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Join us as we discuss Paul's appearance before Festus and his appeal to the Roman Emperor to hear his case. Do we exhibit tremendous peace and trust in God like Paul in our difficult circumstances?

Monday, 26 May 2025   But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; Matthew 10:19   “And when they should deliver you, not you should be disquieted how or what you should say. It will be given for you in that hour what you should say” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus informed the apostles that they would be brought before officials as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. He now continues with, “And when they should deliver you.”   This is referring to the act of taking these apostles to the forum where the leaders just mentioned sat, be it in a proconsul office or a speech to kings and others, such as occurred with Paul in Acts when he addressed Festus, Agrippa, and others. They would be taken before these men and asked to state their words concerning Jesus. At such a time, Jesus says, “not you should be disquieted how or what you should say.”   Jesus uses the same word, merimnaó, that He used 6 times in Chapter 6 to alleviate the concerns of the disciples, and by extension, the others who attended the Sermon on the Mount concerning various issues. The word gives the sense of being over-anxious.   The apostles, as they went forth, were not to be in such a state because, as Jesus next says, “It will be given for you in that hour what you should say.”   The meaning is that until that point, they may be curious about what they will say as a witness, but that curiosity shouldn't concern them. Rather at that very hour, when they are brought forward to speak, they will be given words suitable to the situation. The next verse will explain why Jesus says this to them.   Life application: Of the words of this verse, Cambridge says –   “Curiously enough this has been quoted as if it justified want of preparation for sermons or addresses to a Christian congregation.”   The words “curiously enough” indicate that the commentator understood that such a thought is nonsense. And yet, these words of Jesus are cited quite often by people as they claim they will be inspired by the Spirit to speak.   There is nothing to suggest that this is the case, and a proper understanding and application of context will tell the student of the Bible that such is not the case. This is especially to be considered true because a large majority of Christians don't know the Bible very well. They may not know sound doctrine at all.   If this is so, why would the Spirit of the Father work through people with opposing viewpoints on theology to make their case through leaders today? Rather, we have the Bible. It is our responsibility to learn it and then tell what we know as best we can to those who ask. This is why Peter says –   “And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.' 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:13-17   Peter did not tell his hearers that they would be given words at a particular time concerning what to say. And Peter knew better than most that proper doctrine counts. His epistle came after his rebuke from Paul for not holding to sound doctrine, as is recorded in Galatians 2.   We are given brains to use. If we fail to use them in studying theology, we will not know proper theology. God is not going to bail us out when we stand before others, having failed to do our best to learn what His word says. Jesus' words are given in a particular context for a particular reason. Let us remember this and keep things in their proper context!   Lord God, it is true that Your word is big and complicated. It requires a lot of time and difficult thinking to get its almost infinite number of nuances. And so, please be with us as we study and prepare ourselves to present our defense for the hope that is in us. Guide our minds now to prepare so that we will be prepared when needed. Amen.  

Sunday, 25 May 2025   You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. Matthew 10:18   “And also upon governors and kings, you will be brought because of Me for a testimony to them and the Gentiles” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told his apostles to beware of men because they would deliver them up to councils and scourge them in their synagogues. Continuing with this thought, He next says, “And also upon governors and kings, you will be brought.”   A new word is introduced here, agó, translated as “brought.” It is a primary verb signifying to lead, bring, drive, etc. In this case, it is future tense with a passive voice, thus “you will be brought.”   In the Bible, the word translated as governors includes positions such as proconsuls, procurators, etc. The title of king is one that is seen at times in the NT, such as Peter's being arrested under the authority of King Herod in Acts 12.   The words of Jesus here certainly would have applied to these apostles to some extent later in their ministries, but the majority of the interaction with such positions, as recorded in the Bible, was between Paul and such men. This is because Luke especially followed the life of Paul as he traveled among the Gentiles.   In fact, the name Paul was probably one taken on by him after his meeting with Sergius Paulus, as is recorded in Acts 13. After that encounter, he is never called Saul again, except when quoting past events. From that time forward, he was known as Paul. As for the reason for being brought before them, Jesus next says, “because of Me.”   This was their life calling. They were apostles of Jesus, and He was sending them forth bearing His name. It may be that even during this early period, they would appear before such positions, but there is nothing specifically recorded concerning it. Whenever it did happen, however, it was “for a testimony to them and the Gentiles.”   The stating of two different categories, “them and the Gentiles,” seems to indicate that the testimony was for the leaders to hear and then bring a positive influence for the gospel on those under them. As many of these would be Gentile leaders, this is where their influence would rest.   As such, what appears to be the case is that this is referring to something such as the trial of Paul in Acts 25, where Festus, Agrippa, and others held trial. The testimony concerning Jesus was to both Jews and Gentiles there, as it was in other situations Paul found himself in. But Paul, like the other apostles, knew in advance this would be the case –   “Then Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.' 15 But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake.'” Acts 9:13-16   The words tend to give weight to the thought that while Israel was rejecting the gospel, the Gentiles would begin to be receptive to it.   Life application: The words thus far are intended to show that Israel was given every opportunity to accept Jesus as their Messiah. The testimony to foreign positions of authority and foreigners was actually a part of this. Jesus spoke concerning the sign of Jonah, meaning his preaching.   Jonah said that in forty days, Nineveh was to be destroyed. In the Bible, the often-seen application of such a statement as this is a day for a year. In other words, when Jesus said that the sign of Jonah would be given to them, He was saying that they had forty years to acknowledge Him.   The witness to Gentiles was intended, even from the beginning, to get Israel to see this and turn to Him –   “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.'” Romans 9:25-27   Paul wrote this during that forty-year period, and from other passages in the New Testament, it seems that it was believed that this blindness would quickly be replaced with sight, the kingdom would be ushered in, and Jesus' return would have taken place.   And yet, we are still waiting for this to take place two thousand years later. Jesus' plan is being worked out, and His church continues to be built. Israel was destroyed, they were exiled, having rejected Jesus, but they will be spiritually restored to usher in the promised millennial kingdom. Their regathering at this time is for this purpose.   They will go through the purification of the tribulation period along with the rest of the world, but they will be saved through it. God's promises will never fail. Let us trust in this and be confident that everything promised will come about as prophesied.   Lord God, there are times in the past when we have misunderstood Your word. Maybe that is still the case today. There may be a long haul before the return of Jesus comes about. All we can do is wait patiently and continue to faithfully proclaim Your word until then. However, it is our desire to see Him really soon! May You speed His coming. How we long to see Jesus. Amen.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every single day. And a big shout-out today to Jeffrey Brewer from Festus, MO. William, thank you for being a part of this movement through Project23. You are making a difference. This one's for you. Today, we're looking at Mark 3:13-19: And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. — Mark 3:13-19 Jesus went up a mountain, away from the crowds, and called a group of disciples to himself. Not to witness his miracles—but to be with him. That's where all true Christian mission begins: with presence, not performance. After all, Christian mission has Christ in the name. Jesus calls them in before he sends them out. Don't miss that basis. Before they ever preached a sermon or cast out a demon. Before they healed. Before they traveled. Before they led. Before they were sent. Jesus called them in to be with him. It's easy to miss that in a world that celebrates productivity. We often think God is most pleased when we're doing something for him. But Jesus modeled that relationship with him always comes before responsibility for him. We must experience his transformation from within to accomplish his duty without. Jesus's mission always starts with this: sit with him—then step out for him. Our mission is rooted in presence, not performance. It's about being formed by the one we follow—not just doing ministry in his name, or worse, doing it in our own strength and slapping his name on top. For example, consider the men mentioned in this text today. They were ordinary disciples, like you and me. There was nothing extraordinary about them. Except for the fact that they had been with Jesus and he empowered them to extraordinary things because of him. They were not impressive men. Not one of them. But they did extraordinary things. Take John Mark, for example. There was nothing extraordinary about him. He bailed on Paul, and then Paul refused to take him on another mission trip. In this Gospel, he writes down the story of Jesus told by Peter, who was very impulsive and even denied Jesus. Today, we hold an extraordinary book in our hands because men like the ones listed here have been with Jesus. Today, focus more on being with Jesus than doing for him. Let that time fuel the work he wants to do with you—and through you—tomorrow. ASK THIS: How has your busyness overshadowed your time with Jesus? What keeps you from simply being with Jesus before serving? In what ways do you rely on your strength instead of his? Who are you seeking to impress—Jesus or others—and why? DO THIS: Sit quietly with Jesus for ten minutes today before doing any task for him. PRAY THIS: Lord Jesus, thank you for calling me into your presence before sending me out. Help me rest in your nearness so I can serve from your strength. Amen. PLAY THIS: Abide.

(00:00-23:00) Doug's nursing an oblique strain today. Mark us down for another series win. Saturday's game was a little too quick for Doug. Thriller at the BattleDome. Tractor pulls. Big Tank DelVecchio is surging. Oli Marmol talking about missing out on some offensive opportunities to get the sweep. Great starting pitching. Ivan Herrera. Audio from Jordan Walker and Alexa Datt after Saturday's win. Youngry Birds is taking off. Doug threatens to shut down the text inbox.(23:00-38:49) Rich Gould didn't like working on Sundays. Another Doggies L. Leafs get trounced in Game 7. Leafs fans were down on their team. Audio of Biz Nasty in the studio during the beatdown talking about the "pathetic performance." Jackson's new hockey sounder. Audio of Craig Berube after the Game 7 loss. Mark Scheifele playing after losing his dad. People aren't happy with the topic.(38:58-59:40) Doug likes the jazz flute and the Tigers are in town tonight. What will the crowd at Busch look like? Doug's an attendance homer. Prod Joe gets suspended for some reason. Pestus from Festus on the line for his weekly hit. Timber isn't Jackson's bailiwick. Friday's storms. You gotta log off, brother.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Things done in a corner are concealed from general knowledge. It seems evident that Luke, the writer of the book of ACTS was with Paul on some of his travels. Ch. 27 v.1 shows he was with him as he travelled after his appeal to Caesar (v.1,3,4 &c “we” experienced this and that). The defense of Paul before King Agrippa and the Roman Governor is given in such detail it is evident it is a personal report. Festus, the Roman Governor struggles to comprehend what Paul is saying, he desires to write a report to Caesar detailing the nature of the accusations against him.Paul declares, “To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” [26 v.22,23] Festus is confused saying, “Paul, you are out of your mind.” Paul responds, “I am not out of my mind … I am speaking true and rational words … for this has not been done in a corner” {v.24-26]The events of nearly 2,000 years ago are powerfully evidenced by history – not just the Bible text – but in Roman history. Alongside this we can put our reading today in Deuteronomy 28. Moses sets out the blessings the nation will have if they truly serve God when they enter the promised land. The first generation did so – as the book of Joshua we are about read shows.!But the latter part of our chapter details the curses that would come upon them for turning their back on God – ending with an awesome description which had its ultimate fulfilment in the Holocaust 70 years ago. “The Lord will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. Your life will hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread …” [v.66,67] Some try to deny the Holocaust but “this has not been done in a corner”What position do we take? There is no neutral position! Jesus said, “whoever denies me before me, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” [Matt. 10 v.33]

Title: Chains and Afflictions Text: Acts 21:27-36 FCF: We often struggle responding well to slander and persecution for Christ's sake. Prop: Because of the offense of the gospel we will be slandered and reviled, so we must be ready to give a defense for the hope we have in us. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 21. In a moment we will read beginning in verse 27 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week we saw the powder keg situation that Paul and his 8 gentile companions walked into as they brought a gift for the Jerusalem church from several churches in gentile lands. Tension between Jews and the Romans continues to mount and along with that the pernicious rumor that Paul is anti-Mosaic law and advising new Jewish believers to forsake circumcising their children and the laws and customs of Moses. The Elders wisely advised Paul to demonstrate that he is not against the law of Moses by submitting to purity rituals with 4 other men who are doing so. Paul humbly discarded any liberty he may have assumed and willingly submitted to help ease tensions between Jewish Christians and the non-believing Jews. But we know the future. It has been confirmed by many witnesses. Paul will suffer with chains and afflictions in Jerusalem. Although it was wise advice and although Paul humbly submitted, we know that things will implode quickly. But even in this difficult situation, we will find vital lessons for we who claim Christ and face uncertain days. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Mighty God and Lord of Hosts. You are holy, holy, holy. You have sent the Son to claim Your people for Your Kingdom and You have sent Your Spirit to dwell in us and seal us and preserve us until the Day of Judgment. As You are Alpha and Omega, You have written and decreed the end from the beginning. No one can tell You “no” and no one can slap away Your mighty hand from doing as You please. In these truths Lord, we must rest, especially when we are slandered, maligned, ridiculed, reviled, and persecuted for Your name. Without the truth that all this is according to Your Immutable Will, we would surely flounder and fall. Impress upon us, Your Children, the greater truth that when these days of trouble come upon us, we must rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for when we suffer for Your name, we have a great reward in the Kingdom which we will share with a great cloud of witnesses. Help us to see this and be encouraged in this text this morning. And use this encouragement to turn us away from despairing in trouble. Turn us instead to being ready to give a defense for the hope we have in us. We pray this in Jesus' name… Amen. Transition: Let us once again dive right into the text this morning. I.) Because of the offense of the gospel, men will falsely accuse us of evil things, so we must be ready to give a defense for the hope we have in us. (27-30) a. [Slide 2] 27 - Now when the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon noticing him in the temple, began to throw all the crowd into confusion and laid hands on him, i. Ok, so right off the bat there are some contextual clues we need to unravel to understand what is happening here. ii. First, the seven days here is referring to the general process of purification that would need to be endured for these men and for Paul. 1. We aren't exactly sure why these men performing the Nazarite vow were going through purification, because that isn't normally part of it, but the process itself took a week. 2. In that week's time, any seeking purification would have to be ritually washed on the third and the seventh day. No doubt Paul is in the temple on the seventh and final day of his purification. 3. This means that generally speaking, people who had ill intentions toward Paul would know on which day he would be in the temple next. iii. Second, we see that there are Jews from Asia present here in Jerusalem. Well, who are these folks and what are they doing here? 1. We might be tempted to think that these Jews have followed Paul to Jerusalem to harm him. This is possible, but there is a far simpler explanation for why these folks are here. Do you remember? 2. Yep! It is Pentecost, the Jewish feast commemorating the harvest. Shavuot (Sha-voo-ot) is one of the three pilgrimage feasts that are required for Jewish males to attend. 3. Anyone who was a Jew that took seriously the law of Moses would have made every effort to be in Jerusalem for this festival. 4. So, it shouldn't be a big surprise for us to find Jews from Asia in Jerusalem at this time. iv. Third, how would they recognize Paul and what had Paul done that infuriated them so much? 1. Although Luke only mentions the province in which they are from, the capital city of the province of Asia was the great city of Ephesus. A city in which Paul spent three years ministering. 2. Later, we find out that these people recognized one of Paul's companions who was from the city of Ephesus. This almost certainly confirms that these Jews were from or at least very familiar with the city of Ephesus and Paul's 3 year ministry there. 3. So why are they so opposed to Paul? 4. Well Paul preached in Ephesus and many Jews became disciples of Christ. He actually lead them out of the synagogue and took them to the hall of Tyrannus where he continued to teach and preach the gospel. 5. Needless to say, the Jews from Asia were not big fans of Paul. v. In Ephesus and in other cities around the empire, it has been clear thus far that the Jews were not always trusted, liked, or respected by the gentile communities in which they lived. vi. Although their faith was granted a special status as being allowed to be practiced within the empire, it still did not mean that the pagans around them respected them. vii. But here, the non-believing Jews clearly had numerical and ideological superiority over the Jewish Christians. viii. If there was ever a chance to stamp out Paul and his teachings – this is it. ix. So, these Asian Jews take this chance, grab hold of Paul and stir up the crowd against him. x. How? b. [Slide 3] 28 - crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches to everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 - For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. i. These Asian Jews bring two charges against Paul. ii. The second charge is far more inflammatory to the crowd than the first. iii. The first charge is the accusation that Paul teaches against the Jewish people, against the law of Moses and against the temple of Yahweh, and he does so throughout the Roman Empire. iv. Ironically, this was the same charge levied against Stephen which led to his execution by stoning. Paul once saw things the same way these folks did. But for the grace of God yes? v. Such an accusation could be easily explained away. In fact, Paul's very presence in the temple that day going about his sacrifices and the end of his purity rituals would actually serve to counter their claim. vi. But the second charge is what gets the crowd stirred. vii. They claim that Paul has brought Trophimus, a man they would know to be a gentile, into the temple with him. viii. [Slide 4] As we know the temple mount could be entered by Gentiles. They could actually get fairly close to the temple itself. But Gentiles could not pass into the court of women or the court of the Israelites. ix. [Slide 5] Many scholars make much of the archeological evidence, like the sign on the screen, that warned gentiles with death if they entered into the temple grounds. And we even have speeches from Roman officials which seem to have allowed for the Jews to execute people who did violate such laws. x. But as I studied this, my mind wondered what Old Testament teaching or law is in view with the prohibition of gentiles entering the temple grounds. xi. Especially since they are under the impression that doing so would defile it. xii. What Old Testament law do they base this on? 1. [Slide 6] The closest thing I could find is Ezekiel 44:6-9 a. In reading this text, we can see very clearly that God judges Israel for allowing worshippers to come into the temple and even serve as priests who were neither circumcised in heart nor circumcised in flesh. b. God issues a command that no one shall enter His temple who is uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh. 2. [Slide 7] But what do we do with the 5th gospel of Isaiah, who says in Isaiah 56:6-8… a. Here we see… explicitly… that Gentiles should not be strictly forbidden to come into the temple to make sacrifices. b. Why? c. Because God will be the one bringing them to do that one day! 3. So how do we harmonize these two texts? a. How can God bring foreigners into the temple if those uncircumcised in heart and flesh cannot enter? b. How did the Jews of this time harmonize this? i. The Jews of this time, completely ignore the Isaiah passage. ii. Even if a Gentile converted and became a Jew, even becoming circumcised… they would still not be permitted, even into the court of women. c. So how do we harmonize it? i. While we could be accused of exploiting a loophole, the fact of the matter is that there are many prophetic riddles throughout the scriptures. God expects us to think as we read His Word. ii. [Slide 8] What two conditions must be met in order to reject a foreigner from the temple according to Ezekiel 44? They must be both uncircumcised in heart and in flesh. iii. Trophimus was a gentile, uncircumcised in flesh, but circumcised in his heart. Therefore, he does not meet the conditions of Ezekiel 44 but DOES meet the conditions of Isaiah 56. xiii. [Slide 9] Added to this – These Jews raise issue with Paul and grab hold of him and will drag him out and attempt to kill him even though… 1. He is a Jew 2. He is enduring purification rights under the Mosaic Law 3. Even if he brought a gentile into the temple… the Gentile is the one that should be killed according to their law, not him. He would certainly be punished perhaps even severely. 4. But Paul should not be killed for this infraction even if it were exactly as they said it was. xiv. The fact of the matter is, the Jews, because of their national pride and racial prejudice, have so perverted the Word of God that they have determined that the exact opposite of what He has revealed is true. xv. And now they are going to kill Paul, an apostle of their Messiah and Everlasting King, because of their rebellion and their racism. c. [Slide 10] 30 - Then all the city was stirred, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. i. As we pointed out last week, this time period was right in the middle of the escalation of hostility between Jews and the Roman Empire. ii. Although we are still 13 years away from the fall of Jerusalem, the conflict begins in AD 66 which is only 9 years away. iii. Not only that but Festus, a character we will meet in a few chapters, will actually spend two years making peace with the Jews and effectively kick the can of the revolt down the road… iv. Adding all this together we can see that even though the fall of Jerusalem is 13 years away, it is not a stretch for us to consider that at the moment Paul walks in the temple of Jerusalem, the divide between Jews and the Romans was nearing its peak. v. Knowing this, we can see quite easily why the crowd would respond to Paul the way they did. vi. Loyalty to the temple was closely tied to patriotism and Jewish Nationalism. An attack on the temple was an attack on Judaism. vii. And Paul is the lightening rod for all of this. viii. They took him out of the temple, because they could not commit violence and shed blood within the temple courts ix. To avoid this the guards close the doors. x. The temple guards could have stopped the violence. Instead, they closed the doors. d. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: Throughout the book of Acts Luke has portrayed the Jesus movement as the next step in Judaism. To confess Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah of God and eternal heir to the throne of David is to take the next and final step in the redemptive history of Israel. In Acts we've seen many Jews embrace this New Covenant, which was ratified in the death and resurrection of Jesus proving Him to be the Messiah. He is the Son of Man prophesied in Daniel. He is the suffering Servant prophesied in Isaiah. And yet, as clear as this was to many, it remained repulsive and offensive to many more. The offense of the gospel drives natural man to terrible things. Jesus predicted that the disciple is no greater than the master. Meaning that what they did to Him, we can expect the same to be done to us. Paul is actually living out that experience in the pages of the passage we just saw. They accused Jesus of blaspheming the temple. And here Paul is accused of defiling it. We can expect the same to come to us. If we are to preach the gospel, we should both expect it to be offensive to the world and that we will be falsely accused of doing evil things because of it. So, what is our response? Our text this morning does not include Paul's response to all of this. Mainly because his response is quite lengthy. But generally speaking, we can see as Paul raises his defense of the gospel and his ministry, that we too must be ready to give a defense for the hope we have in us. Transition: [Slide 12 (blank)] But surely someone in the crowd will have the sense to question Paul as to whether these things are true? Surely someone will have the courage to say – yes but Paul is still a Jew and can go into the temple himself. So surely he doesn't deserve to die? Let us see if anyone among them will do this. Perhaps the Romans will if the Jews won't? II.) Because of the offense of the gospel men will revile and persecute us, so we must be ready to give a defense for the hope we have in us. (31-36) a. [Slide 13] 31 - While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 - At once he took along soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. i. Luke doesn't tell us who took the report to the commander. Perhaps one of Paul's companions or the church reported this to the Roman officer? ii. A Roman cohort consists of 1000 men. It is roughly 1/6 of a Roman Legion. iii. Within each cohort there were there were Centuries which would be 100 men, and each of them would be lead by a Centurion. iv. As a Roman officer in Judea, your one job is to make sure that these generally rebellious Jews paid their taxes and didn't revolt. v. During festivals, when Jerusalem was full of Jews on pilgrimage, it would be all hands on deck. vi. We see that this commander wastes no time, at once taking soldiers and their centurions down to where the beating was happening. vii. The Anatolia fortress was located on the Western side of the northern wall of the temple mount. Two stair cases down led to the outer courts. viii. So they were probably there quickly. ix. It is hard to know how many men he took with him, but we can assume at least a couple hundred since he took centurions (plural) with him. x. Assuming that is the case, 200 fully armed Roman soldiers running down the steps to the temple would be quite an intimidating sight. xi. No wonder the Jews stopped beating Paul when they came marching down. xii. But if the relations of the Romans and the Jews are so strained, how would the Roman Commander make sure that this doesn't look like the Romans are once again coming in to tell them how they should practice their religion? b. [Slide 14] 33 - Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. i. The Roman Commander has Paul bound in chains, probably to two separate guards. He then asks who the man was and what he has done. ii. The concept of innocent until proven guilty is not a universal ideal. iii. The Romans certainly did not consider prisoners innocent until proven guilty. iv. In fact, as we've seen in the study of the book ok Acts, their subjects especially those who were not Roman citizens, could be beaten and imprisoned, and in some cases even killed without charge. v. This Roman commander shrewdly assumes that the man being beaten is guilty and asks the crowd for the information regarding his guilt. vi. If the answer he got was that clear – that Paul had defiled the temple – the Roman officer probably would have let them kill Paul. c. [Slide 15] 34 - But among the crowd some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. i. This is the very definition of mob mentality. ii. Most of these people had no idea why they were hitting this man, they just knew that he had done something worth hitting him for. iii. When emotionalism and extreme rhetoric wins, the most natural thing we humans do, is follow the crowd of people who scream the loudest. iv. We'll always find something to be outraged about, and if it isn't what the crowd is outraged about – that's ok – we'll just vent our frustration in the convenient opportunity the mob has provided. v. Like when we burn a city when a football team wins… or also if they lose the big game???? vi. Such in the case here. vii. Seeing that the crowd has no idea who this person is or what he did, the commander chooses to escort the man to safety so that they could interrogate the prisoner himself. Which we will see him attempt to do in a few weeks. d. [Slide 16] 35 - And when he got to the stairs, he actually was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd; 36 - for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him!” i. Even today, tactically speaking, stairs are what are called fatal funnels. ii. They are essentially hallways forcing you to change altitude and keeping you from flanking to safety. iii. These stairs are probably the first flight of stairs up to the Anatolian fortress. They would have been quite wide, but would have been difficult to navigate especially with a large crowd of people following them trying to get at their prisoner. iv. The Roman soldiers are forced to pick up and carry Paul up the stairs because the crowd continued to try to assault Paul on the way up. v. They call out “away with him” which is a great literal translation of the words, but idiomatically this certainly was their cry for Paul to be put to death. vi. We are reminded of the crowds call to “crucify” someone after He too entered the temple offering something that no one wanted. vii. Scholars sometimes press the similarities too far, but I think it is obvious that Luke sees the similarity of Christ's experience in Jerusalem during his passion week and Paul's experience here. Although they do not end the same of course. e. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: Although Luke makes it clear in the book of Acts that the Romans saw no threat posed to the empire by the Christians, we should note that that doesn't mean that the Romans would always ride in and save Christians from persecution. In fact, this particular Roman commander not only arrested Paul without any idea what Paul did, he also, as we will see in the following weeks, intends to beat Paul some more in order to find out what happened in the temple. And these Jews, while not being in agreement as to why Paul was being beaten, all agreed on one thing… he needed to die. Again, we compare Paul's experience to our Lord Jesus'. He too was not rescued by the Romans. And the people cried out for Him to be killed too. Paul is suffering the same way Jesus suffered. If it can happen to Paul, and all the apostles, and countless others throughout the church's history, then it most certainly can… and will happen to us. If we faithfully preach the gospel men will revile us and persecute us. Why? Because the gospel is offensive. But again, what do we do when this happens? We must be ready to give an answer for the hope we have in us. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today and how shall we live? Basic Concepts for Faith and Practice: [Slide 18] The gospel is by nature offensive to natural man. The religiously zealous Jews and the Roman pagans alike, both despise what Paul teaches and seek to silence it. And the world goes about silencing those who speak the gospel in two ways presented in this passage. They falsely accuse those who preach the gospel of evil things. They accused Paul of defiling the temple and teaching against the law of Moses. They will also revile and persecute those who preach the gospel. We see them beat, arrest, and call for the execution of Paul, to silence his teaching of the gospel. What does that mean for us? They will hate us too. Even if we are nice. Even if we are kind. Even if we are loving. They will still hate us. They will falsely accuse us of some of the most terrible things. And they will revile us and persecute us. What then should we do? We must be ready to give an answer for the hope we have in us. Even as they usher us through the door to that hope. These are the basic concepts of faith and practice in this text – but let's us dive a little deeper into them today. 1.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the gospel is offensive to natural man. a. Why is it offensive? b. It teaches that every single person, whether they are moral, immoral, religious, irreligious, wealthy, poor, powerful, powerless, strong, weak, regardless of nationality, tribe, language, political party, every person is spiritually dead in their sin. c. They are… as the bible calls them… children of wrath. d. Slaves to sin. e. Every single person lacks all agency to do anything to save themselves or even to seek God to save them. f. This is what Paul says in Romans chapter 3 and this is what Augustine of Hippo defended in his treatise On Grace and Free Will against the Pelagian heresy. g. Mankind is not naturally equipped in their will to choose God or pursue Him in any way. They are given commands by God but are unable to accomplish them without God giving them grace to do so. h. There are two things I have found in my life that seem to be universally true of we humans. i. We hate being told we are wrong ii. And we hate being told we can't do anything about it. iii. Not only do we hate being told these things… we reject these things entirely. i. But the gospel tells us both and to the most extreme degree. i. It isn't just that we are wrong… we are dead wrong. So wrong that we have committed treason against the highest court of the highest kingdom on whose throne sits the highest God, Yahweh. ii. And we not only can't do anything about it… we don't even want to. Men love darkness and hate the light because their deeds are evil and they want to keep doing them. iii. There are none righteous and there are none who seek God. You are children of wrath of your father the devil and slaves to sin. iv. Just to quote a few j. All of this is the preamble of the gospel. k. It's funny – to the world that doesn't sound like good news at all. l. But to we who have been made alive in Christ… To know we are sinners and deserve nothing but judgment and wrath… That truly is good news. m. Why? n. Because Christ died for sinners! Just like you. Just like me. o. But until God gives a new heart and enables a person to see their own wickedness, they will continue to hate the gospel and fundamentally disagree with its accusations against them. p. As Matthew Henry once said, “Men hate Christ because they love their sin.” q. From our discussion last week – fear that the gospel may be right leads them to hate it. And what do we humans do with things we fear? We either flee them or we fight them. r. And that leads us to something we must deny. A lie we must dismiss especially now in the culture we are in… 2.) [Slide 20] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that religious toleration for the true gospel is normative. a. Although it is a much easier sell today than it would have been a few decades ago, because we still have relative freedom to continue to worship God in the way that He has commanded us to, we tend to find it difficult to connect with warnings about coming persecution. b. One other general human trait that I have observed is that we as humans tend to believe that all of life will continue as it has. We assume that because we live in a country where we are free from constant persecution against our beliefs that this will always be true. c. However, we know from the words of Christ that if we are His disciple then we should not expect anything less than the same rejection He experienced. d. If Men hate Christ because they love their sin – it stands to reason that they will hate any who follow Christ and are calling them to repent of their sin. e. This is why the “God loves you and is just wanting you to love Him back” gospel message is so popular today. Because it doesn't actually call anyone to abandon their sin. Instead, the message conveys the idea that God would be really lucky to have you if you would just say yes. f. And because of this message being out there, the real gospel message of God calling all men to repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord – is reviled and despised. g. And just like Paul was accused of blasphemy against the temple and even betrayal toward his own kinsmen, we too will be slandered. i. We spoke last week how the church is seen as homophobic or transphobic because we agree with God about sexuality and gender. ii. We are accused of hating democracy and freedom because we advocate for our laws to be based on God's moral will. iii. We are accused of intolerance because we believe Jesus when He says He is the only way to the Father. iv. We are accused of hating women because we believe God's word when it tells us of gender roles and authority structures within the home. v. In short, the world will rebrand us as arch villains because we have the audacity to see, through the lens of ancient Scripture, that their cherished practices are sin. vi. And we may, in the most loving and compassionate way we can, call them to repent and trust on Christ for the forgiveness of sin and new life… vii. But remember men love darkness rather than light for their deeds are evil. viii. God must give them a new heart in order for them to receive the gifts of repentance and faith. h. And unfortunately, men's hatred of the gospel and those who preach it will not just stop at slander. As it did with Paul, slander was the vehicle used to harm, revile, and persecute Paul. We too should expect the same. i. It is only a small step from where we are to where many other countries are in relation to persecution. ii. We may be tempted to think that such things could never happen in our country or that if they do, we are decades away. iii. But my friends, it would not surprise me to wake up tomorrow and learn that it is no longer legal to preach certain scripture passages or certain interpretations of scriptures passages. iv. It seemed like overnight governors of states were commanding churches not to sing to God in their services. v. And there isn't a party that exists today that has a biblical worldview. So just like Paul could not look to the Romans to save him, so too we cannot look to the Republicans to save us. vi. We will be persecuted on all sides. Not just from liberals. We will be persecuted by people who call themselves Christians. Perhaps even some in this very room will be the ones turning us in to the authorities. i. I don't know when the hammer will fall. I don't know how long God will allow for us to worship Him in peace with the culture around us. But I do know that from where the country started to where we are – our trajectory is on a nose dive headed straight for persecution. j. It does us no good to put our heads in the sand and continue to deny that such things would or could happen. k. We must even now ready ourselves by counting the cost and whether we are willing to pay it. l. But what is our response to persecution? Should we resist? Should we fight back? 3.) [Slide 21] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must take every opportunity to give a defense of the hope that is in us. a. Interestingly, in this text, there is not a single example positively of what we are to do, nor is there a direct command in this passage associated to what is happening in the text. b. Before the end of this chapter Paul will respond. c. And originally in my sermon planning I did include verses 37-40. d. But in order to understand Paul's response we would need to look into what he says which would mean looking at MANY more verses. e. Paul actually begins his first of 6 defenses of his faith and ministry that are recorded in the last 7 chapters of the book of Acts starting in chapter 22. f. Now without looking at the first defense in its entirety let alone looking at all 6 defenses, we can still draw a very general application from what we know of the remainder of the book of Acts. g. And quite simply that is that we should take every opportunity we are given, in the midst of persecution, in the midst of slander, in the midst of opposition and hardship from all sides, we should take the opportunity we are given to give a defense for the hope that is in us. h. We cannot afford to fight back, resist, or get even when persecution comes. Why? Because we always have a responsibility to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. i. Paul was gravely assaulted by these people, but he will stand before them and 5 more hostile audiences in the next 7 chapters, and will boldly decare the gospel of Jesus Christ. j. We must do the same. k. And maybe you are thinking… wow. I don't think I can do that. l. That is just not my default setting. Someone takes a swipe at me, my natural impulse is going to be to swipe back. m. So, the real discussion is, how do you fight that natural impulse and do what Jesus commands you to do? n. I think it starts with what Jesus says should be our perspective on persecution in general. 4.) [Slide 22] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must rejoice and be exceedingly glad when we are persecuted for Christ's sake. a. Although you'll have to forgive me for going outside of our text this morning to snag this application, because the scriptures are one, I don't think I am doing any disservice to Luke's account by tossing this little aside in. b. [Slide 23] Matthew 5:11-12 c. After reading this text, tell me you don't see Paul's experience all over Christ's teaching here in the sermon on the mount! d. Paul was slandered. Paul was reviled. Paul was persecuted for Christ's sake. So, what should Paul's response be? What should our response be? e. We must rejoice and be exceedingly glad. f. What? Why? g. Because we are blessed. We are favored of God when this happens. h. How does that compute? How does this comfort us? 5.) [Slide 24] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Our reward in heaven is great and we are in good company. a. God's kingdom and His righteousness is constantly opposed by a kingdom that is perishing. b. In the Old Testament, God's prophets were treated this way. And time proved that they were right. c. In the New Testament, His apostles were treated this way and time has proved out that they were right. d. My friends, if you are truly slandered, reviled, and abused for the sake of Christ and His gospel… You are blessed. e. You are blessed because your reward will be great in the Kingdom and in that kingdom there will be many, just like you, who were hated for the gospel. f. So, rejoice and be exceedingly glad. g. You are in good company. [Slide 25 (end)] Let me close with a word of prayer from the English Reformer Thomas Cranmer Merciful God, you grant all peace. You are the giver of all good gifts, the defender of all nations. And you desire us to count all people as neighbors, to love them as ourselves, and not to hate our enemies. Rather, you want us to wish them well, and also to do them good if we can. Look down upon us and see this small portion of earth where the name of Jesus Christ is proclaimed. Give to all of us the desire for peace, unity, and calm. Make us weary of all war and hostility, weary of bitterness toward those we call enemies. May we and they praise your holy name with one heart. May we all remake our lives according to your way. Grant, O Lord, that our children's children may know the benefit of your great gift of unity. May you discredit all those who work against it. Diminish their strength and punish those who interrupt godly peace-or rather, convert their hearts to the better way, and make them embrace unity and peace, which will be for your glory. Put away from us all war and hostility. But if we are driven to it, be our shield and protection as we seek peace. Do not look on our sins, Lord, or the sins of our enemies. Do not give us what we deserve, but remember your abundant, infinite mercy. Do this, O Lord, for your Son's sake, Jesus Christ. Amen. Benediction: May the God Who changes not, Who has no shadow of turning, And Whose compassions fail not, Preserve you by His loving kindness, So that you might know, Great are His faithful acts, they are new every morning. Until we meet again, go in peace.

In Acts 25 tells us that, when Festus was determined to send Paul to Jerusalem, the Apostle had no alternative but to make his appeal to Caesar. After a short period of time Festus conducts another hearing of Paul's matters. Festus was again seeking the favour of the Jews and at this time Paul announces that he would exercise his right as a Roman Citizen to be judged by Caesar. We then hear of Herod Agrippa and his wife Bernice visiting Caesarea and at this time Festus requests that they hear Paul's case as Festus was struggling with the wording of the charge to be made against Paul. Festus explains to Agrippa that in his opinion there was no commuting or a capital crime, but simply matters concerning Jewish law. With great pomp and ceremony Agrippa, Bernice and all the other dignitaries enter the judgment hall. Festus seeks Agrippa's view about the nature of the charge to appear on the letter to be sent to Caesar. Chapter 26 records Paul's defence and his earnest appeal to Agrippa to embrace the Christian cause. Paul tells his audience of his fervour for the Jewish way and his concerted opposition to Christianity. But when he was confronted by the risen Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus everything changed. He tells the audience of his great commission and then knowing king Agrippa to be a man who read the prophets he appeals to the king to adopt the Christian belief. Festus, being embarrassed by the situation, attempts to finish the hearing immediately by declaring Paul to be mad due to his great learning. Paul was not to be silenced so quickly and continues to ask Agrippa whether he believes the prophets. Paul states plainly I know you believe them king Agrippa. At this point king Agrippa and all the dignitaries rise and leave with the king stating Paul's innocence.

Deuteronomy 28 verses 1 to 15 speak of the blessings that would accompany obedience to the ways of the LORD. Verses 16 to 68 speak of the punishment (curses) for disobedience – more than a threefold increase over the blessings. This in itself is an indication of the dominant direction that the nation of Israel would follow. Joshua no doubt picks up on this in the 24th chapter which gives his speech after the reading of Deuteronomy 27 and 28. The cursings contain prophecies about the holocaust which overtook the Jewish people in the middle of the twentieth century (particularly note verses 65-67). It is also interesting that there was no requirement for assent with the pronouncement of “Amen” after any of the blessings and cursings of chapter 28. The blessings tell of bountiful harvests, fruitful families and a guarantee of peace when the nation came to Jerusalem for worship. The cursed speak of droughts, adverse weather, poor crops, of being endlessly pursued by their enemies and of an incapacity to stand and fight against their foes. Song of Solomon 8 concludes the book. In the first 7 verses the bride continues to extol her well loved and highly desired husband. She says their mutual joys are like those of innocent children. These thoughts transport us in mind back to the innocence that was once in Eden before sin entered the world. These conditions will likewise characterise the kingdom age which will be ruled over by our majestic Master and his glorious bride. Verse 6 talks of a seal. Our eternal Father gives us this seal through His beloved Son the Lord Jesus Christ – John 6:26-29; Revelation 14:1-5. In the KJV we find no mention of Yahweh's name, nor reference to any of His titles. The ESV translation of verse 6, “set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of Yah.” Nothing can, says Solomon, be valued above love. This is true for the love of God and that of His Son – Romans 8:31-39. In verses 8-9 the bride's companions say that they have a litttle sister. The day when she will be spoken for will be the time when the fulness of the Gentiles will occur in the kingdom when all nations will at the millennium's end be incorporated into the body of Christ. In verses 10-12 the bride continues with her counting her blessings. In verse 13 the groom tells of his longing to hear the voice of his desirable spouse. The bride finishes the song in verse 14 with an urging of her groom to rush to her side to be with her (evermore). “Even so. Come Lord Jesus.” Read and ponder the culmination of our desires in Revelation 22:20-21. In Acts 25 tells us that, when Festus was determined to send Paul to Jerusalem, the Apostle had no alternative but to make his appeal to Caesar. After a short period of time Festus conducts another hearing of Paul's matters. Festus was again seeking the favour of the Jews and at this time Paul announces that he would exercise his right as a Roman Citizen to be judged by Caesar. We then hear of Herod Agrippa and his wife Bernice visiting Caesarea and at this time Festus requests that they hear Paul's case as Festus was struggling with the wording of the charge to be made against Paul. Festus explains to Agrippa that in his opinion there was no commuting or a capital crime, but simply matters concerning Jewish law. With great pomp and ceremony Agrippa, Bernice and all the other dignitaries enter the judgment hall. Festus seeks Agrippa's view about the nature of the charge to appear on the letter to be sent to Caesar. Chapter 26 records Paul's defence and his earnest appeal to Agrippa to embrace the Christian cause. Paul tells his audience of his fervour for the Jewish way and his concerted opposition to Christianity. But when he was confronted by the risen Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus everything changed. He tells the audience of his great commission and then knowing king Agrippa to be a man who read the prophets he appeals to the king to adopt the Christian belief. Festus, being embarrassed by the situation, attempts to finish the hearing immediately by declaring Paul to be mad due to his great learning. Paul was not to be silenced so quickly and continues to ask Agrippa whether he believes the prophets. Paul states plainly I know you believe them king Agrippa. At this point king Agrippa and all the dignitaries rise and leave with the king stating Paul's innocence.

Deuteronomy 27 commands Israel that when they enter the land the nation should be assembled together at Shechem – which means the burden bearer. This town has an incredible history from the time Joshua gathered the nation to this location as soon as the major conquests of the land had been completed until the advent of our Lord Jesus' visit as John 4 records. The village lies in a valley between two mountains – Ebal and Gerazim. Six tribes were to stand upon each of these mountains to hear the reciting of Deuteronomy chapters 27 and 28. The curses for disobedience are found in chapter 27 and the blessings for obedience in chapter 28. Before this happens large stones were whitewashed and the words of the curses and the blessings were written on them. These were to be a record to remind the Israelites of the LORD's favour and goodness in bringing the people into the Promised Land. Additionally an altar of unhewn stones was to be built on Mount Ebal – the mountain of cursing. We, perhaps, puzzle that it should be the mountain of cursing where God's altar was to be. Why? Perhaps since the curses become more prominent in the nation's subsequent history as Joshua would point out towards the end of his life – Joshua 24 verses 18-22. Sacrifices were offered on Yahweh's altar. It is interesting to note that the confusing worship of the Samaritans had its focus on Mount Gerazim (John 4 verses 20). The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin were to stand on Mount Gerazim. On Mount Ebal stood the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulon, Dan and Naphtali. The Levites were to recite in a loud voice all the curses and the blessings. After each curse the people of Israel were to audibly respond with the word “Amen”. Think about that as we find that word in chapter in each of the verses from 15-32. In past ages it was normal practice for each member of the congregation in our ecclesias to audibly say “Amen” as a sign of accord with what had been said. It meant that we were participating in the prayer and agreeing that the prayer was not just for the praying brother, but that it was our prayer. And so we said “Amen” meaning ‘so be it'.. Song of Solomon chapter 7 is in two parts. In verses 1-9a the groom continues from the last verse of chapter 6 in his praise of his bride. This song starts in the concluding words of the sixth chapter. The groom speaks of his soulmate in metaphors describing her feet, her thighs, her navel, her belly, her breasts, her neck, her eyes, her nose, her head, the locks of her hair, her poise and her pleasantries. He knows her every part. Just as our Lord Jesus Christ intimately knows everything about us. And we must come to know him just as we are known – John 17 verses 3-8; 1 Corinthians 13 verses 9-13. In verses 9b-13 the bride responds by declaring that she finds her groom to be desirable in every respect. In verses 11-13 she wholeheartedly gives herself to him in enraptured love. Acts 23 tells of Paul before the Sanhedrin. In a similar way to when our Lord Jesus Christ appears before them, the hearing commences with an illegality from the High Priest, Ananias. That corrupt priest commands that the Apostle be smitten on the cheek – this is contrary to the Law of Moses. Paul reacts to this violation by saying that God would in His time smite the high priest. For this answer Paul is rebuked by those of the Council. The Apostle says he had not recognised the high priest. This seems unusual as in Acts 9 this high priest had given letters to Paul authorising the persecution at Damascus. Some such as Ramsay have suggested Paul's eyesight was poor, due to malaria possibly contracted on his first missionary journey. Others suggest that this is in fact a rebuttal of the high priest's right to hold that office. Paul undoubtedly had poor eyesight as many of his letters attest eg Galatians 6:11. The Apostle sees the impossibility of him getting a fair trial and so he divides the Council on the question of the teaching of the Scriptures regarding the raising of the dead. Verse 8 tells us of the difference in teaching between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Verse 10 informs us that the disagreement became violent. Paul is once again rescued. Paul's sister's son learns of a plot to assassinate Paul and informs the chief captain. The chief captain immediately responds by sending Paul to Felix the Roman Governor in Caesarea with a heavily armed escort – a journey of two days. This heavily armed company carry with them a letter explaining why the Chief Captain has taken these measures. Chapter 24 speaks of Paul before Felix and of the flattering orator the Jews hired to prosecute the Apostle. The Apostle defends each charge magnificently. Paul points out that he came to Jerusalem for worship and to bring charitable gifts for his nation. The aged Apostle also is a Pharisee. The Pharisaic teachings were an allowable teaching among the Jews. Felix finds himself in a difficult place having some understanding of the teachings of the Way (an early name for believers in Christ Jesus). Felix detains Paul not wanting to fall out of favour with the Jews. Paul is provided with protection and liberty. Having heard of Paul's bringing charity to his fellow Jews Felix hopes to secure a bribe. Felix becomes very disturbed knowing that since he understands the reality of the coming judgment and that he would be subject to the judgment of God. Felix's life makes it certain that he will be rejected when that judgment comes. After two years Rome replaces Governor Felix with Governor Festus. Festus maintains Paul's imprisonment to please the Jews.

5-6-25 - Tonight we're talking with Alen RadoŠević with Fool Moon Meadery in Romania. Alen makes excellent mead and has a meadery that sells in Romania only (for now). Alen is owner and meadmaker at FoolMoon Transilvania - Romania. Alen is Certified through the Level 2 Mead Judging Program at the European Mead Makers Association. He is also winner of gold and silver medals at the 2025 Mead Madness CUP (MMC). Alen is relatively new to mead, but it hasn't slowed him down at all. He's been making mead since 2020, and has a long family tradition of making wine and rakija. Somewhere in 2020, Alen switched from sourdough to mead because he wanted to feed his sourdough with honey. There was a small experimental batch and it grew into passion. Fool Moon opened in 2023, but didn't go public until 2024, after wending their way through a mess of paperwork in Romania. I got to meet him and sample his mead, and hang out at the Copa Hidromiel 2024 in Mexico City, where he nabbed a couple medals. Join us to talk mead with Alen! To listen live, you can find us on Youtube, Twitch, X (Twitter), and Facebook on the Gotmead Page. On our new platform, chat is part of the podcast! Just comment from wherever you are watching, and we'll see it!! If you'd like to call in, we can get you a link to come on! Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/meadwench YouTube: YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@Gotmead X(Twitter): https://x.com/RealGotMead Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GotMead Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GotMead Sponsor: Look no further than Honnibrook Craft Meadery in Castle Rock, Colorado, for your go-to destination for wonderful, light, and refreshing mead! We have 20 meads on tap and four seasonal mead slushees.  Go to honnibrook.com for review our tap list, upcoming events and to order online! From July 23-August 2, 2025, take a magical meadery tour, and step into the heart of Central Europe on a journey that blends history, culture, and craft in three remarkable capitals — Prague, Bratislava, and Warsaw. Explore vibrant cityscapes and quiet countryside, from medieval old towns and historic abbeys to family-run meaderies and world-renowned breweries. You will visit the Mead Museum in Prague, Strahov Monastery Brewery, Pilsner Urquell Brewery, Apimed Mead, Branislav Novosedlík Mead, Richtár Jakub Brewery, Pasieka Jaros Mead, Corpo Mead, and Apis Mead. This tour is limited to 25 people, reserve your spot now at europeandiscoveriesllc.com/tours/250723cmm  If you want to ask your mead making questions, you can call us at 803-443-MEAD (6323) or send us a question via email, or via Twitter @realGotMead and we'll tackle it online! 9PM EDT/6PM PDT (United States) Join us on live chat during the show Upcoming Shows May 20 - Joe Marshall - Lily Belle Meads, Buffalo, NY June 3 - Brian Green - Centeur Imports - mead importers Show links and notes Let There Be Melomels by Rob Ratliff The Big Book of Mead Recipes by Rob Ratliff Let There Be Session Meads by Rob Ratliff Upcoming Events May 8 - Kingview Mead, Mt. Lebanon, PA - Day One acoustic music May 9 - Apis Mead and Winery, Carnegie, PA - Vinyl Rewind live music May 10 - Mr. B's Meadery, Seattle, WA - Charcuterie Making Workshop at Mr. B's White Center May 15 - Nucleus Mead, Lineville, PA - Mead and Read event - bring a book and find new reads May 17 - Sugarbelt Mead Festival, Crown Pointe, IN - Many meaderies with their wares at this festival - live music, food trucks and more! May 17 - Four Brothers Mead, Festus, MO - JJ playing live music May 18 - Perry Vine, South Bend, IN - Brews and Bites: Five Course, Small Bites and Mead Pairing May 21 - Kingview Mead, Mount Lebanon, PA - Trivia Night May 22 - The Skeptic Meadery, Mount Juliet, TN - Mead Making 101 May 23 - Grimsby Hollow Meadery, Middleville, MI - Dungeons and Dragons Mead Up

Acts 25:1-27 April 30, 2025 PM.Paul uses the legal means at his disposal to save his life from persecutors. Although the new governor, Festus, initially seems more decisive than Felix before him, it becomes evident that all he wants to do is please the Jewish enemies of Paul. Paul is forced to appeal to Caesar. Otherwise, he would end up in Jerusalem in the hands of the San Hedrin council, who would undoubtedly kill him as they killed Jesus years earlier.

Asst. Pastor Melvin Gaines Acts 26:22-32

Acts 25:1-26:32 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - In Acts 25-26, Paul stood before the Roman governor Festus and King Agrippa II. Festus couldn't figure out what charges to put down against Paul before shipping him off to Rome. So, he had King Agrippa listen to the Jewish accusers as well as Paul's defense. While the path of obedience hadn't been easy, and although many people resisted the message of God's grace, Paul wouldn't be silenced. He used every opportunity to speak about the resurrected Savior. Only Jesus can turn people from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, from sinful enslavement to freedom. So Paul proclaimed Christ to all who would hear. May the Lord use his word to encourage each of us to walk in his will and share his message of grace.

The Challenge of ActsN.T. WrightIn this session, Will Dyer reflects on the significance of the resurrection as the central tenet of Christian faith, emphasizing its revolutionary implications for the church and creation. ​ They provide a detailed overview of Acts chapters 25-28, highlighting Paul's trials before Festus and Agrippa, his journey to Rome, and his unwavering commitment to spreading the gospel despite challenges. Key themes include the resurrection's transformative power, the call for large-scale reconciliation, the inevitability of opposition when advancing the gospel, and the innocence and worthiness of the gospel message. Will Dyer concludes by underscoring that the story of Acts is not about Paul but about Jesus' continued work through the gospel, challenging listeners to prioritize faithfulness to the gospel over personal achievements. ​ The session ends with a prayer for strength, trust in God's guidance, and gratitude for Jesus' resurrection.

(00:00-18:38) Jamie Rivers checking in with us. What the Blues need to do to get back in this series. Third period has been the Blues' nemesis. The atmosphere at the Enterprise Center tomorrow night. Jets trying to get in Binner's kitchen. Story of Jamie playing against Mario Lemieux. The importance of scoring the first goal. Rump pats.(18:46-35:11) Doug can't keep his feet from moving. Oli Marmol talking about the offensive performance and Pallante and Matz on the mound. Needed this one. Nolan Gorman talking to The Cat postgame. Maypole celebration. They're not happy with the late puck drop in Minnesota. (35:21-58:56) Taylor Twellman joins the show talking about the dire situation STL City is in. Dealing with injuries in training. Fans still showing up. Just not scoring any goals. The ownership's need to spend money. But need more than just one player to fix this. Still 2-3 pieces away. Are there any needlepoint belts in Festus? Chairman has always been fashion forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-18:38) Jamie Rivers checking in with us. What the Blues need to do to get back in this series. Third period has been the Blues' nemesis. The atmosphere at the Enterprise Center tomorrow night. Jets trying to get in Binner's kitchen. Story of Jamie playing against Mario Lemieux. The importance of scoring the first goal. Rump pats. (18:46-35:11) Doug can't keep his feet from moving. Oli Marmol talking about the offensive performance and Pallante and Matz on the mound. Needed this one. Nolan Gorman talking to The Cat postgame. Maypole celebration. They're not happy with the late puck drop in Minnesota. (35:21-58:56) Taylor Twellman joins the show talking about the dire situation STL City is in. Dealing with injuries in training. Fans still showing up. Just not scoring any goals. The ownership's need to spend money. But need more than just one player to fix this. Still 2-3 pieces away. Are there any needlepoint belts in Festus? Chairman has always been fashion forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The purpose of the anointing oil in the Old Testament can be a confusing and often misunderstood topic for believers today.  Guest Speaker Festus Nsoha breaks down the biblical and historical use for this oil and how it can still be beneficial today if utilized in the proper context. Resources: Learn More About Festus Nsoha: Oasis Church Get Pastor Mitch's New Book "An Appointment with God's Power": Order on Amazon Website: victorychurchraleigh.com Subscribe to our Weekly Podcast!

Asst. Pastor Melvin Gaines Acts 25:13-27

Festus assumes the new role of Roman governor and quickly seeks to address Paul's case. While Festus demonstrates a direct approach, his main contribution to the narrative is honoring Paul's appeal to Caesar. Preached by Jared Kress on April 13th, 2025. Series: "Church on Trial, The Book of Acts." Primary Text: Acts 25. Join us in person Sundays at 10:30am at 6325 Poplar Ave, Memphis TN or online at https://www.kirbywoods.org/live. Follow us online! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kirbywoodsmemphis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirbywoodsmemphis YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kirbywoods Podcast: https://kirbywoodspodcast.buzzsprout.com

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Join us as teaching elder Adam Vinson continues our study through the book of Acts. Notes from today's sermon can be seen here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yo9G43hw0ItgEXxgYRpmu5Rl6npEBIkB/view

Acts 25:1-12

(00:00-37:20) Jackson and Robert Thomas have really bonded. Incessant babble. Tim's phone is a pipeline to former Listeners of the Year. The Tim Curse has been broken. Doug says line em up, and knock em down. What a moment for Kevin Hayes. Falling asleep in the MRI machine. Audio of Jim Montgomery talking about coming out flat and still getting the W. Jimmy Snipes gets his first NHL point. Rich Gould's having his heel scraped. St. Louis Hills Country Club. (37:28-1:04:11) What's the deal with the Stanley cups? Tim missed Lern's birthday party. Was it Jackson's fault? Martin's profile pic is a picture of a bull. Jerry Lewis and Andy Dick. Why was Andy Dick in ProdJoe's hotel room? Crosby having dinner at Schenn's house. (1:04:21-1:15:41) Chairman says Stevie Wonder is not blind. Songs of jubilation. Pestus in Festus has some Blues updates for us. Pestus gives his take on Chairman's Stevie Wonder theory. The byproduct of a hard working husband. The Real Housewives of TMA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-16:25) Doug, you wanted Gloria? You got it. Cardinals celebration songs over the years. The Vengaboys. Buzz wants to talk it over with the boys. Total fat in Buzz's jalapeño and cheese sausage roll. Buzz's abstinence has lead to this Blues run. Festus flare ups. The female listeners are lining up for the Real Housewives of TMA. Be better, not bitter.(16:33-39:02) Doug didn't watch much Glee. Jane Lynch. 90 minute White Lotus finale this weekend. Enthusiasm towards the Cardinals. Rays North. Has the Marmol hate lessened at all? Nolan Gorman to IL, Saggese with the call up. The Battle Turf. Bring the Bengals home. (39:12-44:02) Puck Cancer charity game tonight. Joel Quenneville. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-16:25) Doug, you wanted Gloria? You got it. Cardinals celebration songs over the years. The Vengaboys. Buzz wants to talk it over with the boys. Total fat in Buzz's jalapeño and cheese sausage roll. Buzz's abstinence has lead to this Blues run. Festus flare ups. The female listeners are lining up for the Real Housewives of TMA. Be better, not bitter. (16:33-39:02) Doug didn't watch much Glee. Jane Lynch. 90 minute White Lotus finale this weekend. Enthusiasm towards the Cardinals. Rays North. Has the Marmol hate lessened at all? Nolan Gorman to IL, Saggese with the call up. The Battle Turf. Bring the Bengals home. (39:12-44:02) Puck Cancer charity game tonight. Joel Quenneville. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(00:00-37:20) Jackson and Robert Thomas have really bonded. Incessant babble. Tim's phone is a pipeline to former Listeners of the Year. The Tim Curse has been broken. Doug says line em up, and knock em down. What a moment for Kevin Hayes. Falling asleep in the MRI machine. Audio of Jim Montgomery talking about coming out flat and still getting the W. Jimmy Snipes gets his first NHL point. Rich Gould's having his heel scraped. St. Louis Hills Country Club. (37:28-1:04:11) What's the deal with the Stanley cups? Tim missed Lern's birthday party. Was it Jackson's fault? Martin's profile pic is a picture of a bull. Jerry Lewis and Andy Dick. Why was Andy Dick in ProdJoe's hotel room? Crosby having dinner at Schenn's house. (1:04:21-1:15:41) Chairman says Stevie Wonder is not blind. Songs of jubilation. Pestus in Festus has some Blues updates for us. Pestus gives his take on Chairman's Stevie Wonder theory. The byproduct of a hard working husband. The Real Housewives of TMA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Living as New Creations in and through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:11-17) Please turn to 2 Corinthians 5:11-17 in your Bibles. That can be found on page 1147 of the pew Bible. In these verses, the apostle Paul transitions from the resurrection hope that Christ gives us in our suffering…. to now focusing in on the heart transformation that we are given in him. The connection between verses 1-10 and 11-17 is the Gospel. It's the death and resurrection of Christ. This good news is both the hope for eternity in suffering and it's the transforming power for godly living. As I read, listen for two things. Listen for a description of Jesus' ministry. And listen for a comparison between the old life and the new life in Christ. Reading of 2 Corinthians 5:11-17 Prayer There are about 18,000 species of butterflies – 18,000 different species. That translates into billions and billions of butterflies around the world today – it's hard to even estimate how many. And this is the time of year when they just start coming out. Kids, maybe you've tried to catch one with a butterfly net. Maybe you've seen a beautiful Monarch… or one of the different kinds of Swallowtails. As you know, they truly are exquisite –different colors like blues and yellows and cool patterns and shimmery reflections. But the thing is, they didn't start that way. No, all butterflies began life as a caterpillar. And some of them are not that appealing. Like the Monarch – it begins life as a worm like caterpillar with pale and dirty looking bands on it. Other caterpillars look like green slugs. One kind of caterpillar apparently looks like bird droppings. Others have spikes or bumpy skin. But then something amazing happens to each one of them. They go through a metamorphosis… a transformation. Literally inside their cocoons, their bodies melt away into a soupy kind of ooze which is then metamorphosed into a beautiful butterfly. When they emerge, they are… new creations, in a way. The old has passed away, behold the new has come. You probably saw that one coming. But the parallel is true. The metamorphosis that a caterpillar goes through in becoming a butterfly is like the metamorphosis that someone goes through in becoming a Christian. The transformation is an internal transformation. Our insides, our hearts, are changed… they're melted and we become and are becoming reflections of God in Christ. Now, the word “transformation” is not used in this passage, but the ideas are all here. In fact, in the Greek, the word transformation is the word “metamorphose”. Like in Romans chapter 12 verse 2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Be metamorphosed. Here in 2 Corinthians 5 11-17, Paul, in part, describes the difference between someone who still has their old nature and someone who has been transformed into a new creation in Christ. And as I mentioned earlier, at the center of this transformation is what Jesus has accomplished for you in his death and resurrection. On the sermon notes page, you can see those two lists (the old and the new). We're going to work through those in just a minute. But first, let's begin by looking at two things… Let's begin by (1) considering what it means to be a new creation, and (2) why Paul was writing this section of the letter. It will be helpful to know those things before looking at the old and new contrast. Let's look at the very first verse and the very last verse in our text. Beginning in verse 11. Right in the middle, it says “But what we ARE is known to God.” The word “are” is important. The apostle Paul is referring to their state of being – their identity. God knows if we are still in our old nature or if we are a new creation Now, keep that in mind and jump down to verse 17. It says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” An important word here is the word “is.” “If anyone IS in Christ, he IS a new creation.” Do you see the connection between 11 and 17? Each of us has a state of being in relation to Christ. We are either “in Christ” or “not in Christ.” And God obviously knows that. To be a new creation in Christ is to believe in and live for Jesus because of what he has done. Verse 15 captures that. It says, “and he [that is, Jesus] died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” So, to be a new creation in Christ is to… have your old self die with him (your sin, your shame), and to be given a new nature in him, raised with him. A new life.  You become a new creation by faith in Christ, who, as it says “for [your] sake died and was raised.” I wanted to start there because it is that very heart change which is at the center of these verses. The apostle Paul works out what that means for himself and for the Corinthians. So, keep that Gospel emphasis in mind as we consider what being a new creation in Christ looks like. The second important thing to know is the context. Remember, the apostle Paul was dealing with nay-sayers in Corinth. There was a group undermining his ministry. We've come across several things so far about what they were saying and doing. They were saying that because Paul suffered so much he could therefore not be an apostle. Remember that? They also critiqued Paul's change of plans. The irony is that he changed his plans for their sakw. And then, these detractors were, as Paul put it, peddling God's word and also tampering with it. That's not good. And now in these verses, we learn something else about this group. They cared about outward appearances and not about the heart. Look at verse 12. Let me take a moment to unpack this verse. Paul begins by saying, “We are not commending ourselves to you again” Now, earlier in the letter Paul had established his own authenticity as a true minister of the Gospel. He included Timothy and Titus as well. Paul is not doing that again here. He's not “commending ourselves to you again.” Rather, Paul wants them to see the true Gospel transformation in his and his fellow worker's hearts. He uses the word “boast.” He doesn't want them to boast about what's on the outside, but the inside. It's not about outward appearances, like what the false teachers were saying, but rather what is truly in one's heart. Let me read the whole of verse 12 again, and I think you'll hear that context. “We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.” The whole reason that Paul wrote these verses was to tell the Corinthians to look for that true Gospel transformation in someone. Look for a changed heart and mind worked out in someone's life. That is how you discern a true believer in Christ. That is how you differentiate between a faithful teacher and a false teacher. The old has passed away, the new has come. Ok, I wanted to begin with those two things. (1) that someone who is a new creation in Christ has been transformed by Christ. And (2) Paul was writing to the Corinthians so that they could evaluate whether someone has undergone that transformation. With that said, let's spend the rest of our time seeing how that works out in someone's life – including your life and my life. That brings us back to the two points in the outline. 1. The old has passed away 2. The new has come Now, really, the old and new comparison goes back and forth in these verses. But I thought it would be helpful to first consider what the old nature looks like. And then we can compare that with the new nature in Christ. 1. The old has passed away (5:17) So first, the old. It is incredibly difficult today to not boast about outward appearances. We are constantly bombarded with the message of appearance. Who you know, how you dress, the things you have, what car you drive. Those are all status symbols today. Social media influencers make billions influencing you to buy certain things and to achieve a certain look. You see, our culture is very consumeristic and individualistic. Marketing algorithms target you based on your age and interest. And everything out there is so visual and sensual… and your phone makes the problem worse. It's overwhelming. Now, I'm not saying that the Roman and Greek culture back in the first century didn't have that temptation. It just wasn't as intense. And one of identifying sins of the old self is boasting in outward appearances. That word boast in the Greek is to brag or rejoice in. So, in this case, it's making something that is external part of your identity. In the case of Paul's detractors, that could have been eloquence or wealth or cultural status or even health. Their outward boasting indicated that they had not been transformed into new creations in Christ. So that's one thing, a focus on external things. A second identifying sin is there in verse 15. Those who are new creations in Christ “no longer live for themselves.” You see, our old nature is especially a selfish nature. At the heart of the old self is self. In fact, the heart of all sin is the sin of self-idolatry. It's doing things for your own glory and reputation… and often that happens at the expense of others. Let's go back to those who were undermining the apostles. Their agenda was a self-centered agenda. Once we get to chapters 10 and 11, we will get a clear picture of their self-promotion and how they were using the Corinthians for their own gain. And that certainly happens today. You know this… there are so-called pastors out there today who use their people for their own gain. They are still “living for themselves.” Every single one of us lives for something. And most often, those who still have an old nature, live for themselves. Ok, the third thing mentioned here is in verse 16. Paul writes, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.” That word flesh is used in several different ways throughout the New Testament. Sometimes it's about our sin nature, sometimes it is about our weakness in the body, and sometimes like here, it is about a worldly perspective rather than a godly one. One translation says, “we should regard no one according to a worldly point of view.” That's helpful. Our old nature judges based on the world's philosophy – you know, the latest cultural value system about what's good and bad or right or wrong. Paul even makes that point in verse 16 that he used to regard Christ according to the flesh. Before Paul was transformed into a new creation in Christ, he viewed Jesus as weak. Jesus was just a man to Paul and to the other Pharisees. To them, Jesus' words were blasphemous. And Jesus' actions definitely didn't align with their worldly understanding of power and status. You see, our old self judges according to the flesh and not according to God's perspective. All three of these identifying sin patterns are indicative of the old self. A focus on outward appearance, a self-centered nature, and judging others through the eyes of the world. You see, many in Corinth needed a transformation. They needed a metamorphosis from their old nature to become a new creation in Christ. 2. The new has come (5:17) Some of you attended our Pray for Tucker event last month. Our speaker was Lowell Ivey. Lowell is the director of Metanoia Prison ministry. If you didn't meet Lowell, you definitely met Jeremy Prather – Jeremy has joined us on a couple of occasions. He's also with Metanoia. Jeremy works for Lowell. And just like Jeremy, Lowell spent years in prison. You see, Lowell had been convicted of multiple counts of armed robbery. Before that, he had been a drug dealer while in the military, which led him down that path. The prison he was sent to was intensely segregated… it was self-segregated on racial lines. Prison gangs were based on race, and these gangs would riot. Prisoners were stabbed because of the color of their skin. So Lowell joined a white supremacist gang and found himself deeply hating his non-white fellow inmates. At one point, he somehow acquired a knife and soon thereafter attacked a black inmate. He tried to kill him. Thankfully a guard intervened. However, Lowell was sent to solitary confinement. He spent 10 years in solitary confinement. It's hard to even imagine that. But it was during that time that God changed him. Lowell was scanning the radio channels one night and came across a Christian station. The Gospel was clearly presented… and the Holy Spirit brought a deep conviction of his racism and his need for repentance. Lowell fell on his knees and pleaded with the Lord to change his heart. At that moment he became a new creation in Christ. And he describes the sudden change within. God took away the sin of racism in his heart. No longer did he regard others according to the flesh. The old has passed, the new has come. In fact, he said that the only group in prison who did not segregate by race were the Christians. To be sure, Lowell explained he still had other sin struggles in his life. Over time, God continued to conform him more and more to the image of Christ. But that particular sin was no more. Our new nature in Christ should look vastly different from our old nature. Now, we may not go through as radical a change as Lowell experienced but nonetheless when God changes our heart, he turns us into a new creation. Let me highlight three characteristics of our new nature. The first is back up in verse 11. Fear. Not fear of man, rather fear of the Lord. In verse 10, which we considered last week, we were reminded that we must all sit before the judgment seat of Christ. Well, the truth of God's judgment should drive us to a godly fear of him. That idea is reinforced in what we already considered in verse 11. “What we are is known by God.” Because God knows our heart, we should have a reverent fear of him. That does not mean cowering in front of him, but it does mean recognizing his justice and seeking to worship him in all areas of our lives. Let me put it this way: our new nature should include a reverent and deep recognition of God in his sovereignty and holiness. And that recognition should continue to transform our lives. So that's the first aspect of being a new creation in Christ – a reverent and awe filled fear of the Lord. The second and third aspects are a contrast to the old nature. The false teachers in Corinth boasted about their own outward appearances… and “not,” as it says in verse 12, “about the heart.” We often shy away from talking about ourselves. And that's generally a good thing. Someone who is always talking about themselves and what they have done and who they know is off-putting. It may be an indication that they still have the old nature. However, we should testify to what God is doing in us and in others. I'm not saying all the time. But when we give glory to God for his transforming work in us, we are directing others to the new creation that God has made. You see, that kind of “boasting” is not in ourselves or in outward appearance but it is boasting in God for his Gospel transforming work. And at times we should be passionate about it. I think that is what verse 13 is about. It's a strange verse. It says, “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.” Being “beside ourselves” means passionately expressing something. You know, animated. John Piper, the well known pastor, comes to mind. He gets very animated because he's so passionate about God's work and his word. One time Piper was waving his hands… and his Apple Watch started calling 911. It thought he had fallen… he was just being very dramatic. Now, we don't know what the apostle Paul was like when he was preaching or teaching. But Festus, one of the Roman governors said to Paul that he “was out of his mind.” Paul had been zealously appealing to Festus that he believe. But we also know that the apostle Paul was very thoughtful and measured at times. He was very rational and composed in much of his writing. So, when he says, “if we are in our right mind, it is for you,” it's likely referring to his thoughtful and calm arguments for Christ. Anyway, what I'm saying is that to be a new creation in Christ, is first of all, to look to God – to fear him. Second, it's to testify and boast about the things of the heart – at times fervently, at other times, in a measured way. And then third, it is living for Christ. Similarly, this is a contrast to the old nature. When we become new creations in Christ, we turn our attention away from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness. This takes us to verse 14. “For the love of Christ controls us.” God's love for us in Christ compels us. It motivates us. It directs us. It encourages us. God's love for us in Christ transforms us. And then immediately we're given the reason. And the reason is the death and resurrection of Jesus. By the way, let me make a clarifying comment about verse 15. The word “all” means that the atonement of Christ is for all peoples – all tribes, all tongues, all nations. As the apostle Paul has said elsewhere… Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female. Christ died and was raised for all those categories. And this takes us back to where we started. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the basis for being a new creation in Christ. When you are transformed, you will no longer live for yourself, but you will be compelled to live for Christ. As verse 15 says, “that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” I remember a few years ago talking to a camper who had gone to Camp Westminster for the first time. Some of you have been there. And she said to me, “the counsellors just kept talking about Jesus' death and resurrection.” Well, that warmed my heart. Yes, there are other important matters of faith and practice, but at the heart of it all is the cross and resurrection. It's what makes us new creations in Christ. Now, you may be asking a very important question “How does that actually work? How does Jesus' death and resurrection actually make me a new creation in Christ.” Well, that is answered in next week's verses. Conclusion In summary, to be a new creation in Christ is to be transformed. It is to be changed, metamorphosed. Like from a prickly, bumpy, slimy caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. May God change us from self-centered, outward-focused, and hard-hearted creatures of the world to God-fearing, Christ-centered, heart-focused new creations in Christ.

On today's episode, Paul gives his defense before Porcius Festus, the newly appointed governor, as well as before his two guests: King Agrippa and his wife Bernice. Recall that Paul has been imprisoned under house arrest for over two years, and recently appealed to Caesar, so that he might make his case before him and not return to the Jewish mob in Jerusalem. Part of Paul's testimony includes the vision of Christ he saw on the road to Damascus. At this, Festus mocks Paul, but Paul takes it on the chin and continues to try and persuade King Agrippa to submit to King Jesus. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Paul has spent two years under house arrest by command of Felix, the governor, who has postponed a verdict in his trial. As referenced at the end of our last chapter, Felix has been succeeded by Porcius Festus, but Paul remains in custody. Today, when Festus travels to Jerusalem, the Jews ask for a favor against Paul. Festus, on the other hand, encourages them to come to Caesarea and make their case against him. The Jews don't have a case against Paul, and the charges they bring are false. When asked if he would like to travel to Jerusalem for a trial, Paul instead appeals to Caesar. Our reading ends with Festus presenting Paul to two visiting dignitaries, but we won't hear from Paul until our next episode. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

When last we met... Procius Festus was trying to play "Peace Maker" with the Jewish Leaders. And he was attempting to convince Paul the Apostle... to go to Jerusalem to face charges being brought against him... by the Jewish Leaders. And Paul the Apostle... basically said, "Look! I am being held... in Roman ... Custody! I have broken none... of Rome's laws! Festus...you're the judge...not the Jewish leaders! I WILL NOT go to stand trial in Jerusalem... before this Jewish Leader kangaroo court! I appeal to Caesar!" Now Paul has handed out the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to Felix...Drusilla... Porcius Festus...and he is about to witness to King Agrippa and Bernice. But the question is this: Do they really want to hear from Paul the Apostle? Or do they simply want to be seen? Do they really want to attempt to understand the message Paul has to give? Or do they simply want to be entertained by Paul?

How can we stay grounded in an anxious political climate?   Leadership anxiety expert Steve Cuss joins the Good Faith Podcast to help us navigate Trump's turbulent second term without becoming overwhelmed. We explore how chronic anxiety spreads through reactivity, why political leaders and their followers often amplify fear through straw man arguments, and how we can break free from the cycle. Drawing from his experience as a trauma chaplain and beyond, Steve shares practical tools for maintaining spiritual and emotional balance. If political division is making your mind race, heart pound, or body tense, Steve offers wisdom and encouragement to help you find calm and clarity in the chaos.   Send written questions or voice memos for “Ask Curtis” episodes to: askcurtis@redeemingbabel.org   Send Campfire Stories to: info@redeemingbabel.org   Resources or references mentioned in this episode: Frederick Buechner's Whistling in the Dark The Evangelical vote in 2024 The Los Angeles Times: Is Donald Trump a new King David? “Remember the Lord” from Proverbs 3:6-16 GNT Jacob's assurance from Genesis 28 NLT  Jesus' trial before Pilate John 18:28-40 NLT Paul's trials before Festus and Felix Acts 24-26 NLT Jesus calls Herod a “fox” Luke 13:31-32 NLT Freedom to love others Galatians 5:13 More about Gregory Boyle More From Steve Cuss: Steve's podcast Being Human Steve's book Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs Steve's book The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God Steve's website (free access to the Life Giving List and Conscious List of Relationships) Register for the Illuminate Arts & Faith Conference   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   Sign up: Redeeming Babel Newsletter

(00:00-31:12) Pestus was right, we got flurries. Think Tim is listening on his way to Wichita? You never wanna be the oldest guy at work. Audio of Jim Montgomery talking about the excitement ahead of this big game against the 'Nucks. Strong ass offer. Chairman's mom force fed him Happy Meals to get the Beanie Babies. America's guest: Rich Gould. Big day for vasectomies. Bachelor Baseball. Great time to be alive. (31:21-48:06) The ever likable Dennis Gates. Wouldn't give any secrets on Florida. Aim small, miss small. Teams with the most Final Four appearances. Butt in the gut. Audio of Dennis Gates talking contrasting styles. Pestus from Festus is back and he's got a checklist. Don't doubt Grandma Johan. (48:16-1:00:49) Doug's poor mathematically. That drive thru Kansas kinda stinks. Shout out to the farmers. Fired up for Jackson's live stream tonight. Beholden to Big Hops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-31:12) Pestus was right, we got flurries. Think Tim is listening on his way to Wichita? You never wanna be the oldest guy at work. Audio of Jim Montgomery talking about the excitement ahead of this big game against the 'Nucks. Strong ass offer. Chairman's mom force fed him Happy Meals to get the Beanie Babies. America's guest: Rich Gould. Big day for vasectomies. Bachelor Baseball. Great time to be alive. (31:21-48:06) The ever likable Dennis Gates. Wouldn't give any secrets on Florida. Aim small, miss small. Teams with the most Final Four appearances. Butt in the gut. Audio of Dennis Gates talking contrasting styles. Pestus from Festus is back and he's got a checklist. Don't doubt Grandma Johan. (48:16-1:00:49) Doug's poor mathematically. That drive thru Kansas kinda stinks. Shout out to the farmers. Fired up for Jackson's live stream tonight. Beholden to Big Hops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(00:00-22:49) Go Billikens. Jackson got the call up to The Spread Zone. Kelly Chase joining us later this morning. Everybody on Drake. Does the antichrist know they're the antichrist? Jackson is super dismissive this morning. Pestus from Festus wants to debate the system. Pestus isn't happy with the MLB schedule. Pocket tots. TMA: The Musical. (22:57-51:19) Bring the baby on over. Doug says the Blues are in the playoffs. Audio of Mad Dog Russo talking with Dennis Gates about the SEC in the tournament. Doug and Jackson trading points. Run it up the flagpole. Bet the teams that have something to play for. Dork and the Sweater Vests. Larry Nickel on the phone lines. John Cena's heel turn. (51:29-1:02:49) UNC causing controversy in the NCAA tournament. West Virginia governor held a press conference yesterday expressing his discontent. What's a quad one win? Doug's not happy with all these committees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-27:38) Voice of the Blues John Kelly joins the show to talk about these red hot Blues. Trying to pinpoint what's been different since the Four Nations Tournament. Complete buy in. Playoff experience. The country music scene in Nashville. TMA Discord. Bailey's General Store in Sanibel. Challengers. This show ruins your brain. (27:46-33:43) Festus salads. Blended ham and mayonnaise. Flat bills and backward hats. (33:52-59:38) Blues legend Kelly Chase joins us. Update on his health situation. Puck Cancer Blues Blackhawks Alumni game coming up next month. Chaser's not happy with the beeping in the background. What he's doing to keep his spirits up. The St. Louis community coming together and supporting their people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(00:00-27:38) Voice of the Blues John Kelly joins the show to talk about these red hot Blues. Trying to pinpoint what's been different since the Four Nations Tournament. Complete buy in. Playoff experience. The country music scene in Nashville. TMA Discord. Bailey's General Store in Sanibel. Challengers. This show ruins your brain. (27:46-33:43) Festus salads. Blended ham and mayonnaise. Flat bills and backward hats. (33:52-59:38) Blues legend Kelly Chase joins us. Update on his health situation. Puck Cancer Blues Blackhawks Alumni game coming up next month. Chaser's not happy with the beeping in the background. What he's doing to keep his spirits up. The St. Louis community coming together and supporting their people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-22:49) Go Billikens. Jackson got the call up to The Spread Zone. Kelly Chase joining us later this morning. Everybody on Drake. Does the antichrist know they're the antichrist? Jackson is super dismissive this morning. Pestus from Festus wants to debate the system. Pestus isn't happy with the MLB schedule. Pocket tots. TMA: The Musical. (22:57-51:19) Bring the baby on over. Doug says the Blues are in the playoffs. Audio of Mad Dog Russo talking with Dennis Gates about the SEC in the tournament. Doug and Jackson trading points. Run it up the flagpole. Bet the teams that have something to play for. Dork and the Sweater Vests. Larry Nickel on the phone lines. John Cena's heel turn. (51:29-1:02:49) UNC causing controversy in the NCAA tournament. West Virginia governor held a press conference yesterday expressing his discontent. What's a quad one win? Doug's not happy with all these committees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(00:00-40:28) Lots of Conference Tourney success for the local hoop rock teams. Tough L in Pittsburgh last night for The Note. Montgomery audio. Binner got yanked. It's a must win weekend. Somebody's crinkling wrappers. Barge Dad checking in from his spring break. Loose barges. Martin's the old dad. Career Day at Vianney. A tumultuous 18 seconds. Billikens put away Davidson and advance. Illinois takes down Iowa. Fight Tiger over Mississippi State. Stanley Tucci is a top 5 guy you'd want to cuck you. Pallbearers. Burnt toast. (40:36-50:37) All that goes around comes around. Day 2 of The Players. Rory's altercation with a fan during the practice round. Fan is a college golfer at Univ. of Texas. Fan got the boot but did get his phone back. (50:46-1:05:08) Better STL theme song: Meet Me In St. Louie or Country Grammar? Spud Dog. Doug's down on Country Grammar. Tiger and Vanessa Trump. Cuckold draft. Big doings in the SEC tournament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(00:00-40:28) Lots of Conference Tourney success for the local hoop rock teams. Tough L in Pittsburgh last night for The Note. Montgomery audio. Binner got yanked. It's a must win weekend. Somebody's crinkling wrappers. Barge Dad checking in from his spring break. Loose barges. Martin's the old dad. Career Day at Vianney. A tumultuous 18 seconds. Billikens put away Davidson and advance. Illinois takes down Iowa. Fight Tiger over Mississippi State. Stanley Tucci is a top 5 guy you'd want to cuck you. Pallbearers. Burnt toast. (40:36-50:37) All that goes around comes around. Day 2 of The Players. Rory's altercation with a fan during the practice round. Fan is a college golfer at Univ. of Texas. Fan got the boot but did get his phone back. (50:46-1:05:08) Better STL theme song: Meet Me In St. Louie or Country Grammar? Spud Dog. Doug's down on Country Grammar. Tiger and Vanessa Trump. Cuckold draft. Big doings in the SEC tournament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-11:05) The launch of legal sports wagering in Missouri has been delayed until the fall. Denny Hoskins back at it again. High-school bookies rejoice. Wedding Tackle wants us to touch a girl and stop complaining. Mr. Lix says Denny Hoskins is an LBH. (11:13-26:44) Starting to like Murray State boys. Punctuation is important. Streaming options going forward for the professional sports leagues. Jackson taking shots at the 'goober callers.' State representative Ken Waller phones in with some information on the sports wagering issue. This show has an absolute strangle hold on Festus.(26:53-37:38) More discussion on the sports wagering situation in Missouri. Time for Jackson's questions. Inorganic stakes. Massive binary delta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-25:21) Sadie Hawkins, Doug. Blues grab 3 out of 4 points over the weekend. 58 on the Vaughn Index. Pull the trigger; sell, baby, sell. What's a man-bae? Jaxon's Dad leads off this week on the phone lines. Chipping away at the ice on the barges. Nippin' on the honey. Pestus from Festus calls in to defend Jackson. Still looking for his Listener of the Month Prize. Martin and Jackson may take a little trip down there. (25:30-49:08) Blues were the lede, what's in the two-hole? Mozeliak doesn't have time to chase down every rumor. Doug may scrap with John Denton. Yankees holding open tryouts for 3B. They have no loot left. Nil-Nil in the Doggies opener. Too Fat To Kayak calls in to apologize to Jackson. Scooters at the grocery store. (49:17-1:23:15) Jackson is proud to moderate the TMA Fan Page. Joined by the President of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mark Lamping. A Vianney conspiracy 50 years in the making. Advice for people wanting to go down a similar path that he has. The decision to leave the Cardinals and move to New York. Are St. Louis's greatest days still to come? Martin wants to get on Shad's yacht. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(00:00-25:21) Sadie Hawkins, Doug. Blues grab 3 out of 4 points over the weekend. 58 on the Vaughn Index. Pull the trigger; sell, baby, sell. What's a man-bae? Jaxon's Dad leads off this week on the phone lines. Chipping away at the ice on the barges. Nippin' on the honey. Pestus from Festus calls in to defend Jackson. Still looking for his Listener of the Month Prize. Martin and Jackson may take a little trip down there.(25:30-49:08) Blues were the lede, what's in the two-hole? Mozeliak doesn't have time to chase down every rumor. Doug may scrap with John Denton. Yankees holding open tryouts for 3B. They have no loot left. Nil-Nil in the Doggies opener. Too Fat To Kayak calls in to apologize to Jackson. Scooters at the grocery store. (49:17-1:23:15) Jackson is proud to moderate the TMA Fan Page. Joined by the President of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mark Lamping. A Vianney conspiracy 50 years in the making. Advice for people wanting to go down a similar path that he has. The decision to leave the Cardinals and move to New York. Are St. Louis's greatest days still to come? Martin wants to get on Shad's yacht. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-11:05) The launch of legal sports wagering in Missouri has been delayed until the fall. Denny Hoskins back at it again. High-school bookies rejoice. Wedding Tackle wants us to touch a girl and stop complaining. Mr. Lix says Denny Hoskins is an LBH. (11:13-26:44) Starting to like Murray State boys. Punctuation is important. Streaming options going forward for the professional sports leagues. Jackson taking shots at the 'goober callers.' State representative Ken Waller phones in with some information on the sports wagering issue. This show has an absolute strangle hold on Festus. (26:53-37:38) More discussion on the sports wagering situation in Missouri. Time for Jackson's questions. Inorganic stakes. Massive binary delta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Be safe today ya'll. An abundance of caution. This is law school today, Jack. Doug thinks we've gotten too soft. What is AMI? Can't shake hands but you can sweat on those boys. Jayhawk down bad. Roll Tide coming to CoMo tonight. Online sports books in Missouri could start taking bets on June 30th. Take without work. Jackson wants a shot at Mick Cronin.The Plow King, not the PlowHawk, checking in on the phone lines from out on the streets of STL. Ornery fella. The Athletic's offseason grades for all 30 MLB teams. Cards get an F. Cards the only team to spend $0 in free agency. A spoonful of lard. Audio of Cale Makar talking about tomorrow night's Four Nations championship game. Doug's not happy with the edit point. Plug the headphones in, dude. Where newsmakers make news. Things are getting a little awkward in Boston. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.