Podcasts about father jesus

Episode 800: If You've Seen Jesus, You've Seen the Father - Jesus was an exact, physical manifestation of God the Father in the flesh. Find out more on this episode of Good News with Greg Fritz. Download or request your FREE Study Notes for this series at https://gregfritz.org/study-notes/. Greg Fritz is on a mission to get the truth of the Good News to as many people as possible. The truth is God has a plan and a meaning for your life. You are extravagantly and deeply loved by God, and you were created for a purpose.  Receive a free CD and our newsletter: https://www.gregfritz.org/free-cd/   Follow Greg on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gregfritzministries/  Follow Greg on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregfritzministries/ Watch more videos: https://www.gospeltruth.tv/   Learn more on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrR9Rsx4h_RqYigda2PysZQ  Email us: info@gregfritz.org  Partner with us:  https://gregfritz.org/partners/ Donate: https://gregfritz.org/donate/

John 5 records the third sign in the healing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda (meaning “the house of mercy”). It would seem that the Jews had a superstition about this place – just as surrounds the mythology of the waters of Lourdes. Some translations add, ‘it was said that an angel ..'. The man was about 38 years old and a symbol of Israel, who for 38 years were powerless and perishing in wilderness. The miracle occurs on the Sabbath day and so once again the Jews seek to persecute our Lord. In verses 19-47 Jesus witnesses to his sonship, his authority and truthfulness. There was no equality between our Lord and his Father – Jesus' authority was derived from his Father. Our Lord Jesus had no power independently of his Father. And without the Father he could do nothing. But the authority of the Word spoken by Jesus extended to the raising of the dead. Those who were morally dead listened to Jesus and consequently enlightened and enlivened. This means that having now ‘heard' the voice of the Son of God; they would be brought to life as they will be called forth to resurrection at the coming and kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. The chapter concludes with Jesus outlining the witnesses that incontrovertibly proved he was from God.

Jesus Is The Way - Humility To Glory (2) (audio) David Eells – 3/9/25 Lets begin with a look at the Parable of the leaders choosing positions of honor and the guests at the marriage feast in (Luk.14:7) And he spake a parable unto those that were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them, (8) When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, (9) and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. We know Jesus also spoke a parable about a king who made a marriage feast for his son, obviously pointing to the Father as the King and Himself being the Son (Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:15-24). And we know that the disciples were invited to the marriage feast in the early church, although many of the Jews refused, therefore God turned to the Gentiles and invited them (Matthew 22:3-6,9-10). Are we still invited today? Of course. We're invited to partake of the “bread and the wine,” representing the Body and Blood of Christ, which is the Nature and the Life of Jesus Christ. Paul said, (1Co.11:23) For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; (24) and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. (25) In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me. (26) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come. (27) Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. (29) For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body. (30) For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. (31) But if we discerned ourselves, we should not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. So who is it that could desire the most honorable seats in this marriage feast, as we feast and partake of Jesus Christ? Well, it could be somebody who craves a position or a title that they have not earned, or who desires to partake of an ordination that has not necessarily been given them by God. The Lord is saying through this parable that you should take the more humble place and let God make a way for you. Growing up in God is to let Him “open the doors” to make a way for us. Many people love to partake of titles and position and places of authority, and far too many have been ordained of men and not of God. They've taken a position that hasn't been given them by the King of the marriage feast, and one day they may be told, “Step down; this is not your place. This is given to someone else more worthy.” (Luk.14:10) But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that sit at meat with thee. (11) For everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. We really need to remember that for our own good. God will bring down anybody who is proud or arrogant, or who takes a position that's not theirs because it's been given to them by man instead of God. “For everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” While we are here, we have the opportunity to humble ourselves in order to be exalted of the Lord, and this is the way of prosperity and blessing in the Kingdom. We have every reason to be humble because we really can do nothing without Him. Of our own ability, we haven't much hope. We read in the previous study, (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing… Did you know that in this text Jesus was speaking of the relationship between not only Himself and His Father, but of Himself as our Father? Isaiah calls Jesus “Everlasting Father,” howbeit the Hebrew actually says “Father of Eternity.” (Isa.9:6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is the Prince of Peace, the Father of Eternity, the One that is placed over the government of everything by God. Jesus is the last Adam and our spiritual Father, as we can see also in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9,18-23; Mark 14:13-20; Luke 8:4- 5). (Mat.13:18) Hear then ye the parable of the sower. (19) When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil [one], and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side. (20) And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; (21) yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. (22) And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. (23) And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Jesus sowed the Seed in our heart that brings forth His fruit in us. He is our spiritual Adam, the Father of the born-again creation, of the born-again man, just as Adam was the Father of the natural creation. Now, since “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing,” that means anything we do that's contrary to what we see our spiritual Father Jesus doing, is coming from ourselves. And since the apostles are our spiritual forefathers in the faith, anything we do that's contrary to what we see them doing is coming from ourselves, too (Romans 4:11-12; Hebrews 12:9). As Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet [have ye] not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. So notice it says, “what he seeth the Father doing.” Jesus obviously was in the Throne Room as well as on the earth. He saw the Father's Presence, and we know that's going to be true of the Man-child in our day. That's why we study the Scriptures to see what it is to be a Christian disciple, what it is to walk in the Steps of Jesus and be blessed. Jesus said, (Joh.5:30) I can of myself do nothing… And certainly if Jesus can of Himself do nothing, if He needed the Power of the Father to do what He did, then we also can of ourselves do nothing. We, too, need the Power of God, and that lets us know that when something is done for His glory, when something is accomplished for His Kingdom, we can take no credit for it, just as Jesus here was taking no credit. (Joh.5:30) I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. Only if we, too, desire God's Will in what we're doing, only if we are not driven by our own lusts or ambitions, only then can we be trusted to work for God because we will not take any credit for it. (Joh.5:31) If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. Another part of humility is that we're not to bear witness of ourselves. Who are we? Who do we have to prove ourselves to? When those apostate Pharisees came to Jesus, they wanted Him to give them a sign that He was Who He said He was, but they had no eyes to see nor ears to hear, because He had been doing those wondrous works as signs all along. Well, Jesus answered them, (Mat.16:4) An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign… He wasn't saying signs are wrong; He was saying that they were an evil and adulterous generation for wanting a sign that He was Who He said He was, when they should have very easily judged by His works. In other words, “I'm not going to give it to you.” He wasn't interested in proving Himself to such people. (Joh.5:32) It is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. (Notice that if you don't bear witness of yourself, someone else will bear witness of you.) (Joh.30:36) But the witness which I have is greater than [that of] John; for the works which the Father hath given me to accomplish (And remember, He said that He couldn't do the works of Himself.), the very works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. (37) And the Father that sent me, he hath borne witness of me… Jesus didn't bear witness of Himself so the Father bore witness of Him. And how did the Father bear witness of Him? It was through the works that Jesus did. We find this very important principle all through the New Testament. If we want God to bear witness through us in His signs, His wonders, His works, then we can't bear witness of ourselves. (Joh.30:41) I receive not glory from men. (42) But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in yourselves. Was He meaning that the people who received glory from men, didn't receive glory from God because their witness was of men and not of God? That's exactly what He's saying. They were interested in pleasing men, not God. They were interested in enjoying the esteem of men, not God. And there are many who receive glory in this life but will receive none in the next life (Matthew 6:1-6,16-21). (Joh.30:41) I receive not glory from men. (42) But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in yourselves. (43) I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. Jesus wasn't interested in pleasing men. He saw always before His face the Father. He was here to please the Father and we also have to desire in our heart to be pleasing only unto Him, and to give glory only unto Him, so that God Himself will be a Witness of us. (Joh.30:44) How can ye believe, who receive glory one of another, and the glory that [cometh] from the only God ye seek not? People love to be seen of men as being prosperous, wise, and even gifted. These are manpleasers, so it's important to them to be seen of men in this way. Instead, if we love God, we will humble ourselves. We know Him and we will practice His Presence because we're interested in pleasing Him. The people that Jesus was running into here couldn't believe because their desire to receive glory from man was not permitting it. (Joh.12:42) Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: (43) for they loved the glory [that is] of men more than the glory that is of God. They believed, but they were afraid to act on it and it's the same today. When you give a witness that may be contrary to the traditions of men, manpleasers are afraid to listen, they're afraid to follow, because they're not interested in pleasing God. They're afraid of acting on that truth because they would be rejected by men. They would be looked down upon by their peers, and it's more important to them to please their peers, their religion and their pastor, than it is for them to accept Truth. You know, God makes an offer to you to accept Truth, and if you reject it, if you cast it down, He takes it back and you may not get that offer again. Many of these people did not receive that offer again. Truth was offered to them and if it wasn't important to be pleasing unto God, if it was more important to them to have the glory of man, well, then that's all they got. Jesus glorified not Himself even when a great multitude came to Him. (Joh.6:1) After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is [the sea] of Tiberias. (2) And a great multitude followed him, because they beheld the signs which he did on them that were sick. (3) And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. (4) Now the passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. (5) Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat? So He went from them and up into the mountain, but after a while, it appears that they came up there, too. Not many people can turn aside from the admiration or praise, or even curiosity, of the multitude. Following God is not more important to them than pleasing a multitude, but Jesus could do that and throughout His ministry, we see that He did do that. He wasn't seeking the glory of man and therefore, God glorified Him. Now let's read on because when Jesus didn't seek the glory of man, immediately afterward He fed the five thousand in one of the greatest miracles of His ministry. (Joh.6:5) Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat? (6) And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. (7) Philip answered him, Two hundred shillings worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little. (8) One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, (9) There is a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many? (10) Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. (11) Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down; likewise also of the fishes as much as they would. (12) And when they were filled, he saith unto his disciples, Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost. (13) So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which remained over unto them that had eaten. (14) When therefore the people saw the sign which he did, they said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the world. God was putting that in their heart because Jesus had rejected a desire to be a man pleaser, and in the very next verse, He rejected that again. (Joh.5:15) Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again into the mountain himself alone. So He left the multitudes again, not seeking to be a manpleaser, not wanting to be glorified of man, not wanting to take a position that God did not want Him to take, that is, as a worldly ruler with physical authority. He wanted the spiritual Kingdom that the Father offered unto Him. The devil had offered Him the authority over the physical kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13) and now the people wanted to come and make Jesus King, but He desired nothing of that. Unfortunately, I guarantee you there are many people today who would love that, not realizing that they would do it to their own destruction because, if you receive the glory of man, you don't receive the glory of God. Since Jesus turned down the glory of man here, He glorified not Himself, notice that once again He did one of the greatest miracles of His ministry. (Joh.6:16) And when evening came, his disciples went down unto the sea; (17) and they entered into a boat, and were going over the sea unto Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. (18) And the sea was rising by reason of a great wind that blew. (19) When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid. (20) But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. (21) They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat: and straightway the boat was at the land whither they were going. Every time Jesus turned down the glory of man, the Father glorified Him by the works that He did. Many of God's people want to have power with God; they want to meet the needs of the brethren around them; they want to heal the sick; they want to cast out devils. They want to do the works of Jesus, and rightly so, but we're seeing here that the works of Jesus don't come through just faith, but also through humility. God sought to glorify Jesus because Jesus didn't seek to glorify Himself. He was not interested in being a manpleaser, as He said, (Joh.5:41) I receive not glory from men. And after Jesus healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, the Jews asked him, (Joh.5:12) … Who is the man that said unto thee, Take up [thy bed,] and walk? (13) But he that was healed knew not who it was; for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in the place. Jesus didn't seek exposure to the crowd. He didn't seek to be known even to this man whom He had healed. Jesus was seeking to glorify the Father and not Himself, just as every minister of God, even those that are sent by God, which are the minority, will be tried in this manner to see if they will accept for themselves the glory that should go to God. If they will rob the glory of God by taking credit for what God is doing, well, then God will not glorify them. Jesus conveyed Himself away because He didn't seek the credit for what God did. He didn't seek the glory for what God did even though God did this miracle through Him. (Luk.5:12) And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities, behold, a man full of leprosy: and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. (13) And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed from him. (14) And he charged him to tell no man: but go thy way, and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. (And since He did not seek to be known for this work that God did, what happened?) (15) But so much the more went abroad the report concerning him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed of their infirmities. (16) But he withdrew himself in the deserts, and prayed. Jesus didn't seek the multitudes; they sought Him. And because He didn't seek to be known of them nor to gain credit of them nor to take a position over them, we see once again, God glorified Him. God moved in the heart of the people and they sought Him. This is an important point for us to understand. The Lord is our Example and we are His disciples, His “learners and followers.” It's important for us to know what it is to walk pleasing unto the Father because we need the power of the Father, His grace, His mercy. Humility brings the glory of the Father. Let's look at another example in (Mar.1:23) And straightway there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, (24) saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. (25) And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, (Here He is being glorified even of the demons and He wouldn't permit it. They were speaking out and glorifying Him, saying Who He was, yet He wouldn't permit it.) and come out of him.  (26) And the unclean spirit, tearing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. (27) And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? a new teaching! with authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him. (28) And the report of him went out straightway everywhere into all the region of Galilee round about. Jesus sought not to glorify Himself. He sought not to take full advantage of the situation, and because He didn't, just the opposite happened. Because He was found trustworthy that He would not rob the glory of God, God turned it around and glorified Him. Also in the same book, we read, (Mar.5:18) And as he (This is Jesus.) was entering into the boat, he that had been possessed with demons besought him that he might be with him. (19) And he suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go to thy house unto thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and [how] he had mercy on thee. (Some people think that Jesus is talking about Himself, but He was talking about the Father.) (20) And he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men marvelled. Jesus didn't seek His Own glory. Jesus sought earnestly to give all the glory to God, and because He did that, God gave it to Jesus instead. As disciples of Jesus, we have the same opportunity to always give God the glory. We don't want to rob God, even in things that we might consider to be insignificant. Jesus said to the Jews, (Joh.8:50) But I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. He was humble, therefore the Father sought to glorify Him and as we saw, one way the Father did that was through the works that Jesus did. Many are seeking to do the works of Jesus because they see the need around them, and if they are walking in humility, then God gives them grace to have faith, because these people are the ones that God can trust with power and authority. They will not steal and rob the glory of God; they will not puff themselves up until they stumble and fall. (Joh.54) Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing (Now, you can glorify yourself and, in the earth, your glory wouldn't be nothing, but Jesus is saying that if He glorified Himself, His glory in the Kingdom would be nothing.): it is my Father that glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God. Once again, we see that we have to be very, very careful not to take credit for something that we're not capable of doing. Of ourselves, we can do nothing. Instead, we give all the glory to God and seek to avoid the limelight, not taking a position that we shouldn't take. (2Co.10:17) But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Always! Paul also tells us, (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. (Therefore, we have nothing to glory about because we are weak and He is strong.) Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Notice that the power of Christ will rest upon the person who glories in their weaknesses, their inability, their lack of power. God will glorify those persons who will claim no credit, who will not glorify themselves, who will not lift themselves up to take a position that's not theirs. These are the people that God will glorify with “the power of Christ.” (2Co.10:18) For not he that commendeth himself is approved (Approved of Whom? Approved of God.), but whom the Lord commendeth. Those who commend themselves obviously don't receive the glory or the commendation of God. Instead, they get only the commendation and glory of men, and if we receive it here on this earth, that's all the reward we're going to get. (Pro.27:1) Boast not thyself of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. We think that we have control over tomorrow. We often say, “we'll do this,” or, “we'll do that; “we'll go here,” or, “we'll go there,” but God said all of our plans are evil. (Jas.4:13) Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: (14) whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (15) For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. (16) But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil. We have no authority to make plans for our future. We need to say, “If the Lord wills.” We need to give glory to God because (Act.17:28) … in him we live, and move, and have our being… Our very breath comes from Him and if He doesn't give it to us tomorrow, we won't be here tomorrow (Job 12:10,33:4; Daniel 5:23). He is the One Who makes it possible for us to do anything. We can do nothing without Him, as Jesus said in (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. It is sin to brag about what we're going to do with this life. It doesn't belong to us; it's been bought with the Blood of the Lamb. (Pro.27:2) Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth… We don't have any room for bragging. We glory in our weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon us. We glory in our inability. We glory in those situations where we can't save ourselves and only God can do it. If you want God to save you, then glory in your weakness so that the power of Christ may rest upon you. If you want God to save you, if you want His power, then brag about your inability and His power because, if anyone glories, “let him glory in the Lord.” (Pro.27:2) Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips. That's good advice since, once again, you're being humble before the Lord and you're not accepting any glory, so the Father Himself is the One that will glorify you. (Pro.25:27) It is not good to eat much honey: So for men to search out their own glory is grievous. A similar verse says, (Pro.25:16) Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. These are talking about something that's sweet to the flesh, and something that's sweet to the flesh is receiving glory, but to search out your own glory is bitter because in the end, it leads only to suffering and sorrow. (Pro.30:32) If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, Lay thy hand upon thy mouth. If we want the Lord's grace, if we want His faith, if we want His power, if we want Him to manifest His works through us, we need to be careful what we say before Him. (Mar.10:35) And there come near unto him James and John, the sons of Zebedee, saying unto him, Teacher, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall ask of thee. (36) And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? (37) And they said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy glory. (38) But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink? (I would say that is the cup of suffering.) or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? Baptism is for death, so in other words, “Are you able to go to death?” And what is “death”? Is it not to deny self, take up your cross, and follow Jesus? Is it not to deny self the ability to glory or take any credit for what God does? (Mar.10:39) And they said unto him, We are able. They were very self-confident, weren't they? Remember that Peter was the same way. He told Jesus, (Mat.26:35) … Even if I must die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. However, Peter really didn't know what was in him, did he? And James and John didn't know what was in them, either. “We are able.” Now we know God did make them able because they did go to their cross, but they were young and impetuous here and didn't understand exactly what all this entailed. (Mar.10:39) And they said unto him, We are able. And Jesus said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: (40) but to sit on my right hand or on [my] left hand is not mine to give; but [it is for them] for whom it hath been prepared. (41) And when the ten heard it, they began to be moved with indignation concerning James and John. James and John were trying to get ahead of the flock, trying to get some special attention, a special privilege from Jesus here that they hadn't yet earned. Now it's obvious that there are some people who will sit on the Lord's left and right, and it is given to them of the Father because they have borne their baptism, they have borne their cross, they have drunk the cup that Jesus drank. (Mar.10:42) And Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them. (43) But it is not so among you: but whosoever would become great among you, shall be your minister (The word there is diákonos, and it just means “servant.”); (44) and whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all. (So the more people you serve, the better.) (45) For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. A “ransom” is a price that's paid to set somebody free from bondage. Does this mean that the Lord expects us to give up our life in order to be used of Him to set many free from bondage? Yes. Just as Jesus came to be a Ransom for many, each of us, also, if we give up our life, is able to be used of Him to bring many out of bondage and into the Kingdom of God. The Bible tells us to (Php.2:5) Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; (8) and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] unto death, yea, the death of the cross. He came, He laid aside all of His omnipotence and made Himself poor, that we through His poverty might become rich in the ways of the Kingdom (2 Corinthians 8:9), and He expects us to walk in His Steps. Let's look at one example that particularly points out the humility of Jesus and how He commanded His disciples to walk in that humility. (Joh.13:1) Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto his Father, having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them unto the end. (2) And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son,] to betray him, (3) [Jesus,] knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came forth from God, and goeth unto God, (4) riseth from supper, and layeth aside his garments; and he took a towel, and girded himself. (5) Then he poureth water into the basin, and began to wash the disciple's feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. What do you think this foot washing represents? There's nothing wrong with a physical foot washing. It's a humble thing to do, and especially so in Biblical times because the way they traveled meant their feet got very dirty. Well, there's a spiritual type and shadow there, because as we “walk” in this world, it's very likely that our “feet” get dirty with this world. “Sanctification” is “the process of being separated from the world,” and we want to be a part of that separating process for all of our brethren, for everybody that comes in contact with us. That's what Jesus was pointing out here. Again, I'm not denying the physical ceremony of the foot washing, which is good, but we need to understand the spiritual type and shadow here. The Lord put off His clothes and He girded Himself with a towel. We all are putting off our “clothing”; we're putting off the old man and the old life, and we're putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, representing His righteousness and His righteous works (Romans 13:14). (Joh.13:6) So he cometh to Simon Peter. He saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? (7) Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter. (8) Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Now that's not just a physical foot washing here. This is something spiritual and much more important. If the Lord doesn't wash us, of course we have nothing to do with Him and He has nothing to do with us. We have to be washed by the water of the Word, as Paul called it (Ephesians 5:26-27). And we especially need the dirt washed off our feet because our walk with God has to be a clean walk. We need to be separated from the world, and we also have a part in helping our brethren to walk in this way. (Joh.13:9) Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. (10) Jesus saith to him, He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. In other words, if you wash your feet, you're clean all over. If you have a clean walk with the Lord, the reason for that is that your heart is right before Him so you're clean everywhere else, too. (11) For he knew him that should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. Evil people can't walk a clean walk before the Lord. Righteous people can walk a clean walk because of what's inside them. (Joh.13:12) So when he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and sat down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? (13) Ye call me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. (14) If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. (As the Lord, Who is the mighty King Who has come down out of heaven and has stooped to be our Servant, we also need to be servants to each other.) (15) For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you. We have to humble ourselves. If the Lord of glory humbled Himself, and He gave us an example, then we have to humble ourselves. We have to be useful in the sanctification of our brothers and sisters, but we're only able to be used of the Lord as we become righteous. That towel represented His righteousness; He dried their feet with His Own righteousness and we're able to be used of the Lord the same way. (Joh.13:16) Verily, verily, I say unto you, a servant is not greater than his lord; neither one that is sent greater than he that sent him. (17) If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them. (18) I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled: He that eateth my bread lifted up his heel against me. (19) From henceforth I tell you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am [he]. The greatest is the servant of all, but all will not become servants of the brethren because they serve themselves. They seek their own glory, therefore God can't seek to glorify them. A person who seeks their own glory cannot be trusted with God's glory. They cannot be trusted. They would squander it on the world, on self, and glorify self. It would be very destructive to them for God to do this. Now, does God do this with some people? Yes, however, they won't ultimately have a position with God in the Kingdom. There are people who have received gifts of God, but then they continue to seek their own glory. Does God take the gift back? No, He doesn't necessarily even take the gift back. He uses them. For example, they may be used in healing but they themselves may never see the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus warned us, (Mat.7:22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. God can use us down here as a vessel, yet it won't be for our good; it will be for the good of others around us. If we lift ourselves up, we won't be in God's Kingdom. We won't be acceptable unto Him. And so we see here that Jesus humbled Himself in order to wash the disciples' feet. Our Lord wants us to walk in His Steps. He is our Example, therefore we also need to be very humble servants of God for the health and sake of the brethren. We've learned too much from Babylonish Christianity that we need to be washed of, and we see far too many examples of men who have lifted themselves up. They've made themselves a kingdom here and live in very high circumstances, with luxurious homes and grossly overpaid positions. They have chosen to be kings over their Lord's heritage, and at the end, they're not going to have anything. God knows His servants. (1Sam.16:7) But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. God doesn't see as man sees. He knows who are humble towards Him. He knows who are sacrificing themselves. He knows who are trying to avoid taking any glory from Him. He knows them and He will glorify them. He will not only glorify them in this life, He will glorify them in the next life. Some of the most famous Christians down here will not be famous in the Kingdom of Heaven because they have stolen, robbed, the glory of God, and God cannot permit that. Some of the people who have never been known down here, are never known because they don't seek to be known. Some of these people are going to be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Isa.55:8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. Some of the most humble people here, “humble” meaning not interested in glorifying themselves, not interested in lifting themselves up, are going to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven, and they are great in the Kingdom of Heaven, as far as God is concerned. Jesus sought a simple life. He sought not to have and do the things that men thought were great. He didn't mind speaking Truth, even if it offended the high and the mighty. He didn't mind leaving the multitudes behind in order to go seek fellowship with the Father (Matthew 14:13; Luke 4:42; Mark 1:35; etc.) We need to emulate Him. Jesus had such a desire to meet the needs of the people, that in some cases, He was working night and day (Matthew 8:24- 25,13:2; Mark 3:9; etc.) Jesus said, (Mat.8:20) … The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. He didn't have any time for Himself and I believe that God has some servants down here who are doing the same thing. They see the need, they're moved with compassion, and they go to meet the need, but not for the glory of man. Jesus wasn't doing it for the glory of man because He didn't mind leaving the multitudes and going up into the mountains to pray. He's our Example, and as the Bible tells us, (1Jn.2:5) But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: (6) he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. Now I have a couple of revelations to share with you.     The Glorious Bride's Fruit B.A.- 01/30/2014 Notes: [David | Deb] The second dream (below) occurred the night after this one; they show the glorious Bride and God's work to raise the Church. I had a neat dream last night. I dreamed that I was translated into UBM's Friday night Bible study. (After the Bride is manifested, she will be seen in many places where the unleavened Word is shared among the disciples of the David Man-child reformers, just as John the Baptist saw the Bride among the disciples of Jesus, the Son of David.) (2Ti.2:15 Give diligence (“study”) to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.) I dreamed that as I was translated into the back of the assembly, I walked up and sat down in the row directly behind everyone. (The last shall be first.) (The Bride who puts themselves last and others first will be first. The Bride who puts themselves last and the Lord and His Word first will be first.) Brother David was in front of the assembly (in a blue polo-like shirt with stripes and blue jeans). (The stripes represent that the Man-child/Davids will have taken the persecution [for the body's sake]. Blue represents walking in grace or heavenly places.) He saw me come in and take my seat. He looked at me with great interest, but he never stopped talking. People began to turn around and look at me, one at a time. They didn't stare at me; they just looked and turned back around. (Son.6:10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Terrible as an army with banners? This is the Bride. 13 Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance of Mahanaim?) (You will notice that the Bride is not any local assembly but wherever the Davids are teaching, they will be among the disciples, as it was with Jesus, according to John, who said, “He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom”. This shows us that the Bride will know the voice of the groom in the Man-child/Davids. There are local bodies that the Lord is choosing to purge of unfruitful people as a good foundation for more saints to come.) When the service was over, I stood up and instantly I was gone. (The Bride will take the Davids' teachings throughout the earth; much translation will happen among them.) In the dream, after I was gone, I heard Brother David say to the assembly, “Did you all see that woman who came in and sat in the back? Did you notice that she was surrounded in light?” Some people spoke up and said, “Yes, we did”. (The glorious Bride will be an example to those who come after her, having departed from transgression by the Lord's redemption. Isa.59:20 And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Jehovah. 21 And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith Jehovah: my Spirit that is upon thee (the Bride), and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth (the Bride will speak and obey the Word), nor out of the mouth of thy seed (the Bride's spiritual children), nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed (and their children), saith Jehovah, from henceforth and for ever. Isaiah had much to prophesy concerning Zion, the Bride, and the effect of the glorious light of God's Word manifested in her by the Spirit of God, bringing great revival. Isa.60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. The children of the Bride will come to the light in the Bride from all over the world.) 14 And the sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet (The apostates will be humbled under the Davids and the Bride); and they shall call thee The city of Jehovah, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations... 18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders (the Beast persecutors among God's people will have no authority there); but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation (to enter the Bride, Jerusalem, will be to manifest the salvation that many only have by faith), and thy gates Praise. 19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but Jehovah will be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for Jehovah will be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. 21 Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. 22 The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation; I, Jehovah, will hasten it in its time. (Great fruit will come from the glorious Bride.) The Man-child's ministry to the Bride and Church is in the next chapter. Isa.61:1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the prison] to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. Isa.62:1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. 2 And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name. 3 Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. 4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah (meaning “my delight is in her”), and thy land Beulah (meaning “married”); for Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.     Bride Saves the Apostate Church from Enemies B.A.- 01/31/2014 Notes: [David | Deb] I dreamed that I was in Tennessee for a visit. I was hungry, so I stopped at a fast-food restaurant to get something to eat. (It's “fast food” because time is running out. The Israelites were told to eat their Passover quickly before leaving Egypt. Exo.12:11 And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover.) As I was getting out of the car, I noticed an elderly woman walking slowly with a cane. (This is the old order, mother Church. They have been with the Lord for many years but too crippled by false teachings to walk in the Spirit.) (The Lord promises them restoration: Zec.8:4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age.) I happened to look up ahead toward the door and I noticed that there was about a four- or five-inch curb. (Four is the Word and it brings tribulation to the carnal man, but five is grace given to us that brings us through the tribulation of our life.) The curb was in front of the door. (Joh.10:9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. “Pasture” is food.) I knew that this elderly woman might have some difficulty trying to step up from the curb of the parking lot and onto the sidewalk by the door. (6:54 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day. It's a “sidewalk” because it's beside the shepherds' tents. Sol.1:8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents.) I walked up to her and asked her if I could help her and she was happy for my offer of help. (Much trouble is coming to the old order because they have not yet understood that the promises of God are there to deliver them.) She had noticed the tall curb as well and was wondering if she would be able to make that step up from the curb. (They don't have the real Gospel which empowers them to manifest salvation in all things. Rom.1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth... The Bride will be there to help them with understanding and the Word will be confirmed with signs and wonders following.) So I helped her inside the restaurant and to a table.  (Eze.34:14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and on the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed on the mountains of Israel.) She introduced herself to me and told me her name was Mabel (Her name is of uncertain derivation, but from the Spanish or Italian, it means both “beautiful” and “soft, tender”, some say loving, lovable”.) and I told her my name. (Many in the old order Church are innocent and the true Gospel will bring life in them. They are walking in the light that they have, like God says in Rom.14:4 He shall be made to stand for the Lord hath power to make him stand.) (Humility and innocence are valuable to the Lord. 1Pe.3:4 but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.) I took her order and went up to the counter and got our food and brought it back to the table. She offered me $10 to pay for her food. (Ten is the number of the law and the old order is used to paying for everything and not receiving freely by grace.) I told her it was a blessing for me to bless her. (Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give”.) I told her it would be a pleasure for me to sit and have my meal with her. She was so happy to have my company. She told me she was waiting for her daughter, Jean, who was always very late. (In the natural, we are told to “let your yes be yes and your no be no”, and this is true for those who are truthful but not for liars. As far as the spiritual gifts of God, they will also be late for what the Lord has for them.) (Rom.13:11 And this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed. ... Mat.25:10 And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour. Rev.3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eye salve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.) We had such a wonderful time. Mabel told me that she was a widow. (Our first husband is Satan, for we are submitted to him and we have ears for him. When he is dead to us, we are ready for the Lord.) She was meeting her daughter at the restaurant to discuss the possibility of her going into an assisted living home, as she was getting too old to live by herself. (Instead of being a minister of God's grace, the children turn to the ways of the world and rarely repay the kindness owed to their mentors.) I saw Mabel look toward the door, so I turned around and I saw a woman who appeared to be in her mid-60s (Mid-60s means lukewarm, midway between 60, the Gematria for “world”, and 70 identifies the number of disciples that were sent by Jesus and Moses.) She came through the door and walked toward us. She looked at me with disapproval on her face, then over to her mother. I stood up and introduced myself to her, but she wasn't very receptive to me. Just then, Mabel spoke up and told her daughter, Jean, how I had helped her. Jean then looked back at me and said, “I'm here now, so you can leave”. (The factious have always hated the Bride and consider themselves superior to them. They have lusted for a position over the church but don't have the fruit or gift from God to take care of her.) I reached down and picked up my purse and said goodbye to Mabel and left the restaurant. As I walked across the parking lot to my car, I prayed in the spirit for Mabel and her daughter, Jean. (The Bride is gracious and prays for the old order Christians and the factious.) As I got into my car, I had an open vision. I could see Mabel and Jean inside the restaurant. I saw Jean sit down where I had been sitting across from Mabel (seeking to usurp the position of the Bride). I watched as Jean began to scold her mother for “taking up” with strangers (in Proverbs, the stranger is the Harlot), and she began saying very unkind things about me. Jean said to her mother, “Can't you tell by the way people are dressed, Mother, that you should not associate with them?” (Slanderers of the Bride are now making themselves known to the Church.) Then it was Mabel's turn to speak. She said, “First of all, that kind woman helped me into the restaurant (helped her to find spiritual food). I'm sure she had other things to do, like you do, but she took the time to help me. Then, she went the extra mile”. (The Bride sacrifices for the Church. The factious sacrifice the Church to their own ego.) She asked me what I would like to eat and she went and got it and brought it back to me. (Job.23:12 I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. Joh.6:56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him.) She would not accept any money from me, unlike what you do. (They make merchandise of the people and do nothing freely.) (Act.8:20 But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.) And as for the way she was dressed, her clothing was of much more value than yours. (Rom.13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts [thereof]. Rev.19:8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.) Just then, Jean spoke up and said, “Oh, I really don't think so, Mother”, in a very prideful tone of voice. (Pro.16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.) Mabel said, “Oh, yes, she is wearing 'clothes of righteousness' and you are wearing clothes of wickedness!” (Isa.59:5 They hatch adders eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth; and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. 6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. 7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths. 8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no justice in their goings: they have made them crooked paths; whosoever goeth therein doth not know peace.) “She was nothing but kind to me and she treated me as if I were her own mother. I don't understand how you can judge her like that before you know any of the facts!” (They distort and lie about every fact.) Just then, Mabel got up from the table and started heading toward the door. (1Co.5:11 But as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.) (Tit.3:10 A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse; 11 knowing that such a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned.) Her daughter said, “Mother, just where do you think you are going?” Mabel replied, “I'm going home and you can't stop me”. Her daughter said, “But we haven't had our discussion yet about your 'assisted' living arrangement”. Mabel replied, “I've decided that I no longer need any assistance”. (Association with the Bride will bring the old order church out from under the curse that faction and unforgiveness have put on them. Nursing homes are full of them.) As Mabel got to the door, her daughter called out, “Well, Mother, at least come back and get your cane”. Mabel turned around and looked at her daughter and said, “Nope. It appears, Jean, that I don't seem to need it anymore. (Out from under the crutches of religion and free to walk in the Spirit above the curse.) Why don't you just keep it?” (This is exactly the curse on the factious.) And Mabel got into her car and drove off. (Isa.10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them, but shall lean upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.) Then I saw Brother David and a few others sitting in a booth several feet away and they had witnessed the entire thing. (Mat.18:16 But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. 2Co.13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. At the mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word established.) (We are witnesses of this atrocity against the Bride and Church. God Himself, by these dreams, is witnessing against these atrocities against His people.)

God Is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and You Pray to One Triune Being – God, the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked His Disciples the question He asks you: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ {Messiah}.'". As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”.  God IS Father, IS Son, and He IS Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd in the Temple; and He tells us, as it is recorded for us now by the Apostle John, in John 10:25,30: “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me . . . I and the Father are one.'”. Also, Jesus provides more insights to your Trinitarian relationship with God in John 14:18-20: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.". God is one God, but He is in three natures: God is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you pray, you are praying to one triune being – God, the Creator of the Universe.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, He will supply all my needs (Philippians 4:19). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:1-8; John 10:24-30; Mark 1:9-11; Psalms 139a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “How God Says He Loves Us: Part 2 -- The Covenant with Abraham”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

In this sermon, Devin delves into the Advent theme of peace, centering on Jesus as the Prince of Peace foretold in Isaiah 9:6-7. He begins by sharing a personal Christmas memory from his childhood, highlighting an unexpected moment of peace during a difficult time. Calhoun then explores four aspects of peace that Jesus brings: 1. Peace between us and God the Father: Jesus, as both God and man, bridges the gap between humanity and God, allowing us to have a restored relationship with Him. 2. Peace in our relationships: Through Christ's work on the cross, He breaks down barriers between people, enabling unity among believers. 3. Peace in our hearts: Jesus cares for us as an everlasting Father, bringing comfort and peace to our inner turmoil. 4. Peace to the whole earth: This final aspect of peace is yet to come, when Jesus returns to establish His eternal kingdom. Calhoun concludes by challenging listeners to examine whether they have truly experienced the Prince of Peace in their lives, urging them to submit to Jesus as King to receive His peace. #peace #comfort #advent #christmas #princeofpeace #jesus

When I first started reading the Bible, it seemed to me that it was all about the things I had to give up - what I was going to lose. But what I discovered is that actually, actually God wants to bless us. His Wisdom brings blessing to our lives - as counterintuitive as it may seem, when we're sitting there wrapped up in our selfish desires.   The Fruit of Discipline I can honestly say, as I look back on my life, that there is not a single time ... not one, where I have enjoyed being disciplined. I remember as a child – I was a lively sort of a lad as you can probably image. I was into everything and inquisitive and full of beans and since I was old enough to sleep in a bed, rather than a cot, I've been getting up at four or five o'clock in the morning – that's just the way I'm wired. I was never shy or retiring – I was always out there and into everything. So it's not surprising that growing up, I had more than my fair share of discipline – more than the odd belting when I grew up. Not that I am necessarily suggesting that's always the best way of discipling a child. And then as a teenager and a young adult when I was studying at the Royal Military College Duntroon, to become an officer in the Australian Army, that's where you learn what discipline is all about. And then later on in the workplace. I can honestly say there is not a single time that I have enjoyed being disciplined. But looking back on it, without that discipline, I think I would have grown up to be a horrid person, completely unbearable. See, discipline is never fun at the time but it's an important part of our lives. And I think it bears some thinking about so today we are going to spend some time unpacking this whole thing of "discipline". There's not one of us, I suspect, who can't think back to the time when we lived with our parents – those of us fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to grow up with our Mum and our Dad, or at least one of them. As we think back to those times what we remember is being disciplined and some of those memories are frankly, not very happy ones. I can remember how unfair discipline felt at the time – how much I hated being disciplined. Aw, man, why do things have to be like that? Why did God have to invent a world where we would have to learn by being disciplined? Well, today we are continuing on with this series that I have called “Wisdom that Works.” And right in the next passage of the Book of Proverbs, a book of wisdom, written by a wise old King Solomon to his young sons – right in the next bit that we are up to, we get an answer to this question: Why do we need discipline? So let's have a listen – we are looking at Proverbs chapter 6, beginning at verse 20: My child, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, to preserve you from the wife of another, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for a prostitute's fee is only a loaf of bread, but the wife of another stalks a man's very life. Can fire be carried in the bosom without burning one's clothes? Or can one walk on hot coals without scorching the feet? So is he who sleeps with his neighbor's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. Thieves are not despised who steal only to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry. Yet if they are caught, they will pay sevenfold; they will forfeit all the goods in their house. But he who commits adultery has no sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. For jealousy arouses a husband's fury, and he shows no restraint when he takes revenge. He will accept no compensation, and refuses a bribe no matter how great. Now, the example that Solomon uses here to his sons is that of adultery. He kicks off by talking about the huge investment that he and the mother of these young men have made in them, through their commandments and their teaching and their wisdom and their reproof. And their council is to hang on to that – to bind it round their hearts, to tie it round their neck – why? Because the things that you have learned when you are young through discipline will protect you – they will watch over you, they will council you. When we head off and we want to do something stupid like adultery – but it could be anything – it could be dishonesty or it could be dissension or back biting – it could be anything – when we want to head off in the wrong direction, the wisdom given to us by our parents will be like a lamp and a light and show things for what they are. The wisdom of our parents and, for you and me, the wisdom of God, will protect us. Now wisdom always involves discipline – it always involves us being taught the hard way not to head off in a certain direction because that's where we are going to get hurt. You and I, we naturally shun discipline, but have a listen to what Solomon says to his lads and what God is saying to you and me, here and now: For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, to preserve you from the wife of another, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Did you pick that up? “… the reproof of discipline is a way of life.” – to preserve us from the consequences of wrong doing. And then, of course, Solomon goes on to lay out the horrible things that happen to a young man who commits adultery, notwithstanding the seductive nature of what's on offer. Discipline is a way of life. Ouch! You see, we have this idea that if we are succeeding, things should always be getting better, things should always be on the up and up and we should be getting more influence and more success and more this and more that. That's the picture we have of life! And then all of a sudden, when things take a turn for the worse, we think to ourselves, "Oh, woe is me! Has God forsaken me? Where's God – what's He doing? Why is this happening to me – ME of all people – me?" Right? That's how we want to carry on. Come with me to the New Testament – a thousand or so years later on, after Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs to the Letter of Hebrews chapter 12. Have a listen to what God has to say about discipline: Hebrews chapter 12, beginning at verse 7: Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later on it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. See, discipline is a way of life, as God's way of helping us to grow. Jesus said, “Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it to make it bear more fruit.” So the next time God is disciplining you – and this is not about punishment and justice – that happened at the cross when Jesus died for us – discipline is about teaching and learning and pruning so that we will be able to bear more fruit. So the next time God is disciplining you and disciplining me, let's remember there's a purpose that goes way beyond our desire for comfort and convenience – that purpose is that God has a plan. And instead of flapping around, wondering what the blazes is going on here, here's God's advice: Discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time. So, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees and make straight the paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. In other words, don't fight it! Go with what God is doing – don't get your nose out of joint, instead, be healed. Now that … that's wisdom that works!   Our Heart's Desires To be frank, when I first started reading God's Word in the Bible, my expectations of that stuffy old Book were pretty low. I thought it was pretty much irrelevant – truly! And that, "Well, if I am going to call myself a Christian, well, I suppose I'll have to pray and I'll have to read the Bible, just one of those chores; the price you have to pay to get eternal life!" Seriously, that's what I thought! So the last thing I expected was to discover this vibrant, living thing – God speaking His love and His grace and His wisdom into my life, in a way – get this – in a way that actually works. In a way that radically, makes my life better. And the last thing I expected was a God who wanted to bless me and having taught me His ways, to give me the desires of my heart. But that's exactly what I discovered. Page after page, verse after verse, as I read it and thought about it and how it might work in my life, I met a God; a Jesus, who wants to make my life better by getting rid of the sin out of my life. The stupid things that we all want to do and they end up robbing us of life – the life He always planned for us. And then, by taking our hearts and filling them with His love and humility and showing us the depth of joy that comes from living our lives for Him – living our lives with love for other people. My friend, let me tell you – with all that I am, that was the very last thing I expected to find. See, the funny thing is, the reason I held back my life from God for the first thirty six years of my life was that, I was afraid of what I would have to give up. I have always been pretty clever – I'm fortunate I have a quick, sharp mind, I have always been industrious and resourceful and so what I had done in my life was to take those natural talents (other people have different talents, but these were mine) and to use them for … well, to use them for me, of course. I'd figured out that I could use them to make lots of money. I knew that because I was strong and articulate and driven, I could crash through just about any obstacle that got between me and my objective of getting the sort of career and recognition and wealth that I hungered after. And deep, deep down I knew that if I invited God into my life to be my Lord and my Saviour, I'd have to get off my throne – I'd have to surrender that to Him! I'm not sure if I could have quite put it in those words back then but that was it. It wasn't that I didn't believe in God – I believed pretty much for most of my life, that He was out there somewhere. Yet I had this uneasy dread that one day, the day of reckoning would come. It's just that I duped myself into believing that my brand of evil and frankly – let's call a spade a spade – that's what my selfishness was – that my brand of evil was somehow, okay. It was good that I was driven; it was good that I was getting wealthy and recognised in my field and industry – it was good that I was making it. And that con job, my friend, is a con job that the devil is working out in countless people's lives walking this earth today. ‘It's not evil what you are doing – it's good; it's fine, it's okay; it's good that you are making it – sure, go for it. And if someone gets in your road, just roll over the top of them – squash them like a fly.' I wonder if, perhaps, you don't relate just a little bit to what I'm saying. This is a universal human condition. It's the condition that God calls ‘sin' and the worst thing is … the most dangerous thing is that we end believing that it's okay; that it's good. So have a listen with me now to God's wisdom on the difference between good and evil. It's wisdom that shines light on this oh-so-important subject and it's the sort of light I think, that makes us see evil for what it is. And my prayer is that it makes us desire good over evil. Let's have a listen – Proverbs chapter 10, beginning at verse 22: The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Doing wrong is like sport to a fool, but wise conduct is a pleasure to a person of understanding. What the wicked dread will come upon them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are established forever. See, God being God, He always starts off by telling us about the blessing He has in store for us. God reveals Himself to us as our Father – Jesus literally called Him “Dad”. Listen to me, every dad wants to bless his children – we do! We love to bless our kids. God's no different. Look at verse 22 again – Proverbs chapter 10: The blessing of the Lord makes rich and he adds no sorrow with it. Friend, God wants to bless us and when He does, He makes us rich. I'm not talking about money – sometimes He blesses us financially – but money isn't what makes us happy. There is something deep inside that makes us happier – a deep abiding joy; the sort I could never find when I was working out my particular brand of evil on this earth - the sort that always eluded me. I thought I'd have to give something up, by giving up my evil ways, and sure, in a sense, I did. But the reality was that the prize was that one thing I'd been looking for all my life. I was living in the first part of this next verse without realising the blessing in the second part. Doing wrong is like sport to a fool but wise conduct is pleasure to a person of understanding. As I said earlier, I always had this deep dread down inside that one day this would all come unstuck – that one day something bad would happen – that one day this whole house of cards would come crashing down and that is exactly what God says is going to happen next verse: What the wicked dread will come upon them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. I proved the first bit of that in my life because that's exactly what happened – it did all come crashing down. But I'm also discovering the profound truth of the second part now that I am living my life for Him, that “...the desire of the righteous will be granted.” God grants the desires of our heart when we are living our lives for Him. Elsewhere: Psalm 37, verse 4, he tells us to: Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. God wants to give us good things, like any father. And now the desires that I have going on in my heart – for the most part – spring out of a delight that I have in God. My point is, we all have things still to deal with – you do, I do – but more and more my desires flow from God's desires. You know what? God is a great Dad; a fantastic Dad! I am discovering that He really does wants to bless me with His joy and His peace and His love, right in the middle of the storms of life; right in the middle of the trials and the challenges. A lot of those haven't gone away, in fact, the more we step out onto the spiritual battlefield, to weigh in with our lives for God on this planet earth, the more things are going to come against us; the more our enemy, the devil, is going to come against us. But in the middle of all that, God wants to bless us. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. That's the point! And how does it all end – this story of life, when we either live out a life of rebellion against God or a life of honouring God – what is the end game? Proverbs chapter 10, verse 25: When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more but the righteous are established forever. Friend, all those years I was conned, I thought to myself, I was going to lose something; I had to give up something to serve God. What a fool I was because what I have discovered is when we do lay our lives down; when we do give everything we are and everything we have to God, WOW! The blessings of the Father, God in heaven, flow in our lives and they make us rich and He adds no sorrow with it. That's who God is! That's the wisdom of God – lay down your life and you will find it. Try and hang on to it and you will lose it.   Back to the Beginning Well, over these last four weeks – isn't it amazing how much wisdom there is in God's Word, as we have stepped through the Book of Proverbs in this series that I've called, “Wisdom that Works”? But we have only stepped through just a few chapters – there is so much more there. And that's the thing – people sometimes ask me – they say, "Berni, you produce hundreds of episodes of your radio programmes every year and you write books and all that stuff, don't you ever run out of ideas; don't you ever run out of fresh content?" And my answer to that is a huge NO! Absolutely not! If I get to do this every day for another hundred years, I'll still only have scratched the surface of God's wisdom. Is that because it's big and complicated, so that you need a PhD in Theology to understand it? No! God's Word is actually simple, practical and straight forward. It's just that, well, I'm such a slow learner – I need to feast on God's Word every day. And little by little He changes me. And you know, the more time I spend in God's Word each day, the less of it I read. Now, that sounds a bit weird, doesn't it? Let me explain. I used to try and plough through several chapters each day as though somehow, it was a race to see who could get to the end first. But then I stumbled on a passage written by Paul the Apostle. He was old and experienced and much wiser for it, writing to his young ministry protégé Timothy. This is what he said. First Timothy chapter 2, verse 7: Think over what I say for the Lord will give you understanding in all things. In other words, stop and think over what is in God's Word. That's when it makes a difference. I had a young listener email me recently and she said, ‘I have a problem – I am trying to read my Bible but by lunch time I can't remember what I read this morning.' So I said to her, ‘I had that problem too so what I started doing was reading less – not less often, but less in volume. And I started thinking and praying about it more. See, that's when it came together for me. God's wisdom is so powerful! But just like good food, we need to chew it over and swallow it for it to do us any good. So I encourage you to do that – to take His wisdom, chew it over, think about it and then, in prayer, swallow it. Let the Spirit of God write it on your heart – that's when it becomes part of us. And over a decade and a half of doing that I can honestly say that God's Word has become part of the fabric; the essence of who I am. That's what transforms us – that's how His wisdom starts working in our lives. We take it in little by little and the old maxim is true, we discover that "we are what we eat". And the place where I think is the best place for us to draw this four week series to a close, is the place where we began four weeks ago. Proverbs chapter 9, verse 10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. If we read this stuff with a proud heart; if we are full of pride that we know better and we should be able to hang on to our own attitudes and our own sin– my friend, that is so often how we at first come to God's Word. So often! If that's how we approach God's Word it will profit us nothing! The beginning of wisdom; the starting point is the fear of the Lord. The beginning of wisdom isn't a hard, prideful, puffed up, a "full of myself" heart. The beginning of wisdom is a humble heart, a soft heart, a teachable heart, a heart that knows that without God it is poor, wretched, feeble and naked. A heart that seeks first to honour God, that's the place, my friend, where wisdom begins. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” – nothing else! And unless and until we are ready to humble ourselves at God's feet; unless we are ready to say, "Lord, I know I have been trying it on my own; I know I have been doing all this stuff; I know it doesn't work. Lord, I am going to lay my way down. I am going to lay my life down at Your feet. I am going to lay my pride and crucify it and lay it down." Unless we go that way then we are not demonstrating the fear of the Lord. And without the fear of the Lord our heart is hard and the wisdom can't get in. That's sad, because without God's wisdom; without His wisdom – let me tell you because I have been there, without His wisdom, frankly, it's a lousy life. My friend, I am going to bring you back to this verse – Proverbs chapter 9, verse 10 and ask you to consider in your heart where you are at. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. May the Lord soften your heart and open your heart and pour His wisdom and His love and His power and His grace into you.

God Is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and You Pray to One Triune Being – God, the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked His Disciples the question He asks you: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ {Messiah}.'". As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”.  God IS Father, IS Son, and He IS Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd in the Temple; and He tells us, as it is recorded for us now by the Apostle John, in John 10:25,30: “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me . . . I and the Father are one.'”. Also, Jesus provides more insights to your Trinitarian relationship with God in John 14:18-20: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.". God is one God, but He is in three natures: God is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you pray, you are praying to one triune being – God, the Creator of the Universe.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, He will supply all my needs (Philippians 4:19). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:1-8; John 10:24-30; Mark 1:9-11; Psalms 139a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Turkeys and Eagles, Part 5: Following Jesus Changes Everything in Our Families”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

This past Sunday we started our new Sunday Conversation series: "Letters from a Father" where we will be journing through the book of 1st Timothy. In this first conversation Chris walks us through an overview of the book and how, at the core of this letter, Paul urges Timothy that its all about Jesus.

Questions & Answers Session 222 | God, Father, Jesus, and Deliverance!. Be blessed and encouraged as you listen.

Send us a Text Message.For an ad-free version of the podcast plus the opportunity to enjoy hours of exclusive content and two bonus episodes a month and also help keep the Bible Project Daily Podcast free  for listeners everywhere at;patreon.com/JeremyMcCandlessThis Podcast is Hosted at;https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comSubscribe here to receive my new church history podcast every few weeks at.https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comStudy Notes: "Did Jesus Claim to Be God?" (Part Two – The Reaction)Scripture Passage: John 10:26-42Key Points:Different Reactions to Jesus' Claim:People react differently to Jesus' claim of divinity.These reactions are the same today as they were during Jesus' time.The Problem of Unbelief:Jesus clearly identifies the problem as a lack of belief, not a lack of evidence.In verses 26-27, Jesus states, "You do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."Eternal Life and Security:Jesus promises eternal life and security to His followers: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand" (verses 28-29).The double negative in "they shall never perish" emphasizes absolute security in Greek.Unity with the Father:Jesus declares, "I and the Father are one" (verse 30), affirming their unity in essence and purpose.This claim prompts the Jewish opponents to accuse Jesus of blasphemy.The Accusation of Blasphemy:The Jewish leaders react with hostility, ready to stone Jesus for claiming to be God (verses 31-33).Jesus responds by citing Psalm 82:6, explaining that if human judges can be called "gods" (small g), His claim to be the Son of God is justified (verses 34-36).Evidence through Works:Jesus appeals to His works as evidence of His divine mission: "Even though you do not believe me, believe the works" (verse 38).Despite this, the Jewish leaders attempt to seize Him again, but He escapes (verse 39).Belief and Rejection:The passage illustrates various levels of rejection: intellectual disagreement, emotional agitation, verbal accusations, and physical violence.This escalating conflict ultimately leads to Jesus' crucifixion.Faith in Jesus' Identity:While some rejected Jesus, others believed in Him through His words and works.This highlights the essence of faith—trusting in Jesus' identity and mission.The Doctrine of Eternal Security:Jesus' words assure believers of their eternal security in God's hands."No one will snatch them out of my hand... No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand" (verses 28-29).Conclusion:The Essence of the Passage:JesuLight in the DarknessA supernatural & paranormal podcast with Christian perspectiveListen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the Show.Jeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | PatreonHelp us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

God Is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and You Pray to One Triune Being – God, the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked His Disciples the question He asks you: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ {Messiah}.'". As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”.  God IS Father, IS Son, and He IS Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd in the Temple; and He tells us, as it is recorded for us now by the Apostle John, in John 10:25,30: “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me . . . I and the Father are one.'”. Also, Jesus provides more insights to your Trinitarian relationship with God in John 14:18-20: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.". God is one God, but He is in three natures: God is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you pray, you are praying to one triune being – God, the Creator of the Universe.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be anxious (Philippians 4:6f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:1-8; John 10:24-30; Mark 1:9-11; Psalms 139a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Five Needs of Fathers”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Sit down with Pastor Levi Lusko and Carlos Whittaker for a conversation on Father's Day at Fresh Life. Looking at their personal experiences as both fathers and sons, Pastor Levi and Carlos share Biblical insight on how to trust the Holy Spirit, bounce back after setbacks, move with your kids through seasons, pray for your children, and what to do when Father's Day hurts. Discover how to look to and trust your ultimate heavenly Father–Jesus.

Sit down with Pastor Levi Lusko and Carlos Whittaker for a conversation on Father's Day at Fresh Life. Looking at their personal experiences as both fathers and sons, Pastor Levi and Carlos share Biblical insight on how to trust the Holy Spirit, bounce back after setbacks, move with your kids through seasons, pray for your children, and what to do when Father's Day hurts. Discover how to look to and trust your ultimate heavenly Father–Jesus.

Episode 188: The Anunnaki - From Babel to Abraham Part 1 Show NotesSummary: The Anunnaki were worshiped among the ancient gods of the Sumerians or Akkadians. The idea that they were actually “aliens” from the planet Nibiru that came to Earth and genetically manipulated proto-humans to mine gold for their dying planet came from Zecharia Sitchin, who wrote a book called The 12th Planet in 1976. While this theory continues to be popular among some groups, many skeptics believe it is due to a mistranslation of the ancient Hebrew, Akkadian, and Sumerian texts, which Sitchin claimed to have studied extensively. We will examine the Scriptures to see if we can set the record straight about the Anunnaki in Part 1 of The Anunnaki: From Babel to Abraham.This episode Is brought to you by the following Bible Mysteries Podcast Premium Subscribers or Seekers:Richard Demers, Richard Nixdorf, Jack Edwards, Jr., Jeffrey Radliff, and Lisa DamerstNotes:“Hey Scott. I found your podcast a week or two ago. I really enjoyed the one on reptillians. I am currently listening to Henry Krane - Annunaki and History of Mankind. Could you do a series on differentiating between God the Father/Jesus, and Enlil and Enki? I think there is a poor attempt to mesh our faith with Sumerian believes and creation. David Icke as well does some of this. Would love to hear thoughts.” - Dustin Harrell: Listener Episode RequestScriptures:All Scripture references are from the King James Version of the Bible. Romans 3:4, Genesis 11:1-2, Genesis 11:9, Genesis 11:27-28, Genesis 11:31, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 12:4-12, Genesis 12:6-7, Psalm 48:1-2, Zechariah 8:3, Isaiah 14:12-14, Takeaway:All of pagan history is a perversion of the truth. Satan puts his hand on everything to lie and deceive humanity into believing he is god. The Sumerian stories of the Anunnaki are the beginning of the deception known as the mystery of iniquity. Mystery, Babylon, the mother of harlots, is the world religion that started in Sumer and will come to fruition when the dragon and his angels are finally cast down to the earth. In the next episode, we continue the series, looking into the fallen angel “gods” that claim to be the Anunnaki.Links:https://allthatsinteresting.com/anunnaki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SumerBible Mysteries Podcast Visit our Website: biblemysteriespodcast.comContact Us: unlockthebiblenow@gmail.comInteractive church locator for those looking for a fellowship that teaches certain truths - https://rockharborchurch.net/grow-connect/church-locator/

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 ¶ "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.  Jesus is the way to God because He is the truth from God and the life from God. He is the truth because He embodies God's supreme revelation (1:18; 5:19; 8:29).John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. He is the life because He contains and imparts divine life. Jesus is not merely One who has shown men the way; He is the way. It is His death, resurrection, and ascension that has made a way for men to spend eternity with God in heaven. He is not merely a way; He is the way. He is the one and only way that God has provided for men to obtain the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of eternal life. Lest anyone miss this point, Jesus says it again, in the plainest of words: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” To know Jesus is to know the way to the Father, for He is the way. This was an exclusive claim to being the only way to heaven. John 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. Ac 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 1Ti 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,  It is only because of Jesus Christ's work on the cross that anyone can enter heaven. Since He has come it is only through faith in the promise  of  God  that  His  cross  work  satisfied  the  Father  that  anyone experiences regeneration John 1:12; 3:16; 1John 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Trust My person  4 "And where I go you know, and the way you know." Jesus could say that the Eleven knew the way to the place where He was going because He had revealed that faith in Him led to eternal life (3:14-15). This had been a major theme of His teaching throughout His ministry. However, they did not understand Him as they should have (v. 5). These four verses answered Peter's initial question about where Jesus was going (13:36).  5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 14:5     Thomas   voiced   the   disciples'   continuing   confusion   about   Jesus' destination.  Apparently the “Father's house” did not clearly identify heaven to them. Without a clear understanding of the final destination they could not be sure of the route there. Thomas' question was a request for an unambiguous explanation of Jesus' and their destination and how He and they would get there. Jesus has just told His disciples that He is going to “His Father's house” so that they can be with Him there. He then tells them that “they know the way where He is going” (verse 4). Thomas chooses to differ with His Master. He says, in effect, “Master, we don't know your destination, so how can we possibly know the way to get there?” But Thomas was wrong. They did know where Jesus was going. They had simply forgotten it, or at least put it out of their minds. Over and over again Jesus had told them that He had come from the Father in heaven, and that He was going to return there: “For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me” (6:38).  6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 1:4, 17; 8:19, 32; 10:9; 11:25; Heb 9:8 This is the sixth of Jesus "I am" claims (cf. 6:48; 8:12; 10:9, 11; 11:25; 15:1). Jesus was summarizing and connecting many of the revelations about Himself that He had previously given the Eleven. It is an exclusive place – 1+1 always is two, phone company and dialing the right numbers in the right order, take the right medicine in the right doses at the right time. Jesus is the way to God because He is the truth from God and the life from God. He is the truth because He embodies God's supreme revelation (1:18; 5:19; 8:29). Joh 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  He is the life because He contains and imparts divine life (1:4; 5:26; 11:25; cf. 1 John Christ is “the Way” to the Father—“no man cometh unto the Father but by Me”; The "way" is slightly more dominant in view of Thomas' question and its position in relation to the "truth" and the "life." Jesus is not merely One who has shown men the way; He is the way. It is His death, resurrection, and ascension that has made a way for men to spend eternity with God in heaven. He is not merely a way; He is the way. He is the one and only way that God has provided for men to obtain the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of eternal life. Lest anyone miss this point, Jesus says it again, in the plainest of words: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” To know Jesus is to know the way to the Father, for He is the way. Jesus was not saying that He was one way to God among many. He was not saying that He pointed the way to God either. He said that no one comes to God the Father but through faith in Himself. This was an exclusive claim to being the only way to heaven John 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. Ac 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 1Ti 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,  It is only because of Jesus Christ's work on the cross that anyone can enter heaven. Since He has come it is only through faith in the promise  of  God  that  His  cross  work  satisfied  the  Father  that  anyone experiences regeneration 1:12; 3:16; 1Jo 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Since He has come, rejection of God's revelation through Him results in eternal damnation (3:36). "He not only shows people the way (i.e., by revealing it), but he is the way (i.e., he redeems us). In this connection 'The truth' . . . will have saving significance. It will point to Jesus' utter dependability, but also to the saving truth of the gospel. Jesus is also the truth. He does, of course, teach the truth. His words are truth. But beyond this, He is the truth.  He is the “wisdom” of Proverbs chapter 8. All truth has its source in Him, as the Apostle Paul writes: “My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches of full assurance in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3). 1Peter 1.3-4 He is all the truth that men need for salvation, life, and godliness. This is why Paul restricted his preaching to proclaiming Christ and Christ crucified. The “wisdom” which the false teachers taught was contrary to the truth which is in Jesus. It is this “truth” in Jesus which reveals God to men, which discloses the way to eternal life, which is the basis for sanctification, and which provides the content of the gospel. 1 John 5:20 (ESV) 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life Finally, Jesus is the life. We know that He has raised the dead to life. In John's Gospel, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, after he had been in the tomb four days! Jesus gives life, but this is because He is the source of life. He is the One who called heaven and earth (and the church) into existence (John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:15-20). To reject Him is to reject life and to choose death (see John 5:21-40; 6:33-63). Because He is the life, His life cannot be taken away from Him. He lays it down, just as He has authority to take it up again (John 10:17-18). 'The life' (see on 1:4) will likewise take its content from the gospel. Jesus is both life and the source of life to believers." “I am the way, the truth, and the life. Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou shouldest pursue; the truth which thou shouldest believe; the life which thou shouldest hope for” (Thomas à Kempis, “Imitation of Christ, iii” 56). [i] He had already said plainly that He would die and rise again at least three times (cf. Mark 8:31-32; 9:30-32; 10:32-34).   Nevertheless   the   disciples'   preconceptions   of   Messiah's ministry did not allow them to interpret His words literally. "We should not overlook the faith involved both in the utterance and in the acceptance of those words, spoken as they were on the eve of the crucifixion.'I am the Way,' said one who would shortly hang impotent on a cross. 'I am the Truth,' when the lies of evil people were about to enjoy a spectacular triumph. 'I am the Life,' when within a matter of hours his corpse would be placed in a tomb." Revelation of A new relationship Revelation of A new ministry Revelation of A new promise  7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." John 8:19 Rather, had learned to know, through my successive revelations of myself. Greek construction of from now on speaks of it as it had already been done, it was so certain that the Spirit would come and they would know Him and see Him spiritually that it is spoken of this way  To know Jesus is to know the Father (verse 7). The disciples have not known Jesus fully, but from the time of His glorification they will know Him and the Father. Indeed, Jesus can not only say that they have known the Father, but that they have seen the Father, in Him. To know by personal experience, Thomas and the rest had not really come to know Jesus, much as they loved him. [ii]  Because they had seen Jesus who is the Son of God, the Image of God, and is God (1:18). Hence God is like Jesus Christ. It is a bold and daring claim to deity. The only understandable idea of God is precisely what Jesus here says. God is like Christ.  8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Show us Philip now speaks up, possibly hoping for a theophany (Ex. 33:18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory, certainly not grasping the idea of Jesus just expressed.  9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Safest thou (σὺ). Emphatic. Thou who didst say, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write” (1:46). Omit and before how sayest thou. Joh 12:45; Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Heb 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Col 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 2Co 4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. Not modalism – Not the Father in creation, Son in salvation, Spirit in regeneration.  10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Joh 5:19; 7:16; 8:28; 10:38; 12:49; 14:20; 17:21, 23  11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Joh 5:36; 10:38 Says it twice I am in the Father and the Father in Me The proof of the union of Jesus and His Father is threefold. They should believe Jesus (a) because of His character (I am in the Father [cf. v. 20] and … the Father is in Me); (b) because His words are the Father's (The words I say to you are not just My own (cf. 7:16; 12:49-50; 14:24); and (c) because the miracles reveal God's working through Him (the Father, living in Me … is doing His work… . believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves; cf. 5:36). One of the key elements in John's Gospel is the stress on the signs as gracious pointers to faith (cf. 5:36; 10:25, 38; 11:47; 12:37; 20:30-31).[iii] If you do not believe on the authority of my personal statement Believest thou not? Jesus had a right to expect greater faith from these men than from the blind man (9:35) or Martha (11:27). His words in 14:1 are clearly needed. This oneness with the Father Jesus had already stated (10:38) as shown by his “words” and his “works” Cf. 3:34; 5:19; 6:62. 12 ¶ "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. Mt 21:21; Mr 16:17; Lu 10:17 Not greater spiritual works in quality, but greater in quantity. Cf. Peter at Pentecost and Paul's mission tours. “ Peter in one sermon had 3,000 converts Greater works. Not more remarkable miracles, but referring to the wider work of the apostolic ministry under the dispensation of the Spirit. This work was of a higher nature than mere bodily cures. Godet truthfully says: “That which was done by St. Peter at Pentecost, by St. Paul all over the world that which is effected by an ordinary preacher, a single believer, by bringing the Spirit into the heart, could not be done by Jesus during His sojourn in this world.” Jesus' personal ministry in the flesh must be a local ministry. Only under the dispensation of the Spirit could it be universal. Ac 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. Ac 5:12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. 13 And of the rest dared  not join himself to them: but the people magnified them. 14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. 15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. 16  There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. 2Co 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. Ro 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient-- 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Jesus' personal ministry in the flesh must be a local ministry. Only under the dispensation of the Spirit could it be universal.[iv]  13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Mt 7:7; 21:22; Mr 11:24; Lu 11:9; Joh 15:7,16; 16:23-24; Jas 1:5; 1Jo 3:22; 5:14 In my name. The first occurrence of the phrase. See on Matt. 28:19. Prayer is made in the name of Jesus, “if this name, Jesus Christ, the prayer in Christ's name must be consistent with Christ's character, Was Jesus saying that we have unlimited power over God in determining what He will or will not do for us if we simply pray in Jesus' name? Clearly not, for this would be out of accord with the rest of the scriptural witness. God is sovereign overall and subject to none. We are to pray in accordance with the will of God as exhibited in the life and teaching of Jesus. When we pray in that manner, surely it will be answered. To pray in Jesus' name is to pray in accord with Jesus' will and mission. Such a prayer request is far different from an idea of prayer as some type of shopping list handed to God that He is then bound to perform. Yet the enormous spiritual power that courses through the spiritual veins of the believer should not be underestimated in light of our involvement with the growing kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to do and to be all that Christ would have us to do and to be.  14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.  15 ¶ "If you love Me, keep My commandments. Joh 14:21, 23; 15:10, 14; 1Jo 5:3 V 15-17 Packed into that paragraph are six remarkable facts centering about the person of this other Counselor: First, we learn that he will be a gift from the Father to true believers. I put it that way because our Lord identifies loving obedience as the mark of a true believer. A true believer is one who has been drawn to Christ by love and is ready to obey what he says. The second thing Jesus says is that this Spirit will be "another," a separate but similar Person to himself. The third fact Jesus announces is that the Spirit will be a continually abiding presence: He will be "with you forever." That means that the Spirit only comes once into our lives. He does not come again and again. He comes to abide, to dwell with us. The fourth fact is that the Spirit will be a revealer of truth. The fifth thing, Jesus says, is that this remarkable new resource is unavailable to the world. "The world cannot receive him because it neither sees him or knows him." The sixth fact Jesus discloses is that this will be a resource that is available from within. "You know him," he says to these disciples, "for he dwells with you, and will be in you." There is only one test of love that is valid and that is the test of obedience. This connection seems designed to teach that the proper temple for the indwelling Spirit of Jesus is a heart filled with that love to Him which lives actively for Him, and so this was the fitting preparation for the promised gift.[v] Jesus is the way to God because He is the truth from God and the life from God. He is the truth because He embodies God's supreme revelation (1:18; 5:19; 8:29).John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. He is the life because He contains and imparts divine life. Jesus is not merely One who has shown men the way; He is the way. It is His death, resurrection, and ascension that has made a way for men to spend eternity with God in heaven. He is not merely a way; He is the way. He is the one and only way that God has provided for men to obtain the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of eternal life. Lest anyone miss this point, Jesus says it again, in the plainest of words: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” To know Jesus is to know the way to the Father, for He is the way. This was an exclusive claim to being the only way to heaven. John 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.  hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/110230052184687338/charity/145555   “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32  The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions.   [i] Vincent, M. R. (2002). Word studies in the New Testament (Jn 14:6). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [ii] Robertson, A. (1997). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Jn 14:7). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems. [iii] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Jn 14:10–11). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. [iv] Vincent, M. R. (2002). Word studies in the New Testament (Jn 14:12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [v] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Jn 14:15). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

God Is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and You Pray to One Triune Being – God, the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked His Disciples the question He asks you: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ {Messiah}.'". As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”.  God IS Father, IS Son, and He IS Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd in the Temple; and He tells us, as it is recorded for us now by the Apostle John, in John 10:25,30: “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me . . . I and the Father are one.'”. Also, Jesus provides more insights to your Trinitarian relationship with God in John 14:18-20: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.". God is one God, but He is in three natures: God is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you pray, you are praying to one triune being – God, the Creator of the Universe.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, My citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:1-8; John 10:24-30; Mark 1:9-11; Psalms 139a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Beginnings of Prayer -- Part 3: Prayer is Not About Us, It Is About Others”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Father Jesus discovers some witches preparing a ritual in a small house behind a church. And the harlequin demon returns to stalk a new victim close to Grandmother Socorro's family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Talk 14   Mark 5:1-20    Legion Welcome to Talk 14 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we'll be looking at Mark 5:1-20 where Jesus casts demons out of a man who was inhabited by a legion of them. As the story is well known I'll not take time to read through the passage in advance, but take it a verse or two at a time, beginning with verses 1-2:   They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs to meet him.   1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. In our last talk we saw how Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea (or lake) of Galilee and how the disciples were overawed, asking the question, Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him. They had left from Capernaum at the northern end of the lake and this verse tells us that they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes which is south-east of the lake, so their crossing would have been about ten to fifteen miles. The region was largely inhabited by Gentiles and was part of a larger area known as the Decapolis (or Ten Cities) which is referred to in verse 20. It's clear that Jesus had a definite purpose in going there (4:35) and this becomes evident in what happens next.   2 When Jesus got out of the boat Literally, immediately Jesus got out of the boat. Students of Mark's Gospel will know that one of the characteristics of his writing is the frequent use of the Greek word euthus (immediately). Its significance here may well be to underline that Jesus' sole purpose in crossing the lake was to meet the desperate need of the demon possessed man. This is confirmed by the fact that in verse 21, as soon as he has dealt with the man's need, Jesus returns to the other side of the lake.   a man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs to meet him Literally: …there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit (ESV). Interestingly, in their accounts of the same story Matthew describes him as demonized (8:28) and Luke says that the man had demons (8:27). This shows that the gospel writers use different expressions to refer to the same man and the same condition. And elsewhere Mark himself uses these alternative expressions too. He refers to a person:   Having an unclean spirit (Mark 1:26) Being demonized (Mark 1:32) Having a demon (Mark 3:30)   So these different expressions are used interchangeably and it would be a mistake to try to differentiate between them. It's clear that an unclean spirit is a demon and that a person with an unclean spirit may be said to be demonized or to have a demon. And any of these expressions can be used to refer a variety of different conditions caused by demonic activity. Perhaps that's why Mark says here with an unclean spirit, when it's clear from the story that he was controlled by many demons.   But now verses 3-5. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.   These verses reveal the desperate condition of the man. There was a supernatural force within him that neither he nor anyone else could control. This was no mental illness, though people today might describe it that way. This was demonic power which no amount of medical or psychiatric treatment could have cured. Matthew 4:24 distinguishes between mental illness and demon possession, and it's vital that we discern the difference, especially as some of the symptoms can be very similar.   But let's take note of what the demons were doing to him:   ·      This man lived in the tombs – he was cut off from society.   ·      …no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain – he was beyond human help.  Cf. v. 4 No one was strong enough to subdue him.   ·      For he had often been chained hand and foot – despite repeated efforts, nothing could be done for him.   ·      … he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet – the demonic forces within him gave him supernatural strength (but only to harm himself further).   ·      Night and day among the tombs and in the hills… - there was no relief from his torment   ·      … he would cry out and cut himself with stones – he was bent on self-destruction. In John 10:10 Jesus told us that the work of the devil was to steal and to kill and to destroy. And that's what Satan's forces do. But Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and to give us life to the full. That was the reason he came from Heaven and that was the reason he crossed the lake.   But that brings us to verses 6-10:   6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8 For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!" 9 Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.   6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. It's clear from the passage we've just read that everything the man says is inspired by the demons. He seems to be completely under their control. But if he is completely under their control, how is it that he comes to Jesus? The answer must surely lie in the fact that the demons were completely under the control of Jesus. Remember what we said when we were considering Mark 3:23. Jesus has already bound the strong man (Satan). In conquering Satan during his temptation in the desert and by his continued submission to his heavenly Father Jesus had complete authority over all Satan's forces.   The man comes to Jesus because Jesus has come to him, and for him. There was no way the demons could stop him. All they could do was beg. The verb translated fell on his knees frequently mean worship, but that is not its meaning here. It comes from a verb depicting a dog crouching before its master and licking his hand. The demons cower before Jesus and pay reluctant homage.   7 He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8 For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!" Two things are clear here. First, what the man said was in fact the demons speaking through him as they had through the man in the synagogue in Capernaum (1:24). They knew who he was. They knew he had power over them. In fact, Mark 3:11 tells us that   Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, You are the Son of God.   And, according to Matthew 8:29, they pleaded that Jesus would not punish them before the appointed time. The day is coming when at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow… (Philippians 2).   And secondly, the response of the demons was a direct result of Jesus saying, Come out of this man… On seeing the man Jesus immediately commands the demon to come out of him. He does not enter into a lengthy discussion about the man's problem. He does not ask what the man might have done that could have caused the problem. He knows the root cause and he deals with it.   9 Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." Jesus asks the man his name. Note, he does not ask the demon its name. There is no sound basis here for asking demons to name themselves, as some have taught. In the Greek text the word for him is masculine. If Jesus had been speaking to the unclean spirit it would have been neuter. So the man replies – but it's clear from what he says that it's the demons who are speaking through him – My name is Legion, for we are many. Of course, Legion was not his real name. It's typical of Satan to try to rob a person of their true identity. To say this is not to suggest that every person with an identity crisis has a demon, but there can be no doubt that the rapid spread of this problem in recent years is of Satanic origin. The number of demons need not concern us, but in the Roman army a legion would have numbered anything between 3000-6000 men, and verse 13 tells us that there were about 2000 pigs that were drowned in the sea after the demons had entered them. But what's important here is that the number of the enemy is of no concern to Jesus. No problem is too difficult for him to solve. No enemy too numerous for him to conquer.   10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. No doubt the man himself, his judgment clouded by demonic influence, would be reluctant to leave the area. The tombs, after all, had afforded him a measure of security. One thinks of prisoners who do not want to be released because they've become used to the security of prison or of the addict who, despite the dreadful side-effects, is frightened to kick the habit because of the sense of security it gives him.   But it's clear from the next few verses that the demons are speaking through him too. And they do so repeatedly. They don't want to leave, but they know that they must because Jesus has told them to. So they ask him not to send them out of the area for fear, Luke tells us, that he might send them into the Abyss (Luke 8:31) the place of confinement for Satan and his minions (Revelation 9:1, 20:1-3).   11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." 13 He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.   Why did Jesus give them permission to go into the pigs? The demons were a highly destructive force and one suggestion is that it was better that they use it on pigs than on people. Others have concluded that it was to demonstrate his superior authority over the demons and to convince the people that the demons really had come out of the man. But we simply do not know. The one thing we can be sure of is that Jesus knew what he was doing. He knew that the time would come for Satan and his forces to be confined to the Abyss, and that time had not yet come. Perhaps we can all learn from this that when it's unclear to us why God is allowing things to happen that we do not understand, he knows what he is doing. He knows the end from the beginning, and he is working all things together for our good because we are called according to his purpose.   14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man – and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.   In these verses we see the reaction of the people to this amazing miracle:   ·      Those who witnessed it were quick to tell others about it (v14, 16). This is not surprising. People are usually eager to talk about anything out of the ordinary.   ·      Those who heard about it went to see what happened (v14). This is not surprising either. People want to see for themselves. It's just natural curiosity. ·      When they saw the evidence for themselves they were afraid (v15). The reason for this is not so obvious. But people often instinctively fear anything they don't understand, especially if it's clearly supernatural. Even some Christians are afraid when the Holy Spirit is at work in a supernatural way. But we have no need to fear anything God does, because he loves us. ·      They pleaded with Jesus to leave their region (v17). Despite the beneficial outcome for the man, and potentially for the whole region, they ask Jesus to leave. Who can understand the motivation behind people's decision to reject Jesus? Perhaps they were not ready to face up to the implication for their own lives of Jesus' lordship so clearly demonstrated by his supreme authority over the demonic powers.   18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.   The people plead with Jesus to leave their region and Jesus gets into the boat. He does not stay where he is not welcome. But clearly the man he has delivered from demons wants to remain in his company, so he asks to go with him. No doubt he wanted to learn more from Jesus, and he certainly felt safe in his company. But Jesus says no. The miracle Jesus has performed is sufficient. The demons will not be back. And the man already knows enough to be able to tell others what the Lord has done for him. (Note the reference to Jesus' deity here – compare how much the Lord has done for you with how much Jesus had done for him). He knows that Jesus is the Lord. He knows what he has done for him. He knows that he has had mercy on him. And that's all we need to know to start to tell those nearest to about Jesus. Let's boldly proclaim the lordship of Jesus, how much he has done for us, and the mercy he has shown us.

This week saw the passing of an icon of cinema: Burt Young. The guy was the quintessential American character actor. He played Uncle Paulie in the Rock series, he played Curly in Chinatown, Bed Bug Eddie in The Pope of Greenwich Village, and so much more.He was only 35 in the first Rocky, but he always looked like he was 57-68. But Burt Young turned Burt Old and passed on into the next life - whatever that might look like. Perhaps he is seated at the right hand of our Father (Jesus' Dad) in Christian Heaven. Perhaps he is chugging victory grog in Valhalla. Whatever the case, he will live on through his splendid work in the Cinema.Dude was The Balls. No bones about it. Let us bow our heads in grief, but lift our hearts into the skies. Pour one out for the last Real One. Support the show

-Cast your sin in the light of the cross and it won't be so attractive--- Three If's- Two Lies, One Truth -1-8-10-- - Lie- denying the sinfulness of sin -v. 8, 10-- - There is no truth in us, and we are calling God a liar- - Truth- acknowledge the sin in our lives -v. 9-- - Confess- agree with God about the sinfulness of our sin, recognizing it offends God- - Take time to be specific and serious with God regarding your sin- - Sin offends, renders one unfit, and points to a history - past- - God is faithful and just to forgive because of Christ's work on the cross- - God would be unjust - wrong to not forgive us when we genuinely confess- - God fully cleanses the taint-stain-offense of sin, rendering us useful again- - This should make us WANT to confess sin-- Purpose- so that you may not sin -2-1-2-- - STOP sinning- - Sin is not allowed in God's family, so we MUST take it seriously- - The grace of the gospel is only grace because of the bad news of sin -- God hates it- - BUT we still sin- - We have an Advocate with the Father- - Jesus will never abandon us- - Jesus understands the power of sin's temptation better than we do, because He never gave in- - He is the Propitiation for our sin- - I John 4-10 is the only other place -propitiation- is used in this epistle- - Jesus satisfied the righteous wrath of an offended, all-holy God- - Only God the Son could bear the wrath of God the Father an exhaust it- - Jesus Christ and His work on the cross is ALWAYS ENOUGH for those who will confess their sin and place their faith in Him

God Is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and You Pray to One Triune Being – God, the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked His Disciples the question He asks you: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ {Messiah}.'". As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”.  God IS Father, IS Son, and He IS Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd in the Temple; and He tells us, as it is recorded for us now by the Apostle John, in John 10:25,30: “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me . . . I and the Father are one.'”. Also, Jesus provides more insights to your Trinitarian relationship with God in John 14:18-20: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.". God is one God, but He is in three natures: God is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you pray, you are praying to one triune being – God, the Creator of the Universe.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will think like Jesus (Philippians 2:5f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:1-8; John 10:24-30; Mark 1:9-11; Psalms 139a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Jesus the Divider”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

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JESUS SAVES---who gave Himself for our sins,-that He might deliver us from this present evil age,-according to the will of our God and Father.-Gal 1-4--1. INTRODUCTION--Rainbow------2. JESUS IS THE SACRIFICE FOR SIN--Who gave Himself for our sins------3. JESUS IS THE LIBERATOR FOR SIN--That He might deliver us from this present evil age------4. JESUS IS THE SAVIOUR SENT FROM GOD--According to the will of our God------5. CONCLUSION--God, your Father----Jesus, your Saviour--

No one I know has ever seen the heavenly Father Jesus encourages us to speak to. So how can we know him and speak to him if we've never seen him? It's difficult to imagine this in a day and age when we can see people in so many ways – face-to-face, on television, over the Internet. But for most of human history, important people – like the king or queen, for example – would have been invisible – unseen – by most of the population. How did they know the king or queen existed if they'd never seen them? Perhaps one of the most important ways people knew their kings and queens in history, was through portraits. They at least made it possible for people to know a likeness of their ruler. Jesus is our Father in heaven's portrait. Actually, he's much more than that. He is the complete expression of God in human form. If you want to know what your heavenly Father looks like, then look at Jesus. In his gospel, John wrote: No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us. John 1:18 NLTJesus reveals our Father in heaven to us. Read about him, in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (and the rest of the Bible!). Get to know him and you will come to know God. Think It OverThink about the following: • How do you see your heavenly Father in the life of Jesus?

Jesus teaches the Disciples through a conversation about the past, present & future! Jesus encourages the Disciples to Believe and not be Troubled… Jesus shares the way directly to the Father through him… Jesus teaches the Disciples the benefits of commitment to the Father… Jesus assures the Disciples of the eternal Faithfulness of Almighty God!

Why I believe!   In this episode, Martin Tanner describes the reasons he believes in the existence of God, Jesus, a Restoration, and an after-life, from science, scriptures, prayer, and seeing his deceased mother and later in another experience, his deceased 22 year old daughter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God Is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and You Pray to One Triune Being – God, the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked His Disciples the question He asks you: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ {Messiah}.'". As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”.  God IS Father, IS Son, and He IS Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd in the Temple; and He tells us, as it is recorded for us now by the Apostle John, in John 10:25,30: “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me . . . I and the Father are one.'”. Also, Jesus provides more insights to your Trinitarian relationship with God in John 14:18-20: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.". God is one God, but He is in three natures: God is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you pray, you are praying to one triune being – God, the Creator of the Universe.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will proclaim him (Philippians 1:15f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:1-8; John 10:24-30; Mark 1:9-11; Psalms 139a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Upper Room Part 1: The Promise of the Spirit (Apostles Anglican Church; Knoxville, TN)”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Scripture Reading: John 20:24-21:8 24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!”26 Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.” 28 Thomas replied to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.”30 Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Now this is how he did so. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael (who was from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of his were together. 3 Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go with you,” they replied. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.4 When it was already very early morning, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 So Jesus said to them, “Children, you don't have any fish, do you?” They replied, “No.” 6 He told them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they threw the net and were not able to pull it in because of the large number of fish.7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, tucked in his outer garment (for he had nothing on underneath it), and plunged into the sea. 8 Meanwhile the other disciples came with the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards.Main ThemesDoubting ThomasIf you have ever heard of the Apostle Thomas in a church setting, you have probably heard him called “Doubting Thomas.” This scene in chapter 20 is the reason. When Jesus appears to the apostles, Thomas was missing. Later, when the apostles inform Thomas that they had “seen the Lord,” he refuses to believe “unless [he] see[s] the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put[s] [his] finger[s] into the wounds from the nails”! Otherwise, “he will never believe it.”Before we judge Thomas too harshly, I think his response in chapter 20 has to be considered in light of his devotion to Jesus earlier in the gospel. Remember chapter 11:So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he remained in the place where he was for two more days. 7 Then after this, he said to his disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples replied, “Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death! Are you going there again?” . . . Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas (called Didymus) said to his fellow disciples, “Let us go too, so that we may die with him.” (John 11:6-8, 11:14-16)Thomas was ready to die for Jesus. Thomas was as committed to the cause, if not more so, than the other apostles. The death of Jesus had to be devastating for him. Not only did Thomas lose a beloved friend and teacher, he lost his purpose in life, his biggest hope, and his object of faith. Thomas must have been confused and unwilling to trust again.Notice also that Thomas's unwillingness to believe is paradigmatic of John's gospel. Through the story, many only believe after witnessing a sign. “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do not believe me, believe because of the miraculous deeds themselves.” (John 14:11) Many will not believe without a sign. “So Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe!'” (John 4:48) The sign in chapter 20, however, is different. This is the definitive sign that should lead beyond the “signs faith” we have seen earlier in the gospel to a deeper, permanent faith.Jesus Meets ThomasEight days later, meaning the next Sunday (what we would call seven days later), the apostles are gathered again. The doors were locked and Jesus “came and stood among them.” We discussed the detail of locked doors last session. The fact that Jesus is not contained by such measures hints to heavenly properties of his glorified body.The timeline described in chapter 20 suggests that the disciples remained in Judea for longer than the Feast of Unleavened Bread, perhaps waiting for Pentecost.As Jesus did when he appeared to the other apostles, he opens with a comforting statement, “Peace be with you.” Then Jesus addresses Thomas and his demand for proof. “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.” This is a beautiful moment. Jesus could have chastised Thomas. Indeed, Jesus could have cast him out. However, Jesus continues his mission to invite all to believe.Notice the proof that is demanded and provided. Thomas puts his hands in Jesus' wounds, confirming this was the same Jesus who died. There is no trickery. Jesus is not a ghost; Jesus is not merely the apparition of a god (like the Greeks may have envisioned). Jesus is Jesus, body and all. He is resurrected in the flesh.Thomas's unbelief is not particular to himself. In the gospels, other disciples and apostles doubt as well. Some of them request the very same proof that Thomas requested. Consider the following verses (all post-resurrection):So the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. (Matthew 28:16-17)Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe them. (Luke 24:10-11)Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.” So he said to them, “You foolish people—how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn't it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the scriptures. (Luke 24:24-27)While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified, thinking they saw a ghost. Then he said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; it's me! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones like you see I have.” (Luke 24:36-39, emphasis added)Perhaps we should reconsider casting only Thomas as the “Doubting Disciple.”The Christological ConfessionAs Thomas sees, he no longer ‘continue[s] in [his] unbelief, but believe[s],” leading to verse 28. Verse 28 is arguably the climax of the entire Gospel of John. This is what the whole story has been building towards. Jesus has taught; Jesus has died; Jesus has been resurrected and come again; the Holy Spirit has been granted; the apostles have believed; and, what is the conclusion? “My Lord and my God.”Why is this statement—my Lord and my God—climactic? As commentators show, it closes the inclusio that begins with verse 1:1. Study note 52 in the NET Bible explains this well:With the proclamation by Thomas here, it is difficult to see how any more profound analysis of Jesus' person could be given. It echoes 1:1 and 1:14 together: The Word was God, and the Word became flesh (Jesus of Nazareth). The Fourth Gospel opened with many other titles for Jesus: the Lamb of God (1:29, 36); the Son of God (1:34, 49); Rabbi (1:38); Messiah (1:41); the King of Israel (1:49); the Son of Man (1:51). Now the climax is reached with the proclamation by Thomas, “My Lord and my God,” and the reader has come full circle from 1:1, where the author had introduced him to who Jesus was, to 20:28, where the last of the disciples has come to the full realization of who Jesus was. What Jesus had predicted in John 8:28 had come to pass: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he” (Grk “I am”). By being lifted up in crucifixion (which led in turn to his death, resurrection, and exaltation with the Father) Jesus has revealed his true identity as both Lord (κύριος [kurios], used by the LXX to translate Yahweh) and God (θεός [theos], used by the LXX to translate Elohim).I need to emphasize the importance of Thomas using the words Lord and God in one statement. The word translated as Lord in English is the word kurios in Greek. Kurios can be used as a generic title of authority. However, kurios is the word that Jews used to translate the name of God in the Old Testament—Yahweh. So, in a Jewish setting, the term kurios takes a distinctive nature.The word translated as God in English is the word theos in Greek. Theos means god, and it does not necessarily refer to the Jewish God. Context is needed to determine to which god the word theos is referring. But, just like kurios was used in a particular way to translate the Hebrew scriptures, so did theos. Theos was the word used to translate Elohim, the Hebrew word for god or gods. In the Old Testament, Elohim was most often used to refer to the Jewish God. (Elohim could be used in a more generic sense. The identity of the particular god being referenced would be determined by context.)Here's the kicker though. Any ambiguity regarding the terms kurios and theos is obliterated when they are paired together. The use of the two words—the kurios and theos—is a distinctive and unmistakable reference to the Jewish God. It appears countless times in the Old Testament and it is translated with those exact Greek terms in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament that was already available at the time of Jesus).Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us and we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:3, emphasis added)[F]or I am the Lord your God, and you are to sanctify yourselves and be holy because I am holy. (Leviticus 11:44, emphasis added)Also, in the time when you rejoice, such as on your appointed festivals or at the beginnings of your months, you must blow with your trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, so that they may become a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God. (Numbers 10:10, emphasis added)I am the Lord your God—he who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the place of slavery. (Deuteronomy 5:6, emphasis added)When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “The Lord is the true God! The Lord is the true God!” (1 Kings 18:39, emphasis added)When Thomas calls Jesus, “my Lord and my God,” he is calling Jesus God, the God, the God of the Jews, the God of the Old Testament, Yahweh, the great I AM! This is the great confession that Jesus “was with God,” and “was fully God.” (John 1:1) Notice as well that Thomas's statement is clearly confessional. Jesus says, “believe,” and this is Thomas's response. One cannot believe in the Gospel of John and believe that Jesus and Yahweh are separate gods. This is the great truth of the Gospel.Blessed Are the People Who Have Not SeenJesus does not reject Thomas, but Jesus does clarify one point. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.”Thomas had the privilege of touching the hands of Jesus to make sure his wounds were there and even extend his arm into Jesus' side! Most believers do not have that opportunity. Except for the first few apostles and disciples, only people who have had a dramatic revelation from God can claim a similar experience. For the most part, Christians must believe without seeing.Notice two things. First, believing without seeing is not believing without evidence. Sadly, many people today, including Christians, use an incorrect definition of faith that is exactly that—believing without evidence. However, think of the disciples during the time of Jesus' resurrection to whom Jesus did not appear. These disciples, the ones to whom Jesus did not appear, had to believe based on the testimony of their fellow disciples. And that's not all they had. They had the scriptures that spoke of a coming messiah; they had Jesus' ministry that was filled with miracles; and, they had the general revelation in the world that points all mankind to a personal creator. Moreover, they could observe the change in behavior of the disciples (including the apostles) who saw Jesus. That is not believing without evidence, that is believing without seeing.Think of all the things you and I believe without seeing. I believe Mongolia exists. Why? Someone told me so. I believe that vitamin C improves the immune system. Why? Because someone told me so. I believe that in the 1400 and 1500s there was a renaissance of interest in the Greek and Roman classic disciplines. Why? Someone told me so. In fact, most things we believe we do so without seeing.The second noteworthy fact is that Jesus gives us an unexpected beatitude. There are only two beatitudes in John—so we ought to pay attention. Jesus says blessed are those “who have not seen and yet have believed.” This would have made sense to his Jewish audience. For example, as Craig Keener points out, “in one tradition a proselyte is more praiseworthy than one born a Jew because he converted without the signs at Sinai.” I think this is intelligible for us as well. Imagine two children. One cleans his room because his mom offers him 10 dollars. The other cleans his room simply because his mother asked him to do so. Blessed is the child who cleans his room without a bribe. It demonstrates a humility of spirit.This beatitude, to be clear, does not reject signs-faith. But signs are not always available, and when they are they do not guarantee faith. Recall:Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. (John 6:26)Then many of the people, who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had done. (John 11:45-46)Many More MiraclesJohn ends chapter 20 by pointing out that many more miraculous signs were performed that are not recorded in his book. Ancient texts often spoke with similar praise towards the hero of the story. But is there reason to believe that John's statement is more than a mere compliment? Certainly. Throughout John's gospel we are told of the many works Jesus was performing that were not being specifically recorded. Consider the verses we just read, but let's add two more verses:Then many of the people, who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs. If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation.” (John 11:45-48)Moreover, the other gospels describe miracles that John did not record. So, yes, Jesus did perform many other miraculous signs, “which are not recorded in this book.”This begs the question, why did John record the miracles he did and leave the other ones out? Before we answer that question, we must keep in mind the media with which John was working. He probably wrote the gospel on a scroll. There was only so much writing space in a scroll. To expand the book into a second scroll severely minimized the chances that whole book would be preserved (the scrolls could be separated) and made copying the book more difficult, expensive, and time consuming. Like writing a college paper, John had a word limit. He had to leave material out. So, how did he choose what to include? “[T]hese are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”John wrote his book that we may know who Jesus is—the Christ (the Greek word for Messiah) and the Son of God—and that by believing we may have life “in his name.” It makes sense. Jesus' words are only true if he is who he said he was, the one and only (meaning one-of-a-kind) son of God. If his words are true, then we can rely upon them. Jesus said that those who trust him will have eternal and abundant life and become children (i.e., heirs) of God. And how shall we become heirs? In his name, by claiming that Jesus met whatever requirements needed to be met to gain that status.As Craig Keener puts it:Thomas had been a disciple; he was prepared to die for Jesus (11:16) and to follow where he led (14:5); but his faith was insufficient (20:29). Only when Thomas embraced the full testimony of the resurrection and offered the climactic christological confession that Jesus was Lord and God (20:28) had he become a developed model of faith for John's audience. John is calling his audience to a full confession of resurrection faith: Jesus is God in the flesh, and therefore his claims cannot be compromised, for synagogue or for Caesar. John will settle for no faith less secure than this. Further, while Thomas's faith by sight is accepted, the faith without sight expected of John's audience is greater (20:29; cf. 2 Cor 5:6–7; 1 Pet 1:8). It is grounded in the beloved disciple's testimony sampled in the Gospel (20:30–31), confirmed to hearers by the Paraclete (15:26–16:15). (Keener, Craig S.. The Gospel of John : 2 Volumes p. 1216)As a quick side note, the verb tenses in verse 20:31 and some variations in the manuscripts have led scholars to debate whether John's book is meant for coming to believe or to continue to believe. Put another way, is the book for proselytism or for encouragement? The aorist subjunctive tense found in the general text supports the former conclusion, the present subjunctive found in the critical (and older) texts supports the latter conclusion.Epilogue: A Later Addition?Many regard chapter 21 of John as a later addition. Why? The arguments are either for stylistic reasons or because the chapter is anticlimactic.The stylistic argument is so weak, one is hard-pressed to “steel man” it. The chapter works as a literary unit, which could indicate it was not part of a larger narrative, and it uses special vocabulary, e.g., regarding fishing. However, the reason the chapter uses special vocabulary—that is, vocabulary not used elsewhere in the book—is because it deals with a novel scene, fishing. Moreover, the variation of synonyms in verses 15, 16, and 17, the double “Amen” in verse 18, the phrase “this he said, indicating” in verse 19, and the name “Sea of Tiberias” in verse 1 are distinctly Johannine. Consequently, most scholars today no longer think there are stylistic reasons to believe chapter 21 was a later addition.The second argument, and truly the main argument, against chapter 21's authenticity is its anticlimactic nature. The argument generally claims that the main motifs of John's Gospel find their conclusion in chapter 20, therefore chapter 21 is unnecessary and probably a later addition. If the argument is to be persuasive, one would need to establish that an ancient author like John would have ended a book immediately after its climax. Yet, this is plainly not the case. For example, the most popular book in the Greek East was the Illiad. The closing book of the Illiad (book 24), recounts Priam's rescue of Hector's body, and is completely anticlimactic. Moreover, we know that ancient authors were probably writing on scrolls. The author generally wished to use the entire scroll, so he might add some “bonus” information after the natural conclusion of his book if there was any room left.We know of some ancient books that had a final chapter added illegitimately. The reason we know that is because those chapters are not cohesive with the books in which they were included and they even reverse the authors' views. Chapter 21 is in line with the rest of John's gospel, and it even provides a supplementary view on ecclesiology.Whereas we have good reason to believe, for example, that the longer ending of Mark was not originally part of the book, there is no good reason to believe that about chapter 21 of John.Fishermen in GalileeChapter 21 opens with several disciples fishing in the Sea of Tiberias—that is, in Galilee—at night. The primary occupation near the lake was agriculture, but fishing was also an important industry. The other gospels mention the fact that several of the apostles were fishermen. John does not mention that detail until the very end.We often hear the disciples described in somewhat derogatory terms as ignorant, uneducated, backwards fishermen—like the stereotype of the modern redneck or hick. This may seem like a detail, but I wish to clarify that that characterization is not entirely fair.For example, the “sons of Zebedee” had a fishing enterprise, with employees and all.Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. (Mark 1:20)Peter and Andrew seemed to have formed a business partnership or cooperative enterprise with the sons of Zebedee.For Peter and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so were James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's business partners. (Luke 5:9-10)Moreover, all these fishermen were Jews. They would have been educated on reading, writing, Hebrew, and the Old Testament scriptures since they were young boys. My point is, the redneck stereotype does not generally involve a bilingual, perhaps trilingual (they probably knew Greek), maybe even quadrilingual (if they knew some Latin as well), person who has spent hundreds of hours reading, interpreting, and memorizing text. (By the way, this is not meant to be an insult on so-called rednecks. I am simply using the stereotype to make a point. In my experience, I have found the average “redneck” to be smarter than I will ever be.)The apostles were fishing at night, which was not unusual. Some sources imply that night fishing may have been more profitable than day finishing. Not only could the catch be better, but the fisherman could sell his catch first thing in the morning, getting a jump on his competitors. Night fishing, when fish were more prone to be in deep water, would be done with a dragnet between two boats, unless a second boat was not available. When fishing on shallower water, a circular throwing net was used.Apostasy and Weird FishingSome commentators critique the apostles as apostates, inferring that the apostles had given up on their commitment to follow Jesus and had returned to fishing. This criticism, although plausible, is not intimated in chapter 21. It is an assumption by the commentators. We need to keep in mind that the story of Jesus happens in the real world, where people need clothing, food, and shelter; they need to make a living and, so-to-speak, pay bills. For example, the Apostle Paul kept making tents to sustain himself financially (Acts 18:3). The apostles probably kept fishing for the same reason.When Jesus approaches the fishermen, he uses the common idiom to ask fishermen or hunters whether they had any success. He phrases the question expecting a negative answer. A modern example would be, “The fish weren't biting, were they?”Then Jesus asks the apostles to “throw [their] net on the right side of the boat.” The oar would generally be on the right side of the boat, so the net would be cast on the left. If we are understanding the scene correctly (i.e., the set up of the boats and the net being used), then Jesus is asking the apostles to fish in an unusual way. This request would fit the general Johannine narrative.The apostles throw the net as Jesus tells them and suddenly are not able to pull it in because of the large number of fish caught in it. The story works as a lesson in obedience and God's plan and provision. As the chapter progresses, we will learn that it implies God has a plan to reconcile men to himself and the apostles need merely follow that plan.Naked Peter?When Jesus' fishing plan works miraculously well, the apostles recognize Jesus. Peter exclaims, “It is the Lord!”, tucks in his outer garment, and swims to shore. Verse 21:7 could imply that Peter was working completely naked. Although this is possible, it is not in line with Jewish inhibitions. The term naked (“nothing on underneath it,” gymnos) often referred to having on little clothing or being less than fully clothed. But Peter had his outer garment, i.e., his full clothing, available and makes sure to grab it before leaving the boat. Perhaps Peter wanted to put it on once he reached shore so he could be dressed properly once he met up with Jesus. Perhaps, given the inconvenience of getting his outer garment wet, Peter was recalling Jesus' action of service.Because Jesus knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, he got up from the meal, removed his outer clothes, took a towel and tied it around himself. He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. (John 13:3-5)Once Peter meets up with Jesus, the final scene of the Gospel of John begins. We will cover that in our last session.

God Is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and You Pray to One Triune Being – God, the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked His Disciples the question He asks you: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ {Messiah}.'". As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”.  God IS Father, IS Son, and He IS Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd in the Temple; and He tells us, as it is recorded for us now by the Apostle John, in John 10:25,30: “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me . . . I and the Father are one.'”. Also, Jesus provides more insights to your Trinitarian relationship with God in John 14:18-20: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.". God is one God, but He is in three natures: God is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you pray, you are praying to one triune being – God, the Creator of the Universe.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen.   Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, He will supply all my needs (Philippians 4:19). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:1-8; John 10:24-30; Mark 1:9-11; Psalms 139a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “From the Gospel of Matthew (3:1-17): “Advent, Part 2: Remembering and Preparing for the First Coming of Jesus the Christ””, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

PA/HINGA | Word and Songs with Sr. Amelyne Paglinawan, fsp Scriptwriter: Cl. Vinz Aurellano, SSP | Society of St. Paul In this episode, we will reflect upon the importance of rest. In our busy and fast-paced life, the time to be at rest is the best and opportune time not only to do nothing but also to connect to our inner self and to be with God. Our God himself left us an example to follow when he himself rested on the 7th Day after he created everything. On the other hand, we cannot expect to reap the fruits of our labor if we do not toil—physically or spiritually. Jesus, who is the perfect image of the Father, also experienced the need for him to rest. He found a home at the house of Mary, Lazarus, and Martha in Bethany. He dined with friends and sinners whom he drew into conversion. After his tiring ministry, he withdraws himself from time to time, to pray and be with the Father… Jesus tells us “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." In our reflection, let us use the word “Pahinga.” When we syllabicate the word pahinga we'll get two words—Pa means Father and Hinga which means breathe. Pa—Father. Do you know who your God is? Do you know him whose yoke is easy and burden, light? Who is my God? Is he a give-and-take God? I will do good, and he'll reward me graces I want? Or A God-genie—I am entitled with my wishes to him? Or an indifferent God? He just created us and then he left us. Who is God for you? Jesus is the perfect image of the Father—of our God. He is the compassionate, healing, peaceful, and loving God who dwelt among us. Jesus who teaches us…if you are burdened and weary because of life's anxieties and a load of works—come to him, be at peace and at rest with him… for his yoke is easy and his burden is light… A yoke is a carved wooden beam fit on the shoulder of a farm animal, like a cow, ox, or donkey to let them pull heavy equipment, or a plow to lighten up the work. Plowing in a field and pulling a load is seriously hard work! Jesus does not promise to give us a soft ground to till nor level paths to bear the load. Jesus wants us to enter an intimate relationship with him. To take the yoke with him. The demands of life are great and burdensome at the same time, but the relationship with Jesus makes these burden light. Because to be yoked on means to be related and connected to Jesus. To be yoked on is submitting ourselves to this great mentor and teacher who alone can give us comfort and rest after an exasperating plowing. There are three things to consider why we need to rest…to breathe…First, we need to consider that we are not superman or superhumans. Our capacities and talents must not exhaust our bodily energy. Exhausting our energies would mean wasted efforts. Humility is the key for us to accept this. When we feel we are helpless it could either be, (1) we failed to ask for help or (2) we do not accept any help at hand. Always remember we you are not a superhuman. Second, we need rest because we are in the state of being unmotivated or uninspired. When these happen, always remember that small wins are to be celebrated, and losses can be charged into the experience. If things are out of control, the grace of acceptance is needed. Bearing in mind that things do happen for a reason—but God's grace and mercy are still at work. Third, we need to choose our battles. In life, there are people who will intentionally drain you. They will exhaust you—and for many times with useless reasons! Gossiping, creating issues, divisions, etc. The need to choose our battles is the key to overcoming this. Ask also the grace of temperance for you to gauge things that are really worth fighting for. So, breathe…

What shapes your image of God? Claire Lynch looks at different ways people see God and how looking at Jesus can be a way to understand God. This was a surprising challenge to religious leaders in Jesus' time, and Jesus told a famous story about God's love and fatherhood which was a shocking contrast with what many expected. Could meeting the extravagantly loving and scandalously forgiving Father Jesus spoke about change your view of God?

Do you Believe: Jesus is Lord and Messiah? · Your life moves in the direction of your strongest beliefs. · What must I believe to follow Jesus? · Acts 2:36 - 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” · Jesus is not just a teacher or miracle worker; he is God in the flesh. · Jesus is the King you need, not the King you want. · I am sorry my sins killed Jesus. · The 4th essential belief: Jesus is both Lord and Christ · Philippians 2:9-11 - 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. · …every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth… · I want to choose to bow before the Great King now. · …every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father · Jesus is King, not you. · God's kingdom does not depend on your response. · Knowing Jesus is King puts everything in perspective. · ”How can they (the Philippians) cling to their little ambitions and persist in their petty quarrels if they confess Jesus Christ as their Lord?” – Frank Stagg. · Jesus is the Lord (God!) and Christ (King)! · Is Jesus in charge of you? Really? · If Jesus is in charge of you, you want to be baptized. · If Jesus is in charge of you, you want to worship. · If Jesus is in charge of you, you want him to grow your character · If Jesus is in charge of you, you want to share. · Is Jesus is charge of you? · "My Jesus, my King, my Life, my All; I again dedicate my whole self to Thee." – David Livingstone Starter: Please describe the best leader you have known. Why did you choose to follow him/her? Dig Deeper: 1. Read Acts 2:36 2. How do you think Peter felt when he confronted the crowd at Pentecost and told them they had killed their King? How do you think people felt when they heard this? 3. To proclaim Jesus as Lord (God) is a radical step. It is a direct challenge to assertion “Caesar is Lord.” Caesar Augustus was the first to proclaim he was “son of a god.” In your opinion, do political leaders today aspire to “godship?” As Christ followers are we an increasing threat to government or a decreasing threat to government? 4. Read Philippians 2:5-11 5. Verses 6-8 speak about the humility of Jesus. In your opinion, what is the best way for us to learn humility from Jesus? 6. Verse 9-11 describe a great moment after the Second Coming when every living thing that has ever existed will bow in submission and confess that Jesus is God and the King. How will you feel in that crowd? How will the angels feel? How will the demons feel? How will Satan feel? 7. If Jesus is truly our King and the one in charge, then how should his church behave?

Scripture Reading: John 4:43 - John 5:47 43 After the two days he departed from there to Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen all the things he had done in Jerusalem at the feast (for they themselves had gone to the feast).46 Now he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had made the water wine. In Capernaum there was a certain royal official whose son was sick. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe!” 49 “Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus told him, “Go home; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home.51 While he was on his way down, his slaves met him and told him that his son was going to live. 52 So he asked them the time when his condition began to improve, and they told him, “Yesterday at one o'clock in the afternoon the fever left him.” 53 Then the father realized that it was the very time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he himself believed along with his entire household. 54 Jesus did this as his second miraculous sign when he returned from Judea to Galilee.1 After this there was a Jewish feast, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool called Bethzatha in Aramaic, which has five covered walkways. 3 A great number of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people were lying in these walkways. 5 Now a man was there who had been disabled for 38 years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and when he realized that the man had been disabled a long time already, he said to him, “Do you want to become well?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get into the water, someone else goes down there before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.)10 So the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.'” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk'?” 13 But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped out, since there was a crowd in that place.14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don't sin any more, lest anything worse happen to you.” 15 The man went away and informed the Jewish leaders that Jesus was the one who had made him well.16 Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began persecuting him. 17 So he told them, “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill him because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God.19 So Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does, and will show him greater deeds than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge anyone, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.24 “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming—and is now here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 27 and he has granted the Son authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of Man.28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and will come out—the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. 30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 (I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) 35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time in his light.36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds that the Father has assigned me to complete—the deeds I am now doing—testify about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, 38 nor do you have his word residing in you because you do not believe the one whom he sent. 39 You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, 40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.41 “I do not accept praise from people, 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don't seek the praise that comes from the only God?45 “Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me because he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what Moses wrote, how will you believe my words?” Chapter 4His Reputation Precedes Him. The Galileans welcomed Jesus because they had seen what Jesus had done in Jerusalem at the feast. Remember John 2:23 (which is right after Jesus cleanses the temple): “Now while Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover, many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing.”No Honor in His Own Country. Jesus testifies that a prophet has no honor in his own country, obviously referring to Jesus himself. The saying, however, is grounded in many Old Testament stories of Israel rejecting its own prophets. Consider Hosea 9:7:The time of judgment is about to arrive!The time of retribution is imminent!Israel will be humbled!The prophet is considered a fool—the inspired man is viewed as a madman—because of the multitude of your sinsand your intense animosity.The question is, which country is that? This verse comes immediately after Jesus leaves Samaria and returns to Galilee, Jesus' own “hometown” (more like home region). Consequently, Jesus could be highlighting the fact that he was better received in Samaria (the place with racially impure, religiously deviant people) than Galilee. The other possibility is that Jesus is talking about Israel in general (or Judea). A key theme in John's gospel is the Jews' rejection of the Messiah, which is more consistent with this second interpretation.From the Samaritan Woman to the Royal Official. Last week we discussed the scandal of Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman. This week the scandal continues. Galileans would have been every bit as suspicious of this royal official as they were of the Samaritan woman.The royal official could have been a Roman official, probably connected to the military. (Remember, the Jews had been conquered and occupied by the Romans. The Jews hated the Romans.) Alternatively, he could have been a Herodian Jew. Many relatives of the Herodian family and other aristocrats lived in Tiberias. Tiberias was the wealthiest city in Galilee and the Galilean capital for many years. However, the place is almost never mentioned in the gospels. Why? Herod Antipas built Tiberias. Antipas was quite flippant to the religious and cultural sensitivities of the Jews. Some examples of his disregard for religion include his location choice for Tiberias (a graveyard, which made the city unclean), his marriage to his half-brother's wife, and his beheading of John the Baptist.Either way the result would have been the same: disdain from a Galilean Jew towards the royal official. The Romans were the enemy. The Herodian Jews were enemy sympathizers (or outright traitors) and religiously sinful and unclean. And in either case as well, the official would have been an oppressor (militarily, politically, commercially, or a combination of those).Signs-Faith. In the gospels, signs (miracles) do not always lead to faith. In this case, the official and his entire household believe. This puts the royal official in the worst company: the Samaritan woman and many Samaritans in her town. I am being a bit sarcastic. The point stands though: who is believing in Jesus? Those the Jews would have least expected. Who is not believing? The Jewish religious leaders.Chapter 5The Pool of Bethesda. External evidence confirms the existence of a pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. To the best of our knowledge the pool was actually two pools as large as a football field and about twenty feet deep. The biblical text implies a tradition that the pool had healing properties. Such beliefs were common in the ancient world, so even John's audience that was unfamiliar with the pool of Bethesda would recognize the idea.That Day Was a Sabbath. The story takes place during a Jewish feast. Feasts had great religious importance and many of Jesus' actions, including his crucifixion, occurred during Jewish feasts. In this case, however, the feast is not specified. What is specified is that the day was the Sabbath.What is the Sabbath? Consider the following verses:Genesis 2:2-3: By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation.Exodus 20:8: Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. For six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.Exodus 31:12-14: The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death; indeed, if anyone does any work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his people.Mark 2:23-27: Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples began to pick some heads of wheat as they made their way. So the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry—how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the sacred bread, which is against the law for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?” Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. For this reason the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”It was against the law to carry burdens on the Sabbath if it was interpreted as work. The Pharisees held different views on the Sabbath, but generally they would have agreed that any activity that could be done before the Sabbath should not be done during the Sabbath. So, a matter of life and death would be an exception to Sabbath prohibitions but a minor healing would not have been.Disabled Due to SinIn this story, Jesus tells the man, “Look, you have become well. Don't sin any more, lest anything worse happen to you.” Compare this with John 9:1-3,Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him.In John 9, the man was not blind due to anyone's sin. In John 5, it seems that it was sin that caused the man to be disabled. This could have a supernatural or a natural explanation. Maybe the man became disabled because he consumed a certain substance or as the result of being punished for a crime. The point is, we should not infer a general principle that disease is divine punishment for sin.For This They Were Trying to Kill HimBecause Jesus dishonored the Sabbath (by Pharisees' standards) and he claimed to be “equal with God,” the Jewish leaders sought to kill him (even more).Let's consider the charges. First there's the charge that Jesus dishonored the Sabbath. Jesus denies the accusation. What Jesus does on the Sabbath is what he sees the Father doing (v. 19). According to Jewish theology, God was still active on the Sabbath. God sustains all life and all the world and that function does not cease on the Sabbath. Jesus is claiming to do the same work the Father does on the Sabbath, no more and no less.Additionally, since the Father is the lord of the Sabbath and the Son does as the Father says, the Son cannot violate the Sabbath.Regarding the second claim—equality with the Father—Jesus denies the accusation too. Notice that this equality is one of authority and not one of identity. Jesus says the Son can do nothing on his own initiative (v. 19), the Father shows the Son what to do (v. 20), and the Father assigns roles to the Son (v. 22). Jesus, in other words, submits to the Father. They are not equal in authority. This probably made more sense to the Pharisees than it does to the modern listener. The modern listener is probably thinking, but aren't the Father and the Son one? Yes, but not the same. They are one in the ontological Trinity—that is, they are one being and share the same divine substance. They are distinct in the economic Trinity, which focuses on what God does. Jesus submits to the Father in the work of the Trinity. (The ontological Trinity and economic Trinity are not different Trinities. It is simply a way to describe the co-equal nature of the persons of the Trinity and yet their distinct roles.)Jesus as Giver of Life and JudgeGod was widely viewed as the giver of life. Not only that, but in the eschaton (the end times) God would give life again by raising the dead. Consider the following Old Testament scriptures:Daniel 12:2. Many of those who sleepin the dusty ground will awake—some to everlasting life,and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence.Isaiah 26:19. Your dead will come back to life;your corpses will rise up.Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground!For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew,and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits.But wait, there's more! (Feel free to read that in infomercial voice.) God also gives eternal life. Remember:John 3:14-15. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.John 3:35-36. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life.So, in John 5, is Jesus talking about life, resurrection, or eternal life? By this point we have seen that John uses double entendres to add depth of meaning. I think that this is a clear case. The healing that occurs immediately before this discourse points us to a more literal understanding of life. However, as the discourse goes on, Jesus clearly speaks of eternal life (v. 24).Jesus describes those who believe in him as passing from death to life (v. 25). This is the same image used in John 3. For example, let's revisit John:35-36 but let's add just one more verse:The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him.Also consider John 3:16:For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.Notice that John uses “will perish,” “raises the dead,” and “crossed over from death to life” interchangeably. There is a future reality (“will perish”) but it begins in the present (“crossed over from death to life”).Jesus' claims to give life and be the judge would have unsettled his listeners. These are claims of divine authority. More importantly, he who complains about the Son complains about the Father.Why does the Son have the authority to execute judgment? Because he is Son of Man. In the Greek, the expression Son of Man is anarthrous (used without the article) just like that expression appears in the LXX (the Septuagint) translation of Daniel.Daniel 7:13-14. I was watching in the night visions, And with the clouds of the sky,one like a son of man was approaching.He went up to the Ancient of Daysand was escorted before him.To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him.His authority is eternal and will not pass away.His kingdom will not be destroyed.Testimony About JesusJesus is being accused of blasphemy, a capital offense. Jesus employs a legal defense.Deuteronomy 17:6. At the testimony of two or three witnesses the person must be executed. They cannot be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.To be clear, Jesus is defending himself not accusing someone. He is adapting the legal principle that the testimony of two or three people is credible in a capital offense case.The first witness? John the Baptist. He points to the Baptist's testimony and to the fact that the Pharisees believed him (“you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time”).The second witness? God. This is a key point in any of the Gospels. Why is Jesus doing miracles? Because they prove who he is. The time has not yet come to make everything right. That is not the main reason Jesus is healing the sick and turning water into wine. “The deeds [he is] now doing” are a testimony to who he is and the truth of his message. This message would have resonated with his audience. Early Judaism understood that the invisible God attested to himself through his works. Moreover, Jews should make God known by sharing his works and miracles.The third witness? The Torah. This one hurts. The Pharisees were incredibly proud that God's word—Torah—was in them. But the Torah testifies of Jesus. To reject Jesus is to reject Torah. The word was not in them.Jesus Is Judge not AccuserWho accuses the Pharisees? Moses. That is to say, the Torah. In Palestinian Judaism accusers were witnesses against the defendant, not prosecutors. The irony that the very hope of the Pharisees would be their accuser would not be lost on them. The argument is simple. Moses wrote about Jesus. The Pharisees received Moses' words. The Pharisees rejected Moses' words by rejecting Jesus. Hence their guilt.

A new MP3 sermon from Old Paths Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Evangelical Jezebels Attack The Father, Jesus & The Patriarchy Subtitle: Opbc Online Live Speaker: Jason Cooley Broadcaster: Old Paths Baptist Church Event: Podcast Date: 7/29/2022 Length: 107 min.

God Is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and You Pray to One Triune Being – God, the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked His Disciples the question He asks you: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ {Messiah}.'". As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”.  God IS Father, IS Son, and He IS Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd in the Temple; and He tells us, as it is recorded for us now by the Apostle John, in John 10:25,30: “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me . . . I and the Father are one.'”. Also, Jesus provides more insights to your Trinitarian relationship with God in John 14:18-20: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.". God is one God, but He is in three natures: God is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you pray, you are praying to one triune being – God, the Creator of the Universe.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, My citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:1-8; John 10:24-30; Mark 1:9-11; Psalms 139a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “You Are Personally Responsible and Accountable, to God, for All He Entrusts to You”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Today's Topics: 1) Archbishop Viganò comes to the defense of Father Jesus Mary https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/abp-vigano-to-priest-sanctioned-for-criticizing-pope-francis-you-are-punished-for-being-catholic/ 2) On Wednesday, the NEA voted to promote abortion-on-demand, “capping off a politically charged convention that encouraged teachers to ‘validate' children experimenting with transgender ideology and homosexuality https://washingtonstand.com/news/teachers-union-nea-will-publicly-stand-in-defense-of-abortion 3) Executive Order to “protect” abortion “Catholic” President Biden on Friday announced that he would defy the Supreme Court and state lawmakers by signing an executive order to federally “protect” and “expand access to” abortion. The Biden administration claimed in a briefing that the “only way” to secure women's rights is through protecting Roe vs. Wade as “federal law.” The same memo argued that the Supreme Court's ruling striking down Roe vs. Wade stripped women of their rights “to privacy, autonomy, freedom, and equality https://catholicvote.org/biden-to-issue-executive-order-to-protect-abortion-defying-scotus/ 4) Catholic 101 - Dr. Donald DeMarco writes about the Catholic view of the value of human life: “A material. It understands that he bears within himself the seal of a loving God and possesses an immortal soul. The stars will perish, but the human soul is imperishable https://catholicexchange.com/a-catholic-view-of-the-value-of-human-life/

In Lk 9:51 we read that Jesus "resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem."  In intimacy with Abba (the Aramaic word for Father) Jesus moved with sacred intentionality on the way to the cross, the fulfillment of His sacred mission.  He invites us into the desires and focus of His Sacred Heart...into His sacred intentionality.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: If You Want to Know Your Father, Look at Jesus No one I know has ever seen the heavenly Father Jesus encourages us to speak to. So how can we know him and speak to him if we've never seen him? Click on this link - https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ak_QYEqdXpfKoMw-AZRBZHOEUBcizA?e=GCM0vO - to read more of this devotional, or listen below. There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts or you can catch up with us on the Battlefield Resources Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/battlefieldresources. Like the page and get a notification when a new episode drops.

A.M.W.: Always More Wednesday. In this episode, we revisit and draw out a few more details of the last two episodes on Salvation - "Will Those Who Are Saved Be Few?" and "The Father Did NOT Abandon Or Pour Out His Wrath on Jesus." We revisit briefly the ideas of universalism and predestination, and Jesus' and the New Testament's response. We also revisit how precisely in the midst of the crucifixion, the Father and Jesus were in intimate union - God was always with Jesus, God is always in us in Jesus and because of that we have nothing to fear. "Did Christ Become Sin?" by Brant Pitre - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81cC1WHHuJM "Undone" by Fr. Patrick - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/free-mustard-seeds/id1202613672?i=1000557272226 Check out the podcast website here: https://sites.google.com/view/crossingthejordan/welcome. On the website you can find episodes/topics that you want to hear, find recommended resources to grow in your faith, submit questions/request, and/or subscribe to the podcast to receive emails with direct links to your preferred podcast platform. If you'd like to reach out for a prayer request, feel free to email me directly at crossingthejordan1@gmail.com. God bless you all abundantly! Available on iTunes, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Player FM, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Stitcher. Artwork by Yongsung Kim

How do we distinguish Satan, the power of sin, and the flesh? Why did God create the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? How does a loving God allow evil in the world? What does the parable of the shrewd manager mean in Luke 16? Can God be referred to as a she? Does Psalm 103 mean God heals every physical ailment for believers? Is there really only one way to the Father- Jesus? What is the definition of wisdom? To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1258/29

How do we distinguish Satan, the power of sin, and the flesh? Why did God create the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? How does a loving God allow evil in the world? What does the parable of the shrewd manager mean in Luke 16? Can God be referred to as a “she”?  Does Psalm 103 mean God heals every physical ailment for believers? Is there really only one way to the Father- Jesus? What is the definition of wisdom?

Series THE MESSAGE OF HEBREWS with Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A. 10.JESUS OPENS THE WAY THROUGH THE VEIL The ascension of Jesus has changed everything. Memory Text: Hebrews 9:24 - For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. 10.1 Jesus Before the Father The Old Testament feasts have prophetic significance. My God bless you today and always. For video recording: vimeo.com/682239380

The Trinity is: God, Jesus & Their Spoken Living Word (Christ) My Books: Amazon.com/Richard-A-Hardin/e/B09J2YHCVB- The Trinity is not as impossible or as difficult to understand as ministers have made it out to be. The Trinity did not exist until Jesus was resurrected and EXALTED to the fullness of the Godhead. An earthly trinity existed in Genesis Chapters 39-50. The Pharoah ruled Egypt by His Word. The Pharoah then exalted Joseph to the 2nd highest position in Egypt and gave the everyday rule, except over the Pharoah, to Joseph. The rule of Egypt was then: The Pharoah, Joseph, and Their Word. The Trinity Rule now is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and their Word, Christ. For more details listen @KLRNRadio 6AM CST Sat #GPWF #Christian or anytime at rahardin.com (Radio)

The Trinity is: God, Jesus & Their Spoken Living Word (Christ) My Books: Amazon.com/Richard-A-Hardin/e/B09J2YHCVB- The Trinity is not as impossible or as difficult to understand as ministers have made it out to be. The Trinity did not exist until Jesus was resurrected and EXALTED to the fullness of the Godhead. An earthly trinity existed in Genesis Chapters 39-50. The Pharoah ruled Egypt by His Word. The Pharoah then exalted Joseph to the 2nd highest position in Egypt and gave the everyday rule, except over the Pharoah, to Joseph. The rule of Egypt was then: The Pharoah, Joseph, and Their Word. The Trinity Rule now is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and their Word, Christ. For more details listen @KLRNRadio 6AM CST Sat #GPWF #Christian or anytime at rahardin.com (Radio)

The Trinity is: God, Jesus & Their Spoken Living Word (Christ) My Books: Amazon.com/Richard-A-Hardin/e/B09J2YHCVB- The Trinity is not as impossible or as difficult to understand as ministers have made it out to be. The Trinity did not exist until Jesus was resurrected and EXALTED to the fullness of the Godhead. An earthly trinity existed in Genesis Chapters 39-50. The Pharoah ruled Egypt by His Word. The Pharoah then exalted Joseph to the 2nd highest position in Egypt and gave the everyday rule, except over the Pharoah, to Joseph. The rule of Egypt was then: The Pharoah, Joseph, and Their Word. The Trinity Rule now is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and their Word, Christ. For more details listen @KLRNRadio 6AM CST Sat #GPWF #Christian or anytime at rahardin.com (Radio)

Last week we talked about the fathers we lost, and in Part 2 of the series on Fatherhood we're talking about the father Jesus knew and how He wants us to know 3 very important things about the father who loves us! Listen, if you're wondering about the father you didn't have,  or what it looks like to be fathered and loved, you don't want to miss this one! @Kerrie_Oles www.unlockedministries.com

The kind of Father Jesus talked about reacts in an unexpected, unconventional, extravagant way when we are lost.