Podcasts about first timothy

Listen to the FULL episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/128901088 Listeners sent us 49 pages of questions and comments—and in this bonus episode, we tackle some of the best. We explore whether Paul's theology rewrote the faith, how James and Paul define “salvation” differently, and why First Timothy might not even be Pauline. We also dive into whether Jesus really talked about hell more than heaven, what “saved through childbearing” could mean, and why Acts and Galatians paint two conflicting timelines of Paul's journey. Other highlights include: Did Paul influence the Gospels? Why doesn't Paul quote Jesus? Is Acts trying to legitimize Paul? What even is Gehenna, and should we rethink hell? Where do Nate and Shelby land with their own faith? Plus, an honest conversation about community, politics, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and how to live together with deep differences. Thoughts, questions, stories? Please email  contact@almostheretical.com Become a member and get: 1. Bonus episodes and aftershows 2. All full-length, ad-free episodes 3. Access to Heretical Together (our private community of 350+ listeners) Become a member: almostheretical.com/premium Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. Includes my new song and some of our recent revival music.

Join Pastor Karl for a powerful Easter Sunday message from John 20, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this episode, Pastor Karl explores the profound truth that the resurrection is not just a historical event but a personal invitation to encounter the living Jesus. Through the stories of Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John at the empty tomb, he illustrates how what we see in the resurrection shapes how we live. Discover the significance of Mary's transformed life, the disciples' journey from doubt to belief, and the call to hear Jesus speak your name. Pastor Karl challenges listeners to move beyond familiarity with the Easter story and embrace the resurrection with fresh comprehension, surrendering to a life-changing relationship with Christ. This message is an inspiring reminder of the hope, peace, and purpose found in the empty tomb.Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"Join us in person 9:00am & 10:30am every Sunday morning.37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636For more visit us at flipside.churchFor more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

Here at Bannockburn we are broadly served in many practical ways through the active ministry of our deacons.We understand, according to Acts 6 and First Timothy 3, that God's Word has placed a primacy upon the character of godly men who would serve in this office to unify the body of Christ and to release our pastors into greater ministry through the Word and prayer. We firmly believe that when our deacons fulfill their roles in this way, the Word of God is magnified and disciples are truly made.If you would like to connect with a deacon in your area please complete the form at bannockburnchurch.com/deacons

About the Guest(s): John Paledino is a dedicated spiritual leader and fervent bible teacher with extensive experience in ministry. As a passionate preacher, he focuses on conveying biblical truths and encouraging others to live by faith. John is well-regarded for his insightful sermons that delve deep into scriptural teachings with a practical application to daily life. His commitment to fostering spiritual growth in his congregation is evident through his impactful approach to teaching and willingness to explore profound themes such as faith, trust in God, and spiritual warfare. Episode Summary: In this enlightening episode of the series led by John Paledino, the focus is on the transformative power of faith. He explores biblical scriptures, particularly from First Timothy, Chapter 6, and other key passages, providing a heartfelt guide on "fighting the good fight of faith." The richness of the sermon lies in John's passion for teaching and his deep understanding of faith's pivotal role in a believer's life. John elaborates on how faith is essential not only in spiritual warfare but in everyday challenges. Through examples from his personal experiences and biblical narratives, he explains the necessity of trusting God to navigate life's battles. This episode is rich with insights into how faith connects with divine promises, emphasizing the importance of remaining steadfast and expectant. John's reflections on scriptures from Hebrews, Psalms, and Isaiah unify the theme across a broad spectrum of spiritual teachings, inviting believers to find strength and peace in their relationship with God. Key Takeaways:The Fight of Faith: John emphasizes the importance of "fighting the good fight of faith," not as a mere tussle with adversity but as a purposeful journey toward spiritual victory.Trust in God's Promises: He discusses how scripture prompts believers to "lay hold on eternal life" and trust in God's promises as a foundation for true peace and strength.Faithful Living: The message stresses living out faith actively through confession and meditation on God's word, thereby enabling a transformative way to face life's challenges.Divine Support: John reminds listeners that they are never alone—God's presence and strength are always with believers as they contend with spiritual doubt and fear.Imagination in Faith: The episode introduces the concept of controlling one's imagination, aligning thoughts with God's truth to achieve spiritual growth and peace.Notable Quotes:"Fight the good fight of faith. It's a fight, but it's a good fight because if we continue, we'll win.""Without faith, it is impossible to please God.""Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.""God will reward those who sincerely seek Him.""Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with you."Resources:John Paledino's Sermons: Explore John's engaging and uplifting sermons on topics of faith and spirituality [here](# – link to sermons or reference location).Bible Passages: Scriptures referred to include First Timothy 6:12, Hebrews 11, Psalm 37, and Isaiah 40:31.Online Bible Study: For further reflection on the scriptures discussed, access a free online Bible dictionary or concordance for deeper study.Engage with this soulful episode by listening in full to experience the enriching journey of faith, guided by John Paledino's deep scriptural knowledge and spiritual wisdom. Stay connected for more thought-provoking discussions and insights in future episodes of the series.

Biblical church leadership fundamentally differs from secular leadership by prioritizing character over skills. Leaders must exemplify qualities like being above reproach, self-controlled, and hospitable as outlined in First Timothy 3. While skills can be taught, character must be cultivated through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Various leadership roles exist within the church, including small group leaders, children's ministry leaders, worship leaders, and pastors, all requiring strong character foundations.

(Hebrews 2:3) One little word reveals the greatness of God's salvation. It is a heart word, a word of joy and soberness. "So" both defies definition and, at the same time, reveals how great salvation is! (0957250305) ----more----   The Power of a Little Word A big truth can be packed into a little word. Have you ever considered the little word? So it's a powerful little word. It's an adjective that can be used in a myriad of different ways, but in scripture. It is used frequently.  The Meaning of 'So' in Scripture For example, John chapter three, verse number 16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son." What does that mean? He's so loved. You see the little word, so is a word that defies definition. Really. It's an intensive word. It's a word that says to an extent or a degree that cannot be explained. It cannot be expressed perhaps by finite minds. It cannot even be understood. He just so loved the world. Today in our study, we've come to one of those sows in scripture.  The Greatness of Salvation It's found in Hebrews chapter two and verse number three, where the Bible says, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him." I would submit to you that the little word, so here is both a joyful word and a sobering word. At the same time, we're talking about what the Bible says about salvation and God describes it this way. His salvation is not just salvation. It's not even just great salvation. No, it is so great salvation. It is so great that you need it. It is so great that without it you'll be separated from God forever. It is so great that you ought to rejoice when you have it, my friend. You ought to thank God that he saved you, but it's also so great that you ought to be sober about it and realize what a serious, costly thing this salvation is. We're talking today about the greatness of this salvation and if somebody said to me how great is it? I just have to use the Bible word and say, it's so great. An infinite God uses the word so to, to try to relate this truth to finite man. Why is our salvation so great?  The Divine Author of Salvation It's so great because of its divine author. Just this week I've been preaching in the place where I've been ministering from the little Book of Jonah, and I came to that verse. Just last night, Jonah chapter two at verse number nine, it says, "Salvation is of the Lord." Can I remind you that man didn't come up with salvation. Salvation was God's idea that apart from God, we'd all still be lost in our sin would either be in hell or on our way there. But the divine author of salvation is the God of love and mercy and grace. It came to us according to the eternal purpose of God. This was not God coming up with an emergency plan. No. Our sovereign God knew from the very beginning of the world, this was not an afterthought. He knew from the very beginning of the world that we were gonna need a savior. Ephesians one, verse four says, "Before the foundations of the world." Ephesians three verse eleven says, "According to his eternal purpose." Titus 1:2 says, "Before the world began." First Peter 1:20 says, "Before the foundation of the world." It sounds to me like God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. Don't you think that he's been writing this story of redemption? Graham Scragg, he wrote a powerful book on the Bible many years ago and he titled his book, and I love the title, the Unfolding Drama of Redemption. My friend that's really what the Bible is. It is God's redemptive story to man Herbert Locky wrote this deep and far in an untrackable eternity. Its foundations were laid. It's not a thing of yesterday, it will not pass away with tomorrow. The father has endorsed it with his own everlasting ness. Think of that my salvation is rooted in the eternalness of God. He's the divine author that makes it so great.  The Cost of Salvation It was also so great because of the price that was paid for it. In First Peter chapter one, we're told that we've been bought, not with corruptible things, but incorruptible. The incorruptible blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The precious blood of Christ was what the cost of my salvation was. Don't take this lightly friend. We should never discuss spiritual things in a flippant way. One of the things that is tragic today is the lack of reverence. When people talk about God and spiritual truths and friends, you might make a joke about some things, but never joke about Christ and about salvation. It's so great and then it's so great because.  The Universal Offer of Salvation Of the fact it's universally offered to every man. John chapter three, verse number 16, still says, "whosoever." First Timothy chapter two says that God will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Don't you love that verse, John 2:2 says, "Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world." Does that mean everybody's gonna be saved? No, we know that some people are going to reject the truth and some people. Perhaps we'll never even hear the truth. What a tragic loss that is. But the fact remains that Christ died for every man. God loves all people, and the Holy Spirit has come to make the free offer of salvation available to all. Who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Oh, you know what it sounds like to me, it's so great salvation.  The Eternal Duration of Salvation Not only that, it's so great because of its duration. How long is it gonna last forever? Salvation is forever. You see the great word used in scripture is this eternal life. Don't you love that eternal life? Isaiah 45 calls it "everlasting salvation." Isaiah 51 verse six says, "Whatever God does, it's forever." Hebrews chapter five, verse number nine says that the Lord Jesus has become the author of eternal salvation. Hebrews chapter nine, verse 12 calls it "eternal redemption." John chapter three, verse number sixteen says it is everlasting life. Don't you love the terms that God uses? Salvation has a beginning point. It's the moment you look to Christ in simple faith. But the beauty is it has no ending point. It is so great salvation. It's so great because of its divine author. It's so great because of the price paid for it. It's so great because it's universally offered to every man. It's so great because it's eternal in its duration.  Salvation in the Person of Jesus Christ But finally it's so great because it came to us in the person of Jesus Christ. It's not a system, it's not a church. Salvation is in the person of Jesus Christ. If it was in some thing, then we might have to struggle to keep it, and there would be constant fear that we would lose it. But salvation is not anything. It's in Jesus. You're not hanging on to Jesus friend. Jesus is hanging on to you. You're being held. By the hand of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm twenty-seven, verse one, "The Lord is my salvation." Second Timothy chapter one, verse twelve, "I know whom I have believed. I know whom I have believed, and I'm also persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day." No wonder Hebrews chapter two in verse number three calls it "so great salvation." Understanding the Depths of Salvation You know when you start studying what the Bible says about salvation, you almost. As you begin plumbing the depths and getting greater understanding, you almost start wondering, man, did I even understand enough of salvation to get saved? But may I bring you back to this simple truth today, you may be wondering even now I didn't understand all of this when I first called on Christ for salvation, but you may not have comprehended all that you received the day you got saved, but you got it all the moment you got the Lord Jesus Christ. In the same book of the Bible, the little book of Hebrews, the Bible talks about the things that accompany salvation. On the day you got saved, you just simply took Christ as your personal savior. But on that day, hallelujah, for that day, the hymn writer said, glad day. Glad day when Jesus washed my sins away on the day you took Jesus Christ as your personal savior. You got all that comes with Jesus Christ. You got so great salvation. In fact, you're gonna spend the rest of your life coming to a deeper understanding of it. And then if that's not enough, when you leave this world. You're gonna go to be with your savior for all of eternity, and I believe we're gonna spend the rest of eternity going deeper and further and higher into an understanding of the God of love. We're just gonna say, for all of eternity, this is so great. That's what the Bible says about our God salvation. Outro and Resources Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe. We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our Library of Bible teaching resources, including book-by-book studies of scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time on enjoying the Journey.

Send us a textLeadership Lessons from 1 Timothy - Episode 82 | Faith Empowered Workplace LeadersWelcome to episode 82 of the Faith Empowered Workplace Leaders podcast! Join Ed and Bill as they continue their series on leadership lessons from the book of First Timothy. This week, they delve into the principles outlined in chapter one, exploring the significance of leading with passion tempered by humility. Through their discussion, they offer insights from Kim Scott's 'Radical Candor' and the Old Testament book of Habakkuk, illustrating how effective leadership balances love, service, and the willingness to make tough decisions. Don't miss out on this opportunity to grow in your leadership journey, whether you're a pastor, a business leader, or anyone striving to lead with faith. Subscribe for more empowering content!00:00 Welcome and Introduction00:54 Front Porch Wisdom: Insights and Reflections08:22 Leadership Lessons from First Timothy11:33 Paul's Guidance to Timothy13:31 The Essence of Christian Leadership17:54 Servant Leadership and Humility21:35 Understanding Transformation in Christian Leadership22:27 The Role of Discipleship in Transformation24:07 Servant Leadership: Leading by Serving25:11 Balancing Love and Leadership26:25 The Pitfalls of Selfish Leadership29:30 Modeling Servant Leadership in the Church35:38 Leadership in Everyday Life36:33 Conclusion and Next StepsLearn more at renewts.com

In this episode, we dive into a crucial topic for today's world: finding contentment amidst our culture's constant push for more. As advertisements and media bombard us with desires, how can we cultivate true satisfaction? We'll explore biblical insights from First Timothy on godliness and contentment, understanding that wealth isn't the ultimate goal, but rather a mindful state of inner peace and sufficiency. Join us as we discuss the pitfalls of pursuing riches and the peace that comes from trusting God and appreciating life's necessities. Learn how contentment is a choice and discover practical ways to set your heart towards heavenly treasures, not earthly gains.

This is the third episode of our Christmas Special. We have stepped away from studying the Lords Prayer in order to focus on Christmas and on the reason for the season. Today's podcast episode is titled "The Purpose of Christ's Birth" and is an exposition of First Timothy chapter one verse fifteen. Join me was we explore the simple yet profound truths of this Christmas passage.

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

Send us a textGossip is defined by Webster's Dictionary as "casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people". It's a term loaded with negativity, often associated with spreading rumors and sharing personal details about someone's life without their consent. Gossip is not just idle chit-chat; it is harmful and unkind.The tendency to gossip can be understood through our inherent fascination with other people's lives. This fascination is evident in the popularity of talk shows, tabloids, and social media platforms where juicy details about others cause our jaws to drop in shock. However, hiding behind labels like "sharing concerns" or "discussing feelings" doesn't change the nature of the act—it's still gossip, and as the podcast episode highlighted, it's wrong.God's Perspective on Bullying From a spiritual perspective, gossip is also frowned upon. First Timothy 5:13 describes gossip as "meddling in another person's business and talking about things they shouldn't." Romans 1:29 goes even further by calling gossip wicked. This strong condemnation reflects the understanding that gossip can cause severe damage by revealing embarrassing and shameful details about someone, damaging their reputation and causing personal hurt.Teaching Our Children About Gossip & BullyingGossip can also be the spark that ignites bullying, particularly among children and teens. As parents, it's vital to teach our children about the detrimental effects of gossip and how to avoid it. Encourage children to ask themselves questions before sharing information about someone:Why do I want to share this information?Is it to make someone feel bad about themselves?Am I doing this just because everyone else is, and I don't want to be excluded?Advocate for empathy by having children think about how they would feel if someone spoke about them in the same way. Encourage them to pray and seek guidance to resist the temptation to gossip or bully. Teach them to stand up against gossip by choosing not to participate or spreading it further.Check out free resources and downloads on my website: Website: http://SandraKayChambers.com Follow Me on Social Media: Instagram: http://instagram.com/SandraKayChambers Facebook: http://facebook.com/SandraKayChambersauthor Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/SandraKayChamberswriter Thanks to my Virtual Assistant, Alyssa Avant (https://alyssaavantandcompany.com), for her tech genius and help with this podcast.

Is voting a biblical duty for Christians, or simply a civic right? This episode poses that very question as we explore the nuanced intersection of faith and politics, especially in light of the election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. We then turn our attention to the scriptural arguments surrounding Christian participation in voting. Should Christians feel obligated to vote, or does scripture grant them the liberty to abstain? We dissect passages from Romans 13, First Timothy, and Matthew 5:13, exploring their implications on stewardship and submission to authority. The debate is anything but one-sided, as we entertain the notion that not voting might still align with Christian values when faced with the "lesser of two evils" dilemma. Finally, we underscore the essential role of conscience in the voting process and the importance of community engagement. From school boards to city councils, the significance of voting extends beyond presidential candidates, urging Christians to stay involved at a local level. Super challenging and we hope also super helpful. Thanks for Listening! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Zechariah 10-14; Psalm 99-100; Proverbs 21:11-15; First Timothy 6

Zechariah 6-9; Psalm 97, 98; Proverbs 21:6-10; First Timothy 5

Zechariah 1-5; Psalm 96; Proverbs 21:1-5; First Timothy 4

Haggai 1-2; Psalm 95; Proverbs 20:21-25; First Timothy 3

Zephaniah 1-3; Psalm 94; Proverbs 20:16-20; First Timothy 2

Habakkuk 1-3; Psalm 93:16-23; Proverbs 20:11-15; First Timothy 1

Topics: Pastor, Bishop, Elder, Deacon, Church Leader, Biblical Authority, Cult-Like System, Top-Down Authority, Hierarchy System, Chain-of-Command, Mathew 20:25-26, Man-Made Tradition, In Charge at Church, There Is No “at church”, Church Not a Place But Living Organism, Ecclesia, Called Out Ones, Church Never a Building But Ecclesia in Different Regions, Clement of Alexandria Said You Cannot Go to What You Are, Woman Should Be Filled With Shame She Was Created as a Woman, Ephesians 2:22, You Are Dwelling in Which God Lives, Acts 7:48, Acts17:24, God Does Not Dwell in Buildings Built By Human Hands, Poimenas, Shepherd, Pastor in Old Testament, Pastor in New Testament, Pastor Should Be Riddled Through the New Testament, Listed Only Once, Some Translations Don't Use Pastor at All, Old Testament Pastor Not in Charge of Church or Even Temple, Shepherded According to the Law, Pastor Never Gives Sermons nor Collects Tithes nor on Payroll, Laborer Deserves Wages, Don't Muzzle the Ox, Pastor Not There, Paul Is Describing Being Paid According the Law, Did Not Use That Right But Instead He Worked, Double Honor Is Not Double Pay but Honor, Pastors Never Lead Church Services, Pastors Not Closer to God, Ephesians 4:11, No Qualifications or Authority, Pastors Is Plural, Not a Title But a Spiritual Gift of Overseeing, Shepherds Care For Sheep, Someone Like My Grandma, John Calvin Created a Position, Taught Puritans, Puritans Established American Churches With Pastors in Charge, Calvin Gave Power to Give Sermons and Administer Communion and Have Authority Not the Bible, Pastors Not in Charge at Church, History of Bishop, Ignatius of Antioch, The Word Bishop Not in the Bible, First Timothy 3:1, Desires Office of Bishop, Episcopon, Overseer, There Are No Offices in Body of Christ, Oversees Others With Truth of the Gospel, Surround Yourself With Honorable People, Overseer Has No Authority, Like a Sponsor in AA, Authority Means They Can Punish You, Bishops Not in Charge at Church, Greek Word for Elder is Presbuteros or Presbyters, Elder Board Created by Constantine and Not in Scripture, Qualifications but No Authority, Household in Order and One Spouse, If No Control Over Wife and Kids Can't Be On Elder Board, Elder Is Mature Person in Any Faith, Unbelieving Elders According to the Law and Paganism, Elder Does Not Mean Christian, Older and Wise Person Who Loves Others with the Gospel, Women Can't Be Elder Because of Husband of one Wife, Women Can't Be Elder at Church, Paul Referring to Female Dominated Culture Due to Temple of Artemis, Entire Letter Address to Female Elder is 2 John, Female Who Understands Gospel Is Elder Above Male Who Doesn't, Diakonos is Deacon, One Who Meets the Needs of Others, One Who Ministers to, Deacon Is Younger Elder, Deacons Meet Needs By Pointing to Jesus and Who You Are as a Saint, Deacons Not Lower in Totem Pole of Hierarchy, Church Leader, Leader, Hebrews 13:17, Romans 12:8, Leader Is Not Pastor Bishop Elder or Deacon, Both Times Leader is Used It's Describing a Jew Leading Other Jews Away from the Law and Temple Work, Obey Your Leader Would Be Obey the Gospel, Obedience of Faith, No Authority to Punish, Not a Church Setting but Temple Setting, The Authority Was the Message About Jesus, Only Obedience In Hebrews is Obedience of Faith in Jesus as the Final Sacrifice for Sins, Enemies of God, Leaders have No Authority Besides the Gospel, No Way to Punish Unbelievers, 1 Peter 5, Acts 20, Shepherding the Flock, Pastor Is Not There, Doesn't Say Leader, Being Assigned a Flock Began with the Early Church Fathers, Assigning Groups to Leaders, No Authority But Someone Protecting and Guiding Other Believers, Who's In Charge at Church, Who Leads at ChurchSupport the Show.Sign up for Matt's free daily devotional! https://mattmcmillen.com/newsletter