus, and their love for all the saints was the cocktail God used to push back evil and transform lives! What Revelation 2:1-4 teaches us is that Jesus wants our obedience, but He also wants our hearts! In fact, if Jesus has your heart, He will have your obedience. Conclusion I believe the Ephesian church is listed first among the seven churches because of the danger we face when what we believe and what we do are no longer tethered to a living love for Jesus and His people. Listen carefully. Rather than criticizing the Ephesian church for its zeal for the truth of Gods Word, Jesus praised them for it. Orthodoxy is essential to the spiritual health of both Christians and the church as a whole. When believers abandon orthodoxy, spirituality does not become freer or deeperit becomes hollow and lifeless. So do their churches. But love keeps orthodoxy from hardening into something Jesus also hated. When truth is severed from love, orthodoxy collapses into legalism. And legalism is not holiness; it is a corruption of orthopraxyright living. Christian, we are called to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy. Scripture commands us: As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy (1 Pet. 1:1416). But the way we pursue holiness is not through cold precision or moral superiority. It is through the kind of love the Ephesian church once hadand then lost. This is the first of seven ways Christ calls His people to cleanse His house of leaven. What is that love? Scripture defines it plainly: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth Love never ends (1 Cor. 13:48). This is the love Jesus spoke of that must be true of His followers: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). We live in a nation deeply fracturedso fractured that many believe we are in a cold civil war. Civil conversation between the left and the right is nearly impossible. But it must not be that way in the church Jesus redeemed from the world. Our love for Christ must overflow into genuine love for one anotherstrong enough to allow disagreement without division, conviction without contempt, and truth without hatred. Let me take this one step further. If you love the Jesus who died to ransom people from every tribe, language, people, and nation, then you must be liberated from the partisan blindness that grips both the left and the right. Christian, you belong to another kingdom. Your allegiance is not to a political ideology but to King Jesus. Please hear me: the world will not see, hear, or receive the gospel from the left or the rightbut only from Jesus Christ Himself. By Gods design, His gospel is not entrusted to government but to His church. The mess in the White House, ournation, and the world is evidence that what people need is the One who makes the Gospel the Gospelnamely, Jesus! If you cannot see thatif you cannot believe that while still calling yourself a Christianthen you are in danger of the very thing that threatened the church in Ephesus. You have lost your first love. So I leave you with the same words Jesus spoke to them: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Send us a text"When all is said and done, the life of faith is nothing if not an unending struggle of the spirit with every available weapon against the flesh."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer Picking up on a previous series from 2024 (Stuff That's Been On My Mind), this episode takes a look at conspiracy theories.  No it's not a deep dive into the latest and greatest gossip.  Rather, it's a look at how to address and deal with these things from a Christian viewpoint.  Whenever we hear rumors (true or unfounded), we must practice discernment.  We must also see that our faith in Jesus is unshakeable and immovable.  Finally, Jesus has the last word on any of this.  He will right the wrongs and come what may, He will guide us into eternity.  We don't have to get caught up in the latest and greatest sensational conspiracy theory.  We must keep our eyes fixed on Him who will lead us through.  

It comes from the Greek word baptizo, to be baptized, which means to immerse, submerge, or dip. If you've put your faith in Jesus today, last month, or years ago, our job as followers of him is to take that step—to be baptized and live out your faith in him.

Read OnlineAfter making the crossing to the other side of the sea, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. Mark 6:53–54As soon as Jesus stepped out of the boat, the people “immediately recognized him.” Jesus and the Twelve had spent the previous day on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, in the remote territory near Bethsaida where they planned to be alone. When they arrived there, however, the crowds were waiting for them, so Jesus preached to thousands of people and then performed the miraculous feeding of five thousand.Afterward, Jesus sent the Twelve ahead of Him toward Capernaum, but the wind blew the disciples off course to the agricultural and fishing land of Gennesaret, a few miles south of Capernaum. It was during that nighttime sea voyage that Jesus walked on water and calmed the sea.Was it by accident that Jesus and the disciples arrived in Gennesaret rather than Capernaum? Likely not. Divine Providence guided everything Jesus did. The Father willed that Jesus minister to the people of that region, which He did with great power. The fact that the people immediately recognized Jesus speaks to their deep faith and spiritual sensitivity. Their recognition went beyond physical familiarity; their faith told them that He was the Messiah. As soon as they saw Him, their hearts were stirred. They gathered in great numbers, bringing many who were sick to Him and quickly sent word to the nearby villages to come quickly, for Jesus was there.Unlike the people of Nazareth, the people along the shore of the Sea of Galilee quickly manifested faith in Jesus. As a result, Jesus' miracles were numerous. Another sign that their faith was authentic was that the people did not act selfishly, trying to keep Jesus to themselves. Instead, their attention turned to those who needed Him the most, especially the sick and lame. This demonstrates the connection between faith and charity. True faith inspires an outpouring of love for others. We are not only grateful to God for the grace we receive, but we also immediately think of those in need—both those we know and others God places in our lives—and draw them to Jesus as well.Significantly, the people begged Jesus to let them “touch only the tassel on his cloak” (Mark 6:56). In the Torah, God commanded Moses to instruct the people to “make tassels for the corners of their garments, fastening a violet cord to each corner.” The tassels were meant to be a constant reminder of the Ten Commandments and their commitment to obey that covenant (cf. Numbers 15:37–41). Therefore, by touching the tassels Jesus wore in obedience to the Torah, the people were touching something sacred to them, worn by Him Who, as God, gave the people the Torah. By touching the tassels, the people not only honored the Torah but also reached out to its fulfillment in Jesus. Though they might not have fully understood what they were doing, their faith compelled them and they responded.Though today's Gospel is short, it is packed with faith, revealing numerous people flocking to Jesus with eagerness and divine hope. These people teach us how we must react to God's presence in our lives. Reflect today on the people of the land of Gennesaret who, upon recognizing Jesus in faith, “scurried about the surrounding country,” gathering many others who reached out in faith to touch the tassels Jesus wore. Consider whether you recognize Jesus' presence when you encounter Him. Do you recognize Him in the Eucharist, in your prayer, and in the people you encounter daily? When you do, do you immediately think of ways you can help bring others to Jesus? Do you reach out in faith, touching Jesus' tassels, believing with all certainty that His divine power will heal your soul and cure your weaknesses? Imitate these good people of Gennesaret, and Jesus' almighty power will flow generously into your life, just as it did to them. Most miraculous Lord, Your generosity knows no bounds when Your people seek You out in faith. Just as the people of Gennesaret recognized You in faith, You call me to do the same. I pray that I will always seek You out, and when I find You, will draw others to You. Jesus, I trust in You.Image via Adobe StockSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

It comes from the Greek word baptizo, to be baptized, which means to immerse, submerge, or dip. If you've put your faith in Jesus today, last month, or years ago, our job as followers of him is to take that step—to be baptized and live out your faith in him.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “Christ pervades all Scripture, as salt all waters of the sea, as light the brightest day, as fragrance the garden of choice flowers.”~Henry Law (1797-1884), Cambridge-educated Dean of Gloucester in Christ is All “The righteousness of God is God's righteous initiative in putting sinners right with himself, by bestowing on them a righteousness which is not their own but his. The righteousness of God is God's just justification of the unjust, his righteous way of pronouncing the unrighteous righteous, in which he both demonstrates his righteousness and gives His righteousness to us.” ~John Stott (1921-2011), British Anglican pastor and theologian “The righteousness of God is not that by which God is righteous but that with which he clothes man when he justifies the ungodly”~ Augustine (354-430), North African church leader, explaining Paul's understanding of “righteousness” in the Letter to Romans (A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter) “God allowed his Son to suffer as if a condemned sinner, so that we might be delivered from the penalty of our sins. This is God's righteousness, that we are not justified by works…but by grace, in which case all our sin is removed.”~John Chrysostom (c. 347-407), Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians “He Himself took on Him the burden of our iniquities, He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One for transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible, the immortal One for them that are mortal. For what other thing was capable of covering our sins than His righteousness? By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation! that the wickedness of many should be hid in a single righteous One, and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors!”~The Epistle to Diognetus (c. 150AD) 9:2-5. “The operation of the Church is entirely set up for the sinner; which creates much misunderstanding among the smug.” “Don't expect faith to clear things up for you. It is trust, not certainty.”~Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964), American authorSERMON PASSAGERomans 1:14-17 (ESV)Romans 1 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 321 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 4 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

It is our prayer that today's word would encourage and challenge to walk out your faith in Jesus, shine brightly in darkness and experience Kingdom impact in all you do! Stay connected with Belmont Church on our Facebook page, website or on the Church Center App.

Audio Transcript All right, well, beautiful singing. So I’ve not met you. My name is Aaron and I’m the preaching pastor here. And we’re glad you’re with us. I know sickness is kind of spreading around right now, and so I’m glad that you’re well enough to be with us this morning. So if you have a Bible with you, could open up to the Gospel of Luke. Our texture study today is going to be Luke 6, 2020. If you don’t have a Bible with you, there are pew Bibles kind of scattered throughout if you want to find your way there to Luke 6. Also, the word should be on the screen on either end of the stage if you want to follow along there. And if you’re visiting, if you open up your Bible, please do keep them open. So we do a style of preaching here. Actually, we talk about this in a sermon called Expository Preaching. So I’m going to read the passage, we’re going to pray, and then I’m going to walk us right back through the text. And so please do keep your Bibles open in this time. So Luke 6 starting verse 20. So please hear the words of our God. So Luke wrote, and he lifted up his eyes on disciples and said, blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. For behold, your reward is great in heaven. For so their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. So that’s God’s word for us this morning. Would you please pray with me? Lord, thank you for your word. And Lord, please help me to be a good communicator of your word today. Please give the congregation ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. I pray this all in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, so if you’ve been around here, you know every story starts out, at least for mine. So there we were. So there you were, myself and a man from our home church in Greenway, Wisconsin, and we’re getting together for breakfast. And this is Shortly before my wife, Tia and I were about to move to Louisville, Kentucky for seminary. Now, the man I got breakfast with that morning from our home church is actually a very influential, strong leader in his field. Before he retired, actually, he was the CEO of one of the largest and most profitable companies in the state. Over 7 billion in annual sales. And we got together that morning for breakfast. My friend had a bit of a surprise for me that was very much tied to sobering encouragement that he wanted me to have. Surprise he had for me was an autographed baseball. A baseball that I actually received through some personal connections to a legendary player who signed it for me, a former player, an all time great player named Hank Aaron, who played a good portion of his career for the Milwaukee Braves before that team relocated to Atlanta and then finished up his career for my beloved Milwaukee Brewers. And Hank Aaron not only is one of the greatest players of all time, but he also was my dad’s favorite player when he was growing up. A player that he just adored when Aaron played for both the Braves and the Brewers. In fact, my dad loved Hank Aaron so much that I was born. He named me Aaron after him. And this is something actually my friend knew, and this is one of the reasons why he got this autographed baseball for me, because he knew that it meant a lot to me to have that ball. It’s a pretty sweet gift, pretty thoughtful. But what made that ball even more sweet, even more thoughtful was the sobering encouragement tied to the ball that my friend also wanted to pass on to me. And that sobering encouragement from my friend was reminded me of a different man named Aaron. Not his last name, but his first name, Aaron. Aaron from the Old Testament, who was the brother of Moses. You may remember that now if you remember Moses. So he’s a great leader and prophet, but he also had a stuttering problem. So much so that Moses actually pleaded with the Lord to provide someone who could speak on his behalf, which ended up being his brother Aaron. As Moses spoke on behalf of, or as Aaron spoke on behalf of Moses the prophet who was speaking on behalf of God himself. And for my friend, his sobering encouragement to me through this ball, as I was about to head off to seminary to hopefully get trained to be a preacher, was that every time I look at this baseball, which is currently sitting amidst all my sports treasures in my basement ball, that I see often, by the way, college students, if you’re planning to come to my house next week for pass the pass pastor’s house, I’ll show it to You. But as I look at this baseball with the name Aaron on it, my friend hoped I had the sober encouragement that as I preach like Aaron for Moses, as I preach, I’m speaking on behalf of God from His perfect holy word. Now, obviously, I’m not a prophet like Aaron was as a preacher, but preaching still is speaking God’s word to his people, which, my friend, he wanted this to be a sobering truth for me, sobering as I went to seminary to study there, to study hard, to put forth my best effort in that seminary experience. You also want to be sobering for me one day as I write sermons, as I prep for sermons the way I should, to never cut corners, to give my best effort each sermon I write. You want to be sobering for me as I deliver sermons every time I stand behind the pulpit, that there should be a real, sober sense of what I’m doing, because the weighty responsibility and privilege it is to communicate God’s word. Now, I tell you all this this morning, so sobering this should be for me every time I do this, but maybe even more sobering for me this week, because this week and actually the next couple weeks, my assignment is to preach you from God’s perfect holy word on a passage that is often viewed as the greatest sermon of all time. Meaning my attempt is to give you a sermon from the greatest of all sermons, a sermon that was given by the Lord Jesus Christ, one that he actually gave on more than one occasion. If you’re with us, last week Wes actually mentioned this. I’m going to mention it again today. The sermon we’re about to go through is often referred to as a sermon on the plain, as we learned in our text last week. Verse 17. If you want to take your eyes there, that Jesus gave this sermon, he was standing on a level place. And this sermon on the plain that Luke records is very similar in content to perhaps the most famous of all sermons, that Jesus gave, the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded in Matthew 5, where Jesus gave that the side of a mountain. Now, I will mention that for some, the Sermon on the Plain here in Luke 6, as well as the Sermon on the mount in Matthew 5. Some believe this actually is like the same event of the exact same sermon. So perhaps there was maybe like a little bit of a plateau on the mountain that gave a level ground for Jesus to preach. And while it is possible that Matthew 5 and Luke 6 record the same event, the exact same sermon, there’s enough little details between the Sermon on the Mount and the sermon on the plain that led many, myself included, to believe these are actually two different events where Jesus preached to two different people, but basically gave the same sermon two different times. You know, as mentioned, to two different people groups, which, by the way, this is actually not a problem. Jesus gave the same sermon at least two times, so. So in this time frame, rabbis are annoying, giving like the same teachings on multiple occasions throughout history, church history, many pastors, myself included, have preached the same passage more than once, where the sermons are very similar. In fact, maybe the most famous sermon, at least in our culture here, that God used to help ignite the Great Awakening first Great Awakening, the sermon titled Sinners in the Hands of Angry God. Maybe you heard that one by Jonathan Edwards. He actually preached that on multiple occasions. So it’s not an issue that Jesus preached the same basic sermon more than once. In fact, knowing that Jesus preached this same basic sermon more than once probably just highlights how important of a message this was from our Lord, which for me further underscores why this is often viewed as the greatest sermon of all time. Okay, now before we get to the text, the sermon that Luke records, just a few things, just a reminder where we’ve been the last few weeks. So. So the ministry of Jesus is now very much in public view. He’s become like the trending topic all over the region, leading more and more to come to him as great crowds were forming around our Lord. And from these crowds included some who Jesus uniquely called to himself to be his disciples, which included some fishermen who we met in chapter five, a despised tax collector who we met in the beginning of chapter six, as well as those listed in our text. Last week, in the middle of chapter six, where none of the disciples seem to be like popular people or influential people, rather they just seem to be like normal, everyday common people like you and me. Yet in his grace, in his wisdom, that is who the Lord Jesus called uniquely to himself, where he’d use these men to become his apostles that in time would like, he would use to completely set the world on his head. Furthermore, as mentioned in previous sermons, but I wanted to mention this again here, as the public ministry of Jesus is in full swing, as the crowds of people are coming to Him. No doubt a large part were coming because of the signs and wonders that Jesus was performing through various healings as well as like exorcism of demons. But the primary reason why the crowds were forming around Jesus because of the primary ministry he had, was actually preaching and teaching, which by the way, would also be the primary ministry that his disciples would have as disciples would be used by God, as mentioned, to turn the world on his head through preaching. So all the different things happening around Jesus, all the things signs he was performing, yet preaching, teaching, giving sermons like the one that we’re about to look at in the text, this is at the center, this is at the focal point of Jesus’s ministry. Which actually leads to the second thing I want to mention here this morning as it relates to sermons and the sermon on the greatest of all sermons of Jesus. The main focus I have to you this morning is to communicate to you from the text, what does the text say? However, as we work through this sermon, the sermon on the plane, I also want to just give you something that I did for myself personally this week was to try to pull insights from the sermon when it comes to preaching. So this is actually a good exercise for me this week as one who preaches often and I thought it would be a good exercise for us as a church as a whole today just to kind of help us think about preaching. What does it look like? What does that mean? Why is it so important mentioned? This is at the heart of the ministry of Jesus and hopefully it means it’s at the heart of our ministry here at Red Village Church as well. We desire preaching and teaching to be the focal point of our church. Not that other things in church life are important, but the pulpit is to me remains central. Many others throughout church history have said as the pulpit goes, so does the rest of the church. So as members, yes, pray for sermons, keep the pulpit accountable. And for some, you at some point you maybe are moving out of Madison. You have to look for another church. Unite to. There are many factors for you to consider discern as you’re trying to find a church. But the pulpit, the sermons really ought to be at the top of your priority list where there’s a steady diet of expositional Christ centered preaching. I hope I do feel for us in this time. So if that is a little bit longer intro, look back with me in the text on the sermon on the plain, they would be looking at just the start of the sermon, verses 20 through 26. So verse 20 we see in the passage that as Jesus stood on the level place, the plain, we see in the text that he began the sermon by lifting up his eyes on his disciples. Okay, not ready. Just a couple things. So first the lifting up of eyes. So commentary is read this week signified from Jesus that there’s like resolve in him, like he has resolve as he’s about to speak mean this is going to be some type of like casual conversation from his pulpit on the plane. Rather, Jesus is about to speak in ways that carried weight significance. Let’s go back to the story I began the sermon with. That’s what my friend was trying to impress upon me. When it comes to preaching, there ought to be a real weight significance that preachers are to understand as they communicate God’s word. By the way, as a church, this is why we pray for those who fill the pulpit, myself included, the preachers will preach with like resolve, resolve to you, the congregation that you have resolve. Actually you take in sermons, right? This should not be something that’s like casual lackadaisical for any of us. A lot of different points. The sermons can have some light hearted elements tied to them, but overall the tone, the tenor should have like sober minded resolve. That’s what Jesus has as he looks up as the disciples. Second, the sermon that Jesus was about to give was primarily meant for his disciples, those he named, verses 14 through 16 that Wes gave us last week. Now I assume other people are there who are listening in. In fact we get the sense when we get to verse 24 does seem like Jesus changes the primary audience that he’s talking to for just a bit there. But the first primary audience of this sermon was to disciples, those who were followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the risk of trying to push this too far, but unless the sermon is clearly intended for those who are not Christian, with some type of evangelistic thrust to it, which Scripture tells us is a thing, sermons, particularly in church life, the primary audience is meant for disciples to teach disciples of Jesus, those who are trusting in him, what it looks like to joyfully follow and obey him, which is certainly the case in this sermon that Jesus gave on the plane, right? This is not a sermon on how one becomes a follower of Jesus, which comes through repentance and faith. Rather, this is a sermon for those who are disciples, those who have repented, who have trusted in Jesus, as Jesus is going to help them to know how to live out their faith in ways that honor him. As Jesus looks at his disciples, we see him begin the sermon, which in our time today this will be in two parts. So the first part will revolve around the blessings that comes by faithfully following after him. Which by the way, this is why this sermon started. It as well as the Sermon on the Mount is often referred to as like the Beatitudes of Jesus with the beatitude word for like blessing. So the first part of the sermon are blessings from Christ. But then the second part, this is a series of woes, strong rebukes for actually not following after him. And we get to the woes. This is the section where I think there’s a little bit of a change in who Jesus is communicating to, as the woes have actually a bit of evangelistic thrust to them, to those who are on the plane who are not yet disciples of Christ, as Jesus is warning them that if they do not repent and believe in him, what would happen? Let’s go back to the blessings, and I want to say I’m going to read them as a whole again with the hopes of like kind of rereading these as a whole. Just capture some of the weight, momentum that I think is there in the sermon of Jesus. And after rereading it again, let me just point out a few things. So look back with me again. John, verse 20. He, Jesus told them, blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry, for you should be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you should be satisfied. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, and when they revile you and spur your name as evil on account of the Son of man. Verse 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for your reward is great in heaven. For so their fathers did so, for the fathers did so to the prophets. Okay, now just to break this up, a few things I want to point out. So first, just this term, blessing or blessed. So this is a term or phrase that’s actually scattered throughout Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, where the word blessing is often correlated with wisdom, particularly wisdom in this life. Now, this week I thought about Psalm 1, and I did kind of wonder if Jesus maybe had this passage in mind as he gave this sermon. So in Psalm 1, so blessed or happy is the man who walks in this life in the wisdom of God, where this blessed happy one in this life does not associate with evil. Rather, the blessed happy man is the one who delights in God’s word and obeying God’s word, what plants him like a tree by streams of water. And while the sermon on the plain, this teaching of Jesus on wisdom certainly is tying to some stuff in this life. But it’s a little different in that Jesus connects the ultimate blessing, the ultimate happiness, not in this life, which so much of the Old Testament is, but rather in the life that is to come, the eternal life that Jesus would usher in. So look back with Me again just to see the forward pointing blessedness that Jesus preached on that was to come for his people. So verse 20. Yes, you’re poor now, but for yours is the kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of God that is, yes, here, now. But a kingdom, the fullness of, of it is still yet to come. And when the fullness of kingdom comes, that’s where the fullness of blessedness, happiness will be found, in the life that is to come. Verse 21. Sure, you are hungry in the here and now, but look ahead, you will be satisfied. The future will come and you will be satisfied. Yes, in the here and now, in this life you weep, but in the future, there is a time that is going to come that you will laugh. Yes, in the here and now, in this life there might be people who hate you and exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil because of your faith in Christ. But look ahead to the future, you will rejoice, you will leap for joy, because in heaven there awaits a reward for you. And for us, this is actually really important for us as we think about being disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, in this life we live with wisdom, but we do so even more with our eyes towards that which is to come. That is where wisdom is set to faithfully live out this life with an eye towards that which will last forever. And this is actually so much of the teaching and preaching of Jesus on, on the better country that is to come, the heavenly one, as Jesus reminds us, the scripture reminds us that we’re simply sojourners, pilgrims headed to the promised land. And that’s where the blessedness will fully be experienced, this eternal reality that waits God’s people. Which by the way, this is why we strive to seek up, to store up treasures in heaven. This is why we poured our lives as offering, as an offering to service to God and others. This is why we’re even willing to suffer in this life for the cause of Jesus. Because we know that our suffering is not in vain. To know that one day our eyes will be our tears and our eyes will be dried. That this will all be temporary. And as that day comes, we’ll be replaced with blessedness, with joy, with rejoicing. Second, in this sermon, Jesus is helping his disciples understand the reality that as we live out our faith like in this life, it might bring some painful, unpleasant realities that we’ll have to endure. In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus talked about the reality of potentially being poor. In the Sermon on the Mount speaks Of being poor in spirit, which is tied to humility and as maybe this is what Jesus is referring to here, the sermon on the plain. But to me this actually feels like Jesus is speaking towards like financial poverty of being poor. Where many throughout church history, including the 12 disciples falling after Jesus in his life, would bring like financial hardships for a host of different reasons which because of financial hardships at times in this present life, in this sermon, God’s people had to battle real physical hunger. Although we mentioned here, the hunger here could also be a hungering for righteousness with the sermon the Mount speaks to. However, I do think that Jesus is actually speaking towards like physical hunger here where plenty throughout church history, including his disciples. They didn’t always know where their next meal might come from, which adds meanings to like the Lord’s Prayer and give us our daily bread. Furthermore, in this life many Christians have faced hardships for being disciples of Jesus. Hardships that even the prophets had to endure. Hardships in the text has caused many to weep. Weeping that has come because of others have hated them or excluded them from certain things. Weeping because of how their name has been reviled and spurned as evil simply because of their faith in Jesus, the Son of Man. Yes, as a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, we live with the joy of eternal life that is to come, which is a joy that we can even experience in different measures in this life. However, that being said in this sermon, for disciples of Jesus, if we faithfully live out our faith, pain, difficulty, hardships, they can be a reality. A reality is part of the cost of following after Christ. A cost that we must count. A cost that many throughout history, including many today face. For us, this is like a hard truth that Jesus is giving to his disciples in this sermon on the plain. This is not like an easy thing for them to hear or for us to hear, which by the way also should be part of what preaching should have. Where at times, as the text calls for it, hard things need to be said, hard things need to be heard. Scripture warns us that sermons just can’t be there just like to tickle our ears, to just maybe tell us what we want to hear. Rather to tell us the hard truth like this, the sermon that we need to hear. As you keep going. As hard as it would have been for disciples to hear this, how being a disciple could bring a lot of hardships towards them in this life, hard things could come their way, but it actually would have been a harder truth for those who are like listening in, who are not yet his disciples, which, by the way, I do recognize might be somewhat true for some of us here this morning. That you’re here, we’re grateful you’re here, but you’re here, you’re not yet a follower of Christ. So in this sermon, after the four blessings, blessings that come for those who by faith follow him, we see in verses 24 through 26, we now see Jesus pronounced four woes, woes that come for not following him. Woes. If you’re not a Christian, I actually want to plead with you to hear hears. It’s almost like ice water, like running down your back, back that causes you to like to wake up and to by faith run to Jesus and the blessedness that he is. So let’s read through the woes again. I want to read them the same way I read through the blessings and ways that hopefully create some momentum and weight that the sermon Jesus had. And then I want to circle back to give some details, details on the Wo. So verse 24 says, but woe to you who are rich, for you received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did, the false prophets. Okay, now a few things here. So first, the four woes, these obviously stand in sharp contrast to the four blessings that Jesus started his sermon with. And this woe here, this is actually used by Jesus in very forceful ways where he’s still having like, resolve in his eyes as he communicates these woes, where through these woes, Jesus communicated like a declaration of like, judgment and misery from God on those who reject him. So I mentioned this in the past, but I want to mention this again. So in Scripture, there’s. There’s really only two ways that one can live. There’s a blessed way that comes from following Jesus, that will result in eternal life with him. But then there’s the woeful way of judgment and misery that will come with eternity apart from Jesus. Since Scripture does not give us some type of middle ground option, yes, this is a hard but important truth for us to hear to understand. This life is headed to two different, very different realities. The blessed way, the woeful way. Second, this word woe is actually something we also see throughout the Old Testament, much like we see the word blessing throughout the Old Testament, where throughout the Old Testament there’s actually woes given to God’s people for entertaining false prophets. What the sermon speaks upon and for us, I think maybe a little bit more subtle ways. So Jesus was giving his sermon here on the plain. This is like a sermon based on scripture, as Jesus is expounding, expositing scripture in light of himself. And this is actually one of the main reasons why we believe expository preaching is so important. If Jesus preached God’s word, should not every preacher and every sermon preach God’s word? Third, do you notice how the four woes, like the four blessings also are grounded in what? That. That which lies ahead. We’re in the kingdom of God as it fully comes. Like everything’s like turned around. We’re in this life. For the Christians who are suffering through hardship, in the end they’re going to be rewarded with blessing upon blessing, the fullness of joy and happiness for all eternity as you get to be with Jesus. But for those who reject God, who might be like receiving some benefits here and now, but in the end, not only will those benefits be removed, but with misery that will never wane. So back to the text. So sure, in this present life one can get rich without God in their life and enjoy some of the temporary benefits that wealth can offer. Where yes, those riches you can use to fill up your stomach. Where yes, in this life one can laugh it up and receive some type of like worldly praise. But if that’s all you have in this life, that’s all you have without God. In the end, not only will those things all vanish, but as mentioned, they’ll be replaced with misery. A couple things just on this back to winter earlier. So poor and hungry. This is why I think real physical poverty. Hungry is what Jesus is speaking to here. Not speaking about some type of poor in spirit or hunger and righteousness. This is how the rich and the full are used. So I think it’s meant to be. In contrast, second, having wealth, a full belly, laughter, reputation, others admire. So none of those things are wrong in themselves in this life. Okay, so don’t be mistaken there. In fact, in this life, those things actually be like blessings from, from God. In this life, the problem lies if we have those things apart from Christ, where these things almost become like idols to us that we’re putting like our hope and our trust in like wealth or reputation. That’s the problem, A problem that we actually must be warned of because those idols in the end will be idols that proved to be vain, where in the end they will not satisfy you, they will not in the end make you happy, they will not deliver to you what you need, which is forgiveness of sin and eternal blessedness of heaven. Only Jesus can offer those things through his death, through his resurrection from the dead, right? Those things in himself are not wrong. In the end, if you do not have Jesus, they’re in vain. They will not satisfy. They will lead you to misery. Which, by the way, kind of on that note, this is why every sermon should point us to Jesus Christ as the only one who will satisfy, as the one that we do desperately need, the One who loves us in such a way that he would die for us to take on all of the woes of God on the cross, where Jesus bore all of the misery, eternal misery upon himself to bear the punishment of our sin, so that through him we could find forgiveness and eternal life and joy forever and ever. Which leads to the conclusion of our sermon today. So let me just get a couple just summary thoughts on this greatest of all sermons of Jesus. So the first two will just be from the text and the last one is just from sermons. So first let God’s Word teach us that which is true. This is why the preaching and teaching was at the center of Jesus’s ministry, right? Jesus is the the way, the truth and the life. And he came to teach us the truth so that by the truth, the truth of God’s Word, that’s how we can be set free. So that by the truth we could have life, abundant life, both now and in eternity. While a sermon might be hard for us to digest, maybe some of the truths here in this passage might be hard for us to digest. These are truths that we need to hear, truths that we need to know, truths we need to believe in, truths we must obey, right? These hard truths are connected to the blessings of God. These harder truths are also connected to the woes of God. So we must hear that which is true. Second thing to where these truths of this text are pointing us to is we’re to live our life in light of eternal life that is to come and the kingdom of God that Jesus promises one day to usher in. So if this is it, just like just this life, nothing more, then sure, eat, drink, be merry, live for self, enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. But Scripture is so clear, including the sermon here from Jesus. The truth is, there’s so much more than just the here and now. There is an eternal life that is to come that for those who have faith in Christ will be the blessed life. Living with Christ in the heavenly places, experiencing the fullness of his joy in the new heavens and new earth. Let’s say it again. For those who reject him, there’s a life of eternal misery and judgment of sin for us. We must live our life in light of this eternal reality that is to come. Even though there could be a great cost in this life for doing so. Cost like suffering and pain. However, we must trust what our suffering that we might suffer for our faith in Christ and eternal life. Not only will Jesus fully comfort us in the text, he will even reward us when the sermon says even a great reward which reward whenever suffering we have in this life. As we get that rewards we’re with Jesus. Any suffering will feel slight and momentary in comparison to the weight of glory that awaits. And by the way, if you’re looking for some help on maybe how to think ahead, like how to live your life with an eternal like view. So there’s great ministry that is called Eternal Perspectives and I find it pretty helpful. So established by a former pastor named Randy Elkhorn who wrote one of my favorite books. I haven’t mentioned this in a little while, so I’ll mention it again. Book called Heaven. And so if you’d want some help to try to think through, you know, how do you live your life in ways that’s looking ahead, you know, I would look to eternal perspective ministry. Read the book on heaven. Especially now if you’re looking to try to read a book for the stretch run of winter that we have left, that’s one I’d recommend. Okay, last one. So be sober minded about preaching. Which brings us back to the start, what my friend wanted me to have as a preacher. But it’s actually not just preachers who are to be sober minded when it comes to preaching. The congregation should as well. Now, when it comes to preaching, obviously none of us can preach a sermon like Jesus. In fact, even the Apostle Paul referred to his preaching as folly, which is true for all preachers. Even more so, right? None of us are apostles like Paul was. It’s folly. Folly where every sermon is like soon forgotten. Almost like a meal that we consume. Soon forgotten. However, scripture tells us that it’s through preaching. That’s how God chooses to manifest His Word in ways that through His Holy Spirit he speaks to his people in ways that we can see. The Lord Jesus Christ that God is using preaching to bring people to faith, to grow us in our faith, to sustain us in our faith, to persevere us in our faith all the way to the life that is to come. So be sober minded when it comes to preaching. If a preacher should have resolve in his eyes, a congregation should have resolve in your ears. So say it again. Please pray for the preaching here at Red Village that God would use it to communicate truth, even hard truth. Please keep the pulpit here at Red Village like lovingly accountable that the word is preached in season and out of season. As a congregation, we never settle for anything less than God’s words exposited in ways that point us to Christ, who he is, what he’s done for us. Have a longing in your heart to hear the word preached. We’re actually seeking to prepare your own heart to receive sermons. By the way, this is also one of the reasons, maybe a primary reason, why we hope you’re actually here every Sunday to take in a steady diet of the word preached. I say it not to guilt you or shame you. Things can happen. But just imagine if you went weeks without feeding your physical body or if you just happen to feed your physical body just like every so often as is kind of convenient, just imagine how weak, how malnourished your body would be. As important it is to feed your physical body to the steady diet, how much more important to feed your souls week in, week out with God’s Word. Yes, most sermons are like meals. You consume them and you forget them. But yes, say it again. That is how God is revealing himself to us, to grow us, to sustain us, to persevere us in the faith. So church, whether you’re preaching God’s word or taking it in, may we all be sober minded when it comes to the word that is preached. Knowing that in the grace of God, the preached word is a pretty sweet gift, a pretty thoughtful gift from a kind and generous God. Let’s pray. Lord, I do pray that you’d help us to not only hear your word but heed to it. Lord, please help us to live rightly in ways that you defined are true for blessedness. God, help us to live in light of that which is to come. I pray for those who might be here this morning, who are not yet disciples of Christ, that today you would open up their eyes to see the beauty of Jesus, that they would turn into him. And Lord, I do pray just for just this pulpit, the sermons that come from it, whether it be me or others. Lord, please help us to rightly divide the word of truth. And Lord, please bless the preaching of your Word for our good and your glory in Jesus name, Amen. The post The Greatest Sermon of All Time – Luke 6: 20-26 appeared first on Red Village Church.

Dave Rubin of "The Rubin Report" talks to Viva Frei and Alex Stein about YouTuber Angela Rose's visit to the address of the eStCru winery connected to Ilhan Omar's husband Tim Mynett, which has led to questions about her skyrocketing net worth; GB News' Ben Leo paying a visit to Billie Eilish's house located on "stolen land" from the Tongva tribe in Los Angeles; Jelly Roll's inspiring acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards where he focused on the power of his faith in Jesus to the chagrin of the liberal elites at the Grammys; shocking footage that CNN would like to ignore of what the anti-ICE protests at schools around the country like Langston Hughes High School actually looked like; Donald Trump telling NBC News' Tom Llamas if JD Vance or Marco Rubio is better suited for the 2028 election; 13 year-old Austin Appelbee's inspiring story of swimming for 4 hours through the ocean to get authorities to launch a sea rescue to save his mother and younger brother who had been swept out to sea of the coast of Australia; "This Week on the Internet" featuring Billie Eilish's ignorance, Lady Gaga, politically incorrect Minecraft and the downfall of celebrity activism; and much more. WATCH the MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE segment of the show here: https://rubinreport.locals.com/ Check out the NEW RUBIN REPORT MERCH here: https://daverubin.store/ ---------- Today's Sponsors: Tax Network USA - If you owe back taxes or have unfiled returns, don't let the government take advantage of you. Whether you owe a few thousand or a few million, they can help you. Call 1(800)-958-1000 for a private, free consultation or Go to: https://tnusa.com/dave Rumble Wallet - Don't let the big banks freeze your accounts. Own Tether Gold - real gold, on the blockchain and get direct ownership of physical gold bars, each one fully allocated, verifiable by serial number, purity, and weight. Download Rumble Wallet now and step away from the big banks — for good!  Go to: https://rumblewallet.onelink.me/bJsX/... Venice.Ai - Use Ai that doesn't spy on you or censor the AI. Ai is valuable and you shouldn't need to give up your privacy to use it. Go to https://venice.ai/dave and use code DAVE to get 20% off a pro plan and enjoy private, uncensored AI.

Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda, have walked through trials that would test anyone's faith. On today's edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson welcomes the Warners to share their remarkable journey through career setbacks, family tragedy, and raising a son with disabilities. They also discuss how Brenda led Kurt to faith in Jesus, and why putting the Lord first transformed everything. Don't miss their inspiring story on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, right here at __________ on __________. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29?v=20251111

Daily Dose of Hope February 6, 2026   Scripture: I Corinthians 11   Prayer: Dear Holy God, Your love is amazing.  Thank you for the way you care for us.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us focus on you...Lord Jesus, help us set aside every distraction and take this time to lean on you.  We want to hear your voice.  Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We have been walking through Paul's letters and it has been challenging!  We've made it through Galatians, I and II Thessalonians, and we are now in I Corinthians. Our reading for today is I Corinthians 11.  The first part of the chapter has to do with head coverings. I didn't choose that for our main focus today but I do think it is worth a brief mention. Paul implores the women to cover their heads and the men not to cover their heads. This is confusing to us in a time and place in which head coverings serve an entirely different purpose (typically shade from the sun, warmth, or an accessory). But in ancient Greek and Roman culture, the main difference between a man and woman's attire was that women covered their head with a scarf-like material. The only women who did not do this were high class mistresses, slaves, prostitutes, and pagan prophetesses. Thus, when the women didn't wear their head covering or it fell off in the movement of worship, it was a significant distraction. In a highly patriarchal culture, it definitely sent the wrong signal, one that Paul really didn't want these women to send. Then, there is this whole issue with the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion.  Remember, they didn't have church buildings and they met in people's homes.  In fact, they met in some of the wealthier members' homes, because they had bigger homes that could accommodate a larger group.  Makes sense.  But the wealthier church members, who probably knew each other fairly well because they all ran in the same circles, were meeting ahead of time for a grand meal, that they would pair with communion, and they were eating and drinking and eating and drinking.  You can see where this is going.   By the time the poorer church members got off work and arrived, the wealthier people had been eating and drinking for quite a while.  All the food was eaten and they were drunk.  There were also no seats in the main room.  So, the poor people were basically sitting in a different area, hungry, without what they needed to receive communion together with the rest of the church.  It was like two separate churches, one for the rich and one for the poor.  And, not surprisingly, resentment was growing.  This is totally patronizing for the poor people.  Paul is appalled.  You can hear it in the letter, "Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? Why are you bringing this mess to church???"  Paul was basically saying that the Corinthians could not call what they were doing the Lord's Supper.    Keep in mind, the Corinthian society was very segregated.  Rich people didn't associate with poor people.  Classes stayed separate.  It isn't surprising that the rich in the church didn't want to hang out with the poor people.  They were dirty and hard to make conversation with.  And the poor people probably were really intimidated by the rich people.  Yet, Jesus had set up his church to be different from culture and that is what Paul is getting at here.  The Gospel turns things upside down.   We can look at Christians throughout the ages – the huge disparity of rich and poor, the way people of color were often turned away at the church door.  We had that in our own denomination.  I just got done reading White Trash (by Nancy Isenberg), which attempts to tell the story of class in America.  And it talks about how the wealthy classes totally discarded the poor.  They called the poor "waste people."  It was like their lives had totally no value to them.  And this is what got me: The wealthy aristocracy, who called the poor whites and blacks around them waste people, they attended church every Sunday.  They believed in God, they professed faith in Jesus.  And Jesus walked closely with the poor.  The Gospel was good news to the poor.  So, what happened?    As a church, I'm not sure we have really wanted the Gospel message.  We like it, as long as it gets us into heaven but we don't like it when it means we have to change our lives and our prejudices and our perspectives.  We like wearing a cross but not carrying one.    In Corinth, they were basically showing that their belief wasn't genuine.  They were demonstrating a value system, it just wasn't Jesus'.  I think through the ages, the church has demonstrated a value system, it just often has not been Jesus' value system.    What about New Hope?  What value system do we demonstrate?    What value system do you demonstrate?  I promise you, the way we live Monday – Saturday is showing the people around us who we are and who we belong to, just like in Corinth.  It's just as true today.  Who do we belong to?  Is it going to be about us or is it going to be about Jesus?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Do not live your life in fear? Embrace peace instead. In this episode of Next Steps 4 Seniors:, host Wendy Jones discusses the emotional and spiritual aspects of aging, focusing on overcoming fear related to aging and health. She emphasizes that fear is not part of God's design for us and offers practical steps to combat fear through faith in Jesus. Wendy encourages listeners to embrace the fruits of the spirit for a more peaceful and fulfilling life as they navigate the challenges of aging.takeaways We weren't designed to live forever. God did not design us to have a spirit of fear. Admit that you're fearful to overcome it. Recognize the authority of Jesus in your life. There is wonder working power in the name of Jesus. You can be released from the spirit of fear. Your answer to fear is God. Thinking on the fruits of the spirit brings peace. The fruits of the spirit include love, joy, and peace Be sure to like and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so that you never miss an episode. Every week brings two ways to grow: Tuesdays dive into the physical next steps with real-life guidance for seniors and families, and Fridays uplift the heart with spiritual and emotional next steps—encouragement, faith, and hope for the journey ahead. To learn more about Next Steps 4 Seniors, contact us at 248-651-5010 or visit us online at www.nextsteps4seniors.com Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@nextsteps4seniors Learn more : https://nextsteps4seniors.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textThe world promises permanence, but the ground beneath our feet is thinner than it looks. We open with a hard truth: even the best of human empires carries sin, ambition, and decay—and none of it will outlast the King and his kingdom. From there, we press into the ache behind modern achievement: why do we chase names on buildings and timelines if the elements themselves will melt? Not to shame hard work, but to expose the subtle shift from healthy drive to inordinate ambition that fences our hearts off from Christ.We talk honestly about legacy, status, and the myth of stability. Riches feel solid until judgment reveals the rot. Only what God builds endures. That's not a slogan; it's a blueprint for living—receive a right standing with God by faith in Jesus, then invest your days where fire cannot burn. Along the way, we share stories of everyday courage: offering prayer to strangers, speaking gently at work, learning that people rarely slam doors when they feel seen. Age and maturity become allies, not anchors—time with Christ breeds a freer tongue and a steadier hand.Threaded through is the warmth of community: answered prayers for a loved one's healing, teammates cheering each other into bolder faith, and a shared desire to persuade with patience. We also reflect on Job 15, how truth mishandled can harm, and why a possible shift to Jude could sharpen our focus on contending for the faith. The heartbeat remains constant—turn now, not later. Ask for mercy. Grow where you are. Speak with love. If you're ready to trade fragile trophies for lasting treasure, this conversation will meet you with honesty and hope.If this resonated, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Your words might be the nudge someone needs to step into brave, joyful faith.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

We're in San Francisco for Super Bowl LX and had the opportunity to talk with members of the New England Patriots about their faith in Christ. - Jaxon Smith-Njigba- Leslie Frazier- Cooper Kupp- Klint Kubiak- Mike Morris- Jalen Sundell - Leonard Williams Our Super Bowl LX coverage this week is presented by Adoption is an Option. They aren't an adoption agency or a referral service,  and they don't want anything FROM you.  They exist to help people understand what private infant adoption really looks like today, because too often it's missing from our most urgent and important conversations. Learn more at ⁠Adoption.is⁠.Have a question? Got a guest suggestion? Want to advertise with us? Email us - jason@sportsspectrum.comWATCH all of our podcast episodes on our YouTube page:https://www.youtube.com/SportsSpectrumMagazineSign up for our Sports Spectrum Magazine and receive 15% off a 1-year subscription by using the code PODCAST15https://www.theincrease.com/products/sports-spectrum-magazine 

We're in San Francisco for Super Bowl LX and had the opportunity to talk with members of the New England Patriots about their faith in Christ. - Drake Maye - Brenden Schooler - Christian Elliss - Demario "Pop" Douglas- TreVeyon Henderson- Hunter HenryOur Super Bowl LX coverage this week is presented by Compassion International . Since 1952, Compassion has been releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name. Join this urgent mission and live out Matthew 25:40 by visiting ⁠Compassion.com⁠ today.Have a question? Got a guest suggestion? Want to advertise with us? Email us - jason@sportsspectrum.comWATCH all of our podcast episodes on our YouTube page:https://www.youtube.com/SportsSpectrumMagazineSign up for our Sports Spectrum Magazine and receive 15% off a 1-year subscription by using the code PODCAST15https://www.theincrease.com/products/sports-spectrum-magazine 

Thursday, 5 February 2026   And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19   “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. And whatever, if you may bind upon the earth, it will be ‘having been bound' in the heavens. And whatever, if you may loosen upon the earth, it will be ‘having been loosed' in the heavens.” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus proclaimed Simon Pétros, Peter. He also said that on the Rock, He would build His out-calling, noting that the gates of Hades would not overpower her. Now, still speaking to Peter, He says, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens.”   A new word, kleis, a key, is introduced. The word is used both literally and figuratively. In this instance, it is figurative. A key is what provides access. An example of that is seen in Isaiah 22–   “Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; 21 I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah. 22 The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open. 23 I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father's house.” Isaiah 22:20-23   Eliakim was given the key, meaning access, to the house of David. In Luke 11:52, Jesus refers to the key to knowledge. Again, the use is figurative to indicate access to knowledge. Jesus is giving Peter the keys to heaven. He next explains what that means, saying, “And whatever, if you may bind upon the earth, it will be ‘having been bound' in the heavens.”   Access to heaven is through faith in Jesus. That is something ahead at this time for Peter. Hence, the future tense, “I will give.” The seal of salvation based on that faith is the Holy Spirit. Peter is being told that he will be the one to bind, meaning prohibit, that which is prohibited in the heavens. That is seen with the use of the perfect participle, having been bound. Likewise, Jesus says, “And whatever, if you may loosen upon the earth, it will be ‘having been loosed' in the heavens.”   To loosen means to undo and thus to allow. Peter, along with the other apostles, was given the authority to make decisions concerning what was to be done or not done in the church, confirming that which was bound in heaven. It is not a sleight of hand to include the other apostles. Those who wrote the epistles are demonstrating the same authority.   Peter is singled out here as the first to bear this authority. But in what sense? The answer is found in Acts, where the establishment of the church is recorded. From there, its continued expansion is followed throughout its pages. Who first addressed the people of Israel after Christ's ascension at Pentecost? It was Peter, in Acts 2.   “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?' 38 Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.' 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.' 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”   Again, in Acts 8, the message spread to the Samaritans. The people believed, just as those in Jerusalem, but something was missing. Therefore –   “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:14-17   And again, in Acts 10, the message was sent to the Gentiles, specifically Cornelius and his household –   “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.” Acts 10:44-46   What is the common element in each account? Peter was present to verify what had already been bound in heaven. The Spirit, the proof of salvation, was poured out on the Jews through Peter's evangelism. Salvation next went to the Samaritans, but the proof of that salvation awaited Peter's presence. Salvation then went to the Gentiles when Peter was instructed to testify to the work of Jesus.   God's plan of salvation was intended for all people. This is the intent of Peter's having been given the “keys” to what was bound in the heavens. The structure of Acts makes it clearly evident that the focus of the book is on Peter from Acts 1 through 12. However, the narrative then shifts to Paul in Acts 13-28. Those things Peter did are repeated through Paul in a precise and meticulously recorded manner.   Peter, being the apostle to the circumcision, verified what God had planned. He spoke the gospel, and he possessed the keys. However, Jesus' words in no way restrict that same ability and authority from any other person. It simply began with Peter's witness of the unfolding events in God's redemptive narrative.   Life application: Something quite common in Christianity is for people to claim they can “bind” a spirit, “loosen a prophetic word,” etc. When you hear this, don't be fooled that they are somehow super spiritual or possess some gift or authority that you don't. Such people are tossing out catch phrases that actually mean nothing.   We don't have such authority. The Bible is written. It is our guide and authority for what we are to do in the church. We don't need to witness proof of anyone's salvation. That is up to God to decide. Mormons claim they are saved. Jehovah's Witnesses do too. And yet, their doctrine is false, and their teachings are heretical.   We are to tell people about Jesus, pray for them when they have needs, rightly instruct them about the faith, and let God be God. Don't get caught up in goofy catchphrases that actually mean diddly. Be sound in your doctrine. That is sufficient. We don't need to impress others. We need to do what God has instructed us to do.   Glorious Lord God, may we not be like those who claim authority that we have no right to. The pope claims he sits in Peter's seat and has the authority to decide things he has no authority over. Help us to stick to Your word, in context, and not get misdirected by false teachings that profit nothing. Amen.  

We can slip into thinking our growth with God depends on how well we perform—how many good days we stack up, how few mistakes we make. But Scripture points us somewhere else. We are made right and continually changed through faith in Jesus, not by our own effort. It's not about earning God's approval; it's about trusting Christ's finished work. Today, Pastor Bill will tell you that transformation flows from belief, not behavior management. So today, stop striving. Change happens only through grace.

Today we continue to explore our commitment to Belong, Believe, Become. We speak of Belief in a few ways. We discuss a turning point in life in which we come believe, when we place our faith in Jesus. Further we identify what we believe, orthodoxy. Finally, we consider what it looks to embrace belief as a journey as opposed to a destination.

A chariot, a chance encounter, and a question that changed everything: What stands between you and your freedom?In this episode, Philip meets an Ethiopian nobleman who is searching for truth and freedom in the Scriptures. Through a divine encounter, Philip explains the gospel, leading the Ethiopian to embrace faith in Jesus and receive baptism, symbolizing his new life in Christ.Today's Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 3:17, from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Moses to the Messiah and Beyond — from the warnings and guidance of Moses to the courageous witness of Stephen, today's episode shows us God's faithfulness across generations. ❤️ Together, we explore Deuteronomy 17–19, taking a closer look at God's guidance for leadership, justice, and faithful living. We see how Moses prepared his people not just for the Promised Land, but for the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King — Jesus Christ. His words were full of care, warning, and hope, pointing forward to God's plan for redemption. Then we follow a thread from the Old Testament to the New as we turn to Stephen in Acts 7, whose courageous speech boldly proclaims Jesus as the Prophet Moses promised. Stephen recounts God's faithfulness throughout Israel's history — even when the people stumbled — reminding us that God's promises are never delayed or forgotten… all before he is martyred for his faith in Jesus. Along the way, we reflect on God's heart for justice and mercy, including the cities of refuge and the principle that punishment should fit the crime. These instructions weren't just ancient rules — they reveal God's care for life, fairness, and the well-being of His people, showing how justice and compassion go hand in hand. This episode invites us to see God's promises fulfilled and to recognize that the same faithfulness that guided the Israelites is still active in our lives today. ❤️ For the full episode show notes, please go to https://mfahring.com/deuteronomy-17-19/

Your host, Brian Michaels, sits with Melody Ronk, a Physician's Assistant with Dynamic Healthcare Team. Their conversation ranges from addressing current illnesses roaming through the Colorado Springs community to some of the quirks medical professionals deal with in serving their patients, and how faith in Jesus impacts providing the best medical care possible.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you placed your faith in Jesus, we are celebrating with you!Subscribe to Our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHNDPb5XMkf1LyqoTU30vg Help Support and Grow our Ministry to reach people around our community and spread the love of Jesus: https://transformchurch.com/giving/ Stay connected with us through our:Transform Church Website: https://transformchurch.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transformchurchnj/Plan your next in-person visit. We are located at:Rutherford Location- The Williams Center9AM, 11AM, 1PM 15 Sylvan St, Rutherford NJLyndhurst Location- 10AM, 12PM525 Riverside Ave, Lyndhurst NJ

It is our prayer that today's word would encourage and challenge to walk out your faith in Jesus, shine brightly in darkness and experience Kingdom impact in all you do! Stay connected with Belmont Church on our Facebook page, website or on the Church Center App.

How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? — Romans 10:14 Have you ever wondered what beautiful feet look like? A woman who walked into my office one day helped me to see that beautiful feet make the effort to go on mission. She had a heart for second-generation Koreans who were leaving the church. She said she needed someone who could help her find a place for them. In the next couple of weeks we worked on how that could happen within our church. We looked at our Alpha course, which invites people to ask questions about God, Jesus, the Bible, and the Christian faith. We decided to offer the Alpha course in both English and Korean. The door that she opened in my office that day has led to many Koreans coming to faith in Jesus and becoming a part of his church. Families, students, and the young people she had a heart for now lead in worship, serve on our staff, teach, and volunteer. Is God calling you to advocate on someone's behalf? Like the woman who walked into my office, perhaps? Or maybe you could invite someone to your home for coffee or to join you at church? Is there a group of people or a person whom you would love to see learn more about Jesus? Can you think of ways to help or to open a door for them to hear the good news of Jesus? Have you looked at your feet and thought, “How beautiful!”?  Dear God, thank you for beautiful feet that walk in the direction of helping others to find you. Give us the courage to invite others into your story. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If you placed your faith in Jesus, we are celebrating with you!Subscribe to Our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHNDPb5XMkf1LyqoTU30vg Help Support and Grow our Ministry to reach people around our community and spread the love of Jesus: https://transformchurch.com/giving/ Stay connected with us through our:Transform Church Website: https://transformchurch.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transformchurchnj/Plan your next in-person visit. We are located at:Rutherford Location- The Williams Center9AM, 11AM, 1PM 15 Sylvan St, Rutherford NJLyndhurst Location- 10AM, 12PM525 Riverside Ave, Lyndhurst NJ

In the second half of Romans, Paul defends God's faithfulness to Israel, showing how the old covenant finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He contrasts the experiences of Gentile and Jewish believers to demonstrate that—despite their respective faults—God has graciously received both through faith in Jesus, who is the ultimate answer.   Show Notes Twitter | Rumble | BitChute | Spotify | Apple -------------------------------- Support the podcast by shopping at the Truth Quest Shirt Factory. Check out our "Christian Collection" of shirts inspired by this episode.

When spiritual heroes fall, what happens to our faith—and that of our children? Financial manipulation and abuse within the church can leave deep wounds, shaking the foundation of trust and faith for entire families. In this powerful episode of Christian Parent/Crazy World, host Catherine tackles one of the most urgent and painful issues affecting Christian families today: how to respond when trusted church leaders become charlatans, using their position for financial—or even sexual—exploitation. With real-life stories, audio clips, and biblical insight, this episode equips parents to guide their children through disappointment without abandoning the truth of the Gospel. Joining Catherine is featured guest Clifton Payne Jr., pastor, writer, Hebrew University scholar, and author of What the Bible Really Says About Tithing and Giving: It’s Different Than You Think. Having left the faith for fourteen years after witnessing financial abuse firsthand, Clifton Payne Jr. brings both scholarly expertise and personal experience to this heart-wrenching discussion. What You’ll Discover in This Episode: Financial Abuse—A Widespread Scandal: Hear stories of pastors manipulating the vulnerable, including Clifton Payne Jr.’s grandmother and infamous televangelists promising “seed money” blessings for thousand-dollar gifts. Charlatans Across Denominations: It’s not just one stream of Christianity; financial and sexual misconduct strike churches everywhere—from charismatic circles to mainline denominations to the Catholic church. The Impact on Faith and Family: Discover why these betrayals don’t just hurt individuals—they threaten the faith of the next generation. Catherine lays bare how hypocrisy often drives children and parents alike away from church and sometimes, from God. Biblical Wisdom for Difficult Days: Get to the heart of the Bible’s teachings on money, tithing, and generosity. Clifton Payne Jr. strips away manipulation, revealing how God’s desire for our hearts is profoundly different from the “prosperity gospel” sales pitch. Honest Conversations at Home: Learn how to talk with your children about church scandals—without letting cynicism win. Public harm requires public correction, and as Christian parents, we are called to shepherd our homes by telling the truth. Why This Matters:This episode will challenge, grieve, and encourage you to see beyond the headlines and scandals. It’s a reminder that our faith must be rooted in Christ, not in flawed messengers. When parents grapple honestly with church failures and model God-honoring generosity, they provide children with a foundation that lasts beyond any scandal. Modern Application:Christian parents, are you prepared to shepherd your children through disappointment in the church? Are you modeling discernment, generosity, and faith that isn’t shaken by human failure? About the Guest:Clifton Payne Jr. is a pastor, writer, and biblical scholar with advanced study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His experiences with church financial abuse and long journey back to faith uniquely equip him to address manipulative money tactics and help families find biblical clarity in confusing times. His book, What the Bible Really Says About Tithing and Giving: It’s Different Than You Think, is available on Amazon and other major booksellers. EPISODE LINKS: Clifton Payne Jr.’s Book: What the Bible Really Says About Tithing and Giving: It’s Different Than You Think Subscribe to Catherine's resources for Christian parents on her website. Mike Winger’s Expose on Shawn Bolz & Bethel Church: The Skeletons in Bethel’s Closet Are Now Going to Speak Televangelists: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Call to Action:How are you preparing your children to discern truth in a world full of spiritual counterfeits? What honest conversations could you start this week—even in the face of heartbreak—to root their faith in Jesus, not fallen heroes? Tune in next week as Catherine and Clifton Payne Jr. dig deeper into what the Bible really teaches about tithing and giving—setting your family free from confusion and manipulation. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The Seven Attributes of Jesus (Christology 1)Big Idea: Jesus Christ is not just a chapter in the story of God; He is the Author, the Hero, and the Ending. When we see Jesus for who He truly is, every other priority in our lives finds its proper place.Today we begin a nine-week journey through the Book of Hebrews, a letter written to magnify the greatness of Jesus Christ. Hebrews isn't primarily about religious rules, moral improvement, or spiritual techniques. It's about Jesus—who He is and what He has done. Everything else flows from that foundation.The original audience was likely Jewish Christians living under Roman rule, facing intense persecution. As pressure mounted, many were tempted to abandon their faith in Jesus and return to the familiarity and safety of traditional Judaism. Hebrews speaks directly into that tension with one clear message: Jesus is greater than anyone or anything that came before Him. To walk away from Him would be to walk away from the fulfillment of all God's promises.The author of Hebrews remains anonymous, one of the great mysteries of the New Testament. While Paul may have influenced it, the writing style is far more polished and rhetorically sophisticated than Paul's letters. Hebrews chapter 1 proves this immediately. Verses 1–4 form a single, majestic sentence in the original Greek—an exordium, designed to grab attention with both beauty and weight.Hebrews 1:1–4 (NLT) sets the stage:“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son…”In the Old Testament, God spoke in fragments—a dream here, a burning bush there, a prophet's warning along the way. But in Jesus, God didn't just send messages; He sent the Message. This is Christology—the study of the person and work of Jesus Christ—and Hebrews wastes no time getting to the point.In verses 2–3, the author unleashes a rapid-fire description of Jesus using seven distinct attributes. In Scripture, the number seven represents completeness and perfection. Together, these form a full portrait of the Son.Jesus is the Heir—the goal of history. God has promised everything to Him as an inheritance. History is not random; it is moving toward the coronation of King Jesus. He is the “why” behind all creation.Jesus is the Creator—the architect of reality. Through Him, God made the universe. Jesus is not a created being; He is the source of all things. Nothing exists apart from His will.Jesus is the Radiance—the shining glory of God. He doesn't merely reflect God's glory like the moon reflects sunlight; He radiates it. The Son is the visible manifestation of the invisible God—“Light from Light.”Jesus is the Expression—the exact imprint of God's nature. The Greek word charaktēr refers to a stamp or seal. Jesus doesn't resemble God; He perfectly represents Him. To see Jesus is to see God.Jesus is the Sustainer—the glue of the cosmos. He holds everything together by the power of His word. The universe doesn't persist on autopilot; it endures because Jesus commands it to.Jesus is the Savior—the cleanser of sin. When He purified us from our sins, the work was finished. Unlike Old Testament priests who never sat down, Jesus completed the work once for all.Finally, Jesus is the Ruler—the seated King. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, a position of total authority. The victory is won.Hebrews 1:4 reminds us that Jesus is far greater than angels, traditions, or anything else we might be tempted to trust. For believers facing hardship, this truth re-centers everything.The message of Hebrews is clear:...

It is our prayer that today's word would encourage and challenge to walk out your faith in Jesus, shine brightly in darkness and experience Kingdom impact in all you do! Stay connected with Belmont Church on our Facebook page, website or on the Church Center App.

The Seven Attributes of Jesus (Christology 1)Big Idea: Jesus Christ is not just a chapter in the story of God; He is the Author, the Hero, and the Ending. When we see Jesus for who He truly is, every other priority in our lives finds its proper place.Today we begin a nine-week journey through the Book of Hebrews, a letter written to magnify the greatness of Jesus Christ. Hebrews isn't primarily about religious rules, moral improvement, or spiritual techniques. It's about Jesus—who He is and what He has done. Everything else flows from that foundation.The original audience was likely Jewish Christians living under Roman rule, facing intense persecution. As pressure mounted, many were tempted to abandon their faith in Jesus and return to the familiarity and safety of traditional Judaism. Hebrews speaks directly into that tension with one clear message: Jesus is greater than anyone or anything that came before Him. To walk away from Him would be to walk away from the fulfillment of all God's promises.The author of Hebrews remains anonymous, one of the great mysteries of the New Testament. While Paul may have influenced it, the writing style is far more polished and rhetorically sophisticated than Paul's letters. Hebrews chapter 1 proves this immediately. Verses 1–4 form a single, majestic sentence in the original Greek—an exordium, designed to grab attention with both beauty and weight.Hebrews 1:1–4 (NLT) sets the stage:“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son…”In the Old Testament, God spoke in fragments—a dream here, a burning bush there, a prophet's warning along the way. But in Jesus, God didn't just send messages; He sent the Message. This is Christology—the study of the person and work of Jesus Christ—and Hebrews wastes no time getting to the point.In verses 2–3, the author unleashes a rapid-fire description of Jesus using seven distinct attributes. In Scripture, the number seven represents completeness and perfection. Together, these form a full portrait of the Son.Jesus is the Heir—the goal of history. God has promised everything to Him as an inheritance. History is not random; it is moving toward the coronation of King Jesus. He is the “why” behind all creation.Jesus is the Creator—the architect of reality. Through Him, God made the universe. Jesus is not a created being; He is the source of all things. Nothing exists apart from His will.Jesus is the Radiance—the shining glory of God. He doesn't merely reflect God's glory like the moon reflects sunlight; He radiates it. The Son is the visible manifestation of the invisible God—“Light from Light.”Jesus is the Expression—the exact imprint of God's nature. The Greek word charaktēr refers to a stamp or seal. Jesus doesn't resemble God; He perfectly represents Him. To see Jesus is to see God.Jesus is the Sustainer—the glue of the cosmos. He holds everything together by the power of His word. The universe doesn't persist on autopilot; it endures because Jesus commands it to.Jesus is the Savior—the cleanser of sin. When He purified us from our sins, the work was finished. Unlike Old Testament priests who never sat down, Jesus completed the work once for all.Finally, Jesus is the Ruler—the seated King. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, a position of total authority. The victory is won.Hebrews 1:4 reminds us that Jesus is far greater than angels, traditions, or anything else we might be tempted to trust. For believers facing hardship, this truth re-centers everything.The message of Hebrews is clear:...

John 13:36-14:6,36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”In this sermon, God willing, I'm going to tell you two truths about us, one truth about Jesus, and then I'm gonna try to answer a big question.First, two truths about us.Two Truths About usHere at the start of Chapter 14, it's still Thursday night — the longest Thursday night ever. And Jesus said he was leaving. Earlier in the Gospel of John, two different times, Jesus had told unbelieving crowds that he was “going” somewhere, but at the end of Chapter 13 he tells his disciples he's going somewhere — and we could imagine the worry this might have caused. It makes sense if the disciples of Jesus have troubled hearts.A troubled heart is what you would call a heart that's filled with worry and fear and confusion. The disciples are about to step into a world they did not expect, and it's gonna come through the most gruesome event imaginable. And from one vantage, it's only gonna get worse for them over the next four chapters.So if you take it altogether, they are in a “troubled-heart situation.”That's what this is: it's an unprecedented place; it's high-stress; it's a “THS” — troubled-heart situation. And troubled-heart situations bring things out of people.Peter: Stubborn ResolveTake Peter for example. In Chapter 13, verse 36, Jesus told Peter that where he's going, Peter cannot come — not at first anyway because Jesus must go to the cross alone. But Peter is just not having it. He's not even sure what Jesus is talking about, but he's like: No matter what, Jesus, I'm with you all the way! In verse 37 Peter says, I'll even lay down my life for you!See, what this troubled-heart situation brings out of Peter is what I'm calling stubborn resolve. And the resolve part is good, but the problem is that Peter is looking to his own strength to carry him. He thinks he can handle this. He's saying, I got this! You can imagine he's probably got his headphones on, playing some hype music ... But the deal with Peter is that he's overconfident that he will do the right thing at all costs. That's one way to respond to troubled-heart situations.Thomas: Paralyzing UncertaintyBut then there's another kind of response in the same scene. This one is Thomas in verse 5. Jesus, in verses 1–4, has just assured his disciples that although he's leaving, it's for their sake, so he says Don't let your hearts be troubled! Jesus says he's gonna come back for them!His end goal is for his disciples to be with him. And he says Y'all know this. Jesus is speaking encouragement here. He's saying: I'm for you in this. You're gonna be with me.But then Thomas replies, verse 5: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Basically, Thomas hears the encouragement Jesus gives, but he can't receive it. Instead he says: Jesus, we're completely helpless here! We don't stand a chance! Thomas assumes Jesus must be missing something. Jesus doesn't get it. Thomas is looking around at the other disciples and he's like, Jesus, look at us! (He probably sees Peter over here doing some pushups). Thomas is like: There's no way we'll get this right! Thomas is saying No way do I got this!That's what this troubled-heart situation brings out of him. I'm calling it paralyzing uncertainty.And I want you to see these two responses together, Peter and Thomas — stubborn resolve and paralyzing uncertainty. If Peter is overconfident that he will always get it right; Thomas is under-confident that he will ever get it right. Peter is I GOT THIS and Thomas is NO WAY I GOT THIS. And both are forms of unbelief.That's Peter and Thomas, and listen: both responses are in us. Each of us, as individuals, we have Peter and Thomas instincts. And then our church corporately, we have Peter and Thomas instincts. Two truths about us is that we are Peter and Thomas! And troubled-heart situations bring that out — have we had any troubled-heart situations lately? …Well if it hasn't yet, in the days and weeks ahead, what happened to our church on January 18th is gonna bring out these instincts in us: stubborn resolve and paralyzing uncertainty. And I believe that I have a word from God for our church this morning. Can I tell you? Actually, let me show you. Everybody find Chapter 14, verse 6:Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”That is God's word for us, Cities Church!I've told you two truths about us — we are Peter and Thomas, we need help — now I want to tell you one truth about Jesus.One Truth About JesusOne truth about Jesus is that he's the way, and the truth, and the life.And you're probably thinking, “Wait a second! That's three truths!” But no, it's one. It's one truth with three facets because you can't ever have one of these without the other. Jesus is always at every moment way, truth, and life.And in fact, since the early church it's been taught that in order for people like us to become fully-formed followers of Jesus, we need to understand each facet.So back in the fifth century, the church father Augustine was asked to write a little discipleship manual for the ‘everyday Christian.' Basically, the question was: Can you write a handbook for us on what it means to follow Jesus? Augustine did, and he organized the handbook in three parts: faith, hope, and love — Christian virtues — but they correspond to John 14:6, truth, life, and way.Augustine would say that the virtues of faith, hope, and love flow from Jesus himself as truth, life, and way. So John 14:6 is not only about who Christ is, it's the source for how Christians are made.That's what I want to show you now. This simple verse, John 14:6 — this one truth about Jesus — becomes a guide for what it means to be a Christian. I'm going to follow Augustine's outline and start with truth.Jesus said I am the truth.Jesus is the definitive revelation of God. Which means he is the highest, most absolute standard for what is real in this world and what is true about God. Jesus is the lens through which we interpret everything. He is light in our darkness. He is clarity amid confusion. To learn Jesus is to learn everything because in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3), and in him the eternal purposes of God have been realized (Ephesians 3:11). So we should get to know him. We have to start here.If we are to worship him, speak him, share him, we must know him. And one of my favorite quotes about knowing Jesus is from the theologian Kevin Vanhoozer. He says, To minister Christ, one needs to know Christ, and for this we need the testimony of the Old and New Testaments, and the tradition of the church's sustained reflection on that testimony, and personal experience of Christ's presence and activity.Learning Christ with heart, soul, strength, and mind alike must be the beginning and end, the center and circumference, the energy and matter [of our discipleship].Jesus is the truth. Know him. We start there.But also …Jesus said I am the life.Jesus is the supplier of existence. Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus upholds the universe by the word of his power. This has been called “the continuing act of creation.” It means everything is because Jesus says so — and when he stops, it's over. In this Gospel we have learned right away that “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3). In him is life itself. Jesus calls it eternal life; abundant life; the kind of life that every human being longs for. It's the good life, and I know you want it! The good life is only found in Jesus.Whom have I in heaven but you?And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you.My flesh and my heart may fail, but Jesus is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Do you see it? — If you have all the stuff of this world, but you don't have Jesus, ultimately you have nothing. Even if you have none of the stuff of this world, but you have Jesus, ultimately you have everything. Jesus is the life. Have him. Get that life.And …Jesus said I am the way.Jesus says this first in verse 6 and it is, of course, a metaphor. The word “way” is another word for “path” or “road” — and we know that Jesus is not literally a path or a road, he's a person. And so how can a person be like a path or a road? What does it mean that Jesus is “the way”?Well, this actually reminds me of when I was a kid, there was a path that ran beside my house. It's still there. And I always knew two things about that path: first, I knew it was a dirt path; and then second, I knew it led to my great-grandparents house. So, there was the kind of path it was, and there was where the path led. And both things are in view here when Jesus says he's the way.First, I want you to see the kind of way he is. And we've already been seeing this because Jesus said in Chapter 13, verse 15,“I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” And verse 34,“Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” So the kind of path is love. What was Jesus's way of being? … It was love! — except it's even more than that, because it's sacrificial love. I said this a couple of weeks ago: the love of Jesus is not aimed at our transient ease, but at our eternal good in God — and a lot of people didn't like that, but Jesus still paid the cost. So Jesus's kind of way is love that is cruciform. It's love that's shaped like a cross.Which means, listen: if we follow the way of Jesus, we have to be okay bearing a cross. We are going to shoulder shame. We are going to suffer ridicule. 1 Peter 1:21,“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”So we follow him in the kind of way he is, but now where does this way lead? Where's the destination? Where does the way of Jesus take us?The answer is home. Heaven. Where God is. As Pastor Marshall said last week, “Our home is always him.” Where does the way of Jesus get us to? He gets us to himself. He gets us to his fellowship — the fellowship that he has with the Father, together with the Holy Spirit. Jesus invites us into that — and over the next two chapters in this Gospel he's gonna tell us all about it!Jesus is the way — follow him. He is the way of the cross, and the way to God. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.The Big QuestionNow, here's the big question: what does this one truth about Jesus have to do with the two truths about us?How does the way, truth, and life of Jesus transform our stubborn resolve and paralyzing uncertainty? …It's amazing that in this Gospel, we see Jesus redeem both Peter and Thomas. He tells Peter, If you love me, feed my sheep. He tells Thomas, Put your hand in my side and believe. Jesus overcomes the weakness of both their instincts by his presence — or can I say, by his realness.When we are in troubled-heart situations, Jesus knows that resolve is good and uncertainty is unavoidable — we just need to keep our eyes on him. The last thing we need is for Peter and Thomas to be looking at each other. Both must look to Jesus. Jesus is our strength and our guide. This is not theoretical. The real person, Jesus Christ, helps us. He stands by us. He will not leave us.Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit, Christ when I rise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.The sum of all our theology and worship and living is Jesus Christ. It's always Jesus, only Jesus.He says, verse 6,“No one comes to the Father except through me.” Isn't that the greatest news you've ever heard? Some people only hear this as restrictive — are you kidding me? This is the most amazing invitation ever spoken. The headline here is not “Restrictive Jesus Only Way to God” — the headline is “JESUS SAYS THERE'S A WAY!” There's a way! That there is a way at all is wonder upon wonder! And Jesus is that way.If you're here this morning and you've not put your faith in Jesus, I invite you to do that right now… Just tell him: Jesus, I can't save myself and I'm done trying. You came to save me, and I trust you.Believe in Jesus right now. And if you do believe in Jesus, which is a lot of us, let's just give thanks to Jesus in this moment. Let's ask him for more of his Spirit, to remember more of his realness in all of life. That's our prayer, church, and that's what brings us to the Table. The TableWe come to this table to remember all that Jesus is for us, and thank him for what he has done. He died on the cross and was raised from the dead and ascended in victory for our salvation. And if that's your hope, if you have put your faith in Jesus, we invite you to eat and drink with us.

Every single person needs to be born again through faith in Jesus.

Audio Transcript Yeah, Full house this morning. There we go. So, yeah, it’s good to meet in God’s house and to sing praises to the Lord. So today we are going to continue our sermon series in the book of Luke. And so if you have a Bible, you can go ahead and open up there. And if you don’t have a Bible, there should be some blue Bibles in the chairs that you can go ahead and grab. And so we are in Luke chapter six. And we’re going to be reading verses 12 through 19. And so this passage is focusing on the calling of the 12 disciples and the events that follow right after their calling. And so I’m going to read this passage and then I’ll pray and we’ll get started. So here’s what the word of the Lord has for us this morning. Luke 6:12. In these days he went out to the mountain to pray. And all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them 12 whom he named Apostles Simon, whom he named Peter and Andrew his brother, and James and John and Philip and Bartholomew and. And Matthew and Thomas and James the son of Alphaeus and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. So that’s God’s word for us. Please pray with me. God, thank you that you speak to us through, through your holy word that you have preserved so that we might hear from you. Now I pray God that you would indeed speak, and God you would help me to speak your word and that you would give us hearts and ears to receive what you are saying this morning. It’s in Jesus name we ask these things. Amen. All right. So up until this point in Luke’s eyewitness account of Jesus life, Jesus has done a lot in the region of Galilee and in Judea. And in the very beginning of Jesus ministry, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, followed by a supernatural phenomenon with the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus like a dove and the voice of the Father declaring, this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Jesus was then led into the wilderness for 40 days, where he was tested and tempted by Satan and where he overcame the devil through God’s word. Jesus taught in the synagogues throughout the surrounding area of Galilee, teaching that the scriptures were now being fulfilled in him. Jesus declared that he is the Son of man, who has authority to forgive sins. The Bridegroom of God, the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus had casted out demons, proving his authority over spiritual realms of darkness. Jesus had healed many people of a variety of sicknesses and malformities, including fever, disease, leprosy, paralytics, withered hand and and much, much more. Jesus had called forth specific individuals to begin following him that nobody would expect, including outcasts and fishermen and a tax collector. And with all of these things Jesus had done and continued to do, he was doing the will of his Father. But now a shift in Jesus ministry strategy was about to happen. So no longer was Jesus going to continue his mission in solidarity. And although Jesus certainly could have done this, that’s not what God planned to happen. Instead, Jesus would now choose 12among those who had been following him since the baptism of John, and they would become his personal disciples. And so understand, like this is no small thing for the ministry of the Son of God this moment here in our passage, as we know that these 12 disciples would go on after Jesus to establish God’s church for the edification of the saints and for the proclamation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. So the establishment of God’s kingdom for generations would come, beginning with these 12 disciples. Through these 12, by the power of God, lives would change and the world would change. So how does Jesus make this very big decision? Looking at verse 12 in our text, it says in these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. So before choosing the 12 disciples, we learn that Jesus removes himself from all distractions by going to a mountain in Galilee and he goes there alone to pray to God the Father. And Jesus did this actually early, early on in his ministry that Luke mentions. And he’s doing this at the days when the Pharisees hate for Jesus was only increasing more and more as we learned about from last week’s sermon. And as Luke had mentioned, Jesus had done this in the past. What is unique here in this passage is that this is the only time Luke records Jesus takes all night to pray in isolation. Like the only other time Jesus comes close to doing this is in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion. And so there’s two Reasons why I think God’s Word gives us this information and why Jesus prays all night. The first reason is to show us the humanity of Christ. Jesus is fully God and fully man. And therefore during his time on earth, there are times when Jesus knowledge or power were willingly limited in order for him to be fully human. And so to put it another way, Jesus subjected himself to the Father’s will by choosing not to exercise the full limit of his divinity during his life and ministry on earth. So Jesus never stopped being God, but also he was man. And Jesus dependency upon prayer with his heavenly Father shows us the humility of Christ as he had to depend on his Father at times to reveal to him what the Father’s will was. And since this is such a large decision happening here, Jesus spent the entire night in prayer seeking the Father’s will. The second reason I think Jesus did this is to teach us about the vital importance of prayer. So when faced with a large decision that Jesus knew was part of God’s will for his life, he didn’t say like, I’ll pray about it and then like walk away and like forget to pray about it or just kind of briefly mention it to God in prayer and then just kind of go further about his day. Like actually Jesus, like knowing that he was going to choose the 12among this crowd of disciples, like took, made the disciplinary action to step away from the busyness of ministry to be alone with God and to pray not for five minutes, not for 15 minutes, and not for an hour, but all night long until the text tells us like the sun rose the next day. Like, let that sink in. This is vitally important what Jesus is doing and taking this time to pray. And if the Son of God felt that prayer was this vitally important for his ministry, then how much more vitally important is prayer for God’s people and determining God’s will for our lives? Jesus is the perfect example of what it means to be a Christian and what it means to walk by faith in the living God who hears and answers prayer. And so we as God’s people, we must do the same and carve out devoted time to pray to God individually as a family and corporately if we want to carry out God’s will for our lives. And so if your prayer life is lacking, then let the example of Jesus encourage you to make time for prayer this week. Make some like, attainable goals on how you can devote more time to prayer this week so that God’s will may be done in your life. For God delights in hearing and answering the prayers of his saints. And if the perfect Son of God depended on His Father to lead and direct him while on this earth through the power of prayer, how much more do we need to depend on our heavenly Father through prayer? That being said, moving to verse 13, it says, and when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them 12 whom he named apostles. So the sun rises after Jesus long night of prayer, and Jesus knows who he is going to choose as his 12 student. 12 students. The meeting that Jesus had with his heavenly Father in prayer made it clear who would be chosen and what he would teach them that morning. It’s important to note that the only reason the disciples are made like one of the 12 is, is because Jesus graciously chose them to become his apostles. Like, this isn’t something that they signed up for, but rather something Jesus called them forth to do and chose them to do. And with that line, like John the Baptist understood this as well. John the Baptist said this about his own ministry. A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given to him from heaven. It is by the grace of God and his choosing that these men are made into 12 disciples for the purposes that God set long ago. And the word apostle that is here in our text that Luke points out, it literally means to send. And so this is signifying the mission that was given to these men, to these disciples from Jesus. So in both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark, Jesus choosing of the 12 apostles involves giving them authority to be sent out to preach, to cast out demons, and to heal every disease and affliction, which is exactly what Jesus is about to do in the next few verses. And so the 12 apostles were God’s chosen disciples in whom he gave authority to carry out his great mission. Jesus was instituting a new office of apostleship for the early church, who would serve as his official representatives. And the way he would teach his apostles is by spending time with them. 24, 7. Because of this, these 12 disciples would get to know their teacher and their Lord on a much more personal level from this point on, which is such a privilege for each of these 12 disciples. And then in our text, verses 14 through 16 gives us a list of these apostles names. And so A list of 12 disciples is also given in Matthew, Mark, and Acts. And in each of these lists, Simon Peter is always listed as first. And then Judas Iscariot is always listed as last. This is because Simon, who was renamed Peter, which literally means rock, is whom Jesus said, on this rock, I will Build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Jesus chose Peter to be the leader in whom he would begin to build his church after his resurrection. And Jesus words are actually fulfilled later in the Book of Acts we read on the day of Pentecost, Peter preaches a sermon of repentance to all who gather to hear him in Jerusalem. And about 3,000 people profess faith in Jesus that day and are baptized. And so hence, Jesus uses Peter to begin to build his church. So overall, there’s not actually a ton of information known about each of these apostles based on what God gives us in His Word. We know that, like, four of these guys were just simple fishermen and they were called to follow Jesus. And this was Peter and Peter’s brother Andrew, and then two other men named James and John, who Jesus called the Sons of Thunder. We know that John was called the disciple of whom Jesus loved, and that John wrote the Gospel of John and as well as three epistles and the Book of Revelation. And then we know that John was exiled to the island of Patmos at the end of his life. We know that Matthew, also known as Levi, was a tax collector who wrote the Gospel of Matthew, which we just spent some time learning about him a few weeks ago. We know Bartholomew was also known as Nathanael, and he was described by Jesus in the Book of John as an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. We know Thomas doubted the resurrection of Jesus until he saw him again, which, honestly is kind of a bummer thing to be remembered as. But I’m pretty sure as we get to heaven, we’ll learn like, there’s some other great things that Thomas did in faith. We know that Simon was a zealot, in which the zealots was like a zealous religious group who are committed to the fall of Rome. And then we know about Judas Iscariot, who was the money keeper for the apostles and who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. And after betraying Jesus, Judas hung himself in the field of blood and was later replaced by a man named Matthias, who became the 12th apostle in his place. And as for the rest of the disciples in this list, like, the Bible actually doesn’t give us a ton of information about them. And from what we know, these apostles, like, they did not come from noble or wealthy families. They weren’t priests or scholars. They weren’t even like, really educated. They were like untrained, ordinary people like you and me. And so don’t miss this with this list that is provided here. By Luke, these guys were just ordinary men. And yet they were called and chosen by an extraordinary God. And because they were chosen by an extraordinary God, by Jesus, their names will stand as pillars in heaven for all of eternity. Which is wild to think about. Just listen to what Revelation 12:14 says concerning the new Jerusalem that represents the city of God in the new heavens and new earth. It says this, and the wall of the city had 12 foundations, and on them were the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. So these apostles, they may have been just ordinary guys before Jesus called them to himself, but because they were called by an extraordinary God, their names will be remembered as pillars in heaven forever. And the Bible doesn’t tell us much about the apostles, but that’s because it’s not about who the apostles are, it’s about the extraordinary God the apostles were called by and who followed for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. That’s what matters here in this passage. And because Jesus chose these 12 disciples who gave up their lives for the sake of the Gospel, according to church tradition, today there is a foundation that the household of God’s church stands upon and will forever stand upon, namely, because Christ is its cornerstone. And so we, Red Village Church, we are in debt to the way that God used these 12 disciples. And that is something incredible to think about. God chooses ordinary people like you and like me for extraordinary purposes that make ripples into eternity. And we would do good to never forget that. Moving on to verses 17 through 19, our text says, and he came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them. So after Jesus chooses his 12 disciples, he now comes off of the mountain that he was on in prayer with these 12 at his side, to what Luke said, a level place. Now, this description of a level place, it’s important because it seems to be signifying that this is a different place from the Sermon on the Mount, where Matthew clearly says Jesus went up on the mountain, and then he began preaching the Sermon on the Mount after he had ascended the mountain. And so the sermon, this sermon right here, it differs from the Sermon on the Mount in that it doesn’t focus on the Jewish law, but instead its focus is on love and fruit that a disciple’s life should have. And so although this like sermon is very similar and it’s actually using the same information that Jesus uses on the Sermon on the Mount, it’s actually only half as long as the Sermon on the Mount. And because of this, this sermon is often referred to as the Sermon on the Plain, in which many scholars agree was a similar sermon to the Sermon on the Mount, but it was given a different. It was given at a different time, likely before the Sermon on the Mount. So before Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Plain, Luke tells us a great crowd of Jesus, other disciples, and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon. They all gather to Jesus for these three reasons that Luke gives us. To hear Jesus preach, to be healed of their diseases and to be freed of unclean demonic spirit. So it’s important to note that Jesus fame, like it’s now spreading beyond just the region of Galilee and Judea in which Jesus has been up to this point. And so now, like Luke says, great multitudes, which is most likely in the thousands, are now coming from the sea coast of the cities on the Mediterranean, which means these were Gentile cities. And so Gentiles are now coming in to gather around Jesus to hear him teach and to be healed and to be freed by demonic spirits by Jesus. So we know that this is the reason why Jesus came is to redeem and to save not only the Jews, but also the Gentiles from every tribe and language and tongue on the earth. And as people came from near and far, their diseases were healed. And the demons that oppressed those who were troubled were cast out and cured. And those who came wondering like, could this be the long awaited Messiah that we have been waiting for? Truly they heard and they seen that this is the Christ. Verse 19 tells us that as people began to be healed and cured, others in the crowd who had not been healed simply made it their mission to just touch Jesus. Because Luke says divine power was radiating out from Jesus that healed them all. Now this is like an incredible scene that Luke is portraying for us. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of people pressing in just to simply touch Jesus. For just by touching him, lifelong illnesses, chronic pain, infirmities, and agonized demon possessed people who have been dealing with this for who knows how long are instantly healed when they touch Jesus. Like that is incredible. All because the Son of God, the Christ, was standing on level ground on planet earth and from him was radiating this life restoring power to whom all were healed. That came to him like, what a sight this must have been. This, this had to been incredible to witness, especially for the 12 disciples that are now called to join in with Jesus ministry. Like this had to be mind blowing. And the word for power here that Luke gives is actually the Greek word dunamis, which is where we get the English word for dynamite. And so this is the same power that Luke describes Jesus having in Luke 4:14, where Luke says, and Jesus returned in the power of the Holy Spirit to Galilee. So this power that Jesus has coming from him is directly related to the Holy Spirit who we see brings life and restoration both to creation and to all of mankind throughout the Bible. And this is the Holy Spirit’s life changing power being poured out from Jesus to everybody who is coming to him and to everybody who is touching him. And so this picture is certainly painting for us. A picture of the nations coming to Jesus in great physical and spiritual need. And Jesus is at the center, allowing all to come to him and to be healed as they believe and touch the Son of God, who is the supply and source of the Holy Spirit’s power, which knows no bounds. And it’s important to think about this scene in relation to the 12 disciples who were just chosen. Like up to this point, they’ve listened to Jesus teach, they’ve watched him heal and cast out demons. But this, this is on a completely different level. Directly after being chosen to be Jesus apostles and given authority to do the same work as Jesus, this scene unfolds. And so this is the work that Jesus is doing and will continue to do with all of his 12 disciples at his side. People will be drawn to Jesus in both physical and spiritual need, both Jews and Gentiles. And Jesus will continue to restore and change lives through the power of the Holy Spirit living in his disciples. This is what Jesus Kingdom looks like. And he invites his 12 disciples to join in on this work. For it is only the beginning and that ends our passage. And so from this I have three applications for you that I want to give you from this passage of Scripture that I think speak loudest. And so the first application I have for you, if you have put your faith in Christ, remember you are chosen by Christ for the purposes of his kingdom as his disciple. In the same way that Jesus chose the 12, he has chosen you that all may be drawn to Christ. Ephesians 1:4:5 says this. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. He predestined us for adoption to Himself as the sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will. That being said, there is purpose in the will of God as He calls his people from death to. So if you are a Christian here this morning, meaning that you have made Jesus like the Lord of your life, then just like the 12 disciples, remember that God has purpose for your life. As his disciple, he wants to use you to draw others to himself by sharing the gospel and by living as Christ’s ambassador, not because of what you’ve done, but because of who God is. And that is really encouraging to know that if you are in Christ, God created you for good works to do today, tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day and the next day that will ripple into eternity. When I was in college at a fall retreat for a collegiate ministry that I was a part of, it was in New Mexico. This was a collegiate ministry called the Christian Challenge. And the director there was named David Engelhardt. And so David led us out from this little Bible camp in the mountains of New Mexico. And he had all these students, including myself, gather around a little pond that was about 50 yards wide. And what David taught me that day and the rest of the students, I will never forget. With everyone gathered around this pond, he picked up a rock and then he just threw it into the pond and told all of us just to be silent and to watch. And so David does this. The rock goes. Splashes into this pond. And then ripples are sent out from this rock that go out all the way to the edges of this pond and. And then bounce off of different things in the pond until they all begin to go completely still. And so, in silence, everyone, including myself, watches these ripples go out. And after the ripples disappeared, David said this. Serving Christ is a lot like ripples in a pond. You, by faith, make a splash in obedience to Christ. And ripples are sent all across the pond, but the rock is at the bottom of the pond. And often the rock does not see the ripples that are going on up above. But God, he sees all that his hand is doing with these ripples. And so what he is saying is, God has purpose in every splash, every good work, every step of faith, every Gospel conversation, every Sunday service that we gather. God says he is working. And even if we can’t see it, God is building his kingdom through his chosen disciples, and that is through you. If you have put your faith in Jesus, he has chosen to use you to make ripples that will last for eternity. An extraordinary God calls ordinary people like you, like me, to follow him so that they might live with extraordinary purpose for the glory of God. So first application is, do not forget this. My second application from this passage is very simple, and that is to seek to make disciples of Christ Jesus. Master plan of evangelizing the world started with investing more time into just 12 disciples. And then Jesus spent even more time in just three of those disciples who were Peter, James and John. And so Jesus intentionally invited these disciples to not only join his ministry, but to also get a glimpse into his personal walk with God. And we are called to do the exact same thing. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave the great commission for his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to observe all that Christ has commanded his people. And so if you’re here and you believe in Jesus as the Lord of your life, then you are his disciple. And you too are called to make other disciples through baptism and teaching other followers of Jesus to observe all that Jesus has commanded in the Bible. So if you’re a believer, my question to you is, who are you discipling right now? Who are you helping to follow Christ? Discipleship can look like a lot of different things. It can look like serving in kids ministry to help teach kids about the Bible and how they can know God. It can look like having a daily time of family worship with your kids and teaching them about the Bible and how to walk with God. It can look like inviting people to church so they can hear God’s Word preached and then grow in their faith through community with other believers. It can look like meeting together with a believer who is new to the faith or with someone who is considering the claims of Christ and to study the Bible with them and teach them about Jesus. It can look like leading a small group Bible study that is teaching others God’s Word and how to put it into action. Or it can look like inviting a college student to your home for a meal to see how you are following Christ while encouraging them to do the same. Which is what I personally am praying that God will do with Adoptive Student Day today. And so, regardless of how we do discipleship, what’s important is that we do seek to do it no matter what it will. No matter what it will require you to be intentional and to invite another person into your life and into the church so that they too may become a disciple who follows Jesus and who keeps his commands and if you’re not sure where to start, then I encourage you to do what Jesus does here in our passage of scripture. Carve out some intentional time to pray to God that God would give you someone to disciple and to show you who that person is. And if you do this, then God will guide you in the right direction and he will equip you with what you need to help others grow in Christ. This is the work that God is doing and what he’s called us to do. And it’s not about who you are and how good you are at teaching or helping others. It’s about just seeking to be faithful and God using you to build up and raise up other disciples. My third and last application from this passage is point all people to the life restoring power found in Christ alone. Our passage ends with human need, both little and great being met in the person of Jesus. So Jesus is the only one with the power to change a person’s life from spiritual death to spiritual life. Only in Jesus can the Holy Spirit change a dead heart to beat for God and to live the extraordinary life that God calls us to live by faith. Jesus lived the life that we could not and died on a cross in our place. And then three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead and is victorious over sin and death. And today, Jesus is alive. That’s why we gather here and that’s why we continue to worship God. It’s because Jesus lives. And if you repent today and believe that Jesus truly is the Lord over all the earth who rose again from the dead, then scripture says you too will receive the resurrection power by the Holy Spirit who will come to live inside of you and who guarantees that you will be with God in heaven for eternity. Which is incredible. This is the gospel, the good news given to mankind. And so no matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done, the power of God can change your life today. And I believe that wholeheartedly, because I am a walking example of that. God has changed my life from death to life through faith in Him. And so, in summary, point all people to the life restoring power that is found in Christ alone. May we never grow weary in doing that and in seeing that our Savior is the one who has life life restoring power so that all who believe may find new life and joy in him for eternity. That being said, please pray with me, God. We believe that Jesus truly is alive. And we believe, God, that you can use us as you use these 12 disciples to bring about life for others, to bring about Godliness, to bring about godly fruit that is good and righteous and holy. And Lord, that you call us to make other disciples. And so I pray, help us to be faithful in trusting Lord in your choosing and being faithful, to step out works of faith and to be intentional with others so that others may grow in Christ and be able to know and love you and walk with you and God, that the Gospel by your grace, may go to the ends of the earth, that you would use our small little church to fulfill your great commission. And God, that we would never grow weary in pointing people to the all powerful Christ who is alive and who gives new life to all who believe in him. And I pray God be with us as we continue our service today. And it’s in Jesus name we all pray. Amen. The post Chosen Disciples – Luke 6: 12-19 appeared first on Red Village Church.

We started out the week with a powerful personal testimony of how God can rescue any life even one that is seemly deep in darkness and despair. On In The Market with Janet Parshall this week we shared one woman’s amazing story of finding her hope and faith in Jesus and how to navigate our way through the dark nights that face all of us at one time or another. Parents can not count on the schools as they did in past years. More than ever parents have to be watchful over what their kids are being exposed to in the halls of education as dangerous ideologies and those who support them are actively seeking to indoctrinate kids into followers. We had a very revealing conversation with Janet’s daughter who shared the results of a study of 700 school districts across the country, how school are getting money from outside the U.S. to push radical ideologies and why the president of the NEA is joining a “revolution group” and how that could impact what is taught in the classroom. Artificial Intelligence and its advocates continue commandeering more and more aspects of daily life. We turned to our expert on all things tech to put these changes in biblical perspective for us. He talked to us about the rise of A.I. psychosis, how the implementation of A.I. is damaging or destroying our institutional foundations and whether or not ministries should include the use of A.I. chatbots. Our guest sent out a warning call to Christian parents as he exposed how young believers are turning away from their faith as a result of what they are learning and who they are learning it from in college. He encouraged parents to start early building resilience in their kids to face both the subtle and direct challenges to their faith and how to come out this experience with their walk still intact. Janet and Craig once again invite you to join them for another important exploration of the headlines of the week as they expose them to the unflinching sunlight of God’s truth.Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260130dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:14 Renewed by the Light Before you go camping in the woods, be sure to check that your flashlights all work properly and the batteries are all new. You will be far away from the artificial lights illuminating the cities and suburbs. Many thick trees can block the natural light of the stars. Unforeseen clouds and rain might also douse the light of a campfire. Before facing a new day in this dark world, be sure to check that your spirit is recharged with the truth and grace of Jesus. We are still living far away from heaven's glorious light. The things of this world that are supposed to bring us happiness are merely artificial lights that quickly burn out. Unexpected temptations threaten to plunge us into sinful decisions and right back into the darkness of fear and shame. We constantly need to recharge the lights of Jesus' truth and love in our hearts. John tells us how: “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” The evil one still accuses, deceives, and seeks to destroy faith. Yet John dares to speak in the past tense: “You have overcome the evil one.” This victory is not based on present feelings or visible success, but on Jesus' finished work. By his cross and resurrection, Jesus has already defeated Satan. Faith clings to that victory. In ourselves, we are weak. Our faith wavers, our resolve collapses, and our obedience is imperfect. But in Jesus, we are strong. Those who live in the word of God will have the word of God living in them. It will renew your faith in Jesus’ victory. It will continually rekindle the joy in your heart that Jesus has overcome the darkness of evil for you. Keep living in the word of God, and the word of God will live in you, reminding you daily that in Jesus, you are strong. Prayer: Jesus, Light of the world, shine in my heart. Forgive my sins and fill me with your love so that I may walk in your ways and love my neighbor as you have loved me. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

In this episode, I talk with Erez Soref of @oneforisrael about his Jewish journey to faith in Jesus, why Nehemiah matters right now, and why they see modern antisemitism as spiritual, not just political. TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Intro (0:19) Dr Erez Saraf Joins (2:11) How A Jewish Israeli Met Jesus (5:23) Why Nehemiah Still Matters (7:31) Exile, Return, And Rebuilding Walls (13:05) Who Was Nehemiah's Persian King? (14:24) Is Israel Setting The Stage? (17:11) Why Is Antisemitism Surging Again? (22:34) One For Israel And Bible College