Podcasts about first corinthians

The salient point of our discourse centers around the necessity of genuine physical presence within the context of communal worship and the sacraments, as elucidated in First Corinthians 11. I assert that the disunity and discord present in the early church, as highlighted by St. Paul, serves as a cautionary tale for contemporary congregations. Our conversation traverses the implications of remote sacraments, particularly concerning the nature of communion and its significance in fostering unity among believers. Moreover, we delve into the theological nuances that differentiate various denominational practices regarding the Eucharist, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the integrity of sacramental elements. Ultimately, I invite listeners to contemplate the multifaceted relationship between physical presence, community, and the sacred acts that unite us in faith.A salient theme of this episode is the dichotomy between traditional sacramental theology and the emerging practices of digital ministry in response to contemporary challenges. The dialogue navigates the critical question of whether sacraments, particularly communion, can maintain their intended spiritual purpose when administered remotely. The speakers, including various pastoral voices, articulate differing perspectives influenced by their respective denominational backgrounds. While some advocate for the necessity of physical elements and ordained ministry in sacramental practices, others entertain the notion that genuine community and engagement can occur even in virtual spaces. This nuanced dialogue highlights the ongoing tension within the church regarding the nature of presence, grace, and the adaptability of sacred practices in an ever-evolving cultural landscape, prompting listeners to reflect on their theological convictions and communal responsibilities.In this episode, the speakers engage in a thoughtful exploration of the implications of remote sacraments on the church's understanding of presence and community. Drawing from scriptural insights and lived experiences, the discussion reflects on how traditional practices of communion and baptism may need to adapt in light of modern realities, including the limitations imposed by health crises. The speakers present a compelling case for the necessity of maintaining a unified understanding of sacraments while recognizing the diverse expressions of faith that exist within the broader Christian community. By sharing personal anecdotes and theological reflections, they invite listeners to consider how the church can embody the spirit of communion even in a digital age, without compromising the profound significance of these sacred rites. The episode ultimately challenges the audience to think critically about the future of church practices and the essential nature of community in the life of faith.Takeaways: The discussion emphasizes the necessity of physical presence in practicing sacraments, as highlighted by Professor Moreland's insights on the significance of communion for church unity. Participants explored the challenges of conducting sacraments remotely, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, raising important theological questions about presence and community. The conversation delved into the diversity of sacramental theology across denominations, with each speaker offering unique perspectives on the implications of remote sacraments. The hosts and guests acknowledged that while digital ministry can foster connection, it cannot fully replace the embodied experience of communal worship and sacramental participation. Key insights were shared about how different Christian traditions understand the elements of sacraments, particularly the importance of bread and wine in the Eucharist. The round table concluded with a call for curiosity and open dialogue among Christians, urging listeners to engage with diverse

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that the goal of the gifts is the good of the body, and that order brings clarity, not chaos.

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that speaking in tongues edifies the individual and speaking prophecy edifies the church. And while both gifts are valuable, they must be used in the right way in the right order.

The Basement Academy - August 25, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#45)Pastor Don Meeks

First Corinthians Week 30 | 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

The Basement Academy - August 22, 2025 - (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#44)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 21, 2025 - (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#43)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 20, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#42)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 19, 2025 - (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#41)Pastor Don Meeks

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that the greatest expression of walking with God, is love.

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that the measure of our maturity is love.

This week, Pastor Woody concludes our study of First Corinthians with chapter 16. In this message, Paul reminds us of the importance of generosity, unity in the church, courage in the face of opposition, appreciation for those who serve, and the call to do everything in love. Whether you've been with us since chapter 1 or you're just joining in, this message is a powerful reminder that God calls us to live generously and with grace.

The Basement Academy - August 18, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#40)Pastor Don Meeks

First Corinthians Week 29 | 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

The Basement Academy - August 15, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#39)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 14, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#38)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 13, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#37)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 12, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#36)Pastor Don Meeks

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that there is variety in the spiritual gifts, but singularity in their purpose.

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that all gifts of the Spirit are valuable and necessary for a healthy church.

The Basement Academy - August 11, 2025(REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#35)Pastor Don Meeks

Of course, families are and always were, God's idea. Yet so often these days, families seem to be, well, let's be honest, just a tad dysfunctional. And as we each grapple with the realities of family life, all too often, we look around at all those apparently normal, balanced, near-perfect families out there and wonder to ourselves – what's wrong with my family? What's going on here?   The Dysfunctional Family Well, here we are, a new week! And today we are going to start a discussion, you and I, about something completely different. Over these next few weeks on the programme we are going to be taking a look at what it means to build a godly family. I'll tell you why. Recently here at the ministry of Christianityworks we asked our friends and supporters to write in to us to share their prayer requests and here's what struck me: at least eighty percent of the prayer requests we received – and there were a lot of them, I have to tell you – at least eighty percent were asking us to pray for people's families: for my son or my wife, for my daughter, my husband, my auntie, my cousins. You know something? We actually care about our families. As difficult and as strife torn as many families are, blood is thicker than water and our families really do matter to us And we don't have to look very far, you know, in society to see todays families are becoming more and more dysfunctional. But here's the thing: we kind of know that but somehow we imagine that, well, there's this perfect family out there. In fact, the perfect family is the norm and the dysfunction we see in our own families, well, we are just the only ones. "It's my fault. I've botched it up. We're just stuck with this – it's the way it is. The teenagers who don't respect their parents; the adults in our extended families who are having feuds and they haven't talked to each other for ages because they argued over distributing the assets of their parents when they died eight years ago. No, you see, it's just my family that's a mess. And that's the thing, it's what I've been handed; it's the hand I've been dealt and there's just nothing I can do about it – there's just nothing. What's the point?" It's true, isn't? Living out families is sometimes like living out a gorilla war. It's so in your face; every time you come home; every time you walk in the door – the whole "family thing" greets you. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that every family is a basket-case – hopefully yours isn't but sometimes we are so close to it all, it kind of feels like it is a basket-case. We get it out of perspective. And in the middle of this constant relational tension you can get to feeling like, "Aw, God, what's going on here? Why can't I have a normal family like everybody else – like those people next door?" And let me tell you, I'm not talking about this whole "family thing" from some perfect place, I can tell you. Before I gave my life over to Jesus a decade and a half ago, I've got to tell you I made some huge blunders that changed the very course of my life and I am still far from perfect. But since that time God's been teaching me a new way – I'm still learning. So I'm at a certain place in my journey and you are at a certain place in your journey and let's get over this comparing and judging, "Other people have better families than me." There's only one issue: "Where do we go from here?" And I for one, I am about building a godly family because there is such reward in that; such harvest and not just one day in the future but along the way, here and now – the joy of investing and sacrificing to make a difference in the lives of those whom we love. We will talk about that over the coming weeks but today I just want to give us some comfort that God knows all about dysfunctional families. You can take the very first human family, if you like – Adam and Eve – and their two sons Cain and Abel. You probably know the story of Adam and Eve – you know, the Garden of Eden, then they sinned; they ate the apple and God kicked them out and they had a couple of sons. But I want to show you something about this family – the interactions between the people – that's a real stark reminder about the dysfunction in family. You often hear people talking about Adam and Eve and the snake and all that stuff from a theological perspective – and that's great – but what about from a family perspective? Okay, Adam and Eve, they've sinned; they ate from that one tree that God told them not to. God comes looking for them – they are hiding in the garden. I have always thought that was incredibly smart to be hiding from God! And God brings Adam to account: He says to Adam, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” And the man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave me the fruit from the tree and then I ate it.” And then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me. I ate.” And the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures. Upon your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat for all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers and he will strike your head and you will strike his heel. Comes from Genesis chapter 3, verses 11 to 15 So there it is: they rebelled against God and God – well, Adam blames Eve. The very first thing he does when he does something wrong Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the snake and I guess, the snake didn't have a leg to stand on! You see what happens? We go from perfect harmony to dysfunction. God tells them that that is going to be the norm from now on there's going to be enmity between the man and the woman, there's going to be enmity amongst the children and that's exactly what happens. Listen to what Cain and Abel ... what their relationship ends up like: Abel was the keeper of sheep and Cain the tiller of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground and Abel, for his part, brought the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering but for Cain and his offering, God had no regard. So Cain was very angry and his countenance fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted and if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door. Its desire is for you but you must master it. Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out into the field,” and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Genesis Chapter 4. So there you have it – the very first family. They rebel against God; husband turns against wife, brother kills brother. It's the absolute natural state of affairs for a family that has turned its back on God. But here's the good new, there's a flip side to this coin for the family that turns back to God. A family that honours God; a family that has God as the head of its household – that family can expect God to bless it. Have another listen. Deuteronomy Chapter 5, beginning at verse 8: You shall not make for yourself an idol whether in the form of anything that is in heaven or above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of their parents to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. In other words, when we put God at the head of our lives and the head of our families, He will show us His steadfast, unwavering love, not just to us but to a thousand generations. And you know what that means? It doesn't matter how bad things have become in our families, when we honour God, He in turn will honour us.   Breaking with the Past One of the things that bring so much dysfunction into families are the things of the past – things that have been handed down genetically, emotionally and spiritually. Our parents hand so many things down to us – their genes, their strengths and their weaknesses. People say that I look like my dad, I even walk like him but it wasn't till I saw myself in a TV interview that I was shocked to realise that my very mannerisms are so much like my fathers. It's pretty scary! And so alcohol addictions and bad tempers and a tendency to whinge and complain; all sorts of things end up being handed down from generation to generation. Dysfunctional families are much more likely to produce children that grow up to have their own dysfunctional families. Where does it end? Well, I have a simple answer to that – it ends today, right here and now, this very minute – that's when it ends. Let me explain. See, it's really easy to blame our parents for things ... for the bad things that happen. If abuse happened in your childhood or you had a father with a bad temper or your parents smoked; whatever it is and they handed those things down to you. I don't know about your parents but mine, I had good parents. They weren't perfect, they just worked hard and I am sure they can look back at their lives and go, "Well, I could have done this better or I could have done that better," but there is no point in just sitting here and blaming them and blaming the past. Things do get handed down from generation to generation, some of them are good things but others aren't. When you go and see your doctor, one of the first things he'll ask you about is your family history. Is there a history of high blood pressure or diabetes or heart disease or mental health issues or breast cancer? Family history has a lot to do with our physical well-being. Now my dad had Type ll Diabetes and in the end it took his life. My mother has high blood pressure and so I can sit here without exercising, eating whatever I want and whinge and complain about the fact that they could give me diabetes and high blood pressure, or I can get off my backside and do something about it. There's a pretty clear alternative. Most illnesses, you can work against them and reduce the risk and it's the same with emotional and spiritual things that get handed down to us. Maybe you had parents who were into the occult, maybe you had parents who fought like cat and dog, maybe you had parents who knew about God but simply didn't honour God with their lives. Well, you've got two choices – you can sit there and complain about it or you can do something about it. Have a listen to what happens when we put other things before God. We looked at it earlier. God say I am a jealous God and I will punish children for the iniquity of their parents to the third and fourth generation. But those who show steadfast love, I will bless to the thousandth generation. It's pretty straight forward! When parents turn away from God and chase after other things, it's going to have an impact – not just on them – but on their children and their children's children. It's obvious. We've seen how it works. A child brought up by an alcoholic father is likely to suffer the consequences of that in adulthood. There's every chance that it will impact not just them but it will be passed down to their kids. It's not rocket science – we've all seen it but look at the alternative that God talks about: Showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. A thousand generations – a new generation every twenty five years, that's twenty five thousand years! We are only a fraction of the way into that since this was written (Deuteronomy) a few thousand years BC. Do you get it? God's blessing to us and our families when we honour Him is just massive, and you see that in a lot of godly families. This dynasty of blessing flows down from one generation to the next. Maybe there are things from your past – emotional, spiritual – that are impacting your life. Today is the day that we can choose to break that chain. Today is the day that we can choose to break free from the power of the past. Listen to the prayer that Nehemiah prayed: O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps the covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you, day and night, for your servants the people of Israel. Confessing the sins of the people of Israel which we have sinned against you, both I and my family have sinned. And Nehemiah then goes on to ask for forgiveness; he turns away from that and he moves on. It's a simple prayer; it's a prayer of repentance. It breaks the linkage to the sin of previous generations – Nehemiah, his ancestors and his family. We have all sinned! God is a God who forgives and God is a God who makes all things new again. He breaks the power of the past over us because His heart is to bless to a thousand generations. The Apostle Paul writes in Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17: If anyone is in Christ Jesus he is a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things are new. Let me take you back to some of the things that maybe you've had handed down to you – addictions or anger or bad behaviour or whatever it is – we can receive freedom from those things simply by praying and believing. God will work out His answer to our prayer in our lives in His good time Meanwhile we can take stock of those things and decide to start doing something about them. Not in our own fancy strength but through a relationship with Jesus which transforms us. It is time to end the cycle of sin in our families – to stop it dead here. The buck stops with you and me. How about it?   Setting the Course Now it doesn't matter how dysfunctional a family is at the moment, all it takes is one member of that family to turn back to God; to honour God and God can and will make an awesome and mighty difference. It may take time, it may take longer than you and I would prefer but God is a God of grace – His heart is to bless our family to a thousand generations and He's looking for some godly men, godly women, godly children to take a stand and say, "Enough is enough! It is time for me to build a godly family." First Corinthians chapter 4, verse 20 in the Message translation says this: God's way is not a matter of mere talk, it's an empowered life. That's why this ministry I'm involved in is called Christianityworks because it actually does. So let's talk about making it happen – an empowered life that sets about building a godly family. But you know what I have noticed? We can talk about a lot of stuff but most times nothing changes unless we actually do something. It's true at work; it's true at home! How often have you been to a meeting at work and people talk about a whole bunch of stuff: "We'll do this, we'll do that", but after the meeting no one does anything. And guess what? Nothing changes; nothing! We come home at the end of the day; we need a rest; we ignore things – the badly behaved children for example. There's a great proverb: Proverbs chapter 29, verse 17 that says: Discipline your children and they will give you rest; they will give you the delight of your heart. I have seen this down at the local supermarket. The mother's is with the child and the child just grinds her down through bad behaviour and she's tired ... she's too tired to do anything about it so she lets this kid run riot, causing her grief and causing everybody else grief as well. Why does it happen? I'll tell you why – probably because dad is too tired to discipline the child when he comes home. Does he enjoy their behaviour? No! But this kid walks all over his mother, she's exhausted and ... and mind you the kid is only seven – wait till the little terror becomes a teenager! You see, there's fruit in building a godly family – tremendous fruit. Discipline your children and what do you get? Peace and a delighted heart! What you sow is what you reap. The problem is sowing is hard work sometimes and reaping seems ... well, such a long way off, doesn't it? Let me tell you something – we have been talking about building a godly family but it ain't going to happen unless we step out in faith and start making it happen. Yes, it's about God blessing our efforts but if He's got nothing to bless then, He got nothing to bless. I mean, if I am twenty kilos overweight, forty pounds, and I want to be trim, taut and terrific and I pray and pray and believe God for a breakthrough but I keep eating and drinking the same old rubbish and I don't exercise. Let me ask you something – is God going to zap me while I am lying on the sofa and miraculously remove the excess weight? Well, He could, and with God I never rule anything out but I have never quite seen it happen that way, have you? Why would we think it is any different building a godly family? We behave ourselves into a bad place by what we say, what we do, what we fail to do – we behave our families into that bad place and yes, we should pray. But God expects us to start behaving ourselves out of that place. And that's what we are going to be talking about over the next three weeks. He is going to bless that but we have to do our part. So let me ask you something – do you want to have a godly family because if you do you are going to have to decide; that is what we want, plan it and start living it? We are going to have to decide that some changes have to be made. This easy, comfortable, lazy existence has to change. Discipline is painful; kids don't like it much. It takes strength and perseverance but it pays dividends in their lives and in ours. Let me ask you, how much do you want to have a godly family? And if the answer is, "Yes, I do. I do!", then some tough decisions have to be made. If your family is one with a husband and a wife, then it is up to the both of you. If it is a single parent family then it is up to you alone. But husband and wife have to talk and dream and decide what is important and set priorities and figure out how to do this – what steps to take first, and so on. Mum and dad, you are the leaders and I happen to believe that ultimately, the father is responsible for the spiritual growth and nourishment and development of his family. The buck stops with you, dad! And that's not a sexist thing because I have to tell you, so many women would give their eyeteeth if their husbands would just step up to the plate and take on a leadership role. So many kids would love to have parents who were interested in them, who spend time and efforts setting boundaries, enforcing those boundaries, nurturing them within those boundaries. I have to tell you, as a person, I am a natural isolationist. I like my own company, oft times over the company of others. I really enjoy retreating to my own space after a hard day at the office, so for me, given who I am, getting involved with the family and kids and listening to what happened to them at school and at work – it's not a natural gig, you know? But we have to start somewhere. We can't build a godly family if there is no relationship; if there is no interaction; if we are not involved in planning and making it happen. We are going to talk about some of that over the next few weeks. In fact, I have been speaking to one of the godliest families I know; some friends of mine who live in the USA – mum, dad and their NINE children. They have given me some of their pointers, both the parents and the children. This massive tribe, I have to tell you, they have got their act so well together. I know it's not perfect, but I ask them and I ask the kids, "Tell me what this godly family thing is about." I'm going to talk about that in the next few weeks but right now, we have to decide, each one of us, do we really want to have a godly family? Well, do we? And if we do, what are we going to do about it. Maybe that's something you can pray about and think about and talk about over this next week. We will look at it some more when we get together again at the same time next week, this whole thing of building a godly family. But I have to tell you, when I read about this God who says, "Look, I don't care what has happened in the past. You turn back and you honour Me in your lives, in your family and I tell you what, I won't just bless you, I'll bless your children and I'll bless your children's children and I'll bless their children and the next generation." In fact, the blessing when you break the curses that have been handed down to you, simply by praying and honouring God and turning back to Him, the blessing that flows is a blessing that flows for a thousand generations. That's who God is!

The Basement Academy - August 8, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#34)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 7, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#33) Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 6, 2025(REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#32)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 5, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#31)Pastor Don Meeks

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that we should not take lightly what God considers vital.

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that we don't have to mimic ancient cultural practices, but we can't ignore the biblical principle, and that God's way is always better.

The Basement Academy - August 4, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#30)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - August 1, 2025(REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#29)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - July 31, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#28)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - July 30, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#27)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - July 29, 2025(REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#26)Pastor Don Meeks

This week, we continue our series on First Corinthians. Join us as we learn that we need to learn from the past, guard our hearts, ask the right questions, and remember the "why."

This week, we continue our series on First Corinthians. Join us as we learn that we are capable of rebelling even in God's presence, but that we find protection in choosing to glorify God.

The Basement Academy - July 28, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#25)Pastor Don Meeks

God is a God who speaks to us. It's something He's been doing for centuries. Millennia in fact. And sometimes, sometimes he speaks to us in ways that we just don't expect. Right out of the blue. Question is – are we listening?   The Power of the Prophetic It's just fantastic to be with you again this week and yes, we are continuing this week with our look with how it is that God speaks to us today – here and now, in the twenty first century. This series is called, “How Can I hear God Speak to Me?” And today's message is about expecting the unexpected. It's interesting, way back in the Old Testament, God spoke to His people through the prophets – people like Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and all those Old Testament prophets – men whom God had called to speak His message to His people. Then in the New Testament, He speaks to us, first and foremost, through His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ and the Apostles and the other writers of the New Testament Books. And He is still using those, through His Word the Bible, to speak to us today. By His Spirit, He speaks today. But interesting – the New Testament in particular, tells us how His Spirit speaks today. Sometimes it's easy to ignore that – it's easy to get all dull and boring about the way that God communicates with us but God is a stunningly creative communicator. There's absolutely nothing dull and boring about how He communicates. And one of the ways He does that is through the power of the prophetic. So today, what we are going to do is take a look at that. Now, in embarking on this today, I acknowledge that there are those amongst God's people who simply believe that there are no more prophets today – that this is something that belongs to the past and not the present. What's a prophet? Well, simply someone who speaks on behalf of God. Someone who speaks God's will into the lives of God's people. And yet, other traditions and denominations really emphasise the prophetic dimension of God's communication. And sadly, some do so to the point of abusing the prophetic. What do I mean by that? Well, I don't carry any particular baggage of denomination or tradition around when it comes to these things. My heart is simply to open God's Word, the Bible and to figure out what God says and to go with that. So that's precisely what we are going to do today. Let's take a look – this is the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth – so after Jesus has died, risen again and is sent into heaven. This is the fledgling New Testament church that he is writing to. First Corinthians chapter 12, beginning at verse 4: Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Now, here Paul is talking about supernatural gifts that are given to the family of God. And not just the special super-spiritual Christian leader type people. Have a listen again to verse 7: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. In other words, to each person; to each believer, is given one or more of these supernatural gifts. Now, I have heard people say, "Oh, well. That was for back then. It's not for now.” Umm! This passage – First Corinthians 12 – rolls straight on to First Corinthians 13; the next chapter that famous passage about love, which kind of says, "You know, you can have all the spiritual gifts under the sun but unless you use them in love, they are useless." And it goes on to explain what love is. These same people love to quote First Corinthians 13 but somehow, maybe it's because in our Western mindset; maybe we are uncomfortable with the idea of these supernatural gifts - we can't explain them rationally. Some people want to deny that this bit of the New Testament – 1 Corinthians chapter 12 – actually exists and yet they go on and rely on the next chapter. I'm not quite sure why that is. But I find nothing – let me say this – NOTHING in the New Testament that tells me that this thing on spiritual gifts – supernatural gifts – was meant for them back then and not for us here and now. Nothing! And the gifts; words of wisdom and of knowledge, extraordinary faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, discernment of the Spirit, speaking in different tongues, interpreting different tongues. One of the arguments against words of wisdom and knowledge and prophesy, is that these so-called "modern day" prophets can set themselves up above the Word of God. They can say things that don't agree with the Scriptures; God's Word. So what are we going to do with that? Well, I have to tell you: like anything else good that God gives us, you can take it and you can abuse it. Absolutely! I have seen it happen in this area, where people go for emotionalism and manipulation, where they claim to be speaking for God, but in fact, they are not at all. But just because something good from God can be abused doesn't mean that it's not a good thing from God. There are several times in my life when someone has given me a specific prophesy, just for me, and all of those, barring one exception – which simple didn't ring true as being from God to me or other people who were there at the time – but the rest of those had a huge impact on my life. I look back on them now – and most of them were key turning points in my walk with God. And you know, these weren't proud people coming out with “Thus sayeth the Lord” type of proclamations. One of the most powerful was from a man called Dennis Adams. He worked at the time for a Christian Radio Network called HCJB – it was at a conference. I had just become involved, full time, here at Christianityworks. My predecessor had taken all of our radio programmes off the air. There was almost no financial support – the ministry was almost dead and I simply didn't know what to do. I met Dennis for the first time at a Christian Media Conference. He looked at my name tag – we didn't know each other – but he had heard some of the short radio messages I had preciously put together. And almost immediately, tears welled up in his eyes and with such passion and such conviction, he said to me, "You have to start doing those radio programmes again. You just have to." That day, Dennis's words pierced my heart and because of that we spent the last few thousand dollars the ministry had on producing the first series of these radio programmes but at the time we had no idea how we were going to get onto a radio station anywhere. Well, that was almost six years ago now and today, these programmes are heard by millions of people each week, around the world. See, I know that those words that Dennis spoke to me that day were God's words; they were a prophesy and without them I wouldn't be here today. Should we discern prophesies? Absolutely! Should we think them through and pray them through? Absolutely! Should we reject any that don't ring true? Absolutely! But, friend, God's Word says that He has appointed prophets amongst His people. God's Word says that He is still speaking to us through prophets and their prophesies today. Why, oh why would we want to deny that?   Out of the Blue Have you ever heard kind of a voice out of the blue and wondered, now, where did that come from? We are chatting this week again on the programme about hearing from God. How does God speak these days and how can we hear Him. That's what we are exploring because God is still speaking and He means for us to hear Him. Now one of the ways I notice He talks to people throughout the Bible is well, it's like a voice out of the blue. I had coffee with a dear friend of mine, James, just yesterday. He was telling me about how the day before he had been racing out for a meeting and he had this distinctive impression on the way out the door; a strong impression that he should go back into his study and grab his diary. Of course, he ignored it and on the way something happened and he needed to contact the person he was supposed to be having this meeting with to adjust the arrangements. The problem was he didn't have the man's phone number on him. You guessed it – the phone number was back in the diary, sitting on the desk in his study. Now sometimes God has big things to say to us and sometimes He has just little things to say. And in my experience, if we love Him, if we are in the business of drawing close to Him, sometimes in the thick of things, while we are on the run, He speaks to us out of the blue. Some people are uncomfortable with that. There is a school of thought that God only ever communicates to us through His Word, the Bible. Well, I agree – the Bible is the primary way that He communicates with us and if anyone claims any other form of communication – prophesy, a word of knowledge, something from God out of the blue – if anyone claims to have any communication from God like that, but it's inconsistent with what the Bible says, well then, my friend, it is not from God. God never contradicts Himself, so I agree on that front. But the number of times He speaks to people in the Bible and they answer Him, "Here I am, Lord" – let's have a look at one of those today: Moses – this burnt out old wreck of a man – he is eighty years old. He had murdered an Egyptian as a young man and so, even though he grew up in Pharaoh's house, he fled out to the back of the desert and he had been tending sheep for forty or fifty years. But all of a sudden, when God is ready to speak with Moses, well, God speaks – out of the blue or at least out of a bush. Let's have a look at Exodus chapter 3, beginning at verse 1: Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up. When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of Israel has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” Was it an audible voice or was it a voice that Moses heard in his heart? Well, we don't know, but God didn't have a Bible to speak through back then – it wasn't written yet. So He spoke to Moses out of the blue, as it were. Now if you have access to an electronic version of the Bible, I suggest that you do a search on the words ‘here I am'. It happens over and over again – God speaks to people out of the blue and they answer Him, ‘Here I am, Lord.' Has it ever happened to me? Well, I have never quite been called to lead Israel out of Egypt, to be quite honest with you, but at the same time God has spoken to me out of the blue, about things that are big and about things that are small. I remember not long after I became a Christian. I was alone in my house – it was a Saturday afternoon and I was ironing down stairs. As I finished each shirt, I would take it upstairs and hang it in the wardrobe. As I was heading back downstairs I was just overwhelmed by the presence of God so I sat down on the stairs and what I experienced over the next fifteen/twenty minutes was God calling me to preach the Good News of Jesus. I thought, "Hang on, I have been a Christian like five minutes and You are calling me to do this?" And then He showed me how, over the prior twenty years, as I had been invited all over the world to speak at conferences and events in the I.T. Industry, which is what I did back then – I was an I.T. consultant – He showed me how He had been getting me ready for this, even before I had given my life over to Him. These weren't my thoughts or my ideas. This wasn't a vivid imagination at work. It was a definite ‘someone' outside of me, speaking to me and showing me this stuff – kind of an experience. Did I hear an audible voice? No, I didn't – never have. But I knew it was God. Jesus said in John chapter 10, verse 16: I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they will follow me. And that's exactly how it was for me that day. I just knew that it was God speaking. I just knew that He had called me to do this. I didn't know how it would happen – I had absolutely no idea, at that point that it would involve radio – none what so ever. That didn't come until another eight years later. Sometimes I thought I heard His voice and I don't think I got it quite right, so I always test things – I think, I pray, I see if it makes sense. And little by little, what I have discovered is that I am getting better and better at recognising His voice and listening to Him. In my day to day life, God sometimes nudges me this way, sometimes that. In the middle of the pressure and conflict sometimes, the Holy Spirit speaks strongly and directly, often with a Scripture, to me, that leads me to behave in a godly way, rather than following my natural human inclinations. And that's exactly what Jesus promised. When the Advocate comes,” He said in John chapter 15, “whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, will testify on my behalf. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Friend, God is in the business of communicating with us. When He does, when we hear Him out of the blue, let us test everything against His Word, the Bible, if it's not consistent with His Word, then it is absolutely certain this thing was not from God. But He does communicate with us in all sorts of different ways and sometimes He speaks to us completely out of the blue. It's fantastic! Let's just be ready to listen.   Feet on the Ground You know, I love the fact that God speaks to us in all these different ways. We have looked at quite a few over these last couple of weeks – ways that He speaks to us today. And we will be doing that again next week too. But as I said, I really feel the need to end today on a note of caution. The point is that not everything that someone says, supposedly in the name of God, is going to be true. And not everything that we feel sometimes, or think we hear sometimes, is going to come from God. Why? Well, we're human, we're fallible. Sometimes we get things wrong. Sometimes other people have ulterior motives. Now, this is nothing new – false prophets have been around for a long time. And sometimes the things that false prophets have to say, is stuff that we really, really want to hear – its stuff that sounds much better than the stuff that's coming from the true prophets. Listen to this – Jeremiah chapter 5, verse 31: The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests rule as the prophets direct; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?” In fact Jesus said - Matthew chapter 7, verse 15. He said: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. So, there is a risk; there is a danger. Now that doesn't mean that God doesn't speak through prophets or through dreams or visions – quite to the contrary. The biblical record is clear – He has been doing that for millennia, even though all that time, there have indeed been false prophets around. In fact, often in Israel's history there were many more false prophets than there were true prophets. And so, in the face of that, there are two equal and opposite errors that we can make. The first one is to deny the unexpected; to retreat to the safety of things that we can understand and live our lives believing that God only ever speaks to us from one source these days – the Bible – and that's it. Now if you know me you will know that I believe that the Bible is God's Word and it is the authority; the absolute truth, when it comes to what God has to say. And for that reason, it's because of what I read in the Bible that I simply can't come to the conclusion that God doesn't speak through prophets anymore or dreams or visions or words of knowledge. God's Word doesn't let me draw those conclusions. And the other error that we can make, on the other end of the scale, is to chase after the false prophets who tickle our ears with things that we love to hear. Jesus said – Matthew chapter 24, verse 11: And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. So, the answer, quite simply, is this: it too comes from God's very own word and I love this because God's wisdom is so balanced. First Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 19 to 22: Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. In other words: don't fall into either of these two errors. Don't deny what God is doing anymore. Don't quench the Spirit – don't throw the baby out with the bath water. God is still speaking today – God is still speaking through prophets. “Don't despise the words of prophets.” But at the same time, don't take everything everybody says as though it is true – especially if it tickles your ears and if that's what you want to hear. Instead, test everything, sift it and weigh it, sort through it – go to God, go to your Bible and under God's hand, decide whether it's good or bad. If it's good, hold onto it, if it's bad, abstain from it. I mean, imagine you are walking down the street – some guy in a flashy, shiny suit walks up to you and he says, "I have the best investment plans for your savings that you will ever find. Give me all your savings and I will invest them for a hundred percent return every year." Let me ask you something: you don't know this man from a bar of soap – would you give him all your savings? Would you at that point, walk to a bank, take out all your life savings and give it to this man to invest? Of course not! We would discern what he has to say; we would figure out – is this person trustworthy? Is this something that's good or should I just ignore him and walk away? And it's the same with prophesies and words of knowledge. People, God's Word calls us “not to quench the Spirit, not to despise the words of prophets but to test everything” – to sift it, “to hold fast to what is good; to abstain from what is evil.” Pretty good advice! I frankly can't figure out why people want to fall into either of these two errors – throw the baby out with the bath water, quench the Spirit, or, accept everything without being discerning. Why would you want to do that? Now, I know I am going to get some mail over this message, from both camps – that's okay. For me, it's about going to God's Word – without baggage we carry from the past and openly, honestly, faithfully finding out what it is God is saying and how He speaks to us today. That's where it's at! That's what God honours!

The Basement Academy - July 25, 2025(REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#24)Pastor Don Meeks

I'm sure you gave and received quite a few gifts over the years. But I think you'd agree its kind of a bummer when we later find out the gift we gave was never used as we had hoped it would be. Today on Light on the Hill pastor James Kaddis will open First Corinthians thirteen and encourage us to use God's gifts as He wants us to. And as you'll see it involves love! To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1459/29

The Basement Academy - July 24, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#23)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - July 23, 2025(REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#22)Pastor Don Meeks

How are you doing with your new year's resolutions?Every year many people resolve to exercise more and eat healthier.The Bible tells Christ-followers to take care of their bodies. “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.” First Corinthians 3:16-17Along with our physical fitness, you also need to train our spiritual muscles. It takes work, but it's the most important exercise you can do.“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” First Timothy 4:8For more encouragement and parenting advice, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

The Basement Academy - July 22, 2025(REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#21)Pastor Don Meeks

Pastor James Kaddis will continue our series, “In Spirit and In Truth.” Here in part six, we open our Bibles to First Corinthians chapter twelve. You might recognize this chapter right away, as one of the places in scripture that describes the Spiritual Gifts. But we're going to take a different approach to the subject, and talk about the mindset behind the gifts of the Spirit. Perhaps you're under the impression that your calling from God is less significant that your pastor's calling, or the person leading worship at church. But the truth is, we all have equal importance. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1459/29

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that you will never accidentally live a good life; you must choose to live for what matters most.

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that short of sin, we should be all things to all people to win them to Christ.

The Basement Academy - July 21, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#20)Pastor Don Meeks

The Basement Academy - July 18, 2025 (REPLAY) "Themes from First Corinthians" (#19)Pastor Don Meeks

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn that we can live free in Christ, but we need to love first.

This week, we continue our series on 1 Corinthians. Join us as we learn about the responsibilities of our liberty through God.