Podcasts about Family worship

As a boy in Darwin, Allan Quak found himself on a light plane that had flown into a tropical thunderstorm. When he asked, how they would get out of the storm despite not being able to see anything, the three licensed pilots on board all gave the same answer - trust the instruments. In today's episode of Family Worship, Allan Quak from Bible Society Australia brings us a message on trusting God, and resting on the promises of Scripture to help us through the storm clouds of our lives. Bible Society Australia exists to impact and influence Australia and the world by opening the Bible to all people everywhere by all means possible. You can read stories about the work of Bible Society, both within Australia and around the world, at www.biblesociety.org.au/blog Discover more Rise 96.5 podcasts wherever you listen to podcasts, or at rise965.com/podcastsSupport the show: https://www.96five.com/donate/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this edition of Family Worship, Adam Schoenmaker from Oasis Church in Bray Park speaks into the danger of distractions. Doing things for Jesus can never replace being with Jesus, serving Jesus is good and right but knowing Jesus is even better. If you want to see Jesus' face, you must kneel at His feet. Oasis Church meets every Sunday at 8am, 10am (this service also streamed online) and 6pm. Oasis Church aims to bring together people of all ages and backgrounds to seek God, love one another, and serve the community. Find out more about Oasis Church at www.oasischurch.com.au Discover more Rise 96.5 podcasts wherever you listen to podcasts, or at rise965.com/podcastsSupport the show: https://www.96five.com/donate/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Special Speaker Rev. Shad Holleyhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Medina Church of the Nazarene

We welcome back Chelsea Jacobs from Yellow House Story Shop to discuss the realities and rewards of homeschooling a child with special needs. Chelsea honestly shares her family's journey, including the adoption of her son Gabe from Rwanda, his cerebral palsy diagnosis, and the everyday joys and challenges of homeschooling alongside complex medical needs and other neurotypical children. With 14 years of homeschooling under Chelsea's belt, we hope this episode is a great encouragement to all who are walking the same path!RESOURCES+Buy some of our favorite books here! 10 Of Those + $1 shipping!+Build Your Family's Library: Grab our FREE book list here+Get our FREE ebook: 5 Essential Parts of a Great Education.+Attend one of our upcoming seminars this year!+Click HERE for more information about consulting with Carole Joy Seid!CONNECTHomeschool Made Simple | Website | Seminars | Instagram | Facebook | PinterestEPISODE LINKSLearn More about CTCMathMentioned in this episode:Pick up the book, Family Worship, wherever books are sold, or visit this link to learn how to get 30 percent off with a free Crossway Plus account.Family Worship

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Part 2 of 2: Some families feel like they need to supplement with more academic work as they also use the Homeschool Made Simple's method. But Carole's conversation with Chris and Anna Clont can encourage you to settle in and watch the fruit appear using this simple method. Begin with the end in mind!The Clonts share how attending Carole's seminars not only recalibrates and inspires them each year but also provides a valuable community of like-minded families. Both of the Clonts now recognize the importance of following this clear, consistent educational plan rather than “hybridizing” multiple methods, which can lead to overwhelm and a lack of cohesion. Join us!RESOURCES+Buy some of our favorite books here! 10 Of Those + $1 shipping!+Build Your Family's Library: Grab our FREE book list here+Get our FREE ebook: 5 Essential Parts of a Great Education.+Attend one of our upcoming seminars this year!+Click HERE for more information about consulting with Carole Joy Seid!CONNECTHomeschool Made Simple | Website | Seminars | Instagram | Facebook | PinterestEPISODE LINKSUnplugged Children BundleMentioned in this episode:Pick up the book, Family Worship, wherever books are sold, or visit this link to learn how to get 30 percent off with a free Crossway Plus account.Family Worship

Most Christians think of the church building as “the temple” or “the sanctuary”… but biblically, that's not true. In the New Covenant, God's presence doesn't dwell in a building—He dwells in His people. That means you are the temple. And by extension, your household becomes the front line of worship, holiness, and spiritual leadership. In this episode, we unpack the biblical meaning of the temple and why fathers must take seriously their role as spiritual leaders in the home. If you've grown tired, faced resistance, or felt like your efforts aren't making a difference—don't quit. What happens inside your home has eternal significance, and your leadership matters more than you realize. Links in this Episode AW Bootcamp: Aug 21-23 Family Worship by Joel Beeke Please partner with us in inspiring and equipping multi-gen families at https://abrahamswallet.com/support AW website Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Chapters (00:00:00) - No Temple for God, Says Pastor(00:00:25) - Abraham's Wallet Boot Camp Retreat(00:05:17) - Abraham's Wallet: Separation From Chaos(00:13:39) - The Holy of Holies(00:19:56) - Hebrews 9: The Temple of God(00:21:20) - Stewarding His Presence(00:27:52) - The cleansing of the temple of God(00:34:19) - Wonders of God: Stewarding the Presence of God(00:37:27) - Being the Priest of Your Home(00:43:16) - The Stewarding of God's Presence(00:44:28) - Be Restful in Your Home, Dad

Hear the sermon from Seminarian Misty Krasawski on May 17, 2026 - a family worship service where the sermon is tailored for our youngest parishioners and where children take part in the service by reading and serving in worship. For more information on Saint Luke's and sermons from other Sundays, please visit www.saintlukesdarien.org.

What does it look like to follow Deuteronomy 6 and raise our kids in the "fear and admonition of the Lord"? Michael Kruger and Melissa Kruger join Adriel Sanchez to discuss what worship and discipleship can look like in the home, and why parents don't need to feel intimidated or afraid to step into this responsibility.   GET "THE GOOD NEWS FAMILY DEVOTIONAL" - https://amzn.to/4emka4b Written for ordinary families with full schedules, this flexible, Christ-centered guide will help you engage your children with consistency and purpose. Let your hearts be refreshed each day as you meditate on the life and ministry of Jesus together. Affiliate link. PARTNER WITH US - https://solamedia.org/partner/?sc=AS2502V When you become a partner today, you'll receive two remarkable books as our thanks: Rediscovering the Holy Spirit by Dr. Michael Horton and Praying with Jesus by Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We believe these books can guide you into a clearer understanding of the Spirit's work and a richer prayer life. FOLLOW US YouTube | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter WHO WE ARE Sola is home to White Horse Inn, Core Christianity, Modern Reformation, and Theo Global. Our mission is to serve today's global church by producing resources for reformation grounded in the historic Christian faith. Our vision is to see reformation in hearts, homes, and churches around the world. Learn more: https://solamedia.org/

Today's special guest is Revolve Church Elder - Victor Davis. We talk about Family Worship, Talking Bull Frogs, and Being Refined in the Fire to be more like Jesus.

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Bro. Howardhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Struggling with your family worship/family devotion time? In this episode, Dr. Rob Rienow shares five big mistakes families make when it comes to prayer and Bible time at home. In this episode you'll learn: - Why family worship is not meant to feel like a classroom - How waiting for the "perfect moment" can hold families back - The difference between leading out of discipline and leading out of need - Why the Bible itself should be central in family worship time - How to keep going as children grow older and schedules get busy - Practical ways to restart or strengthen family worship at home Featured Resources: Upcoming Events — Meet us in person at a Visionary Family Conference near you. Full event schedule: https://visionaryfam.com/events Visionary Family Community — Join a movement of families dedicated to passing faith to the next generation. Receive prayer support, live teachings, and exclusive resources. Learn more: https://visionaryfam.com/community Free family worship guide - www.VisionaryFam.com/grace Love this episode? Share your thoughts or prayer requests with us at podcast@visionaryfam.com. If this episode encouraged you, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Your review helps more families discover the show. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube so you never miss an episode.

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

April 12, 2026 | Family Worship http://theanchor.church https://www.instagram.com/theanchorchurch/ https://www.facebook.com/TheAnchorChurch

Opening Prayer I’m excited to talk about family worship. It’s a topic that I hope will either encourage you, refresh your zeal, or introduce to you as a new practice that will bless those in your household. Let’s pray. God, we thank you so much for this morning. We thank you for this opportunity to look at your word and consider what is profitable, what is useful, consider the means of grace that will enable us to grow and be sanctified and be more pleasing to you. God, please help us to do that. I pray that this would be an encouragement to everyone who’s here. And I ask all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. The Chair I Broke In the past, I did air conditioning for about seven years, and I remember one of the most embarrassing, pit-in-my-stomach moments I have ever had. I was 21 years old, and I was doing an air conditioning tuneup at a customer’s house. Part of my check was to go to every vent in the house and check airflow and temperature, and everything was going really well until I got to one vent that had a chair underneath it. Because the chair was there, I couldn’t reach the vent, and so I did what any sensible person would do. I stepped up onto the chair, and after a couple seconds, I hear creak, snap. I look at the chair. The chair is broken. I noticed for the first time in that moment that chair looks kind of old. The homeowner comes running in. She looks at me on the ground, looks at the chair, and she says, “Mima’s chair.” Just getting worse and worse by the second. It was an heirloom. It was a family heirloom, and I snapped it so that I could be extra thorough on my air conditioning tuneup for $69. She starts crying. I call my manager, and he comes out and promises her we’re going to make it right. They ended up finding an antique craftsman to repair it, and she was happy. I don’t know how much that repair bill cost, but I was expecting to be fired. My manager graciously looked at me afterwards and said, “Did you learn your lesson?” I said, “Yes, sir.” And that was it. I never heard about it again. From then on I used a ladder every time I checked registers. I never stepped on a customer’s chair again. I learned to use the right tool for the job. In fact, I had the right tool available to me the whole time in my vehicle, and I just didn’t pull it out and use it. Think of a typical household—dad, mom, kids—and we will address other situations later. Dad has a responsibility to shepherd and lead his wife. He and his wife together have a responsibility to bring up the children. Those are no tasks for the faint of heart. They’re sweet tasks, but they aren’t easy. You need to use the right tools. This morning, I want to present family worship as an essential tool in those endeavors. Today, I’ll demonstrate three stimulating considerations of family worship. A Husband’s Pursuit of His Wife’s Sanctification We’ll start by looking at Ephesians 5. Go ahead and turn to Ephesians 5:25–27. “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her, so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present to himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless.” I’m not going to do a complete exegesis of this passage or the surrounding passages, but I want to highlight some things that will serve our purpose well. I want to talk about the husband’s need to pursue his wife’s sanctification. The text says that husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved the church. Notice these characteristics of Christ’s love. It was utterly sacrificial. He gave himself up for her. Christ put the good of the church ahead of his own well-being. He didn’t avoid the things that demanded effort or discomfort or even pain. Those of you who know the gospel understand that Christ went to the cross and bore the wrath of God as a sin offering on behalf of everyone who would ever believe in him, so that though sinful and guilty, they can be declared righteous, innocent, and adopted into God’s household. So husbands, as you look to lead your wives, sacrificial love is the modus operandi for your leadership. But look at the purpose stated here for Christ’s sacrificial love. What was he aiming at? So that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. Christ was aiming at the sanctification of the church. This is positional sanctification. Christian, when you believed the word of God and the gospel, Christ set you apart as his own forever. You have been sanctified. This positional sanctification came through the means of sacrificial love on the cross. So because of what Christ did, every believer is justified. Every believer is declared to be righteous and free from sin. And every believer still alive needs continual repentance, confession of sin, and pursuing holiness. We don’t yet experience the fullness of our purification, sanctification in the gospel, and we won’t in this life. But we must be ever striving for greater purity of heart, greater holiness. This is called our progressive sanctification. So husbands, Christ provided the salvation and positional sanctification of all God’s people at the cross so that the church would be presented to himself in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless. It’s an incredible reality, and it’s one that none of us husbands play a part in. We are beneficiaries of this work. But every believer must partner with Christ, with the Spirit, in the aim to see that they and those around them are growing in godliness. And especially in this context, the husband to his wife. This is part of your duty. Certainly not all of your duty to your wife, men, but it’s an important part, and it’s the element that we’re going to focus on today. It is your responsibility to conspire for your wife’s sanctification. Bringing Children Up in the Discipline and Instruction of the Lord Second stimulating consideration of family worship is to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Look just down a few verses at Ephesians 6:4. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” We didn’t look at the whole context for either of these passages. But if you scan the section, you will see submissional relationships: wives submitting to husbands, children submitting to parents, slaves submitting to masters. In all three of those relationships, the one in authority owes something to those who submit to them. A wife must submit to and honor her husband. Good. But a husband must love and care for his wife. It’s easy for us to see the ugliness of a man who doesn’t love his wife, but always asserts his own authority and demands his honor. It’s dishonorable. In the same way, parents must recognize we hold that same attitude when we demand obedience of our children according to verses 1 through 3 in this passage, but neglect the ministry and care of verse 4. If you’re a parent, hope to become a parent, if you’re a grandparent, or if you just know someone who’s a parent, this passage needs to be in your repertoire. Notice in verse 4 who Paul commands. This command is addressed to fathers. Paul knows the word for parents. He uses it in verse 1. But specifically he gives these commands to fathers. This doesn’t deny or neglect the role of mom in the home, but it does say dad is the leader, and dad is ultimately responsible for the way these things play out. Mom’s influence is significant. She is a fundamental, essential help, laboring alongside her husband and with all of his trust in these things. Five Ways Parents Provoke Their Children The first command here in this passage is do not provoke your children to anger. In the context when Paul writes this, in the ancient world fathers were viewed to have an authority that far exceeds what we view a father’s authority to be today, to the point of the father having the right to put family members to death on a whim. There’s no legal check to his power. God’s view of fatherhood is so far from that one. It is so far from domineering control. Paul’s first desire for fathers and parents in the church is that the children would not be provoked to anger. To provoke your child doesn’t mean that you always make decisions they would approve of. It doesn’t mean that you become child-centered in your thinking. This is what it means to provoke your child: it’s a continual, repeated pattern of treatment that builds up until it boils over in anger, frustration, resentment, bitterness. It’s a tragic picture, a child who’s embittered against their parents, who are actually the primary source of God’s wisdom and care and love. One commentator notes how a child is like a flower that closes off to storm clouds but opens up utterly unfurled to the light and warmth of the sun. Parents hold great influence over their children. They can cause their children to shut down and shut out in anger, and likewise they have the greatest influence in watching their children bloom to full flower. So parents must take care not to provoke. There are some great lists in different resources of ways that parents often provoke their children. Here are some from the book The Faithful Parent by Stuart Scott and Martha Peace. A proud parent won’t be able to admit that they are wrong, and they will demand that their children quickly admit when they have done something wrong. A proud parent will be quick to shame their child publicly. There’s a despairing parent who’s always glass-half-empty, always recounting regrets and failures in parenting. Not only will they struggle to be an encouragement to the child, but they will be motivated by fear and are often therefore unpredictable. Rules and standards might change from one day to the next depending on what mom and dad happen to be worried about that day. The controlling parent micromanages with a harsh, overbearing tone. Their presence is more like thundering storms than sunny skies. They lack kindness. They often use anger and a raised voice as a manipulation tactic to get obedience. A child who lives under this kind of parenting will often be left wondering, are mom and dad in a good mood today? Are they in a bad mood? The child-centered parent will stumble their kids. And you might think, how could that be? They give the child what the child wants. Shouldn’t that child be happy? They let the child decide what to eat for dinner, where to go to church, when to go to bed, all the things that a child typically lacks the wisdom to think through and make judgments on. This could be due to laziness, just to avoid difficult problems that take effort to work through. Sometimes it could be wrongly thinking that this is how you express love to a child: you center your home around them. What happens is that the child ends up making foolish decisions and has to suffer consequences that the parents could have easily spared them from. At some point the child has to leave the house and find out that the world doesn’t actually revolve around them like their parents modeled. These are just a few of the ways that provoking your child to anger can happen. But this is the task of parents, to ensure that the normal patterns, the normal behaviors, the parents’ attitudes, aren’t marked by these things and aren’t leading to provoked children. Discipline and Instruction — Paideia and Noutheteo Then we get to the positive command: bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. This is what you’re supposed to do. This is an arduous task, but it’s one that is motivated by love for the child. This word bring them up is the same word in chapter 5:29 when it says no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it. Husbands are to nourish their wives. Same thing here. Everything that the child needs to be nourished, healthy, strong, is to be provided for by the parents. So to say that a parent should work hard to provide food and clothing and a home to live in is certainly true. But here Paul’s using this term to describe the nurturing of the soul. Notice they’re to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Those are the means that the parent has at their disposal. Let’s talk about discipline first. Discipline is a word that often gets tagged onto corporal discipline, the rod. That’s a part of it, but it’s much more. This word for discipline is training. It’s the word paideia, which is familiar if you’re in the classical school movement. It’s the comprehensive training, the whole-life training that takes a child from needing to be guided in everything to being a mature adult. It’s formative. It’s instructive. While it doesn’t really refer to vocational training, it does refer to these three things all intertwined: education, academics, but especially moral and religious training is the emphasis. Successful paideia turns a child into a thoughtful, virtuous, faithful adult. Of course, only God can make outcomes certain, but that’s what we pray for. That’s what we’re laboring toward. This word instruction is verbal teaching. It often has the element of warning. It’s in the same word family as noutheteo. It’s a word group that has been rightly highlighted by biblical counseling movements. It’s instruction with warning of the consequences if you go against that instruction. So both of these words, discipline and instruction, are to be in the Lord. So as parents train, educate, instruct, it is as though the Lord were standing behind all of their instruction. It is as though the parents are the tools in the hand of God for the training of the children. So parents have the important responsibility to ensure that all the discipling, educating, training is done with the Lord’s pleasure in mind. Parents Are Ultimately Responsible Here are some implications. God cares about how your children learn. He cares about what they learn. If history is learning what man has done rather than what God has done in the world through man, you’re doing it wrong. If our children learn science as leading to anything else but Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God, it’s not how it was meant to be done. If they’re learning Bible, scripture, theology, from a source that softens God’s holiness, downplays sin, downplays that Christ is the only rescue from sin, downplays the infallibility of scripture, obviously those things are no good. So God cares about the training of children, and parents are the ones ultimately responsible to see that the child’s life training is in line with God’s desire. Of course it’s okay to contract things out. It’s okay, and often beneficial, to get help. But because parents are ultimately responsible, they need to know what’s going on. They need to be involved on some level. I was talking recently to a father whose family has done homeschooling, Christian schooling, public charter schooling. His experience with the Christian school was that they needed to be on top of whatever the school was teaching. They ultimately found out that this Christian school was soft-pedaling parts of scripture that the world finds tough to swallow. He also explained to me as they got older and went into charter schools, he would go one by one through each of his children and ask, “Okay, first period, what did the teacher say? What did you learn? Okay, what about this? All right, second period.” It’s a lot of work, but he was involved. I can testify as a homeschooling dad that no curriculum is perfect, and I have found problematic things taught in the most unsuspected places. I highlight all that to say the method—whether you do public, charter, private, Christian, homeschool—that’s not the most important thing. It does need to be thought through. But what is important is that in all facets of the child’s education, training, and discipling, parents must be personally involved. You may not be the one to teach your kids science, but you need to teach them a biblical worldview, how to think about those things. You might not be the one to teach them history, but they must learn from you that God is sovereign over everything that happens on this globe, past, present, and future. They might have a Bible class. They might go to NGM, but you parents are responsible for the discipleship of your children. What you cannot under any circumstances do is hand over the education, training, and discipleship of your children to the public school, Christian school, homeschool curriculum. It’s the parents’ task. Sometimes in our culture, there’s the stereotype that dad goes to work and that’s his domain. Mom is the one who’s primarily in tune with educational decisions and training of the child. Dad has his area of expertise and mom has hers, and they keep it pretty separate. Dads, you must be involved in the training of your children. According to this passage, even if the involvement is mediated through a wife’s more direct involvement, that’s okay. But you must be engaged in taking these things into account. Family Worship as the Right Tool So a husband must pursue his wife’s sanctification. A father must provide discipleship and biblical worldview to his kids. And here’s the punchline: there may be no tool in your tool belt as useful as family worship in those things. It’s useful because its intended purpose is to lean into those kinds of things. It’s useful because you can talk to and instruct your whole household at one time. Everyone’s together. Everyone’s engaged. And it’s useful because it is a regular, planned, scheduled time for your family to be in God’s word. I would say it’s useful enough that I think it ought to be considered essential. Now, you might be thinking, how can you say that? There is no verse in my Bible that says, “Thou shalt practice family worship.” It’s true. I have no command from the Lord. We do have examples in scripture. I won’t turn to each one, but feel free to jot these down. Genesis 18:19 says that God chose Abraham. And part of the reason he chose Abraham was for the purpose of Abraham commanding his children to keep the way of Yahweh. Abraham had the responsibility to instruct his children in the ways of Yahweh. Joshua set the expectation of serving Yahweh in Joshua 24:15 when he said, “As for me, in my house, we will serve the Lord.” Timothy was taught the scriptures from childhood, presumably by his mother and grandmother. It says in 2 Timothy 3:15 and it also says there in that context that the scriptures are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. I am so encouraged by that. I can’t save my kids. Only God can do that. But what I can do is I can pray for them every day while my heart still beats. I can bring this word that is able to make them wise unto salvation to them every single day as long as I have breath. So there’s no direct command. It’s kind of like reading your Bible every day. There’s no direct command. If you miss a day, I wouldn’t say you’re in sin. But it’s so in line with other commands and teachings in the scriptures that if someone said, “I absolutely refuse to read my Bible daily. I’m not going to do it,” okay, can I ask you about that? What’s going on in your heart, brother? Why are you saying that? It’s no command to lead your family in family worship, but it is so in line with the passages that we’ve looked at and others that if someone refused it, I’d have some questions. Again, family worship is a regular, consistent opportunity for a husband to nourish his wife and for a dad to have hands-on influence in bringing his children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. It’s by no means the only tool in your toolbox, but it should be one you use regularly. I want to be sensitive. There’s probably people here who have adult children, and you can look back and recognize, I didn’t do that. I didn’t do anything like that. I don’t want you to despair. I don’t want you to take undue blame without trusting the sovereignty of God. I don’t want you to wallow in guilt and regret. God is in control. God gave you your children. He knew who you were when he did. Trust him and start now or soon. It’s never too late. Methods of Family Worship All right, I want to move on to the methods of family worship. These will be practical helps and ideas, and there is no single right way to do family worship. You don’t have to take these as law, but they might be helpful things to consider. The Who of Family Worship First, the who of family worship. In general, everyone in the household should be expected at family worship. Sometimes family worship is viewed as primarily for the children’s benefit, and so only one parent needs to be there. I don’t think that’s the right way to look at it. The husband should view this as an opportunity to serve his wife as well and not only the children. Whoever is leading family worship should view it as an opportunity for his own heart to come to God’s word and worship. So it’s not just for the children. Something to be said here too for empty nesters who no longer have children in the home. That doesn’t mean family worship loses its benefit or its help to your household rhythm. But in general, everyone in the household should be present, including believing and unbelieving children. They all need to hear God’s word. And there can be caveats here. If an unbelieving grandparent moves in to be cared for and doesn’t want to be a part of family worship, I can understand where there would be situations where not everyone will be there, and you’ll have to think that through case by case. But so far we have primarily been addressing a typical household of parents and children. I understand that’s not the case for everyone. This would be a wonderful practice for roommates, especially if you’re both believers, a sweet opportunity to encourage each other in God’s word and to pray for one another. If you’re a child in a believing home that doesn’t practice family worship, you can ask your parents. See if they’d be willing to do this. Ask them if you can read the Bible to them at some point in the day. Ask if you can have a regular time to pray as a family. I know that it’s also the case for some that dad is unable to lead family worship. If dad is unable to lead family worship, either because he’s an unbeliever or because he’s not present, mom or anyone else who’s appropriate can and should step in to lead the family in worship together. I’ve even read about a situation where siblings were orphaned and the oldest brother took it upon himself to lead his family in family worship. If dad is present and he is a believer, I think he should lean into this. But wherever that can’t happen, whoever is able should feel the freedom to serve their household in this way. Note to grandparents, want to highlight you for a moment. You have a wonderful opportunity. Your grandkids hear all the time about how they must obey God’s word, seek wisdom, honor their parents. It would go a long way for them to hear it from you too. Or maybe your grandkids don’t hear any of those things, and you might be one of the few opportunities for them to hear God’s word, hear the gospel, take those things in. I can say from personal experience it is sweet to hear kids, parents, and grandparents all singing, praying, reading God’s word together. It’s memorable. It’s impactful. One more thing to consider, not a rule, but an additional ministry as part of your family worship: when you have visitors or you’re hosting somebody who’s not normally in your home, I have found it sweet to include them in family worship, even if you do something a little shorter so you still have time for fellowship. I have been encouraged by other families doing that for us. That is how we were first introduced to family worship when we came to this church. Someone welcomed us into their home and included me and my family in with what they were doing. The What — Word, Prayer, and Singing Now we’re going to move on to the what. What does family worship entail? I’ll give you three things up front. I would suggest that three core elements of family worship are God’s word, prayer, and singing. Remember this will look different in every household. These should be bent to whatever is useful for your household. First, God’s word. You should read it. This is the heartbeat of family worship. You get in God’s word, talk about it, and respond to it as a family. Some families just start in Genesis 1 and keep going. Others do New Testament in the morning, Old Testament in the evening. Some families with young children have found it profitable to take short breaks in reading the Bible in order to read an accurate Bible storybook for a little while. Some aim for one chapter at a time, others do shorter. Whatever works for your family, I would encourage you to do. But have a plan with the aim of eventually bringing your family to the whole counsel of God. One of the things that I’ve seen done that seems to be helpful is popcorn reading. One person reads a few verses and then popcorns to the next person. They read a few verses, and so on. It helps to keep everyone engaged. If you have younger children, it’s a great practice for reading out loud. One really helpful resource that I want to commend to you is the family devotional guide produced by Generations of Grace. It’s the curriculum that we use here in our NGM ministry. There’s five days of readings. It gives a passage to read, then some scripted commentary with discussion questions at the end. And to top it off, the five weekly lessons culminate with whatever the kids are going to hear that coming Sunday in NGM. It’s just a wonderful resource. There are others that can be used profitably. This is also a wonderful time for Bible memory, to make that a habit in your home. The second element of family worship should be prayer. Pray before you read the Bible to remind yourself of who you are worshiping. You are coming to God. Let your prayer help to bring sobriety if that’s needed, to settle everyone in, and remind them that we don’t want to be thoughtless. Neither should it be dull or super serious, but you don’t want to be unthinking. Then pray at the end. Help your family obey or respond to what you read about. What you’re actually doing here is modeling for those in your household what their own personal Bible reading and prayer could look like. You come to God reverently. You respond humbly. If there are cares, you cast them upon God, and everyone in the household gets to watch as God cares for you. You can also use that time to lead your family to think about others as more important than themselves. You can ask each person who’s someone in need they would like to pray for. Maybe help them think of people they know who have needs. Lastly, you sing. You sing together. One, maybe two songs is good. You might be worried that you can’t sing, can’t play an instrument. It’s fine. Hopefully, you have someone who can carry a tune in your household, but if not, you could practice. Why sing together? It prepares your heart to read God’s word. It glorifies God. Your whole family gets to participate in the ministry together. That’s another reason, thinking of Colossians 3:16, which says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God.” When you sing together, you all get to encourage one another with the truth as you sing. One implication of that is you should sing loud enough to be heard. You also get to teach lyrics. I was talking with someone this morning about how lyrics aren’t quickly forgotten. You can teach them the songs that are sung at church so that they can participate well on Sundays. But whatever songs you sing in your household, let them be doctrinally sound. Let them be rich, because you may be choosing the songs that will be stuck in their head for the rest of their life. Don’t you remember songs from when you were a child? Lyrics that haven’t gone away and probably won’t anytime soon. It’s a sweet opportunity. The When and Where Next, the when. First, you should aim for daily family worship. I recognize that’s not always possible. Small group nights, Sunday evenings, those things might be difficult, but consistency is important. It would be far more fruitful to do 10 minutes every day than 4 hours every Saturday. People in your home have other commitments, sports, other events in the evening. You should try to find a regular time where you can include as many people as possible on a regular basis. If you have to change things, change them. You’re not locked in. But strive not to let good things block out something that could be really important, really useful, really sweet for your family. Guard that time. Many people, if you go read a book on family worship, recommend morning and evening. I’ve heard of some families where everyone can be home on a lunch break, so they do family worship at lunch and in the evening. But if doing family worship twice a day sounds daunting, don’t worry. Just do it once and praise God for it. Gathering your family together once a day, every day, to come before the throne of grace, to ask for God’s help, to look at his word, will have profound impact on your family. One benefit to worshiping together twice a day is that you can have one instance focused on reading through the whole Bible systematically and another that maybe focuses on particular needs or on particular parts of your Bible, like the book of Proverbs, for instance. The where of family worship: it could be anywhere, the couch, the dinner table, the bedroom after everyone’s gotten ready for bed and about to retire for the night. Wherever you do it, try to have it somewhere that’s not distracting. Try to have everyone’s Bibles or song lyrics all ready to go in that place. We’ve adjusted in our house the time and location throughout the years according to the needs of the home and age of the kids. If you were to join us once and come back two months later, it’d probably be different. The How — Be Brief, Simple, and Serious Finally, the how. I’m going to give some notes on how you do family worship. First, be brief. If you’re leading family worship, you aren’t preaching a 1-hour sermon. Shorter is better. Take note of your household’s attention span. Be simple. Your goal is to be understood, from your prayers to whatever remarks you make. Don’t shoot above the level of your household’s ability to understand. Let it be profitable for them. When I first started, I really wanted to sound like one of my favorite preachers I liked listening to on YouTube. It just wasn’t helpful. Kids are like, “Dad, why are you yelling at me?” But you want to be understood. Asking questions helps maintain engagement and helps ensure everyone is understanding. If you’re listening to this and you feel as though, I don’t think I could lead family worship. I don’t feel equipped to do that. Again, there are various guides and Bible handbooks like the MacArthur Bible Handbook or a commentary that will help make a passage’s meaning clear. Feel free to ask around, see if people have used something that they like and that’s benefited them here in the church. But you need to know you don’t need to say anything eloquent or grand. You’re not preaching a sermon. It can be as simple as, “Wow, do you see how God judges lying? We shouldn’t lie. We should tell the truth, huh?” Yeah, we should. It really can be that simple. Can you believe God’s power? Can you believe what he did? Read it. Isn’t it amazing? Yes, it is. You be impacted. You be affected by the scripture and the sentiment that God is working in you as you strive to understand it. Share that. That sometimes requires the one who’s leading family worship to be the most prepared. Maybe go read the passage ahead of time. You might look at a resource or guide so that you can think of words to share with your family. But sometimes we make it seem a lot bigger and more grand and have these very lofty expectations, and it just doesn’t need to be that. It can be so simple. Next, be serious. I say that especially with households with children, with children who love to joke around, be silly. It’s not a time for excessive joking and frivolity. Train your children to sit down, to listen. It takes time, but it’s a really important skill. You’ll be glad when they learn it. But also, don’t be so solemn. Don’t be boring, that it’s just dull. Don’t read the passage in such a way that it makes the Bible seem boring. The Bible is not boring. Inherently, it is not boring. And if we think it’s boring or someone else thinks it’s boring or we make it seem boring, it’s actually because we’re boring. Read it with some life. And don’t be theatrical either. I want to give a note to children who are in here. Children, if you are in a home that practices family worship, come every day with fear of God, honor for your parents, ready to listen, and be very thankful that you are in a home that worships together regularly. Eight Rewards of Family Worship All right, we’ve covered the who, what, when, where, and how. And you’re thinking, where’s the why? The why is number three on the outline, the rewards of family worship. I’m going to name eight rewards of family worship. 1. You get to evangelize the unbelievers in your home on a regular basis. 2. You get to ensure that everyone in your home reads or hears God’s word daily. Even if they’re struggling to maintain their own Bible reading plan, you make sure God’s word is in their minds. 3. It helps to maintain household harmony. It’s hard to meet with God and maintain your bitterness for someone sitting next to you at the same time. Those aren’t congruous, parents. 4. It aids in your raising and discipling, your bringing up of your kids. You get daily time set out to instruct and shepherd them. And it’s outside the moments of conflict or discipline. So helpful. 5. Everyone in your family gets to practice the normal patterns of worship that happen in the church. 6. You prepare everyone in your family to understand and participate well on the Lord’s day. 7. You also get a front-row seat, parents, into how your children are processing and thinking about what they’re reading, what they’re learning in scripture. You get a front-row seat to how they are applying it or not applying it. It’s helpful information. You also get to model good hermeneutics. That’s a word that just means, how do we read and understand the Bible? You get to model that. 8. It provides a regular time for parents to pass on their own faith to their children. It’s great for children to hear and learn from a pastor or an NGM teacher. We need help. Not downplaying that. But it is also important. It is meaningful when children get to be discipled by their own parents. It’s a spiritual inheritance. John G. Patton’s Testimony With that last one in mind, I want to read to you a quote from John G. Patton. He recounts his common experience of family worship in his home that his dad led, and how that set the course for the rest of his life, ultimately going into the mission field. “How much my father’s prayers at this time impressed me, I can never explain, nor could any stranger understand. When on his knees and all of us kneeling around him in family worship, he poured out his whole soul with tears for the conversion of the heathen world to the service of Jesus, and for every personal and domestic need. We all felt as if in the presence of the living Savior and learned to know and love him as our divine friend. As we rose from our knees, I used to look at the light on my father’s face and wish I were like him in spirit, hoping that in answer to his prayers, I might be privileged and prepared to carry the blessed gospel to some portion of the heathen world.” John Patton never forgot those moments. They were so impactful in his heart. I commend this practice to you so heartily. Closing Prayer Let’s pray. God, we thank you so much for this opportunity. Again, we thank you for getting to consider your word, getting to consider the duties of husbands and parents. We thank you for the opportunity to look at this wonderful means of grace in the life of a household and to look at it from different angles and different sides. God, I pray for all of us that you would invigorate in us the desire to influence those in our household. Strengthen that, and specifically to influence them for godliness. That you would strengthen our love so that we might be willing to work, to understand, to labor, so that we can pursue the good of those we live with. God, we thank you so much for your sovereignty. God, we come to you humbly knowing that we cannot save anyone in our household. We cannot make that happen. But no one is too far that they cannot be saved if you determine to save them. God, we thank you that there’s always hope. Praying for those in our family who do not know you or have rejected you. God, would you save them? Would you save our families and our children? And would you motivate us to be means? Would you motivate us to share and preach the gospel? And I thank you for getting to talk about this practice as a tool to do just that. Please bless the rest of our Lord’s day. I ask that you would enable us to come to your word in just a few minutes with hearts full of worship, full of the desire to honor and glorify you, and full of the desire to submit to your word, to know it, to be shaped by it, and to respond to it appropriately. God, we love you. We thank you. We pray this in Jesus’ name. The post Equipping Hour: Family Worship appeared first on Grace Bible Church.

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

Sermon from Pastor Hidlebaughhttp://truthtabohio.org/#UPCI #Apostolic #Pentecostal #Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/truthtabohio

In this special episode, Pastors Sean and Jim discuss the what, why and how of family worship. This discussion may also be viewed in video format on our Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYTGOrZy1HEWatering Seeds is a ministry of Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Asheville, NC. You can learn more and hear our sermons on our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.covenantreformed.net/sermons⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can also find our sermon recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sermon Audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Psalm 78| March 22, 2026 | Pastor jason HulcePastor Jason Hulce is Teaching on Psalm 78. We hope you are blessed and equipped by today's message.To find out more about Shorebreak Church or to partner financially, visit www.shorebreakchurch.comTo share your story or ask questions, contact aloha@shorebreakchurch.comMahalo for listening!

March 15, 2026 | Family Worship http://theanchor.church https://www.instagram.com/theanchorchurch/ https://www.facebook.com/TheAnchorChurch

To honor the season of Lent on the Church calendar, Raising Godly Girls Podcast hosts Rachael Culpepper and Natalie Ambrose open a conversation about what this season means and why there is a growing movement of Christian families seeking to embrace a more liturgical way of living.     Whether listeners things of liturgy or traditions in their own Christian circles, this podcast episode keeps an open mind on the many ways that Christ-followers will choose to observe the Lenten season. From almsgiving—giving to the poor—to fasting, worship, Scripture reading, and prayer, hosts Rachael and Natalie encourage parents to either embrace their chosen tradition or to learn a new way with an open heart and childlike faith.     With joy Natalie recalls her surprise that her older kids came to love their faith traditions during Lent over the years and now anticipate the season as it arrives on their family calendar. Rachael gives a wise reminder to listeners about the importance of knowing the 'why behind the what'—understanding how each tradition is designed to connect our hearts directly back to God rather than relishing in the tradition itself or getting prideful in our ability to practice the tradition perfectly.     When it comes to leading kids through a liturgical way of living, Rachael encourages families to welcome in the wonder and delight of childhood to foster a sense of joy and anticipation in our girls. She also advises families to start her practices incrementally giving space for new habit formation and grace in the process.     Natalie lands the conversation with the joy of ecumenical unity—meaning we're all working together as Christians—and choosing to honor one another in their chosen way of observing this season in the Christian calendar.     Two Things to Consider:    Let wonder, surprise, & delight guide you.   Even one new tradition practiced over many years will develop a special place in your child's soul memory bank.     Scriptures Referenced in this Episode:    Deuteronomy 6:4-9  Proverbs 14:21  Luke 3:11    To learn more about the AHG Statement of Faith, visit americanheritagegirls.org/about-ahg/statement-of-faith  Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools.      Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.     

What does it really mean to be a friend like Jesus? Through Bible stories, practical activities, and family discussions, this fun and thoughtful article helps children learn how to show kindness, stand against bullying, and become safe, caring friends who reflect God's love.

Joshua 24:14-28

Alejandro Arias will be our speaker for the United in His Presence conference being held April 3, 4, & 5.  Five churches are joining together to welcome Alejandro for this Easter weekend conference.  Invite your friends and come expecting.For more information, reach out to The Gathering website at www.gatheringhoulton.org, Family Worship Center at Familyworship@live.ca or michaelknolljr@familyworshipcentre.net, Village Lighthouse at villagelighthouse.ca@gmail.com, Burnham Road Church at nathan.nathansmith@gmail.com, and Tabernacle Life Church at tabernaclelifechurch@hotmail com.All services will be held at Burnham Road Church, 34o Burnham Road, Oakland, New Brunswick at 6:00 pm Canadian Time (5:00pm American). Sunday morning service is held at Burnham Road Church.

Christian parenting is inherently missional. Rather than limiting ministry, parenting can provide a springboard for evangelism and discipleship within the home–both inside and outside our families. Far from being sidelined from ministry, parents who approach parenting with a missional mindset will find explosive opportunities to declare the glory of God. In this episode I'll be talking to James all about how dads can easily engage with kids through nightly family worship. We will cover: Why is it specifically important for the dad to lead in discipleship within the home.How moms can encourage dads to lead in  discipleship.Various opportunities a busy dad might have throughout the day to disciple his children.How long or short it has to be. Why leading nightly is important.  

Send us a text This week Greg sat down with Ken Wojnarowski. Ken is a Teaching Elder at Grace Presbyterian Church and host of the Forward by Faith Podcast. They discussed the importance of Fathers leading their families in worship and singing. If you are a young father and husband, we would recommend this episode, as their were many best practices discussed. Enjoy! Click HERE for your free consultation with Dominion Wealth Strategists Click HERE for the best cigars 1689 Cigars has to offer! Click HERE for your complete seating and furnishing needs from K&K Furnishing Covenant Real Estate: "Confidence from Contract to Close" Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV AppSupport the show Get your free consultation with Dominion Wealth Strategists today! The only distinctly reformed wealth company! CLICK HERE! 1689 Cigars: The absolute best cigars on earth! Check out out the Dead Men Walking snarky merch HERE! Build something for God's glory through Covenant Real Estate! Greg Moore Jr. can help you buy, sell, and invest! Call him at (734) 731-GREG or visit www.covenant.realestate

Send us a textThis week Greg sat down with Ken Wojnarowski. Ken is a Teaching Elder at Grace Presbyterian Church and host of the Forward by Faith Podcast. They discussed the importance of Fathers leading their families in worship and singing. If you are a young father and husband, we would recommend this episode, as their were many best practices discussed. Enjoy! Click HERE for your free consultation with Dominion Wealth Strategists Click HERE for the best cigars 1689 Cigars has to offer! Click HERE for your complete seating and furnishing needs from K&K Furnishing Covenant Real Estate: "Confidence from Contract to Close" Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

Send us a text This week Greg sat down with Ken Wojnarowski. Ken is a Teaching Elder at Grace Presbyterian Church and host of the Forward by Faith Podcast. They discussed the importance of Fathers leading their families in worship and singing. If you are a young father and husband, we would recommend this episode, as their were many best practices discussed. Enjoy! Click HERE for your free consultation with Dominion Wealth Strategists Click HERE for the best cigars 1689 Cigars has to offer! Click HERE for your complete seating and furnishing needs from K&K Furnishing Covenant Real Estate: "Confidence from Contract to Close" Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV AppSupport the show Get your free consultation with Dominion Wealth Strategists today! The only distinctly reformed wealth company! CLICK HERE! 1689 Cigars: The absolute best cigars on earth! Check out out the Dead Men Walking snarky merch HERE! Build something for God's glory through Covenant Real Estate! Greg Moore Jr. can help you buy, sell, and invest! Call him at (734) 731-GREG or visit www.covenant.realestate

How can Christian parents disciple their kids at home? Pastor Adriel Sanchez shares how he leads family worship through songs, supplications, and stories. PARTNER WITH US - https://solamedia.org/partner/?sc=AS2502V When you become a partner today, you'll receive two remarkable books as our thanks: Rediscovering the Holy Spirit by Dr. Michael Horton and Praying with Jesus by Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We believe these books can guide you into a clearer understanding of the Spirit's work and a richer prayer life. FOLLOW US YouTube | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter WHO WE ARE Sola is home to White Horse Inn, Core Christianity, Modern Reformation, and Theo Global. Our mission is to serve today's global church by producing resources for reformation grounded in the historic Christian faith. Our vision is to see reformation in hearts, homes, and churches around the world. Learn more: https://solamedia.org/

Tithing means we write a check to the church for 10% of our income, right?? Is this what the Bible actually says to is tithing is something bigger - something more intentional?  On today's podcast we are going to turn off the autopilot on our bank accounts and embrace the invitation to partner with God in ruling our resources.  Outpost Advisor - Schedule a call: https://www.outpostadvisors.net/schedule-a-call  About Abraham's Wallet: Abraham's Wallet exists to inspire and equip Biblical family leaders. Please partner with us in inspiring and equipping multi-gen families at https://abrahamswallet.com/support AW website Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Chapters (00:00:00) - Take Back Your Money From the Bank(00:00:24) - Abraham's Wallet(00:01:05) - A Quick, Quick Financial Checkup With a Client(00:05:27) - Give Today: Pro-life Issues(00:06:58) - Abraham on the Tithing(00:07:58) - Give Back to God(00:13:04) - How to Give to the Kingdom of God (3 Missions)(00:19:04) - The Truth of Tithing(00:24:55) - Tithing in the Life of God(00:29:52) - There Was a Special Tithing For The Levites(00:34:09) - The Levites and Their Tithing(00:38:46) - Tithing: A Math Problem(00:42:43) - 3% of my Money to Family Worship(00:45:40) - Tithing in the New Covenant

Family worship is a foreign idea to many Christians. Yet this simple practice can transform our homes and bless our children. Today, Jason Helopoulos explains how families can form patterns of Bible reading, prayer, and singing together. Request Created for Worship, the video teaching series from Jason Helopoulos, with your donation of any amount. You'll receive the DVD, plus lifetime digital access to all 11 messages and the study guide: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4485/offer   Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request the digital teaching series and study guide with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Meet Today's Teacher:   Jason Helopoulos is senior pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

There is no better way to center our homes around Christ than the regular practice of family worship. Today, Jason Helopoulos extols the blessings of worshiping with our families, encouraging us that it's never too late to begin. Request Created for Worship, the video teaching series from Jason Helopoulos, with your donation of any amount. You'll receive the DVD, plus lifetime digital access to all 11 messages and the study guide: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4485/offer   Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request the digital teaching series and study guide with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Meet Today's Teacher:   Jason Helopoulos is senior pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

In episode 471 of The Reformed Brotherhood, hosts Jesse Schwamb and Tony Arsenal begin a multi-part series on Jesus's parables of lost things in Luke 15. This first installment focuses on the Parable of the Lost Sheep, exploring how Jesus uses this story to reveal God's disposition toward sinners. The hosts examine the contextual significance of this teaching as Jesus's response to the Pharisees' criticism of his fellowship with tax collectors and sinners. Through careful analysis of the text, they unpack how this parable not only rebukes religious self-righteousness but also reveals the active, seeking love of Christ for His own. The discussion highlights the profound theological truth that God's joy is made complete in the restoration of His lost children. Key Takeaways The Parable of the Lost Sheep demonstrates Christ's heart for sinners, showing that seeking the lost is not exceptional behavior but the expected norm for those who understand God's character. Jesus positions this parable as a direct response to the Pharisees' criticism, turning their accusation ("he eats with sinners") into an affirmation of His mission and identity. The lost sheep represents those who belong to Christ but have gone astray; the shepherd's pursuit illustrates Christ's commitment to recover all whom the Father has given Him. God's rejoicing over one repentant sinner reveals a profound theological truth: divine joy increases in the act of showing mercy and restoring the lost. The shepherd's willingness to leave the 99 to find the one reflects not recklessness but the infinite value God places on each of His children. Regular worship practices, including family worship and congregational singing, reflect the same disposition of praise that heaven displays when sinners return to God. The parable serves not only as a comfort to sinners but as a challenge to believers to adopt God's heart toward the lost rather than the judgmental attitude of the Pharisees. Understanding the Shepherd's Heart The central focus of the Parable of the Lost Sheep is not simply God's willingness to receive sinners, but His active pursuit of them. As Tony Arsenal points out, Jesus presents the shepherd's search not as an extraordinary act of sacrifice, but as the obvious and expected response: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost?" Jesus frames this as the normal behavior that any shepherd would exhibit, making the Pharisees' lack of concern for "lost sheep" appear not just uncompassionate but utterly irrational. This reveals a profound truth about God's character: He is not passively waiting for sinners to find their way back to Him; He is actively seeking them out. As Jesse Schwamb emphasizes, "Christ's love is an active, working love." The shepherd does not merely hope the sheep will return; he goes after it until he finds it. This reflects God's covenant commitment to His people—those whom He has chosen before the foundation of the world. The parable thus powerfully illustrates the doctrines of divine election and effectual calling within a deeply personal and relational framework. The Divine Joy in Restoration Perhaps the most striking element of this parable is the emphasis on the shepherd's joy upon finding his lost sheep. This isn't merely relief at recovering lost property, but profound celebration that calls for community participation: "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost." Jesse highlights Thomas Goodwin's profound insight that "Christ's own joy, comfort, happiness, and glory are increased and enlarged by his showing grace and mercy." This suggests something remarkable about God's relationship with His people—that in some mysterious way, God's joy is made more complete in the act of showing mercy and restoring sinners. The hosts point out that this doesn't imply any deficiency in God, but rather reveals the relational nature of His love. When Jesus states that "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance," He's indicating that divine celebration isn't prompted merely by moral perfection but by restoration and reconciliation. This understanding transforms how we approach God when we've strayed. As Jesse notes, "Jesus is never tired, flustered, or frustrated when we come to him for fresh forgiveness or renewed pardon." Our repentance doesn't merely avoid punishment; it actually brings joy to the heart of God. This is a profound comfort for believers struggling with sin and failure, assuring us that our return is met not with divine disappointment but with heavenly celebration. Memorable Quotes "This parable of the lost sheep gives us the beating heart of God, his normative disposition toward his children. It's really an exceptional and special window into God's design, his loving compassion for us, his heart of ministry and seeking for us, for his children who are lost." - Jesse Schwamb "He wants us to draw on his grace and mercy because it is inherently who he is. And he drew near to us in this incarnation so that his joy and ours could rise and fall together, which is insane that God would come and condescend to that degree that in his giving mercy and in ours receiving it, Christ gets more joy and comfort than we do when we come to him for help and mercy." - Jesse Schwamb "Christ's love is an active working love. Just as the shepherd did not sit still, wailing for his lost sheep, so our blessed Lord did not sit still in heaven pitying sinners. He comes to us, he came to us, and he continues to draw to himself those who are sheep, who hear his voice." - Jesse Schwamb Host Information Jesse Schwamb and Tony Arsenal are the hosts of The Reformed Brotherhood, a podcast that explores Reformed theology and its application to the Christian life. With a blend of theological depth and practical insight, they examine Scripture through the lens of historic Reformed doctrine, offering accessible teaching for believers seeking to grow in their understanding of the faith. Resources Mentioned Scripture: Luke 15:1-7, Matthew 18, John 10 Worship Resource: Sing The Worship Initiative (sing.theworshipinitiative.com) Theological Reference: Thomas Goodwin's writings on Christ's joy in redemption Brad Kafer and Michael Lewis, The Theocast Tragedy, episode 75, with guest Jeremy Marshall, November 16, 2025, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-reclamation-podcast/id1747221237?i=1000736883898. Joshua Lewis and Michael Rowntree, The Theocast Split: Examining Christian Unity and Theological Differences, November 11, 2025, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-remnant-radios-podcast/id1392545186?i=1000736293538. Daniel Vincent, Fallout of Theocast, November 15, 2025, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-particular-baptist-podcast/id1512601040?i=1000736872315. Tony Arsenal, "A Refutation of Reformed Fringe," Reformed Arsenal, November 2025, https://reformedarsenal.com/category/a-refutation-of-reformed-fringe/. Tony Arsenal, "The Quest For Illegitimate Religious Gnosis: How 'Fringe' Theology Deforms Christology," Heidelblog, November 24, 2025, https://heidelblog.net/2025/11/the-quest-for-illegitimate-religious-gnosis-how-fringe-theology-deforms-christology/. Full Transcript [00:00:08] Jesse Schwamb: And what's special about the series? Parables that we're about to look at is it gives us the beating heart of God, his normative disposition toward his children, which is not like, we haven't seen some of that already, but this is, I think, really an exceptional and special window into God's design. His loving can compare for us, his heart of ministry and seeking for us for his children who are lost. It's really unequal in all the parables and probably among some of the most famous, Welcome to episode 471 of the Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:56] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:01:01] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. You know, it seems like sometimes we could just summarize the teaching of Jesus like this. You get a parable and you get a parable, and you get a parable, and we've already, by looking at some of these parables, gotten to see what the kingdom of God means. The kingdom of God is Jesus coming in His power. It's here, but also not yet. The kingdom of God is the judgment of God. The kingdom of God is a blessing of God. The kingdom of God is the treasure of God. And what's special about the series? Parables that we're about to look at is it gives us the beating heart of God, his normative disposition toward his children, which is not like, we haven't seen some of that already, but this is, I think, really an exceptional and special window into God's design. His loving can compare for us, his heart of ministry and seeking for us for his children who are lost. It's really unequal in all the parables and probably among some of the most famous, and I think we'll probably have some maybe like semi hot takes, maybe some like mid hot takes as the young kids say. [00:02:07] Tony Arsenal: Mid hot takes. [00:02:08] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. [00:02:08] Tony Arsenal: So like [00:02:09] Jesse Schwamb: lukewarm takes, well my thought is like, what is a hot take that's not heretical? Do you know what I mean? So it's gotta be, yeah, [00:02:16] Tony Arsenal: there you go. [00:02:16] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. That's what I'm saying. It's like, listen, we want to be orthodox in our approach here, but I think we gotta, we gotta chew these up a little bit. Like we gotta digest them, we gotta move them around in our gut and really take everything that we've, we thought we knew about these, we just heard and they've been written on cards or postcards or crocheted into, I guess you're not crocheting bible verses, but like cross stitching Bible verses on pillows and really go deep because I think there's so much here for us, and if this were like for, for everybody that wants to say that, sometimes we take a little bit too long with our series. Again, I do have a question, simple question for all of those people. And that question is how dare you? And the second thing I would say is, you're lucky that you're not listening to a Puritan podcast. Maybe you never would, like at the Puritans in a podcast, the series would never end. They'd start with like a single verse and be like, we're gonna do two episodes on this. And then they'd be getting to the like, you know, 4 71 and they still wouldn't have left like the, the first five words. [00:03:11] Tony Arsenal: It's true, it's true. We move a little bit faster than that. Pace. Not much. Yeah. Way, [00:03:15] Jesse Schwamb: listen, way faster. By like Puritan standards, we are cruising. Like we're, we're just like NASCAR going through these parables. And to that end, I'll try to keep us moving though. I've already delayed us already because we're, we're late for affirmations. [00:03:30] Affirmations and Denials [00:03:30] Jesse Schwamb: Denials. The time is ripe. It is Now. The fields are gleaning with affirmations and denials. So let's, let's bring them in. Tony, are you denying against, are you affirming with something? [00:03:40] Tony Arsenal: It's a little bit of both, I guess. Um, do it. [00:03:44] Controversial Theology Discussion [00:03:44] Tony Arsenal: A little while ago, uh, it was maybe back in September, I did an episode on, uh, some theology that was being propagated by a podcast called Reformed Fringe. Um, it was a solo episode, so if you haven't listened to it, go back and listen to it. The affirmation here comes in, in, uh, the form of a show called, I think it's called The Reclamation Cast. Um, there are a series of podcasts that have addressed some of the same issues. For those who haven't been following it, which I would assume is probably most of you, the issue is kind of blown up online. Um, Theo Cast, which was a pretty big a, a really big podcast in the, uh, sort of reformed ish, particular Baptist world. Um, they actually split because of this. And so John Moffitt was one of the hosts. Justin Perdue was the other. And then John was also on this show called Reform Fringe with Doug Van Dorn. So I'm affirming some of these other podcasts that have covered the same issue, and I would encourage you to seek them out and listen to them. I can can pull some links together for the show notes today. Um, more or less the, the issue that I identified, um, is beyond just sort of what's known as Divine Counsel Theology, which was made, made, really made popular by, um, Michael Heiser. I don't know that he would, we could say that he was necessarily like the. Architect or inventor of that. I'm sure there are people who've had similar thoughts before that, but he's really the main name. Um, he's passed on now, but, um, Doug Van Dorn was a, uh, he's a Baptist pastor outta Col, uh, Colorado, who took his views and actually sort of like cranked him up and particularly. Uh, troubling is the way he handles, um, the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. Um, I won't go into all of the details, but he wants to argue and he has argued in writing actually, and he, he published the paper first in 2015, and then again in 2024, he published it again, uh, with very minimal changes and nothing substantial. It was really kind of contextual stuff. Um, he actually argues that in the Old Testament, when we see the angel of the Lord, it's not just, not just God appearing as an angel, it's God actually becoming an angel. And in his paper, at least, he argues, um, more or less that this is a sort of hypostatic union. It's not just a temporary taking on of some sort of like outward appearance. Um, it's an actual, uh, uh, assumption of properties into the person of the sun. And the whole reason he makes this argument, which is why it's a little disingenuine, that now he's saying that's not what his argument was. He makes this argument in order to make it so the angel of the Lord can genuinely suffer, experience passions, change his mind, um, enter into covenant, come to know new knowledge, like there's all sorts of things that he wants the angel of the Lord to be able to actually do, not just accommodated, but actually. Experience. Um, and he does that by having the angel of the Lord be an appropriation of angelic properties into the person of the sun, what we would call a hypostatic union. And in his paper, he actually says like, I would want to use all of the same language of, uh, of this union as I do of the incarnation. He intentionally uses the words image and form kind of drawing from Philippians two. So the, the affirmation comes in and there are other podcasts that have identified this. So it's not just me. I would encourage people to go find them. Where the denial comes in is, um, there have been many people, including myself, who have attempted to engage with Doug Van Dorn, like publicly, directly, um, through private messaging. There are many people who've tried to reach out to him, and he has just sort of waved all of them away. Which is one thing, if like you just say like, I don't really care to interact with you. I don't really care to have this discussion. But then he is also presenting the situation as though he, he is totally open to having these conversations and nobody is trying to reach out to him. So I would encourage everyone, you're all reasonable people, search the scriptures, read what he has to say. The paper that he wrote is called Passing the Impassable pa or impassable Impasse, which is hard to say, but it's a very clever title. Um, and it was, it actually was written, I don't know a lot about this controversy and maybe I need to do a little bit more research. It was actually written during a time where, um, the particular Baptist conventions that were out out west where experiencing a lot of internal controversy regarding impassability, and this was his proposal for how, how biblically you can still maintain the divine attributes of changeness and impassability all these things, uh, without compromising the real, the real passable, um, appearance that we see of the, of God in the Bible. So. I don't wanna belabor the point. This is not the point of the show. We, I already did a whole episode on this. I've published, I wrote many blog articles. There's a lot that I've, I've put out on this. Um, so check it out, look at it. Wait for yourself. Um, the only reason I've been, this has come up in our telegram chat. People have encountered this theology. Um, one, one guy was asking about it, 'cause I think like his mom or his aunt or someone close to him had, has been sort of reading Michael Heider's work. Michael Heiser was very instrumental at logos. He was on staff at Logos for quite a while. So a lot of their, um, more speculative theological articles that you might find on their website are written by him. Um, he was a, one of the main people behind the sort of proprietary translation that, um, Laro uses the Lham, um, English Bible. So. It's not a neutral point. Pretty significant theological consequences if, uh, if our reading of what Doug is saying is correct. Um, and there doesn't seem to be any real openness to discussing that. He has to be fair, he has published a series of affirmations and denials, um, affirming his a his orthodoxy saying he affirms the change changeness of the son. He denies that there was a hypothetic union. So that's encouraging. It's great to see that when it comes down to it. He's willing to make affirmations, uh, of orthodox things and to deny unorthodox things, but it doesn't really help the situation when those things and those affirmations, denials are still at very least difficult to reconcile with what he wrote. I think in point of fact, they're actually contradictory to what he wrote. So the, the proper course of action would be for him to say, well, no, that's not what I meant. Or, or, yes, I wrote that, but that's not what I believe. Um, rather than to just try say, trying to say like, well, you all got it wrong. There's a lot of people reading these papers looking at it going, Ooh, it sure seems like the sun took on an angelic nature, even if that was temporary. That's, that's got some pretty weird consequences for your theology. And one of the shows I was listening to made this point that I thought was interesting and a little scary is this is like an utterly new theology. Um, no one that I've talked to who is aware of this, who studied these issues. Is aware of anyone ever saying anywhere that the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was some sort of like assumption of actual angelic properties into the person of the sun. Almost everywhere that you read. It's either a manifestation view where the sun is kind of appearing as an angel, um, but it's not actually becoming an angel. It's, it's sort of taking on created medium, uh, in order to reveal himself or an instrumental view, which would be something like there's an angel that is used instrumentally by the Lord, and so we can say that it the angel of the Lord is the Lord in an instrumental sense, kind of like saying like if I pick up a hammer. Use that hammer for as long as I'm using that hammer. The hammer is actually sort of an extension of me. I'm moving it, I'm motivating it, I'm controlling it, it's connected to me, and then I put it down when I'm finished. Those are kind of the two main views that people, people would argue in the Old Testament, if they want to even say that the angel of the Lord is a Christoph, it would either be this manifestation view or this instrumental view, this sort of weird novel assumption of properties view. I'm, I've never encountered anything like that and I've studied this, this, this particular issue at some length. So check out the other episodes, I'll pull together some links, uh, of ones that have done it, both that have been, uh, critical of Doug's position. And also there was one, um, on remnant radio, which I never heard of, but, um, that was acknowledging that there are some question marks, but sort of saying like, this really is an overblown controversy. Um, and then I'll link to Doug's podcast too, so you can listen to his own words and, and sort of think through it yourself. [00:11:51] Jesse Schwamb: Some point I have this volition, you know, places, organizations, groups might have like FAQs, frequently asked questions. I have this idea to put together for us, like a frequently discussed topic. This would be one of them. We've talked, or we co we've come back to this idea of like the molecule way, the messenger of the Lord many times. Yeah. In part because I think there's a good and natural curiosity among many when you're reading the scriptures and you see that's the angel of the Lord and you're trying to discern, is it Christoph? And in some cases it seems more clear than others. For instance, the Maia appearing to, you know, Joshua, or, you know, there's, there's all kinds of instances in the scripture that draw us into this sense of like, well, who is it that is being represented here? And the funny thing about this though, and I agree with you, that like makes it. Puts it in like, I would say contradistinction to like just kind of innocently wanting to understand is that there's a lot of theological gymnastics happening here, like a lot and two, it seems to me that he's kind of trying to create a problem to find a solution on this one. Yeah. And so it should give everybody that sense that we always talk about where like the red light goes off, the flags get thrown up, that when you hear that, you're just like, well, something is not right about that. And the thing that's not right about it is one, it doesn't subscribe to, like you're saying, any kind of historical orthodoxy. And two, it's just funky for funky sake. It's, there's really a lot that's happening there to get to some kind of end, and it's better to know what that end is. I'm glad you brought that up. So I think you can, everybody who's listening can weigh, like, if you. Don't wanna weigh into that, or you don't really need to solve the problem that's being created here, then don't bother with it altogether. Yeah. Uh, it's just not worth your time. But people, this is the hide thing. Like when, when we are challenged to be discerning people, when we are challenged to take scriptures at face value, there is always a tendency for us sometimes to go too deep, to get too wild with it, to try to turn around and bend it to, to answer all in every single question. And even the reform tradition doesn't attempt to do that. So here, there is something that's beautiful about these certain mysteries of God and to take him at his face, to trust him in his word, we should seek, seek out many things. Some things are just not worth seeking out. So, you know, the Internet's gonna internet and people are gonna, people and theologians are gonna theologize. And sometimes that's good and sometimes it's not that productive. [00:14:08] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I think to be as charitable as I possibly can be, I think, um, Doug is, has identified a legitimate. Question about the Old Testament, right? Right. The, the Bible appears when we read about God in the Old Testament. He appears to do things like change his mind, suffer yes. Grieve experience passions. Right. Um, and, and so that's a real, um, question that needs to be answered as you read the Old Testament. Um, and the two options of course, or the two primary options of course, are either that God actually suffers, he actually experiences those things, in which case he wouldn't be a changeless God. Um, he wouldn't be a perfect God because there's these, these modes of change within God. The other option would be that there's some sort of appearance of suffering or appearance of, of change or passions that is not actual, it's not real in the sense that he's not God's lying. It's not that God's lying to us, of course not. But that these are appearances for our sake. We would say that's, we call that the doctrine of accommodation. Right. Um. What Doug tries to do is actually exactly what the church did in trying to understand how it could be that the second person of the Trinity suffered. Uh, why, why we can genuinely say that God suffered. Um, we can say that and that the answer was the hypothetic union, and this is where it really kind of like jumped into full relief for me is Doug has the same answer for the Old Testament, but instead of an incarnation of humanity, I don't know what you would call it, an, an evangelization or a, something like that, um, he would probably call like a, some somatization. Um, he uses the difference between Soma and sars as though that somehow answers the question. He says it's not a, an incarnation into sarks. It's a, an assumption of properties in da Soma. But in either case, like his answer is the same answer. That the way that the angel of the Lord suffers in the Old Testament is not according to his divine nature. It's according to these angelic properties that are assumed into his person well. Okay, so like you get the same conclusion. There needs to be some explanation now of like, well, why is it a hypostatic union when it's the human nature, but it's not a hypostatic union when it's the angelic nature or angelic properties. Um, and I think the, the real answer is that when Doug wrote those papers, he just didn't realize those implications. Um, Doug is a sharp guy, like, don't get me wrong, he's a smart guy. Um, I think he's got a pretty good grip on Hebrew and, and a lot of this too is, um. Not to make this more of an episode than it is, but, um, this Divine Council worldview at first feels like not that big of a deal when you, when you read about it the first time. Um, or when you read sort of like popular treatments of it. Um, the real problem is that this divine council worldview, um, which I'm not gonna define again, you can look, I'll pull the radio episode or the other podcast episodes, but this divine council worldview becomes like the controlling meta narrative for the entire scripture for these guys. And so if, if the son is to be the sort of lead Elohim on this divine council besides Yahweh himself, then he has to become an angel. He has to become a one of the sons of God in order to do this. Sort of almost ignoring the fact that like he already was the son of God. Like, it, it just becomes, um, this controlling meta-narrative. And if all that this, all that this divine council worldview is saying is like, yes, there's a class of creatures. Um, that are spiritual in nature and the Bible uses the word Elohim to describe them and also uses the word Elohim to describe the one true God who's in an entirely different class. And it just happens to use the same, the same word to describe those two classes. Okay. Like I would find a different way to say that that's maybe not as risky and confusing, but that would be fine. But this goes so much farther than than that. And now it has all these weird implications. He actually did a five, five-part sermon series at his church where his argument is essentially that like this. This overarching narrative of the Sons of God and, and the 70 sons of God. Um, that that's actually the story that explains how salvation functions and what we're being saved to is we're not being swept into the life of the Trinity, which is kind of the classic Christian view, the classic orthodox view that because, because of who the son is by nature, in reference to the father, when we're adopted, we gain that same relationship with the father and the son and the spirit. Um, he's, he's wanting to say, it's actually more like, no, we, we we're sort of brought onto this divine council as, as creator representatives of the cosmos. So it's, it, there's a lot to, it's, um, again, I, I don't want people just to take my word for it. I'm gonna provide as many receipts as I can, um, in the, the, um, show notes. Um, but yeah, it's, it's weird and it, it's unnecessary and [00:18:57] Jesse Schwamb: that's right. [00:18:58] Tony Arsenal: It made a lot of sense to me when Michael Heiser went down these routes, because his whole program was, he had a, a podcast called The Naked Bible, and the whole idea was like he interprets the Bible apart from any prior interpretations, which of course we know is not possible. But that was sort of his plan was he's. It wasn't necessarily anti cre, anti-real or anticon confessional. He just thought you needed to and could come to the Bible without any sort of pre interpretive, uh, positions. Um, so it made a lot of sense to me when he was like, well, yeah, this isn't the way that the historic tradition isn't understood this, but that doesn't matter. But then you have someone like Doug Van Dorn come around who claims to be a 1689 Confessional Baptist. This is like radically foreign to that system of doctrine. So it's just a weird situation. It's kind of an abandonment of the pattern of sound words that handed down to us, the ages. Um, and it does have all these weird implications, and I'm not hearing loud and clear. I am not saying Doug Van Dorn is not a Christian. Um, I do think that the implications of what he's teaching are heretical. Um, but we've made the distinction before that like, just because you teach something heretical doesn't mean you're a heretic. Um, that's a, that's a formal proclamation that the church officially makes not some dude on the internet with a podcast. But the, the implications of his teaching are quite dangerous. So. Check it out. Read it with caution and with discernment, um, and with, you know, a good systematic theology that can help kind of correct you in your hands. And the creeds and the confessions. But dude, check it out. You, you're reasonable people. Look at the scriptures yourself and make your own decisions. I don't expect anybody to ever just take my word for any of this stuff. [00:20:25] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's right. Or like you said, don't bother with. Yeah. Or don't bother. Just read the confessions. Unaware of it. Yeah. That's also, okay. Stick to the, the, hopefully the good local preaching and teaching that you're receiving and just hang out there. Yeah. And that's also okay. The internet is a super strange and weird place. Yeah. And that includes even among well intentions. Theology, sometimes it just gets weird. And this is one of those examples. [00:20:51] Tony Arsenal: It's true, it's true. I often tell people that my, my goal in any sort of public teaching or podcasting or blogging or when I'm preaching, uh, my goal is to be as like vanilla reformed as I possibly can. Like that's what I'm saying. There, there are times where like some of the stuff that I be, like, I, I'm not like straight down the middle on every single thing. There are things that I would, you know, like my view on, um, state relations with church like that, that's not exactly run of the mill vanilla presbyterianism. Um, so there are definitely things where I'm, I'm sort of a little off center on, um, but I try to be like right down the middle of the vanilla, vanilla aisle here with maybe a little bit of chocolate sauce here and there. But it's, it's pretty, uh, my reform theology is pretty boring and I'm fine with that. I love [00:21:35] Jesse Schwamb: it. I love it. It's okay to be boring, isn't it? Like boring? It's is for the most part, right. On the money. Because often when we do take our views and we polarize them to some degree, we know that there's a greater probability propensity for the errors to lie there if you're always hanging out there. Yeah. But especially in this, again, you've said all the right things it, it's just one of those things. But it's a good mark for all of us to understand that when we move so far away from orthodoxy that we're just kind of out on the pier by ourselves and you're looking around, you ought to ask what happened that you're out there so far. [00:22:05] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Well, Jesse, save us from this train of thought. What are you affirming or denying today? [00:22:10] Jesse Schwamb: I hope I have something that's exactly the opposite. As you know, Tony, not all affirmations especially are created equal because sometimes we throw one out there and it's, it's good. We think it's great. Maybe not for everybody. It doesn't resonate. It doesn't hit. This is not one of those, this is for everybody. [00:22:24] The Importance of Daily Worship [00:22:24] Jesse Schwamb: I'm coming in with a hot, strong affirmation, and that is one of the things you and I have promulgated for so long is the beauty, the necessity, the responsibility, and the joy of regular daily worship, and that can look. Lots of ways, but I think you and I have tried in our own lives and we've spoken a lot about the high conviction that we have that that kinda worship should be participatory and it can involve reading the scriptures, praying, singing this spills over into convictions about family worship, leading our families, and that kinda experience, even if it's just a little bit every day and even if it's, we give it our best efforts, this is not like a kind of legalistic approach. And so I just came across something that I think I've been testing for a while that I think is faab fabulous for everybody, could be helpful to you in daily worship. And I'm just gonna give you the website first and explain what it is. Secondly, so the website is sing the worship initiative.com. That's sing dot the worship initiative.com. You can find it if it's easier. Just search the Worship initiative. What this is, is it is. Once you sign up for this, you'll actually get a text. It's a daily text, and that text will be a link in a browser every day. So it's not a podcast, but it comes through a browser every day. It is a time of, I would say, I'll use the word colloquially, it's a time of devotional with singing led by Shane and Shane and some of their other musicians and their friends. And this is glorious. It's no more than 15 minutes, and it's purposely orchestrated to lead you or whoever's listening with you in singing, including in the app or rather in the browser. They will give you the words for the songs that they're gonna sing that day. And one, Shannon and Shane are fantastic musicians. You wanna listen to this with a good speaker or set of, uh, earbuds because, uh, the music is great and it's very stripped down. It's just, it's just piano and a little bit guitar generally. Uh, but the speaking of the theological pieces of what's in these songs is fantastic. And this just past week, they've done songs like Crown Hit with Many Crowns. Um, in Christ Alone, he will hold me fast, he will hold me fast, is an incredible piece of music and a piece of worship. So I'm just enjoying, they are using rich deeply theological songs to speak rich, deep theological truths, and then to invite you into a time of singing, like along with them. It's as if like they were just in your living room or in their kitchen and said, Hey, you got 15 minutes, especially start the day. Why don't we gather around this table and why don't we worship together? So I haven't found something quite like this where it's like an invitation to participate, both by being active listeners into what they're saying, but by also singing together. So I. Can only come at this with a really hot affirmation because I'm being blessed by it. And this rhythm of somebody like leading you daily into song, I'm finding to be so incredibly valuable. Of course, like we can find song in lots of places. We may lead ourselves, we may rely on the radio or a playlist to do that, but this kind of unique blend of a time that's being set apart, that's organized around a theme and then brings music into that as a form of meditation and worship is pretty singular. So check out, sing the worship edition of.com and especially if you're a fan of Shane and Shane, you're gonna slide right into this and feel very blessed because they're talented musicians and what they're bringing, I think is a, is a rich theological practice of actual worship, not just devotionals of some kind, but like actual participatory worship of, of in spirit and truth. [00:25:53] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I just signed up for this while you're talking. It took about a minute. It's super easy. So, um, and I'm sure that they have a way to opt out. If you start it and you hate it and you want to just stop getting text messages, I'm sure you can just respond, stop. Um, so there's really nothing to lose. There's no gimmick. They don't ask for a credit card, anything like that. Um, and I, I'm with you, like I love me some Shane and Shane music, and I do like some Shane and Shane music, um, that, that like takes me way back. Those, there are a lot of singers who've been at this for a long time. Yes, Shane and Shane was like. A really like popular band when I was in like, like upper high school. Oh yeah. So like, we're talking about a multi-decade career, long career doing mostly worship music, like they're performers, but they have entire, they have entire, many entire, um, albums that are psalms, um, entire albums that are worship choruses or what you might think of as chorus singing. Um, so yeah, I think this is great. And I'm always looking for new ways to integrate worship into my life. So this could be something as simple as like, maybe you're not gonna be able to sing out loud, but you could listen to this on the bus on the way home. Or you could put in your air, your ear pods, uh, when you're, you know, doing the dishes and instead of just listening to another podcast. I recognize the irony of saying that on a podcast that you may be listening to while you're doing the dishes, but instead of just listening to another podcast, you spend a little bit of time thinking about meditating on God's word. So that's great. I think that's an awesome, awesome information. A little [00:27:20] Jesse Schwamb: bit like very casual liturgy, but you're right, they've been around for a while and this, the content that they're producing here strikes me as like very mature. Yeah, both like in, of course, like the music they're doing and how they're singing, they're singing parts, but also just what they're speaking into. It's not just like kind of a, let's let tell you how this song impacted my life. They're, they're pulling from the scriptures and they're praying through. They're giving you a moment to stop and pause and pray yourself. There's a lot that's, that's built in there. And can I give like one other challenge? [00:27:47] Encouragement for Family Worship [00:27:47] Jesse Schwamb: This, this came to me as well this week and I know we've had some conversation in the telegram chat about like family worship, leading our families in worship about somehow how do we model that? How do we bring that together? And music often being a part of that. And I think that it's especially important for families to hear their. Their fathers and their husbands sing, no matter what your voice sounds like. Can I give a, a challenge? I think might sound crazy. This might be a hot, hot take. And so you can bring me back down instead of a mid hot take. If it, yeah, if it's a little bit too hot. But I was reading an article, and this is really from that article, and it, it did challenge me. And the article basically challenged this and said, listen, most people are actually far more musical than they understand themselves to be. And that might just not be in the instrumentation of the voice, but in other ways. And so the challenge was if you're a, a husband, a father, maybe you have some proclivity of music, maybe you have none. The challenge was basically, why don't you consider. Learning a musical instrument to lead your family in worship. And, and the challenge was basically like, pick up a guitar and, uh, see if you can eke out a couple of chords. Work through that just for the sole purpose of if nothing else, but saying like, I want to participate in something differently in my home. And maybe that's getting a keyboard and just, just trying it there. If I can play the guitar, anybody truly I think can play the guitar. It's, it's not really that difficult. I just found this captivating that this guy laid down the gauntlet and said, maybe you ought to consider doing that if only to be a model of worship in your own home throughout, throughout the week. And I just thought, you know what? That's something we're thinking about. I think all of us have something there. And that might be for some, like, maybe it means strengthening your personal prayer closet. So like your example in time of, of corporate worship of your family is stronger. Maybe it means your study of the scriptures, not just of course for like pure devotional life, but to instruct or to practice that scripture for your family. So I, I take this point of, it's not just about the music, but it could be if you're, if you're looking and saying like, man, I wish that we had some music. Um, you, you possibly could be the music. And it's just something to think about. [00:29:47] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I'll say this. Uh, it's not that hard to play guitar, but Jesse is actually quite a talented guitar player, so even though he's right, it's not that difficult. Uh, Jesse is, uh, is much better than he's letting on. But yeah, I mean, most modern worship songs, um, you can get by, you might have to like find a version online of it in this key, and you might not be able to sing it in this key, but like GC, D and E Minor. Yeah, that's right. We'll get you, we will get you basically every major worship song that you're used to singing. And those are all very easy chords to play. Yes. Um, there are difficult chords and some, some worship songs are more difficult or the, the tone is more difficult. Um, but even, even something like that, or get a keyboard and just do, you know, you can just pluck out notes, right? You can write on the notes what the, what the name of the notes are and just pluck out notes so people can sing with it. Um, there are lots of ways you can do, get a kazoo. You could lead music, you could lead your, that's your family in worship with a kazoo, um, or get the Trinity Salter hymnal app. Like, it's, yes, there are many ways that you could incorporate music in your family devotions and your personal devotions that, um, are not that challenging and, uh, really do add a lot. Now, I know there are some, there are probably a few people in our, our listening audience that are acapella only people. And I respect that perspective and, and I understand where it comes from. But, um, even then, like this might also be a little bit of a hot take. I'm not an excellent singer. I'm not a terrible singer, but, um, I could be a better singer if I practiced a little bit. And with the, with the ease of finding things like YouTube vocal coaches and right, just like vocal lessons and techniques and practice. Cool. Like, you could very easily improve your ability to sing and your confidence to sing, right? And that's only gonna help you to lead your family. I'll even throw this in there. Um. I'm in a congregation with lots and lots and lots of young families. There are five pregnant couples in our church right now. Wow. And our church, our church is probably only about 70 people on an average Sunday. So five pregnant, uh, couples is a pretty high percentage. Um, what I will tell you is that when the congregation is singing, we have lots of men who sing and they sing loud. But when the children are looking around at who is singing, they're not looking at the women, they're looking at the men. Right. Um, and you know, we're not, we are not like a hyper-masculinity podcast. We're not, you know, this isn't Michael Foster's show, this isn't the Art of Manhood. Um, but we've been pretty consistent. Like, men lead the way. That's the way the Bible has, that's way God's created it. And that's the way the Bible teaches it. And if you're in the church. You are commanded to sing. It's not an option. [00:32:28] The Importance of Singing in Church [00:32:28] Tony Arsenal: But what I will tell you is that, um, singing loud and singing confidently and singing clearly and helping the congregation to sing by being able to project your voice and sing competently, uh, it does a lot for your church. Yes. So it's never gonna be the wrong decision to improve your ability to sing and your confidence to sing. So I think that's great. I think the whole thing is great. You can learn to sing by listening to Shane and Shane and singing with them, and you can Yes. Invest a little bit of time and maybe a little bit of money in, in like an online vocal. I mean, you can get something like Musician or something like that that has guitar, but also you can do vocal training through that. There's lots of resources out there to do that. So yes, I guess that's the challenge this week. Like, let's all get out there and improve our singing voices a little bit and, and see if we can, can do this together. [00:33:14] Jesse Schwamb: I love it. I, I don't wanna belabor the points. [00:33:16] Encouragement to Learn Musical Instruments [00:33:16] Jesse Schwamb: I only bring it up because there might be somebody out there that's thinking, you know, I'd like to do more of that. And I say to you, well, why not you? It's okay. Like you could just go and explore and try get or borrow a relatively inexpensive guitar. And like you said, you don't need to learn to read music to do that. You're just kind of learning some shapes and they correspond to certain letters in the alphabet. And in no time at all, you could be the person that's strumming out, eking out some chords and you're doing that at home. And that might be a great blessing. It might change your life. It might change the trajectory of how you serve in the church. And you might find that God has equipped you to do those things. Yeah. And wouldn't it be lovely just to try some of those things out? So whatever, whatever they are, it's certainly worth trying and, and music is a big part of, I know like your life. Mine and it is someday. Tony, we have to do the sing episode. I don't know that we've actually done that one, right? We just talk about what it like, is it a command that we sing and why I think we've [00:34:08] Tony Arsenal: done that. I think we did have, we, it's early on in the episode on our views. Might have changed a little bit. So we maybe should um, we should loop back to, I'm sure we talked about 'em when we were going through Colossians as well. [00:34:17] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I think we did. I just dunno if we did, like, we're, we're just gonna set a whole hour aside and for us, that's definitely not an hour, but, and just talk about this in particular and like what, why do we sing and what, why does guy command this? And then why our voice is different and why do some people feel this, you know, sense of like why don't have a good voice and you know, we, you always hear people say like, well make a joyful noise. And I think sometimes that falls flax. You're kinda like, yeah, but you don't know the noise I'm making you. That's kind of the response you hear. So some someday we'll come back to it, but I'm gonna make a prophetic announcement that there is no way we're going get through this one parable. No already. So. [00:34:55] Introduction to the Parable of the Lost Sheep [00:34:55] Jesse Schwamb: Everybody strap in because we'll do probably a part one. And if you're curious about where we're going, we're moving just away from Matthew for now, we're gonna be hanging out in Luke 15. We've got a trio of parables about lost things. And again, I think this is gonna be very common to many people. So I encourage you as best you can, as we read these to always start our conversation, try to strip away what you've heard before and let's just listen to the scripture. [00:35:20] Reading and Analyzing the Parable [00:35:20] Jesse Schwamb: So we're gonna start in Luke chapter 15 in verse one. I'm not even gonna give you the name of the parable because you will quickly discern which one it is. So this is the Luke chapter 15, beginning of verse one. Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to him, and both the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them. So he told them this parable saying. What man among you, if he has 100 sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the 99 in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it. And when he is found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors saying to them, rejoice with me for I found my lost sheep. I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repentance than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. [00:36:19] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And yeah, this, this will definitely be a multi-part episode. And, and part of that is we just spent a half an hour talking about affirmations and denials. I think we probably should have a podcast called Belaboring The Point, which is just us talking about other random stuff. Fair. [00:36:33] Comparing the Parable in Luke and Matthew [00:36:33] Tony Arsenal: But, um, the other part is that this parable is, um, slightly different in Luke as it is in Matthew. [00:36:41] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. [00:36:41] Tony Arsenal: Um, and also it's positioning in the narrative and what comes immediately following it is different. And I think that's worth unpacking a little bit as we talk about it this week, next week and, and probably maybe even into a third week. Um, but the, the parable here on, on one level, like most parables is super, super straightforward, right? Like right. This is God's di, this is God's demeanor, and his disposition is that he seeks that which is lost, um, which is good news for us because all of us are lost. There's only lost people until God finds them. Right. Um, and find again, of course, is an accommodated way of saying it's not like God has to go out searching for us. He knows where we are and he knows how to find us. Um. But this is also a different format for a parable, right? He's, he's not saying the kingdom of heaven is like this. The parable is what man of you having a hundred sheep? Like the parable is a question Yes. Posed to the audience, and it, it is in the context here, and this is where, this is where looking at the parallels between different, different gospels and how it's presented and even the different variations here shows you, on one level it shows you that Jesus taught these parables in multiple different contexts and different occasions. Right? In this occasion, it's he's sitting down, he's with the tax collectors and the sinners. They're grumbling. They're saying, this man eats with sinners. And receives them in, um, in Matthew, it's slightly different, right? He's in a different context and sit in a different teaching context. So the way that we understand that is that Christ taught these parables multiple places. And so we should pay attention to the variation, not just because there's variation for variation's sake, but the way that they're positioned tells us something. So when he's telling the account in Luke, it's told as a corrective to the tax collectors and the um. Right on the Pharisees, um, who are, sorry. It's a, it's a corrective to the Pharisees and the scribes who are grumbling about the tax collectors and the sinners drawing near to Christ. And so he speaks to the Pharisees and to the scribes and is like, well, which one of you wouldn't go seek out their lost sheep? Like, it's this question that just lays bare. They're really sinful. Ridiculous Jonah. I just invented that. Like Jonah I perspective that like, oh, exactly how dare God go after how dare Christ eat with sinners and tax collectors? And he says, well, if you love something. If you love your sheep, you're going to go after your sheep. [00:39:03] The Deeper Meaning of the Parable [00:39:03] Tony Arsenal: You're not going to just abandon, uh, this sheep to its own devices, even though there is, and again, this is a, a comedy way of talking about like, even though there's some risk associated with going after the one sheep, because you do have to leave the 99, he still is saying like, this is the character. This is my character speaking as grace. This is my character. This is the character of my father. And there's this implication of like, and it's obviously not the character of you. So I think this is a, this is a really great parable to sort of highlight that feature of parables when they're repeated across different, um, gospels. We have to pay attention, not just to the words of the parables themselves, but what the teaching is in response to what the teaching like proceeds. We'll see when we look at Matthew, there's a very, there's a, a different. Flavor to the parable because of what he's going to be leading into in the teaching. So I love this stuff. This has been such a great series to sort of like work through this because you, you really start to get these fine details. [00:39:59] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. This parable of the lost sheep is I think on the face straightforward, like you said. But it is actually complex. It's complex in the argumentation and the posturing Jesus takes here, like you said, he's binding the pharisee. This is condemning question of like which one of you, like you said. So there's that, which is slightly different element than we've seen or covered so far. There's also the context, like you said, in which it happens and I think we need to think specifically about. Who is this lost? Who are the 99? Who are the ones that Jesus is really trying to draw in with conviction, but also, again, what is he saying about himself? And it's way more, of course, like we're gonna say, well, this is again, that default, that heart posture. Even those things are more cliche than we mean them to be. Yeah. And we need to spend some time, I think, on all of these elements. And it starts with, at least in Luke, we get this really lovely context about when the teaching unfolds. And even that is worth just setting down some roots for for just a second. Because what I find interesting here is I think there's a principle at play that we see where. Everything that everything gives. Jesus glory, all the things give him glory, even when his enemies come before him and seek to label him. It's not as if Jesus appropriates that label, repurposes, it turns it for good. The very label, the things that they try to do to discredit him, to essentially disparage him, are the very things that make him who he is and show his loving and kindness to his people. And I think we'll come back to this like this, this sheep this, these are his children. So these words that it starts with, that were evidently spoken with surprise and scorn, certainly not with pleasure and admiration. These ignorant guides of the Jews could not understand a religious preacher having anything to do with what they perceive to be wicked people. Yeah. And yet their words worked for good. I mean, this is exactly like the theology of the cross. The very saying, which was meant for reproach, was adopted by Jesus as a true description of his ministry. It is true. He's the one who comes and sits and subs and communes and touches the sinners, the ugly, the unclean, the pariahs. It led to his speaking three of these particular parables in Luke in rapid succession. For him to emphasize that he's taken all of what was literally true that the scribes of Pharisees said, and to emphasize that he is indeed the one who received sinners. It's not like he's just like saying, well, lemme put that on and wear that as a badge. He's saying. You do not understand God if you think that God does not receive sinners, to pardon them, to sanctify them, to make them fit for heaven. It's his special office to do so. And this, I think therein lies this really dip deep and rich beauty of the gospel, that that's the end that he truly came into the world. [00:42:47] Christ's Joy in Finding the Lost [00:42:47] Jesse Schwamb: He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. He came to the world to safe sinners, what he was upon Earth. He's now at the right hand of God and will be for all eternity. And he's emphatically the sinner's friend. And without this reproach from the Pharisees, like we don't get this particular teaching and what they intended again, to be used to really discredit God, to say, look, how can this be the son of God? What we get then for all of eternity is some understanding of Christ. And even here now with his word, we have this sense like, listen, do we feel bad? Do we feel wicked and guilty and deserving of God's wrath? Is there some remembrance of our past lives, the bitterness of sin to us? Is there some kind of recollection of our conduct for which we're ashamed? Then we are the very people who ought to apply to Christ. And Christ demonstrates that here, that his love is an act of love. Just as we are pleading nothing good of our own and making no useless delay, we come because of this teaching to Christ and will receive graciously his part in freely. He gives us eternal life. He's the one who sinners. I'm so thankful for this parable because it sets up very clearly who Jesus is, and this is where we can say he is for us. So let us not be lost for lack of applying to him that we may be saved. This text gives us the direct inroad to apply for that kind of healing and favor of God. [00:44:08] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And, and I love, um, there is such a, um, subtle sort of SmackDown that Jesus does. Like, yeah. I, I think, um, just speaking on a purely human level for a second, like Jesus is such a master re tion. Like he is so handy and capable to just dismantle and smack down people who, and I obviously, I don't mean that in like a sinful way. Like he just puts down the argument. He just gets it done with, and even the way this is phrased, right, they come, they're grumbling, this man receives sinners and meets with them. So he told them this par ball, what, what man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lost one of them, doesn't leave the 99 in the open country and go after the one that is lost, right? So he's saying like, he jumps in right away, like. This is just the obvious answer. This is just the obvious state, like who would not go after their sheep. I think we hear this, and again, I'm not an expert on like first century sheep herding practices, right? But like we think of it, I look at it, I'm like, actually, like that seems like a really bad investment. Like it would be really bad idea to go after the one sheep and leave your 99 in the open country. That seems like a silly answer. That's my error. That's me being wrong because he's saying that as the obvious answer. Right? I think we sometimes, um, I've heard, I've heard sermons that preach this, that make it almost like this is a super reckless. You know, abandonment. Like he's so enamored with us that he leaves the 99 and he goes after the one, and he's taking such a huge risk. But the way that this is presented, this is the obvious thing that anyone in their right mind would do if they lost a sheet. Right? For sure. Right? It's not an unusual response. Yes. There's an element of risk to that, and I think that's, that's part of the parable, right? There's a, there's a riskiness that he's adding to it because, um. Again, we wanna be careful how we say this. Um, God's love is not reckless in the sense that we would normally think about reckless, but it's reckless in the sense that it, it es assumes sort of ordinary conventions of safety. Right? Right. That's not really what's at play here. Like the, the fact is Christ presents the scenario where you, you go after one lost sheep and leave your 99 in the open country or in Matthew, it's on the mountains. Like that's the normal expected course here, such that if you are the person who won't do that, then you are the one that's out of the ordinary. But then he goes on to say, and this is where, where I think he's just such a master, he's such a master at setting a logical trap. Here he says, um. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors saying to them, rejoice with me for I have found my sheep that was lost. And again, this is the expected answer. This is not some unusual situation where like people are like, oh man, he like, he had a party 'cause he found a sheep. That's strange. This is what, what would be expected, right? This would be the normal response. But then he says, just so I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. He is able, in the course of like. 30 words, like this is a short, short response. He's able to show them that their response to, to sinners is totally out of the ordinary. Like it's a, it's sort of an insane response. Um, he positions going after the one sheep and leaving the 99 as the sane response and leaving the, you know, leaving the one to be lost, leaving the sinners and tax collectors to be lost. That's the insane response. Right. That's the one that like, nobody would do that though. Why would anybody do that? But then he goes to show like, but that's exactly what you're doing. [00:47:55] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Right. And he [00:47:56] Tony Arsenal: says, what you should be doing is rejoicing with me for, I found my lost, she. Right. He shifts. He shifts. He's now the man in the parable saying, um, not just, uh, not just rejoice or not just I'm rejoicing, but he's summoning them to rejoice with him over the salvation of these lost sinners. And that is the normal expected response. And then he, he shows like there will be this rejoicing in heaven when a sinner repents more so than if there was a, but, and we should address this too. He's not saying that there is a such thing as a righteous person who needs no repentance. Right? He's saying like, even if there were 99 righteous people who need to know repentance, even if that was somehow the case, there would be more joy. There is more joy, there will be more joy over the sinner who repents than over a hun 99 people who didn't need to be saved. Right? He makes the sin, the, the, um, Pharisees and the scribes look like total chumps and totally like. Totally self-absorbed and turned inwards on themselves in this tiny little master stroke that you wouldn't even, you wouldn't even think that that was part of the point. If it wasn't for the fact that it was positioned right after verse 15, one and two. You just wouldn't get that from this parable. That there is this sort of like rhetorical SmackDown going on that I think is, is important for us to, to latch onto a little bit here. [00:49:18] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, why is our podcast not three hours? Because there's so much I want to say, so. I'm totally with you. I like what you brought up about this recklessness of God, and I'm with you. We shouldn't define that in the same way. Maybe we can modify it. I might say like His love is recklessly spend thrift. That is, we see when Paul says like God has lavished his love on us, like these big verbs that they are real. Yeah. It's not just hyper rip hyperbole or just like flowery language. And I think as you're speaking, what really occurred to me, what really kind of came through with what you're saying is, okay, what is this cost? Why is he so particular to go after this one? And I think it's because it's, he's looking for his sheep. So these are his children. Yes. It's not just, I think Christ is out in the world because he will find his children. He will find the one who is. His own. So he is looking for his own sheep. One of his, one of his fold. So like the sheep I might find in the world is the one that God has been seeking to save, even one of whom knows his name. That's like John 10, right? So one of, I think our problem is understanding this parable has to do with the when of our salvation. You know, we generally think it's at the time that, you know, we believe. The people are those given to God before the foundation of the world. And God sees us as his people before we were ever born, even before the world began. And when we believe it is just our Lord finding us as his last sheep and we're returned to the fold. So he always goes after that one. So we'll learn more. Like you said, when we look at Matthew's account about who are those other 90 nines. So we can set that aside, I suppose, for now. But it really is a matter of our status before Adam, before the fall, and then after Adam, after the fall, while all men fell with Adam. So also did God's people, which he had chosen before time began. And so this idea of going after the one is bringing back into the fold that who is his child though, who he has made a promise, a covenantal promise to bring into the kingdom of heaven. I was thinking as well of this amazing quote and like, what that all means about God's love for us, which again, is just more than like, isn't it nice that when you are out in

Adam, Chelsea, and Cassie sit down with Shai Linne to talk family worship—how simple, steady rhythms (read, sing, pray) form kids for life, and how music and stories can plant gospel truth deep in young hearts. Shai shares the heart behind his album Jesus Kids, the allegory Penelope Judd, and why he and Blair take a family-worship micro-conference on the road to equip churches and parents.Resources Mentioned:Shai Linne – Jesus Kids (album)Penelope Judd (children's book by Shai Linne)God Made Me AND You (children's book by Shai Linne)The Family Worships (micro-conference info)The Jesus Storybook Bible (Sally Lloyd-Jones)Slugs & Bugs (kids' music) Follow Us:Instagram | Facebook | WebsiteEditing and support by The Good Podcast Co. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.