Podcasts about Galatia

Kisah Para Rasul 16:6-7 "Mereka melintasi tanah Frigia dan tanah Galatia, karena Roh Kudus mencegah mereka untuk memberitakan Injil di Asia. Dan setibanya di Misia mereka mencoba masuk ke daerah Bitinia, tetapi Roh Yesus tidak mengizinkan mereka.”

Matters of the Heart Please pray with me aloud or in your heart our Prayer of the Day: Sovereign God, ruler of all hearts, you call us to obey you, and you favor us with true freedom.  Keep us faithful to the ways of your Son, that, leaving behind all that hinders us, we may steadfastly follow your paths, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.  I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me night after night. I have set the Lord always before me; because God is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.  My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest in hope…You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.        Psalm 16:7-9. 11 I think I inherited it.  Typically, I'll wake up one or two times during the night, often from dreams, sometimes disturbing, sometimes pleasant, always bizarre.  My dad was like that, waking up at 3:00 in the morning, lying on the couch, reading.  Often when I go to bed, I'll recite an ancient evening prayer:  I give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have graciously protected me today.  I ask you to forgive me all my sins, where I have done wrong, and graciously protect me tonight.  Into your hands I commend myself: my body, my soul, and all that is mine.  Let your holy angel be with me, so that the wicked foe may have no power over me.  Amen. Sharing the disturbing aspects of those dreams with a friend this past week, he suggested beginning with words asking God to totally fill me during the night.  And revisiting Martin Luther's Small Catechism I found these instructions:  In the evening, when you go to bed, you are to make the sign of the holy cross and say “God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit watch over me. Amen.”  Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer. Following these prayers for protection, Luther writes, “Then you are to go to sleep quickly and cheerfully.”  J                                                              ELW, page 1167 So this week I was drawn especially to the words of the Psalm:  my heart teaches me night after night, and the opening words of today's prayer:  Sovereign God, ruler of all hearts… I've been thinking about the “wicked foe” in relation especially to those disturbing dreams.  I think about the question I will ask Granger's parents and sponsors:  “Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God?”  To which I hope they will answer, “I renounce them.” Believing that God truly is sovereign, the [ultimate] ruler of all hearts, I believe that God allows Satan to wreak some havoc in my troubling dreams, those where I have lost my way and nothing in the landscape is familiar. But this sovereign God also awakens me with the assurance that I am in fact not lost, that Jesus holds me securely in his hands. I wonder if my nighttime experience is not all that uncommon.  I wonder if you have experiences akin to mine.  Who of us is not troubled, whether by day or by night, by so much in our world that is corrupt.  It is not difficult to see abundant examples of the self-centeredness, of the self-indulgence of which Paul speaks in our Second Reading from Galatians 5: of enmity, strife, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, and envy.  I found profound the two House Select Hearings this past examining the dark events leading up to and following the January 6 insurrection.  I listened to the intense polar opposite reactions to the overturning of Roe v. Wade on Friday. Paul's words to the little church in Galatia are so timeless, so needed to be spoken today:  The whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another…I am warning you, as I warned you before:  those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But hear the gospel:  Because Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem” where he knew would suffer and die for all the world, for every child and man and woman in this country and throughout the entire world, because he was crucified and buried and rose again, everyone is precious, everyone matters, everyone is loved.  Everyone, including those we find so easy to hate. Because Jesus died and rose again for Granger and Garret and Grayson, and for his mom and dad, Katie and Cody, and for everyone of us; because through Holy Baptism all of us are publically and eternally held and protected by Jesus in all our experiences of dying and of being raised up again, our hearts, in the words of the psalmist, are made glad, our spirits rejoice, and our bodies rest in hope. No matter how corrupt and deeply divided our world has become, no matter how disturbing our dreams, no matter how stressed and worried we may be about what the future looks like for little ones like Granger and his siblings, the gospel, the good news, is that the Father, his Son, and the Holy Spirit are and always will be with us, with these little ones. The job assignments for Cody and Katie and for all of us is to pray often for these little ones, and again in the words of Paul to be “led by the Spirit” in raising them, in due time teaching them the 10 commandments, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. Following Jesus means that in the face of hatred and words and acts of violence, we commit every day to pray for the fruit of the Holy Spirit to be lived out in our hearts and in all that we do.  Following Jesus means never tiring of these nine words:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  None of us can honestly claim to embody all these words all the time.  But Jesus' death and resurrection means that God, for Jesus' sake, forgives us, over and over.  And the Holy Spirit, usually one little step at a time, enables us increasingly to bear this nine-fold fruit. May God today and forever bless the heart of Granger.  And in this world, these days so fractured, may all of us live by the Spirit and by the Spirit be guided to nine-fold acts of love for our neighbors. When I go to bed tonight, I intend to recite the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer, and words like the ancient prayer I shared with you this morning.  And at least tonight, these opening and closing words from Psalm 16:  Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you…You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Then, God willing, I will heed Martin Luther's instruction:  “Then you are to go to sleep quickly and cheerfully.” Amen

Text: Galatians 5:13-26We continue our look at Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. In last week’s passage from chapter 3, Paul reminds us that there is no law that keeps us from the grace of God. This may tempt us to live our lives the way we want to or just do the minimum…

Listen in to the sermon from Ms. Anne Alexis Harra for The Third Sunday after Pentecost, June 26, 2022. Support the worship and ministry of St. Martin's by giving online: stmartinec.org/give Today's readings are: 1 Kings 19:15-16,19-21 Psalm 16 Galatians 5:1,13-25 Luke 9:51-62Readings may be found on LectionaryPage.net: https://lectionarypage.net/ Sermon text: It is a remarkable honor to meditate on the Words of Life with you this morning, which admittedly feels rather heavy. I originally was on the schedule to preach next week - on Wednesday afternoon, Pastor Jim asked if I might switch to this week. Little did I know. Shaping these words to you, my Beloved St. Martin's, a community in transition and one that is feeling a tremendous weight, is an outstanding gift. I am honored. A great injustice was done on Friday, the exact type against which Paul warns in the passage from Galatians. The freedoms of powerful people were used as an opportunity for self-indulgence, to abuse the name of religious freedom and to strip away the dignity and bodily autonomy of women. After the news broke on Friday I found myself in the midst of a crisis of faith. Finding the words to say to myself, let alone to a congregation already shouldering so much, was almost impossible. Around 7:30 last night with tears in my eyes I angrily said to my far-too-patient partner, "I have no words. This pain is too much. I don't know where God is, and I don't know what the future will bring." My sweet Cole said to me, "Preach what's on your heart. You'll find the words." I feel like I resonate most with the words of the Psalmist this morning, who opened the psalm with a plea to God for protection during turbulence in Israel. The Psalmist reiterates that it is God who is her only good; with God's presence near her, she will not fall. Let us take those words with us this week to hopefully lighten our burdens. I fear we are staring down a long road of anguish and factionizing. St. Paul had this same concern for the Church in Galatia, a portion of whose Letter we read this morning. Despite having brought the Good News of God in Christ to Galatia, Paul was concerned about its factionizing. The Galatians were factionizing and dividing amongst themselves over the interpretation of the law. The Judaic faction of Galatia was adamant that Christian converts should practice Mosaic law, even going so far as to demand that these converts receive circumcision. Paul does not mince words when he warns the Galatians not to trade one form of subjugation for another. Subjugation of any body based on former law infringes on everybody's freedom. It drives us apart, and it pulls us away from God. This passage from Galatians today reminds us that our freedom does not come from us, but from the Love of God in Christ, the same Christ who willingly set out on a journey from Galilee to Jerusalem to meet his fate on the cross. True religious freedom comes from Christ and begets the Fruits of the Spirit: joy, patience, gentleness, faithfulness. It does not harm another for righteousness' sake. Instead, we are coming face to face with profoundly gross misinterpretations of religious freedom, the kind which keep us stuck in the past and unable to move forward in our journey towards the Dominion of God. In the gospel, Luke illustrates a strange encounter with Jesus, but highlights a harsh truth: The freedom that comes from following Christ involves sacrificing what we once thought was best. At the end of the gospel, we hear a peculiar dialogue between Jesus and one potential follower. The man wants to follow Jesus but asks to offer his family farewell, first. Jesus does not hold back: "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God." These words would have been bizarre to anyone in ancient times because the "plowing norm" involved the person operating the plow looking backwards routinely to ensure that the rows were straight. In his response to the man, Jesus lets us know that constantly looking backwards is not the way to live into the Dominion of God. The old ways must make way for the new. I stand before you this morning as a young woman, a hopeful future priest, and a child of God who has grave concerns that a few people with an excess of power are distorting the Scriptures, are appropriating Christian images for political gain, and are taking us backwards - away from the Dominion of God. The Dominion of God is one filled with dignity, mercy, justice, compassion, and its goodness knows no bounds. We can achieve this state, but we must look forward in order to do so. We are called to protect the vulnerable. We are called to life in the Spirit. We are called to freedom in Christ. We are called to fulfill the New Commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Moving into the coming days and weeks, I pray that we journey forward with the same bravery and conviction for justice that our Savior demonstrated for us. Despite the agony in my heart, I have hope in the ancient words of the Psalmist: "I have set God always before me; because God is at my right hand I shall not fall. My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest in hope. For God will not abandon me to the grave, nor let God's holy ones see the Pit." Friends, God will not let God's holy ones see the Pit. God dwells among us. God is sustaining us right now and beckoning us forward. In this time of profound pain and confusion, we have an opportunity to set God before us, and heed Christ's call to move forward into freedom. For freedom in Christ has - and will continue to - set us free. We will stand firm. And we will not again submit to a yoke of slavery. Amen. Permission to podcast/stream music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187 and CCLI with license #21234241 and #21234234. All rights reserved. Video, photographs, and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. 215.247.7466. https://www.stmartinec.org

How should the cross shape our community at Redeemer? What should the church do, specifically, to embody the ethos of Christ? This is the subject of Paul's final exhortation to the churches of Galatia, which we will consider this Sunday. See you on Sunday! Pastor Josh

Dibawakan oleh Pastor Peter Tukan, SDB dari Komunitas Salesian Don Bosco Labuan Bajo, Keuskupan Ruteng, Indonesia. 1 Raja-Raja 19: 16b.19-21; Mazmur tg 16: 1-2a.5.7-8.9-10.11; Galatia 5: 1.13-18; Lukas 9: 51-62 TIDAK MENYESAL MENGIKUTI KRISTUS Tema renungan kita pada hari ini ialah: Tidak Menyesal Mengikuti Kristus. Seorang imam merayakan ulang tahun imamatnya yang ke-50. Ia memberikan sambutan di dalam acara itu, dengan mengatakan bahwa menjadi seorang imam sampai ajal menjemput, ia tidak menyesal mengikuti Kristus. Ia meyakini sebuah keuntungan dan kepentingan maha besar untuk menuntaskan panggilan hidupnya mengikuti Kristus sebagai seorang imam. Tuntasnya panggilan itu ialah sampai meninggal dunia sebagai seorang imam. Sebenarnya ia selalu memberikan penegasan tentang komitmennya itu di berbagai kesempatan dengan orang-orang yang berbeda. Ia tidak menyesal apa pun dengan panggilannya itu karena dua hal penting yang ia ungkapkan dengan penuh semangat. Pertama, ialah ia tahu dan percaya bahwa Tuhan melengkapi dirinya sejak awal perjalanan panggilan, dengan kemampuan untuk membedakan antara hal-hal di dalam dirinya atau di dunia yang berpotensi menghalangi dirinya dari fokusnya menjawabi panggilan Tuhan. Kemampuan ini lazim di dalam pengalaman hidup rohani dinamakan disermen atau penegasan komitmen. Setelah mampu mengesampingkan hal-hal yang tidak mendukung panggilannya seperti harta, perkawinan dan kenikmatan dunia, ia kemudian menemukan bahwa yang tinggal dalam dirinya ialah komitmen untuk mengabdikan dirinya hanya kepada Tuhan dan Gereja. Kedua, di dalam meniti panggilan itu selama tahun-tahun pembinaan, studi dan bekerja, aneka cobaan, tantangan dan kesulitan telah ia hadapi. Ketika ditanya, apa strateginya untuk melewati semua itu, Pastor itu berkata bahwa sikap yang ia utamakan ialah toleransi. Ia menjelaskan, toleransi bukan sekedar lemah lembut dan membiarkan para musuh berkuasa dan menindas kita. Sikap toleran sebenarnya ialah memperhatikan dan mengasihi dengan sedemikian rupa supaya para penentang atau musuh dapat menyerah, melepaskan tingkah laku buruknya dan akhirnya dapat berbalik kepada yang baik dan yang benar. Kedua prinsip yang diutarakan oleh Pastor tersebut sebenarnya menjadi syarat-syarat mendasar untuk mengikuti Kristus dan memelihara komitmen sebagai pengikut Kristus. Setiap orang yang mengikuti Kristus, harus melengkapi dirinya dengan kemampuan untuk membuat pembedaan dan penegasan komitmen. Yang tidak perlu dan yang menghambat, tentu saja dapat ditinggalkan atau dikesampingkan. Yang dibawa serta tentu hal-hal yang mendukung panggilan itu. Memang keharusan untuk mematikan atau menghilangkan halangan dan musuh adalah sesuatu yang ideal, tetapi yang juga sangat berguna ialah mengubah para musuh dan penentang itu menjadi sahabat dan saudara kita. Marilah kita berdoa. Dalam nama Bapa ... Ya Tuhan, semoga perayaan hari minggu ini menguatkan dan memantapkan panggilan kami masing-masing. Bapa kami yang ada di Surga ... Dalam nama Bapa ... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/media-la-porta/message

Saturday, 25 June 2022   But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! Acts 8:20   The previous verse cited Simon. He had offered money to Peter and then he said, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” With that, Luke records, “But Peter said to him.” From the coming words, it is evident that Peter completely flipped out at the offer. And more, he strongly rebukes him, saying, “Your money perish with you.”   More literally it reads, “Your money be along with you to destruction.” Today, to say this as forcefully as Peter, we might say, “Both you and your money can go straight to the pit.” This should not be taken as many do as Peter calling a curse down on Simon, although it would not be out of character for him. In his denial of Jesus, his words were packed with emotion, literally saying that he began to “anathematize.” It was as if he was calling down curses if he was lying, which of course he was.   In the case of his words to Simon, he is surely being expressive of contempt for the money more than contempt for Simon. We might say something like, “Even if you gave me a million dollars, it wouldn't matter.” The very fact that Peter tells him to repent of his thought in the coming verses shows that he is not adamant that Simon will, in fact, perish. For now, however, Peter continues to correct his thinking about what is happening by saying, “because you thought that the gift of God.”   Peter acknowledges exactly what Paul will later write in his epistles. A gift is something that cannot be purchased. It doesn't matter how good of a bargain it is, if it has a value attached to it, no matter how large or how small, it cannot be considered a gift. The giving of the Holy Spirit is called a gift.   As the Holy Spirit is something given upon belief, and as the Holy Spirit is considered a guarantee (see Ephesians 1:14), and because the guarantee is given as a mark of salvation (Ephesians 2:8, 9) which is also called a gift, then it clearly indicates that salvation is eternal. It is this matter that is being considered, and Simon thought it, as Peter says, “could be purchased with money!”   As one can see, Peter's words are more of an idiomatic expression than a curse directed toward Simon. “What God has offered as a gift, you are trying to pay for? You and your money can go to destruction together!” Peter is trying to wake Simon up to the process of salvation and what it ultimately means. If the “gift” can be purchased, then it is not a gift. Further, it would then mean that what occurred does not come with a guarantee. But the process is of God, and it is something that He will see through to the end.   Life application: The words of Peter cannot override the promises of God. If Simon believed (which he did as is recorded in verse 8:13), and if belief is what brings salvation (see Ephesians 1:13, 14, for example), then Simon was saved. The giving of the Holy Spirit through the apostle's hand has a purpose that is fulfilled in the act. It is not something that needs to be done again, as will be evidenced in Acts 10 with the conversion of Cornelius and those with him.   Peter is doing what is proper in rebuking Simon for his horrifying doctrine. He has fully misunderstood the process of salvation that takes place, and he is being corrected in his thinking. Later in the chronology of time, Paul will have to do this exact same thing to Peter –   “Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.'” Galatians 2:11-16   Who is in the more damaging position from a theological standpoint, Simon Peter or Simon the Magician? Arguably, it is Simon Peter. Simon the Magician had no schooling on the matter, and what he was considering was not something that would keep a person from being saved, simply because what he was asking for was something that could not be granted.   On the other hand, what Simon Peter was doing was setting aside the grace of God which comes through the work of Christ through His actions (Galatians 2:21). He was falling back on the law in order to please men. This can, and it does, lead directly to the introduction of a false gospel (Galatians 1:6-8).   As this is so, and as Peter remained as saved after his actions as he was the day he was saved, it demonstrates to us that Peter's words to Simon are surely to be taken in the proper context of a sharp rebuke, but not a statement of condemnation. The grace of God, even in regard to the abject failure of Peter in His conduct before those in Galatia is a comforting reassurance that we are saved despite ourselves. Thank God for His grace in Jesus Christ!   Lord God, what a comfort Your word is. It shows us that even when we really botch things up, we are Yours because of Jesus. And more, we will remain Yours because of Jesus. Thank God for the eternal salvation that is found in Him. Amen.

Today we answer the question: What is the real Galatian Error? What were the people in the region of Galatia dealing with? --- SUBSCRIBE --- https://www.youtube.com/c/bibleline --- LIKE --- https://www.facebook.com/biblelinemin --- TWEET --- https://www.twitter.com/biblelinemin --- COMMENT --- ask us a question! --- SHARE --- with all your friends and family Do you have a Bible question? Send your question to questions@biblelineministries.org! Support Bibleline - https://www.calvaryoftampa.org/donate/ Bibleline is a ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida and is hosted by Pastor Jesse Martinez.

Saturday, 25 June 2022   But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! Acts 8:20   The previous verse cited Simon. He had offered money to Peter and then he said, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” With that, Luke records, “But Peter said to him.” From the coming words, it is evident that Peter completely flipped out at the offer. And more, he strongly rebukes him, saying, “Your money perish with you.”   More literally it reads, “Your money be along with you to destruction.” Today, to say this as forcefully as Peter, we might say, “Both you and your money can go straight to the pit.” This should not be taken as many do as Peter calling a curse down on Simon, although it would not be out of character for him. In his denial of Jesus, his words were packed with emotion, literally saying that he began to “anathematize.” It was as if he was calling down curses if he was lying, which of course he was.   In the case of his words to Simon, he is surely being expressive of contempt for the money more than contempt for Simon. We might say something like, “Even if you gave me a million dollars, it wouldn't matter.” The very fact that Peter tells him to repent of his thought in the coming verses shows that he is not adamant that Simon will, in fact, perish. For now, however, Peter continues to correct his thinking about what is happening by saying, “because you thought that the gift of God.”   Peter acknowledges exactly what Paul will later write in his epistles. A gift is something that cannot be purchased. It doesn't matter how good of a bargain it is, if it has a value attached to it, no matter how large or how small, it cannot be considered a gift. The giving of the Holy Spirit is called a gift.   As the Holy Spirit is something given upon belief, and as the Holy Spirit is considered a guarantee (see Ephesians 1:14), and because the guarantee is given as a mark of salvation (Ephesians 2:8, 9) which is also called a gift, then it clearly indicates that salvation is eternal. It is this matter that is being considered, and Simon thought it, as Peter says, “could be purchased with money!”   As one can see, Peter's words are more of an idiomatic expression than a curse directed toward Simon. “What God has offered as a gift, you are trying to pay for? You and your money can go to destruction together!” Peter is trying to wake Simon up to the process of salvation and what it ultimately means. If the “gift” can be purchased, then it is not a gift. Further, it would then mean that what occurred does not come with a guarantee. But the process is of God, and it is something that He will see through to the end.   Life application: The words of Peter cannot override the promises of God. If Simon believed (which he did as is recorded in verse 8:13), and if belief is what brings salvation (see Ephesians 1:13, 14, for example), then Simon was saved. The giving of the Holy Spirit through the apostle's hand has a purpose that is fulfilled in the act. It is not something that needs to be done again, as will be evidenced in Acts 10 with the conversion of Cornelius and those with him.   Peter is doing what is proper in rebuking Simon for his horrifying doctrine. He has fully misunderstood the process of salvation that takes place, and he is being corrected in his thinking. Later in the chronology of time, Paul will have to do this exact same thing to Peter –   “Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.'” Galatians 2:11-16   Who is in the more damaging position from a theological standpoint, Simon Peter or Simon the Magician? Arguably, it is Simon Peter. Simon the Magician had no schooling on the matter, and what he was considering was not something that would keep a person from being saved, simply because what he was asking for was something that could not be granted.   On the other hand, what Simon Peter was doing was setting aside the grace of God which comes through the work of Christ through His actions (Galatians 2:21). He was falling back on the law in order to please men. This can, and it does, lead directly to the introduction of a false gospel (Galatians 1:6-8).   As this is so, and as Peter remained as saved after his actions as he was the day he was saved, it demonstrates to us that Peter's words to Simon are surely to be taken in the proper context of a sharp rebuke, but not a statement of condemnation. The grace of God, even in regard to the abject failure of Peter in His conduct before those in Galatia is a comforting reassurance that we are saved despite ourselves. Thank God for His grace in Jesus Christ!   Lord God, what a comfort Your word is. It shows us that even when we really botch things up, we are Yours because of Jesus. And more, we will remain Yours because of Jesus. Thank God for the eternal salvation that is found in Him. Amen.  

When Faith & Reality Collide Part 5: The Fight of Faith By Louie Marsh, 6-22-2022   7  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJhwc2d7y-E   1) Sometimes acting in faith seems CRAZY.   30  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. Hebrews 11: 30 (ESV) Fighting the good fight always comes down to WHO IS IN CONTROL.  13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14  And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15  And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13-15 (ESV)   2) Faith is what counts, not all my BAD REPUTATION.    31  By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Hebrews 11: 31 (ESV) You know you really believe that God is real when you STAKE YOUR LIFE ON IT.  9  and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11  And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12  Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign 13  that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14  And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” Joshua 2:9-14 (ESV)   3) Gender, race, age or tribe doesn't matter to God – FAITH DOES.    32  And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— Hebrews 11:30-32 (ESV) God does great things with people whose faith isn't VERY MATURE.  4  Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5  She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6  She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7  And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand'?” 8  Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9  And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. Judges 4:4-9 (ESV) Having faith in God doesn't mean I don't need PEOPLE HELPING ME.  9  Do your best to come to me soon. 10  For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11  Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 2 Timothy 4:9-11 (ESV)    

Episode 165 – Paul’s Places – Part 6: Galatia Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: From Paul, whose call to be an apostle did not come from human beings … but from Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from death. All … here join me in sending greetings to the churches of Galatia … I am surprised at you! In no time at all you are deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ, and are accepting another gospel. Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1, 2, & 6, Good News Translation ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re grateful to be with you today. We are in the midst of a series on Anchored by Truth that we are calling “Paul’s Places.” By “Paul,” of course, we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote at least 13 of the books out of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament. We say “at least 13” because some Bible commentators believe Paul also wrote the book of Hebrews but we cannot be certain about that. As part of his ministry Paul wrote a number of letters to various churches. Many of those letters have been preserved in the books of the New Testament. And in this “Paul’s Places” series we are taking a look at Paul’s letters to the churches that are identified in our Bibles by geographic names. These include letters Paul sent to the churches in Rome and Corinth and we have already covered those letters. Today we’re going to look at Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia. In the studio today we have RD Fierro, an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, why don’t you remind us of the reason we wanted to do this Paul’s Places series? RD: Well, I’d like to start by thanking our listeners for joining us here today. We know that the people who join us on Anchored by Truth are people who genuinely want to understand their Bibles better and the content of their Christian faith better. So, one question that people who love the Bible often encounter is how they can be sure that the Bible is the word of God. And we cite four lines of evidence that the Bible can be trusted: reliable history, remarkable unity, fulfilled prophecy, and redeemed destinies. Reliable history means that for those portions of human history on which the Bible reports the Bible’s reports can be trusted. The Bible’s history contains some descriptions of remarkable events. VK: And certainly the most remarkable event the Bible describes is the most remarkable event in all of human history – the resurrection of Jesus. RD: Right. It would be impossible for anyone today to personally testify that they were a witness to the resurrection. So, we have to base our trust in the historicity of the resurrection in the documents of the New Testament because it is those documents that bring us the clearest description of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Well, one way we can elevate our confidence in the trustworthiness of those reports is to see how the New Testament documents stack up with what we know about history from other sources such as what extra-Biblical sources report about the geography and history of the places named in the Bible. VK: We often note on Anchored by Truth that the Bible is a book that is firmly rooted in time and place. Just about every good Bible contains maps of some sort. We can make maps about the places contained in the Bible because those places were real and they are well known even outside the Bible. And just like the cities and states of today the places reported about in the Bible had their own culture, concerns, and distinguishing characteristics. And, if we match up what the Bible says about those places with what is known from secular history, we always see that the Bible’s content is consistent with what else we know. For instance, it was well known throughout the Roman Empire that the city of Corinth was famous for the amount of sexual immorality that was present within the city. So, it makes perfect sense that in 1 Corinthians the Apostle Paul spent more time talking about how to deal with sexual temptation than in any of the other letters he wrote. RD: Yes. We cannot directly test the Bible’s report of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. But we can test the reliability of the gospel writers’ reports about many other matters. When the gospel writers report that Jesus appeared before the Roman governor Pontus Pilate we can go to archeological findings and determine with certainty that Pontus Pilate was in fact the Roman authority in Israel during the time of Jesus’ ministry. When the gospel writers talk about a sudden storm coming up on the Sea of Galilee we can look at the geography of that part of Israel and see whether that makes sense. VK: Which it does. The Sea of Galilee's location makes it subject to sudden and violent storms as the wind comes over the eastern mountains and drops suddenly onto the sea. Storms are especially likely when an east wind blows cool air over the warm air that covers the sea. The cold air being heavier drops as the warm air rises. This can produce some tempestuous winds. Coupled with the fact that the Sea is fairly shallow where the wind is hitting the surface, this sudden change can produce surprisingly furious storms in a short time, as it did in Jesus' day RD: Right. So, when it comes to the so-called “Pauline epistles,” Paul’s letters to churches or individuals, we can look to see whether the character of the letter matches the character of the place. And the example you provided about 1 Corinthians is just one example of how this match takes places throughout Paul’s letters. But it also important to see whether there is a match between the concerns Paul expresses in his letters and what we know about the development of the early church during the 1st century AD. And Galatians is a particularly striking example of how that is true. VK: In what way? RD: Well, let’s start out by noting that unlike the letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, etc., the letter to the Galatians was not addressed to a particular church in a particular city. It is a letter addressed to many churches spread throughout a region. VK: Galatia was a large Roman province in Asia Minor which is modern day Turkey. During the 1st century AD it was a major province of the Roman Empire. It was about 200 miles in its greatest extent from east to west, and varied in width from 12 to 150 miles. It was one of the largest provinces of Asia Minor. Galatia in Paul’s day was a region roughly equivalent to the State of New Jersey. But its boundaries varied at different times as circumstances dictated. It didn’t have any natural boundary, except on the north. So, it limits varied based on conquests, or by the will of the Roman emperor. RD: Yes. In Paul’s day Galatia had the Roman province of Pontus on its east, Bithynia and Paphlagonia on its north, Cappadocia and Phrygia on the south, and Phrygia on the west. So, one thing let’s note right up front is that there is no mention at all of Galatia in the Old Testament but it appears in 4 of the New Testament books in addition to the book we call Galatians. VK: And that makes perfect sense. At the time the last few books of the Old Testament were written in the mid to late 400’s BC, the Persian Empire was in charge in the Mideast including what would be modern day Turkey where Galatia was located. The name “Galatia” began to be used after 278-277 B.C., about 150 years later. The name Galatia came into use when a large body of migrating Gauls (Galatai in Greek) crossed over from Europe and conquered a big part of Western Asia Minor. Gaul as most listeners will know was an ancient name for the region we now call France. RD: Right. After the Gauls conquered much of what we call Turkey they were gradually confined to a district, and boundaries were fixed for them after 232 B.C. This originated an the independent state of Galatia, that had three primary three city-centers, Pessinus, Ankyra and Tavia. Since the conquering Gauls had brought their wives and families with them, Galatia continued to be a distinct Gaulish race and ethnic group. This would have been impossible if they had come as simple warriors who took wives from the conquered inhabitants. Galatia remained an independent state until its last king gave it over to the Romans and it became a Roman province. VK: So, it’s important to note that even though the name Galatia has long since passed into history in the Apostle Paul’s day Galatia was a well-known region. When Paul, Peter, and Luke mentioned Galatia in the books they wrote people of their day knew exactly what they were talking about. And people in their day would have known that Galatia had a distinct identity so it would have made sense for Paul to address a letter to the Galatians even though it was a region not a single city. RD: Right. So, remember the purpose of this “Paul’s Places” series is to see whether the content of the letters Paul wrote makes sense when it comes to what we know about the geography and culture of the people to which Paul addressed his letter. So, as you mentioned one important point is that readers of a letter addressed to the “churches in Galatia” would have known who was intended. A second point is note that we know from the book of Acts that Paul traveled through the region of Galatia during all three of his so-called missionary journeys. Acts 16:6 and 18:3 both specifically mention Paul spending time in Galatia and Phrygia. VK: It also makes perfect sense that Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, would mention Galatia and Phrygia together. Phrygia was the region immediately south and west of Galatia. [13:30] Any traveler going from Israel and Syria to the west would travel through both regions on the way to Greece which Paul visited on his second and third missionary journeys. We should also, note, however that Paul was in Galatia on his first missionary journey as well but only in the extreme southern portion of it. RD: Yes. So, because Paul was in Galatia on all three of his missionary journeys there is some disagreement among scholars as to when Paul wrote the book we call Galatians. Some scholars think he wrote it early in his ministry career and date the letter to around 49 AD right after his first missionary journey. Others think he wrote is during the latter part of his third missionary journey and date the letter around 55 or 56 AD. Those who date it later note that on his 1st and 2nd missionary journeys Paul remained in the southern part of Galatia whereas in his 3rd missionary journey he seems to have gone farther north. So, it would make sense that after going through some territory he had either not visited, or spent very little time in, he would write a letter to a group who still identified themselves ethnically as “Galatians.” VK: The latter dating for the epistle to the Galatians makes sense from another standpoint. In Galatians, chapter 1, verses 18 and 19 Paul says “Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother.” When Paul says “then after three years” he appears to mean after his conversion. In Galatians, chapter 2, verse 1, Paul also wrote [15] “Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.” Those verses are from the New International Version. If Paul was referring to his first trip to see the Apostles in chapter 2, then that is a total of 17 years Paul is referring to. The best scholarship indicates that Jesus died in 33 AD and Paul was obviously not converted until after that. So, let’s say Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus in 34 AD, then it would have been at least in the early 50’s AD before Paul wrote Galatians. RD: Yes. So, all this validates the authenticity of the epistle to the Galatians as a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a distinct group of believing churches in the northern part of modern day Turkey. And the content of the letter continues to reinforce this point. The main purpose that Paul wrote Galatians was to refute the idea that Gentiles had to adopt Jewish customs and practices in order to become Christians. This was an idea that circulated fairly widely during the 1st century AD and it was specifically advocated by a group of religious agitators who said circumcision was a required part of becoming a Christian. So, for anyone who understands the gospel this was a very serious problem. VK: The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins. We often say that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This is made very clear from Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 8 and 9. Those verses say, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” That’s also from the NIV. RD: Yes. The agitators were trying to add works to faith for salvation to be possible. At a minimum they wanted circumcision to be part of the requirements for salvation but there were also some who wanted to add the Jewish dietary laws as mandatory requirements as well. And the Apostle Paul who had been saved directly by Jesus himself was having none of it. VK: That’s something we heard in our opening scripture from Galatians, chapter 1, verse 1. In that verse Paul said, “From Paul, whose call to be an apostle did not come from human beings … but from Jesus Christ and God the Father.” Paul was emphatic that his call to be an apostle had come directly from Jesus and the Father. Paul was emphasizing right at the start of his letter to the Galatians that he had received his ministry directly from the hands of the Father and the Son. This meant that Paul absolutely knew what it took to be saved. So, any threat to the idea of grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone was not a secondary matter. It was a threat to the heart of the gospel. RD: Exactly right. The agitators who had been troubling the Galatians were posing a serious threat to the Galatians’ understanding of their faith. So, Paul took on this serious challenge exactly the way you would expect – forcefully and directly. Paul used some of the most forceful language you find in any of his epistles in chapter 3 of Galatians. VK: Verses 1 through 3 of chapter 3 say, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” That’s from the New International Version. But listen to how the Amplified Bible puts verse 1: “O you foolish and thoughtless and superficial Galatians, who has bewitched you [that you would act like this], to whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified [in the gospel message].” I think it’s fair to label that language as being direct and forceful. RD: Right. So, again, all this points to the reliability of the letter. Paul was trying to correct a serious error that had entered the churches in Galatia. So, Paul didn’t try to sweet talk his audience out of their mistake. He wasn’t, as the old timers used to say “pussyfooting around.” The agitators had seriously compromised the gospel for the Galatians and Paul intended to correct that error in a way no one would misunderstand. VK: At this point we need to remind everyone that at the time Paul wrote Galatians, or any of his letters for that matter, the Christian church was in its infancy. This is long before any of the doctrinal or creedal statements had been formulated – long before any of the famous church councils had been held where the theologians hashed out such basic doctrines as the deity of Christ and the dual nature of Jesus. In coming to grips with what the life, death, and resurrection of Christ meant the early believers in the 1st century church had the oral messages being brought by the apostles and their first disciples but they had very limited written instructions. The Jewish converts to Christianity had the Old Testament that they could look to but probably the vast majority of the Gentile converts had limited, if any, familiarity with the Jewish scriptures. In other words, there may have been legitimate reasons that some of these questions about circumcision and dietary restrictions were being asked – but that didn’t make them less threatening to the heart of the gospel. RD: Exactly. There were many questions circulating in the early church – some were legitimate and some were not. Some were primary to the faith and some were not. So, as we started out saying in this episode one of the hallmarks of the authenticity of the letters that Paul wrote to the churches is the fact that he had to address questions by the early believers that have been settled now. As church history progressed the church did hold those famous councils, doctrinal statements were developed and distributed, and eventually there were schools and organizations that taught and conveyed the determinations that had been made. But all of that was decades, and in some cases centuries, ahead of the church when Paul wrote Galatians. VK: [23] So, from a human standpoint, we see that the issues Paul was discussing in the letter to the Galatians make perfect sense for the stage of development of the church at that time. This is solid evidence that Galatians was written during the mid 1st century AD. By the time the 2nd century AD rolled around some of these early controversies were starting to be settled and frankly the church as a body was moving onto other issues from whether Gentile converts had to be circumcised or follow Jewish dietary laws. So, what we can see clearly from the content of Galatians is that it addressed issues that were germane during the first decades of Christianity but not much later. Paul’s letter to the Galatians also addressed the very serious problem that agitators were trying to subvert the gospel by adding works as a necessary component of salvation. This was a serious problem and Paul’s language in forcefully rebutting it was consistent with the seriousness of the issue. And we can see that it made for Paul to address a letter to churches in Galatia because the ethnic distinction of many parts of Galatia meant that they had a well-known, and distinguishable identity. Is there anything else that you would like to point out as evidence within the book of Galatians that provides evidence of its authenticity? RD: Well, we don’t’ have much time but let’s quickly go over two more points. First, as we mentioned Galatians was addressed to multiple church bodies not just one single church. As such it’s not strange to find out that Paul did not mention any individual believer by name which he often did when writing to a particular church. There are no greetings or salutations where Paul singles out anyone for commendations or personal greetings. This makes perfect sense where Paul knows he is going to have to send so strong a rebuke that he going to call his recipients “foolish.” Paul was a pastor. He praised people very publically but was very careful with his correction. Second, Paul undertook a strong defense of himself and his ministry in Galatians because the agitators were apparently questioning his authority to put pressure on the Galatians. This pressure was in effect to make the Galatians appear more “Jewish.” VK: That would also make sense when we remember that Judaism was one of the officially recognized religions within the Roman Empire – but Christianity was not. So, some of the people probably thought that if they appeared more Jewish it would relieve some of the pressure and antagonism that was starting to be directed at Christians by the Roman authorities. RD: Exactly. As we’ve mentioned before anyone who refused to worship the Roman Emperor – the Caesar – was considered to be guilty of sedition unless that person was worshipping another recognized religion. The Judaism was recognized but Christianity’s status was uncertain. In some places they saw Christianity as a sect within Judaism but in many places they did not. Ultimately, the early church went through a lengthy period of severe persecution because Christianity was deemed to be a new and threatening religion. The early Christians could not declare that Caesar was lord because they, and we, have only one Lord and master, Jesus Christ. VK: All that fits together perfectly in demonstrating that Galatians was an authentic letter written by the Apostle Paul in the mid 1st century AD. The content of the letter is consistent with the issues of the day and Paul’s tone in rebutting a serious attack on the heart of the gospel was entirely reasonable. RD: Right. Many people who have limited familiarity with the Bible have this misimpression that the Bible – because it contains reports of some supernatural events such as the appearance of angels and the resurrection of Jesus – must be filled with legends that make no sense in the real world. But nothing could be further from the truth and the Pauline epistles demonstrate they were real letters to real people about real issues confronting those people. In addressing those issues Paul would talk about the supernatural component of the Christian faith because Christians firmly believe in heaven, angels, Christ’s ascension, and a host of other supernatural things. But the reason we can have confidence that the supernatural realm is real is because the Bible is a book firmly grounded in space and time and the Bible writers simply wrote about supernatural events as truthfully as they did the issues that we can verify through our normal senses. VK: 20 or 30 years ago there was far less reason for the need for a “Paul’s Places” series. The information we’re covering was still good information but in those days people accepted the Bible as being true even people who didn’t specifically consider themselves Christians. But today much of that has changed so we have to be prepared to carefully and reasonably demonstrate that the Bible fulfills all the attributes of both being true and being God’s word. Well, as we always do let’s close with prayer. Today let’s listen to a prayer for our first responders – the men and women who rush toward danger when most of us trying to escape it. Anyone who is willing to hazard their own safety for the welfare of others certainly needs the superintending protection that can only come from an Almighty God. ---- PRAYER FOR FIRST RESPONDERS VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quote from the Good News Translation) Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1, 2, & 6, Good News Translation Galatians 1 Barnes' Notes (biblehub.com)

In Galatians 4, the Apostle Paul shared his concerns he had for the church in Galatia. He was concerned that legalism had given them a false image of God so he corrected them in his letter and prayed Christ would be formed in them. We can still believe many of the same lies this church believed today. In this message, Pastor Brian will help you get a better picture of God so you can walk in the power of the spirit.

Hear Paul's explanation to the Church in Galatia about what it means to be free; and how important it is to live free! Listen and be blessed! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/support

Why did the Apostle Paul write this letter to the church in Galatia?   What was his point ...?

Faith changes things. Before faith the people of Galatia were divided, unequal and at odds with each other. Paul believes that after faith, they are all one in Christ.

GI Freddy Liauw

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Laws, regulations are powerful tools. Laws and regulations can change people's behavior. As powerful tools, laws and regulations have been used for good and for ill. For examples of how laws and regulations have been used for good, you only need to think about how almost every area of modern life has developed best practices. Practically every industry and every service has been shaped by regulations so that things today are much safer and more efficient than 100 years ago. Licensing, accreditation, and other regulatory measures have raised standards so as to prevent incompetence and malpractice. We have become an ever increasingly regulated society because folks continue trying to solve problems. On the other hand, laws and regulations have not always been used to do good. It is always possible to make laws and regulations that are unjust, prejudiced, and self-serving. The really wealthy people of this country have a keen interest in state and national politics because they know how laws and regulations can affect their bottom line. Laws and regulations can make them a lot of money, or laws and regulations can make it impossible for them to do business. Tax laws can make some people a lot of money or they can take a lot of money away from others. A great deal of what happens in state and national government is not for the public good. It's for private interest. That is why there is always going to be corruption involved in the making of laws. This does not change the fact that laws and regulations are powerful tools. To the contrary. The fact that laws and regulations are effectively used for good or for ill proves how powerful they can be. If you want to change things on this earth, there might not be any more powerful tool. It's a way to change not only the behavior of one individual but to make other people act a certain way too. Mass movements are what history is made of. History couldn't care less about this or that individual. History is interested in the big movements. That's how things are in this old world. The Gospel, however, teaches us differently when it comes to such matters. The Gospel gives us quite a different view of history: God has made me and all creatures. God gives me my clothing, shoes, food, drink, and so on. God has purchased and won me with the holy precious blood and innocent suffering and death of his beloved Son. God has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. On the last day he will raise me and all the dead and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true. Note that what is important in this history is not mass movements. It is the individual who is important, and, more important still, what God does for individuals. God has made me. God has redeemed me. God has sanctified me. There is no higher activity that we could be engaged in than thanking God. Thank you, God, for making me and all creatures. Thank you, God, for purchasing and winning me from sin, death, and from the power of the devil. Thank you, God, for calling me out of darkness and giving me your Holy Spirit. God's gracious actions towards me are the highest and best things in life. If God's gracious actions towards me are the highest and best things in life, then that means that other things can't be the highest and best. Other things in life are somewhat glorious as well. The way that people have been steered this way or that way, wealth, progress, power, and the other kinds of things that get written into history books are great. Laws and regulations are usually the drivers behind these forces. Laws and regulations, although they are somewhat great, do not alter or even relate to God's gracious actions towards us. There is no law or regulation that has had any impact on what God has decided to do with us human beings in Jesus Christ. It was God's grace alone that made him do what he has done. This means that those things that are somewhat glorious have lost their glory. The exploits of history, the mass movements, the laws and regulations by which things get done on this earth—these are taken for granted as being the highest and the best. However, there is a higher glory in God's actions towards us in Christ. We are created, redeemed and sanctified. We are made into children of God. This is a greater glory.  This greater glory is such that the old glory—the best that can be accomplished on this earth—comes to have no glory at all. The old, earthly-accomplishments-glory is like the moon shining. A full moon certainly has a wonderful glory. The new glory of the Gospel—God's gracious actions toward us—however, is like the sun. The glory of the sun is such that once the sun has risen the old glory of the moon is no longer visible. Not everyone is going to see the greater glory of being a child of God. Most people, in fact, are going to believe that the Gospel is a myth, a fairy tale. The only things that matter, so they believe, are dollars and cents, laws and regulations, getting what's mine. The best that we can hope for in our lives is that we be healthy, wealthy, and wise. While this stuff is fine and good, it isn't nearly glorious enough. Something that is already more serious and real than these things has already happened to you. You have been baptized. Paul says in our epistle reading that as many of you as have been baptized have been clothed with Christ. You have been clothed with Christ. Through faith all of you have become sons of God. That admittedly might sound strange to those of you who are women or girls. It is certainly not the case that Paul is some kind of sexist bigot as some foolish and lazy people judge him as being. Paul is very deliberately saying that all people—men and women, boys and girls—become sons of God by baptism in Christ. They all become sons of God because Jesus Christ is the only Son of God. Jesus Christ's sonship is given to those who are baptized, and who hold to what is given to them in baptism by faith. This is our history. This is our salvation and our glory. The way that we are saved is by God becoming one of us in Jesus. Jesus makes us one with him by baptism and thus we become one with God. Despite our sins, despite being male or female, Jewish or Greek, slave or free, we are altogether and all alike drawn near to God. We are drawn so near to God that the Holy Spirit in us can cry out, “Abba, Father.” We can pray, “Our Father who art in heaven,” having been tenderly invited to believe that he is our true Father and that we are his true children, so that we may ask him with all boldness and confidence as dear children ask their dear father. This is a heavenly glory. We are raised up beyond this earth to our Creator. This earth will not go on forever. Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” It is widely assumed that the history books will go on with their validity and importance forever. That's why ambitious people are so eager to be included in them—it's a kind of immortality. On the other hand, it is widely assumed that an individual being baptized is of little importance and believing in Christ is nothing more than a quirky hobby. What is really important, however, is not whether you have managed to be wealthy or not, powerful or not, slave or free, male or female. In Christ we are all made one. This oneness in Christ, brought about by God's gracious actions towards us, is eternal. This greater, heavenly, eternal glory has one downside, so to speak. It's not really a downside, but it seems like it's a downside to us. And that is that this glory is only known by faith. We haven't died yet. Christ has not yet come to judge the living and the dead. If either of these things should happen the glory that we have known by faith will be replaced by sight. In the meantime we have to be content with God's promise. The Christian Church is built on God's promises, but since this is so contrary to our nature, we are prone to turn towards things of this earth and therefore to laws and regulations. This seems to be what happened to the Christians in Galatia to whom Paul was writing in our epistle reading. Some new teachers had come and had told these Christians that what is really important is the changing of people's behavior by laws and regulations. It seems as though they took the truths of the Gospel somewhat for granted. The advanced stuff, the glorious stuff, is going to come about by laws and regulations. Paul speaks against that throughout the whole letter to the Galatians, including the portion that was read for today. Paul argues the opposite of these other teachers. The Law does not have the glory that they were claiming. The Law is like a guardian or a chaperone. Chaperones are adults who accompany young people, and why? Chaperones are there to lay down the law. Young people are not allowed to do what they otherwise might do because the chaperone is there. And what are the attitudes of the young people towards those chaperones? Do they like chaperones? If there are young people who are good, then they probably don't care if the chaperone is there or not, because the chaperone is not changing their behavior. In that case, though, the chaperone is really nothing and extraneous—pointless. If the young people are bad, then they have no love for that chaperone. If they had their way the chaperone would go away so that they could do what they want. Again, the chaperone isn't able to do that much. The chaperone doesn't change them internally. The chaperone doesn't actually make them good. The chaperone just makes them behave outwardly, while inwardly they are filled with lawlessness. Although laws and regulations are powerful, they cannot make anyone good. They do not have the power to make anyone acceptable to God. A church that is filled with laws and regulations for every last facet of life is not going to make anyone better. True goodness comes only from God's gracious actions. Being clothed in God's Son by baptism, believing God's promises more fully, is the way that people are set free internally from their evil compulsions. The best that laws can ever accomplish is to create people who are whitewashed tombs. Outwardly they might look alright. Inwardly they are filled with death and uncleanness. No law has the ability to make anyone truly love. Love must come from God. God makes a beginning in us with his love by our baptism into Christ, making us one in Christ, and giving us his Holy Spirit. This is only a beginning because we still carry with us our sinful flesh that the Holy Spirit fights against in Christians. The Holy Spirit fights against our sinful flesh, sanctifying us throughout our earthly life, until our sinful flesh is killed with death. Then, when we are resurrected on the last day, we will have bodies that have been purified from sin. While we live this earthly Christian life we continue to have both our sinful flesh and the Holy Spirit. Since we have our sinful flesh we will always need that old chaperone in this life. Christians throwing themselves into situations where they know that they will be tempted is like putting fire and straw together and expecting them not to burn. The old chaperone is going to say, “Don't do that!” The old chaperone won't have any thanks for it. Our sinful flesh resents being told what to do. But our true substance as Christians is not in laws and regulations. Laws and regulations have their place in this old world, but they are not that great. What is truly great is God's gracious, saving actions toward us. Our Christian hope is not that we have or will be able to reform ourselves. Our Christian hope is that God has chosen us for salvation in Jesus Christ. In order to set us free from the Law's condemnation God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem us who are under the Law, so that we would receive adoption as sons. This is what we set our heart upon. This is what gives us hope—God's gracious actions toward us. True progress as a Christian can come only from this Gospel. Changes in our behavior might be impressive to other people, but what really matters is a change of heart, which only God can really see. Our change of heart comes from embracing God's forgiveness, embracing his accepting of us for Jesus's sake, of his promising to be with us no matter how dark things might get. We are simply to be glad at God's promises. He is faithful. He will surely do what he has promised.

It's not uncommon to hear people say, “I'm a spiritual person, just not religious.” But what does it mean to be a spiritual person? In the fifth chapter of Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia, he describes the Christian life as a Spiritual life, one in which we are led by the Spirit, and, famously, evidence the fruit of the Spirit. This Sunday we'll seek to understand what Paul taught and hope to leave with a clear understanding of how we can grow into his vision for the Christian life. See you on Sunday, Pastor Josh

As a daughter of missionaries, I had memorized John 3:16 in both English and Portuguese. I knew that God loved me and that Christ had died for me. But it still felt like a generic kind of love. So, God loves me. But with what kind of love does He love me? In a letter to the Christians in Galatia, Paul declares, “When the fullness of time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as children” (Galatians 4:4-5). We see here the purpose for Christ's death and resurrection: to adopt us as God's children. What does it mean to be adopted? Adoption is the process that makes a child, who was not originally part of a family, now part of that family. When a child is adopted, they can take on their new family's name and identity. The legal process of a child becoming part of a new family provides an incredible picture of what happened to me when I trusted Christ as my Savior: I was adopted into—made part of—God's family. As Galatians 4 says, Christ died for my sins (every evil thing I've done, said, and thought—past, present, and future), and He rose from the dead so that I might be adopted as God's child. I became part of God's royal family. I went from being an enemy of God to being His precious child and a joint heir with Christ (Romans 5:10; 8:17). If you've put your trust in Jesus, believing that He died for your sins and God raised Him from the dead, God has also adopted you. Once you were not a part of God's family, but now you are His child, beloved and precious. With what kind of love does God love us? With the love of a father. • Angela Stanley • Have you put your trust in Jesus and been adopted into God's family? If you have questions about this, who is a trusted Christian in your life you could talk to? (You can also find more information on our "Know Jesus" page.) • How might knowing that God loves you as His child affect how you understand His love? See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1a (WEB)

Paul addresses the church in Galatia, emphasizing there is no other gospel. He was called by God, accepted by the apostles. He opposed Peter, he taught about faith, the law and the promise, sons of God!

Old Testament: 1 Kings 21–22 1 Kings 21–22 (Listen) Naboth's Vineyard 21 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” 4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food. 5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” 6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.' And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.'” 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed1 God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.” 15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. The Lord Condemns Ahab 17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”' And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”'” 20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD. 21 Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 22 And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin. 23 And of Jezebel the LORD also said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.' 24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.” Ahab's Repentance 25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.) 27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. 28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house.” Ahab and the False Prophets 22 For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. 2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” 4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 9 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.'” 12 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab 13 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 14 But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.” 15 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” 16 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” 17 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'” 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 19 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; 20 and the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.' 22 And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?' And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.' 23 Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you.” 24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 26 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.”'” 28 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!” Ahab Killed in Battle 29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 32 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34 But a certain man drew his bow at random2 and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 35 And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. 36 And about sunset a cry went through the army, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!” 37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken. 39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah 41 Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43 He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel. 45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 46 And from the land he exterminated the remnant of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa. 47 There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber. 49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing. 50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. Ahaziah Reigns in Israel 51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 53 He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done. Footnotes [1] 21:10 Hebrew blessed; also verse 13 [2] 22:34 Hebrew in his innocence (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 136 Psalm 136 (Listen) His Steadfast Love Endures Forever 136   Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,    for his steadfast love endures forever.2   Give thanks to the God of gods,    for his steadfast love endures forever.3   Give thanks to the Lord of lords,    for his steadfast love endures forever; 4   to him who alone does great wonders,    for his steadfast love endures forever;5   to him who by understanding made the heavens,    for his steadfast love endures forever;6   to him who spread out the earth above the waters,    for his steadfast love endures forever;7   to him who made the great lights,    for his steadfast love endures forever;8   the sun to rule over the day,    for his steadfast love endures forever;9   the moon and stars to rule over the night,    for his steadfast love endures forever; 10   to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,    for his steadfast love endures forever;11   and brought Israel out from among them,    for his steadfast love endures forever;12   with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,    for his steadfast love endures forever;13   to him who divided the Red Sea in two,    for his steadfast love endures forever;14   and made Israel pass through the midst of it,    for his steadfast love endures forever;15   but overthrew1 Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,    for his steadfast love endures forever;16   to him who led his people through the wilderness,    for his steadfast love endures forever; 17   to him who struck down great kings,    for his steadfast love endures forever;18   and killed mighty kings,    for his steadfast love endures forever;19   Sihon, king of the Amorites,    for his steadfast love endures forever;20   and Og, king of Bashan,    for his steadfast love endures forever;21   and gave their land as a heritage,    for his steadfast love endures forever;22   a heritage to Israel his servant,    for his steadfast love endures forever. 23   It is he who remembered us in our low estate,    for his steadfast love endures forever;24   and rescued us from our foes,    for his steadfast love endures forever;25   he who gives food to all flesh,    for his steadfast love endures forever. 26   Give thanks to the God of heaven,    for his steadfast love endures forever. Footnotes [1] 136:15 Hebrew shook off (ESV) New Testament: 1 Peter 1–2 1 Peter 1–2 (Listen) Greeting 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Born Again to a Living Hope 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time1 the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. Called to Be Holy 13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action,2 and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for   “All flesh is like grass    and all its glory like the flower of grass.  The grass withers,    and the flower falls,25   but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. A Living Stone and a Holy People 2 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:   “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,    a cornerstone chosen and precious,  and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,   “The stone that the builders rejected    has become the cornerstone,”3 8 and   “A stone of stumbling,    and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Submission to Authority 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,4 whether it be to the emperor5 as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants6 of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Footnotes [1] 1:11 Or what time or circumstances [2] 1:13 Greek girding up the loins of your mind [3] 2:7 Greek the head of the corner [4] 2:13 Or every institution ordained for people [5] 2:13 Or king; also verse 17 [6] 2:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface (ESV)

Rev. Shawn Linnell, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blair, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 18:18-28. Luke narrates the end of Paul's second missionary journey in quick succession. The apostle leaves Corinth and stops briefly in Ephesus, where he leaves Priscilla and Aquila. Paul continues on to Caesarea and Jerusalem before returning to Antioch. After a while, he starts on his third missionary journey by heading toward Galatia and Phrygia to strengthen the disciples there. Meanwhile in Ephesus, Apollos arrives and begins to speak accurately about Jesus from the Scriptures. Priscilla and Aquila recognize that Apollos still had teaching to learn, so they teach him the Christian faith even more accurately. Having humbly learned from these faithful tentmakers, Apollos goes to Achaia with the blessing of the Church. There he powerfully preaches that Jesus is the Christ. “To the End of the Earth” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Acts. In his second volume, St. Luke records all the things that Jesus continued to do through the ministry of His Church. By the end of the book, the proclamation of the Lord's Word that began in Jerusalem grows all the way to Rome. By God's grace, even now, that same Word is proclaimed to us.

Why didn't your vision come to pass as imagined? We like to decide how God's promises turn out. It'll look this, I'll be this old, and my bank account will have this many zeros. Here's your reality: your vision evolved. Discover 5 reasons why the season of your vision changed. People and Circumstances God's plan isn't dependent on you alone. It depends on Him working through a community of people. Your vision affects multiple lives. God aligns people and circumstances. If you act on God's promise too soon… well, we saw what happened to Moses. Navigate this season of your promise with Apostles Craig and Colette Toach. Books Mentioned in This Episode Prophetic Bootcamp Practical Prophetic Ministry Scriptures About Seasons Acts 16:6–7 (NKJV): Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. Join Our Community! https://www.apostolic-network.com Sponsor the NextGen Prophets Podcast Take this message further. Be responsible for raising the next generation of prophets. Get Your Free E-book and Course Here https://www.nextgenprophets.org/ Watch Our Free Prophetic Teachings on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/ToachMinistries Get Your Prophetic Word Confirmed Speak to a wing man at: 760 466 7257 Get Connected With Apostles Craig and Colette Toach Submit Your Question to the Apostles: ToachMinistries.com Follow the NextGen Prophets Facebook: NextGen Prophets Follow the NextGen Prophets Instagram: NextGen Prophets Instagram

 Paavali, Galatia, evankeliumi Laki, evankeliumi, aina vastakkain? Mikä vei harhaan, mikä voi palauttaa takaisin? Tekeminen ja tekeminen – mistä sen voi tietää kumpiko on uskosta? Vapaus – mistä ja mihin?

Where'd They Go by Kendall Fox 2 Timothy 4:9-18 9 Make every effort to come to me soon; 10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Take along Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. 12 But I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the overcoat which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Be on guard against him yourself too, for he vigorously opposed our teaching. 16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

If your life has been intersected by the Gospel, then you can never be the same. This is Paul's message as he concludes his letter to the people of Galatia, warning them against fleshly living and calling them to Spirit-led relationships, activity, and confidence — only possible by salvation through Jesus Christ. Through the Gospel, we rely not on what we can do or must do, but on what Christ has done and is doing. Will you respond to the Gospel? Notes: https://my.bible.com/events/48904211 Paradigm is a weekly gathering of Kansas City college and 20s-30s young adults who desire to see Jesus made known throughout the city! Want to come & see? Email us at paradigm@livingproof.co to give us a heads up so we can greet you, or just show up any Tuesday night at 7pm to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a relaxing environment, hear messages relevant to college and young professionals, and build relationships with other young adults. Subscribe to the ParadigmKC podcast, follow us on Instagram & Facebook, find our location, and learn more at http://paradigmkc.com/.

If your life has been intersected by the Gospel, then you can never be the same. This is Paul's message as he concludes his letter to the people of Galatia, warning them against fleshly living and calling them to Spirit-led relationships, activity, and confidence — only possible by salvation through Jesus Christ. Through the Gospel, we rely not on what we can do or must do, but on what Christ has done and is doing. Will you respond to the Gospel?Notes: https://my.bible.com/events/48904211Paradigm is a weekly gathering of Kansas City college and 20s-30s young adults who desire to see Jesus made known throughout the city! Want to come & see? Email us at paradigm@livingproof.co to give us a heads up so we can greet you, or just show up any Tuesday night at 7pm to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a relaxing environment, hear messages relevant to college and young professionals, and build relationships with other young adults. Subscribe to the ParadigmKC podcast, follow us on Instagram & Facebook, find our location, and learn more at http://paradigmkc.com/.

These past few months, you have learned how Jesus came so you can live free. Don't miss this final weekend to hear the rest of the story. What were the last words the apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia? Join Pastor Cal Jernigan as he teaches on why it's all about Jesus. 

Psalms and Wisdom: Proverbs 3:1–12 Proverbs 3:1–12 (Listen) Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart 3   My son, do not forget my teaching,    but let your heart keep my commandments,2   for length of days and years of life    and peace they will add to you. 3   Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;    bind them around your neck;    write them on the tablet of your heart.4   So you will find favor and good success1    in the sight of God and man. 5   Trust in the LORD with all your heart,    and do not lean on your own understanding.6   In all your ways acknowledge him,    and he will make straight your paths.7   Be not wise in your own eyes;    fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.8   It will be healing to your flesh2    and refreshment3 to your bones. 9   Honor the LORD with your wealth    and with the firstfruits of all your produce;10   then your barns will be filled with plenty,    and your vats will be bursting with wine. 11   My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline    or be weary of his reproof,12   for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,    as a father the son in whom he delights. Footnotes [1] 3:4 Or repute [2] 3:8 Hebrew navel [3] 3:8 Or medicine (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Deuteronomy 6 Deuteronomy 6 (Listen) The Greatest Commandment 6 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules1—that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.2 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 10 “And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—15 for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. 16 “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers 19 by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has promised. 20 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?' 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.' Footnotes [1] 6:1 Or just decrees; also verse 20 [2] 6:4 Or The Lord our God is one Lord; or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Hosea 2:2–23 Hosea 2:2–23 (Listen) 2   “Plead with your mother, plead—    for she is not my wife,    and I am not her husband—  that she put away her whoring from her face,    and her adultery from between her breasts;3   lest I strip her naked    and make her as in the day she was born,  and make her like a wilderness,    and make her like a parched land,    and kill her with thirst.4   Upon her children also I will have no mercy,    because they are children of whoredom.5   For their mother has played the whore;    she who conceived them has acted shamefully.  For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,    who give me my bread and my water,    my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.'6   Therefore I will hedge up her1 way with thorns,    and I will build a wall against her,    so that she cannot find her paths.7   She shall pursue her lovers    but not overtake them,  and she shall seek them    but shall not find them.  Then she shall say,    ‘I will go and return to my first husband,    for it was better for me then than now.'8   And she did not know    that it was I who gave her    the grain, the wine, and the oil,  and who lavished on her silver and gold,    which they used for Baal.9   Therefore I will take back    my grain in its time,    and my wine in its season,  and I will take away my wool and my flax,    which were to cover her nakedness.10   Now I will uncover her lewdness    in the sight of her lovers,    and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.11   And I will put an end to all her mirth,    her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths,    and all her appointed feasts.12   And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees,    of which she said,  ‘These are my wages,    which my lovers have given me.'  I will make them a forest,    and the beasts of the field shall devour them.13   And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals    when she burned offerings to them  and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry,    and went after her lovers    and forgot me, declares the LORD. The Lord's Mercy on Israel 14   “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,    and bring her into the wilderness,    and speak tenderly to her.15   And there I will give her her vineyards    and make the Valley of Achor2 a door of hope.  And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,    as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. 16 “And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me ‘My Husband,' and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.' 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish3 the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD. 21   “And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD,    I will answer the heavens,    and they shall answer the earth,22   and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,    and they shall answer Jezreel,423     and I will sow her for myself in the land.  And I will have mercy on No Mercy,5    and I will say to Not My People,6 ‘You are my people';    and he shall say, ‘You are my God.'” Footnotes [1] 2:6 Hebrew your [2] 2:15 Achor means trouble; compare Joshua 7:26 [3] 2:18 Hebrew break [4] 2:22 Jezreel means God will sow [5] 2:23 Hebrew Lo-ruhama [6] 2:23 Hebrew Lo-ammi (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 2 Timothy 4:9–22 2 Timothy 4:9–22 (Listen) Personal Instructions 9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia,1 Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.2 22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.3 Footnotes [1] 4:10 Some manuscripts Gaul [2] 4:21 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters [3] 4:22 The Greek for you is plural (ESV)

Old Testament: 1 Kings 2 1 Kings 2 (Listen) David's Instructions to Solomon 2 When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack1 a man on the throne of Israel.' 5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging2 in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war3 on the belt around his4 waist and on the sandals on his feet. 6 Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But deal loyally with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty5 they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.' 9 Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.” The Death of David 10 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. 11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established. Solomon's Reign Established 13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, for it was his from the LORD. 16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.” 17 And he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.” 19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king's mother, and she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” 21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother, and on his side are Abiathar6 the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life! 24 Now therefore as the LORD lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died. 26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because you shared in all my father's affliction.” 27 So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, thus fulfilling the word of the LORD that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab had supported Adonijah although he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the LORD and caught hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And when it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD, and behold, he is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the LORD and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.'” But he said, “No, I will die here.” Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31 The king replied to him, “Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, and thus take away from me and from my father's house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause. 32 The LORD will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the LORD forevermore.” 34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar. 36 Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever. 37 For on the day you go out and cross the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. Your blood shall be on your own head.” 38 And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. 39 But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei's servants ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,” 40 Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And when Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, 42 the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die'? And you said to me, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.' 43 Why then have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the commandment with which I commanded you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart all the harm that you did to David my father. So the LORD will bring back your harm on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever.” 46 Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. Footnotes [1] 2:4 Hebrew there shall not be cut off for you [2] 2:5 Septuagint; Hebrew placing [3] 2:5 Septuagint innocent blood [4] 2:5 Septuagint my; twice in this verse [5] 2:7 Or steadfast love [6] 2:22 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew and for him and for Abiathar (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 124 Psalm 124 (Listen) Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord A Song of Ascents. Of David. 124   If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—    let Israel now say—2   if it had not been the LORD who was on our side    when people rose up against us,3   then they would have swallowed us up alive,    when their anger was kindled against us;4   then the flood would have swept us away,    the torrent would have gone over us;5   then over us would have gone    the raging waters. 6   Blessed be the LORD,    who has not given us    as prey to their teeth!7   We have escaped like a bird    from the snare of the fowlers;  the snare is broken,    and we have escaped! 8   Our help is in the name of the LORD,    who made heaven and earth. (ESV) New Testament: 2 Timothy 3–4 2 Timothy 3–4 (Listen) Godlessness in the Last Days 3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God 10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom1 you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God2 may be complete, equipped for every good work. Preach the Word 4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound3 teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Personal Instructions 9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia,4 Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.5 22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.6 Footnotes [1] 3:14 The Greek for whom is plural [2] 3:17 That is, a messenger of God (the phrase echoes a common Old Testament expression) [3] 4:3 Or healthy [4] 4:10 Some manuscripts Gaul [5] 4:21 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters [6] 4:22 The Greek for you is plural (ESV)

To God's elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:Grace and peace be yours in abundance.—Give towards what God is doing through Passion City Church: https://passioncitychurch.com/give-online—With Passion City Online, you can join us every Sunday live at 9:30a and 11:45a, and our gatherings are available on-demand starting at 7p! Join us at https://passioncitychurch.com/online—Subscribe to our channel to see more messages from Passion City Church: https://www.youtube.com/passioncitychurch1—Looking for content for your Kids? Subscribe to our Passion Kids Channel:https://passion.link/passionkidsonline—At Passion City Church, we believe that because God has displayed the ultimate sacrifice in Jesus, our response to that in worship must be extravagant. It is our privilege, and our created purpose, to reflect God's Glory to Him through our praise, our sacrifice, and our song.

2 Timothy 4 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. 1 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. 6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 9 Timothy, please come as soon as you can. 10 Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done. 15 Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said. 16 The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. 18 Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. 19 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living in the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. 21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. 22 May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you.

ALC Recommends: God Calling/Jesus Calling Devotional “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.” - Acts 16:6-8 ESV

To God's elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:Grace and peace be yours in abundance.—Give towards what God is doing through Passion City Church: https://passioncitychurch.com/give-online—With Passion City Online, you can join us every Sunday live at 9:30a and 11:45a, and our gatherings are available on-demand starting at 7p! Join us at https://passioncitychurch.com/online—Subscribe to our channel to see more messages from Passion City Church: https://www.youtube.com/passioncitychurch1—Looking for content for your Kids? Subscribe to our Passion Kids Channel:https://passion.link/passionkidsonline—At Passion City Church, we believe that because God has displayed the ultimate sacrifice in Jesus, our response to that in worship must be extravagant. It is our privilege, and our created purpose, to reflect God's Glory to Him through our praise, our sacrifice, and our song.

In his letter to the churches of Galatia, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree…'” This single verse of Scripture will be our focus on Sunday. I hope that as we understand it, we will be in a better position to understand the cross. See you on the Lord's Day! Pastor Josh

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 10–11 2 Samuel 10–11 (Listen) David Defeats Ammon and Syria 10 After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, “I will deal loyally1 with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the Ammonites. 3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away. 5 When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.” 6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men. 7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men. 8 And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country. 9 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. 10 The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11 And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. 14 And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem. 15 But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates.2 They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. 17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. 18 And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. 19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore. David and Bathsheba 11 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” 6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. 14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. 18 Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. 19 And he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, 20 then, if the king's anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'” 22 So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” 25 David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.' And encourage him.” 26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. 27 And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. Footnotes [1] 10:2 Or kindly; twice in this verse [2] 10:16 Hebrew the River (ESV) New Testament: Acts 18:23–19:22 Acts 18:23–19:22 (Listen) 23 After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Apollos Speaks Boldly in Ephesus 24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit,1 he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. Paul in Ephesus 19 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland2 country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in3 the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.4 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. The Sons of Sceva 11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all5 of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. A Riot at Ephesus 21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. Footnotes [1] 18:25 Or in the Spirit [2] 19:1 Greek upper (that is, highland) [3] 19:5 Or into [4] 19:9 Some manuscripts add from the fifth hour to the tenth (that is, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) [5] 19:16 Or both (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:137–144 Psalm 119:137–144 (Listen) Tsadhe 137   Righteous are you, O LORD,    and right are your rules.138   You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness    and in all faithfulness.139   My zeal consumes me,    because my foes forget your words.140   Your promise is well tried,    and your servant loves it.141   I am small and despised,    yet I do not forget your precepts.142   Your righteousness is righteous forever,    and your law is true.143   Trouble and anguish have found me out,    but your commandments are my delight.144   Your testimonies are righteous forever;    give me understanding that I may live. (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 16:19–20 Proverbs 16:19–20 (Listen) 19   It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor    than to divide the spoil with the proud.20   Whoever gives thought to the word1 will discover good,    and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. Footnotes [1] 16:20 Or to a matter (ESV)

Episode 161 – Paul’s Places – Part 2: When in Rome Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me to preach the good news … This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be his very own people. Romans, chapter 1, verses 1 and 7, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re very grateful that we are able to be with you today as we continue forward with our new series on Anchored by Truth. We’ve entitled this series “Paul’s Places.” By “Paul” we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote at least 13 of the books out of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, of course, started out life named “Saul.” But the “fire breathing” rebel Saul was converted on the road to Damascus by an encounter with the risen Christ. Then in Acts, chapter 13, verse 9, the writer of Acts, Luke, tells us that “Saul” was also called “Paul.” To help us learn more about “Paul’s Places” we have RD Fierro back in the studio. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, why did you want to call this series “Paul’s Places?” RD: Well, before I comment on that I would like to add to your thanks to the listeners for tuning in today – whether they’re listening on the broadcast or podcast. We’re grateful for anyone who devotes part of their day or week with us. We wanted to do this series because while most Christians know that several of the books in the New Testament are named after places … VK: 9 books to be exact – and among those 9 books there are 7 different places named because two of the named cities received two letters from Paul. RD: Right. 21 of the books of the New Testament are essentially just letters that the writer sent either to a person or to a group such as a particular church. You often hear those letters referred to as “epistles” – but those epistles really are just a form of letter not any different from the same kind of letters sent today. VK: Though none of those letters were sent by email. RD: Right again. The best scholarship tells us that all of the books in the New Testament were written in the 1st century AD with the majority probably written between 45 to 65 AD. So, those 21 letters were sent by three different writers. The Apostle John wrote 3 epistles. The Apostle Peter wrote 2 epistles. 2 epistles were sent by Jesus’ half-brothers Jude and James. Paul wrote 13 of the remaining 14 epistles or letters and the author of the epistle to the Hebrews is not named. Many scholars think Paul also wrote it but since Hebrews does not name its writer that isn’t a certainty. And some scholars believe another figure from the early church such as Apollos or Barnabas may have written Hebrews. VK: And 9 of Paul’s 13 epistles are named in the Bible by the destination to which the epistle was sent. And there are 7 different destinations. RD: Yes. In the order in which they are included in the New Testament those so-called Pauline epistles were sent to churches in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Colossae. VK: 6 of the 7 destinations named are cities and 1, Galatia, was a region similar in size to a small American state. 3 of those cities are located in what would be the nation of Greece today. 2 of those cities and Galatia are located in what would be the nation of Turkey Greece today. And Rome, of course, was located in the same place then as it was today in Italy. RD: Yes. Corinth, Philippi, and Thessalonica are located in modern day Greece. But in Paul’s day Philippi and Thessalonica were located in a region called Macedonia and Corinth was located in a region called Achaia. Ephesus, Colossae, and Galatia were all located in modern day Turkey. And, as you said, Rome is right where Rome has always been. VK: And today we want to focus on the epistle to the Romans. So, what are we hoping to see as we examine each of these epistles in turn? RD: Well, first of all I want people to focus on the fact that, contrary to some uniformed critics, the Bible is not filled with “myths and fairy tales.” It is true that the Bible reports on supernatural events in the same way that it reports on mundane or secular matters. And as we often say on Anchored by Truth we can have confidence in the Bible’s reports about supernatural matters because in areas where we can directly test the Bible’s historical and geographic accuracy we see that the Bible writers were accurate. VK: It’s a very simple principle. If we have a friend who we know to be honest and truthful and then one day that friend tells us they saw something extraordinary our first impulse should be to trust their report. We can trust their report because we have a track record and history with that person that tells us that person consistently tells the truth. Naturally, the opposite might be true. If we know somebody who consistently lies then we might have reason to doubt them, even if occasionally they tell us something that is true. RD: Right. Character matters. And when the Bible’s character is tested in ways we can verify it always stands up to the test. VK: So, one of the reasons we are doing this series is to help people see that the geography of the Bible is real, reliable geography. That is not true with some books that claim to have come from God, is it? RD: No. But in keeping with our long-standing practice on Anchored by Truth we do not normally criticize other works by name. Our practice is to proclaim the truth of the Bible, the Word of God, for the same reason new bank tellers are trained to recognize counterfeit bills by being handed lots of genuine ones. When you know what’s genuine you can spot the counterfeits. Also, frankly, the time we have for these shows is limited so we’re not going to give any time to discussing the errors of others. We focus on demonstrating that Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. VK: But the basic point stands. As we will see throughout this series not only can you find the locations to which the epistles were sent on maps of the time, the situations discussed within the individual letter correspond to what we know about the character and culture of the location. RD: Exactly. So, we are starting with the epistle, the letter, to the church in Rome because it is the first in order in most modern Bibles after the 4 gospels and the book of Acts. Now no one holds that the order of the epistles as they appear in the New Testament is inspired. But the order, nevertheless, helps us see how the earthly church fathers felt about that book. And Romans occupies the first position not because it was the first one written but because of its importance and the importance of the church that was located in what was the most important city in the Roman Empire. VK: The book of Romans has been placed first pretty much since the time the New Testament was assembled in the 4th century AD. It has held this place in the sacred canon, even though many commentators believe that the Galatians, First Corinthians, and perhaps First and Second Thessalonians were written before it. RD: Right. Romans contains the most complete treatment of the major doctrines of the Christian faith that is found in any of the epistles. In Romans Paul discussed the doctrines of regeneration, justification, sanctification, and the need for evangelism. He discussed such weighty themes as judgment, God’s wrath against sin, man’s universal rebellion, and the primacy of faith for reconciliation between man and God to be possible. Yet with all the weighty matters he undertook in the book of Romans Paul still made sure that he provided some of the most comforting language that is found in the entire Bible. VK: I’m sure you’re thinking of that famous section from chapter 8 of Romans, especially the part contained in verses 31 through 39. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? … Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. … in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s from the New International Version. RD: Yes. So, in and amongst all the principles and doctrine Paul included in Romans he never lost sight of the need to be encouraging to his readers. So, the book of Romans includes some of the most sobering observations in a