Podcasts about god because god

The Attributes of God - Because God's presence is infinite He is present with us always, whether in lovingly serving Him or rejecting Him.

1.  In the first experience, Robbie Young shares how he made himself available to serve and help a friend who suffered a stroke with many concrete acts of love.2. The second experience is by Stephen Thuo who, together with other young people, helped raise funds to gather supplies and deliver them to a correctional center for juveniles. 3.  In the third experience, Almie Latimore shares with us her great suffering due to the loss of her husband to cancer and how she discovered the love of God.

Focolare Word of Life —May 2024Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8).The first letter of John is addressed to all people and it encourages us to restore fellowship because our society is divided by many different doctrines and ways of life. John exhorts us to keep in mind what has been proclaimed from the beginning of Christain teaching when the first disciples experienced living a life with the Lord. By repeating this in the way we live with Jesus in our lives we will be in communion with the first disciples and therefore with Jesus and the Father.[i]Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.St. John reminds us that it has been revealed that God loved us first by taking upon himself a human existence, in Jesus, with all the limitations and weaknesses. While on the cross, Jesus shared in our separation from the Father through His cry, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” He brought to us healing through the total gift of Himself, by loving us without limits or conditions and His life show us what true love is. Through the example Jesus gives to us, we can understand that loving takes courage, hard work along with the risk of facing adversity and suffering. But, if we can love in this way we will participate in God's life and experience His freedom and the joy of self-giving. By loving as Jesus loved, we become aware that we are free from ourselves and from the selfishness that closes the door to communion with our brothers and sisters and with God.Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.The human heart longs to know God, who created us and who knows us in the deepest way possible.   Our faith informs us that God is Love and by loving like him we get a glimpse of the truth of this Love. And if we do make it to love like him we will grow in the knowledge of God because we are essentially living his life and we walk in his light. This is accomplished when love becomes mutual, because if we love one another, ‘God abides in us.' [ii] It's similar to two electric poles coming together to produce light.   Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.   Chiara Lubich said, ‘To witness that God is love is the great revolution we are called to offer to the modern world which is experiencing extreme tension just as the early Christians bore testimony to this in the pagan world of their time'. How can we do this? How can we live this love that comes from God? ‘By learning from his Son to put it into practice... in particular, let us focus on serving our neighbors, especially those closest to us, beginning with little things, with the most humble kinds of service. Let us make the effort, following Jesus' example, to take the initiative in loving, being detached from ourselves and embracing all the small or big crosses that this might entail. In this way, we too will soon reach that experience of God, that communion with him, that fullness of light, peace and inner joy which Jesus wants us to have.'[iii]Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.Santina often visited a nursing home that was run by a Catholic association. One day, she and Roberta, her colleague, met Aldo, a tall, very cultured and very wealthy man. Aldo looked sternly at the two young women and said, ‘Why do you always come here? What do you want from us? Why don't you just let us die in peace?' Santina didn't lose heart and told him, ‘We are here for you, to spend some time together, to get to know each other and become friends.' They continued to visit the home regularly. Roberta recounts, ‘That man was particularly closed in on himself and dejected. He did not believe in God. Santina was the only one who was able to get close to him, gently listening to him for hours. She prayed for him and, on one occasion, gave him a rosary which he accepted.' Later, Santina learned that he had spoken her name as he was dying. The pain of his death was lessened by the fact that he died peacefully, holding the rosary she had given him.' Prepared by Silvano Malini and the Word of Life Team  [i] Cf. 1Jn 1:1-3[ii] Cf 1Jn 4:12[iii] C. Lubich Word of Life May 1991

Expanding Your Circle of Love “Loving Your Enemies” Luke 6:27-28, 35 Jesus calls us to expand our circle of love. He starts with loving our enemies. Who are your enemies? People who are hostile toward you People who you don't get along with People who you may begin to feel hostility toward People who are close and far (personal to political, past to present) People Jesus calls and commands you to love How do you love your enemies? Do Good to Them It's an action not a feeling It's an act of the will not emotion Show kindness to them Speak respectfully to them Serve them Bless Them Ask God to bless them Speak blessing over them Refuse to speak evil of them Pray for Them Ask God to help them Ask God to heal them Forgive them Why love your enemy? We become more like Jesus We become more like the Father We tangibilify the love of God Because God has loved you

“Never Give Up on God, Because God Never Gives Up on Us.” -Isaiah 64:1-9

My friend, may you keep looking to Jesus, keep opening your heart to Him and letting Him change you into His image from glory to glory as you follow Him daily -- right with God because God's Spirit is right there within you, in Jesus' name. God bless you, my friend! And you have a great day! Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries Mailing Address: 412 S. Adams Street #148 Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org My Books on Inner Healing, Spiritual Freedom and Spiritual Intimacy with God are Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/tommyhays “Setting hearts free to be all they were created to be --Free to Be Like Jesus-- secure in their identity, growing in maturity, fulfilling their destiny" --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/morningbymorningtommyhays/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/morningbymorningtommyhays/support

My guest this week is the incredible Sandra Byrd, an experienced devotionalist who has authored more than 50 books. Sandra's newest devotional, Dwell, was just released and focuses on the heartwarming topic of home. She created this devotional to draw inspiration from window views and cozy armchairs to spend time with God. It's the perfect book to keep on your nightstand or coffee table and help you feel closer to God when you read it. Her previous devotionals for women include The One Year Home and Garden Devotions (from which Dwell was drawn) and The One Year Experiencing God's Love Devotional. In addition, her tween devotional, One Year Between You and God, is a bestseller. Sandra is also an editor and writing coach who is passionate about helping writers develop their talents. 3:30 – Sandra 101 Sandra is a Christian woman, mother, grandmother, author, book and writing coach and editor. She is also a foodie and loves long walks by the water. 4:51 – Food as art Foodie is more than just liking to eat. It's about enjoying recipes and learning about food. Sandra enjoys all the senses when she's around food, and it's like an art form to her. 6:56 – Sensory beings Taste can bring us closer to Jesus. Cuisines can help us learn about cultures. God made us to be sensory beings. When we navigate the world using our senses, we enjoy it more fully. God uses sensory illustrations in the Bible to help us understand His word. Sandra only drinks Jasmine tea when she's spending time with God. She associates the smell with God. 13:10 – At home with God We often look for mountaintop experiences with God, but most life events are pretty mundane. We need to feel God in the place where we spend most of our time, at home. 20:19 – Our forever home God never lets Sandra write about anything that she hasn't experienced. She and her husband had to leave their dream home after he got cancer, so home became part of her story. Sandra thought that was her forever home, but she was wrong. Our forever home is in Heaven, not here on earth. 31:59 – Devotionals and prayer partners Set yourself up for success to spend time with the Lord. Set out your Bible, set reminders on your phone and tell family that you'll be doing your devotionals. A good devotional is like a prayer partner, in a sense. 46:08 – Most fun book The most fun book she wrote? Her Tudor books. FEATURED QUOTES God made us to be sensory beings. When we navigate the world using our senses, we enjoy it more fully. That's where peace comes from – if we have our home as a refuge. God is our home. And our physical surrounding is our home. God never lets me write about anything that I don't experience. A good devotional is like a prayer partner, in a sense. https://www.sandrabyrd.com/   About Sandra Byrd:  The author of more than fifty books, Sandra's work has received many awards, nominations, and accolades, including a starred review from Publisher's Weekly and multiple starred reviews and Best Book selections from Library Journal. Other awards include the Historical Novel Society's Editor's Choice award, two Christy Awards nominations, a Bookpage Top Pick for Romance, and inclusion on Booklist's Top Ten Inspirational Books of the Year list. Sandra is an experienced devotionalist. Her newest devotional, Dwell, will be published in Spring 2023. Previous devotionals for women include The One Year Home and Garden Devotions (from which Dwell was drawn) and The One Year Experiencing God's Love Devotional, which was named by Called Magazine, the #1 magazine for Christian Women, as among their favorite, must-read books. In addition, her tween devo, One Year Between You and God, is a bestseller. As an editor and an in-demand writing coach, Sandra is passionate about helping writers develop their talents and has mentored hundreds of writers at all stages of their writing careers. For testimonials about her editing and book coaching, please visit sandrabyrdbookcoach.com. A dedicated foodie, Sandra cooks through the topic and location of every book she writes. In addition, she collects vintage glass and serve ware in her free time, loves long walks with her husband, and Sunday Suppers with her growing family. About Dwell: Dwell 90 Days at Home with God Because God dwells in us and we dwell in Him, evidence of Him surrounds us, right where we live. And He wants us to lean in to Him, enjoying security in His love and comfort from His companionship. Join Sandra Byrd for 90 days of devotional readings that will lead you to a place where you feel at home with God. She draws inspiration from do-it-yourself projects, gardening, home decor, and more, and then pairs each story with biblical insights that nurture gratitude and deepen faith. You'll love the earthy look of this devotional with a scattering of full-page photos and full color throughout, this warm, inviting devotional will feature beautifully on a nightstand or coffee table and provide fresh encouragement for the soul. With stories from real life and gentle words from Scripture, Sandra invites you into her own home and garden. Whether you're delighting in a window view of a chubby squirrel, savoring the first bite of a hot buttery roll, stressed over a broken-down furnace, or distracted by badly hung wallpaper, you'll discover that every experience can bring you closer to Jesus.

Sermon Series: Strange FireLeviticus 10:1-3, 8:4-8

When Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well in Samaria, how does the conversation go? St. John recounts this encounter enabling us to see what gifts God has given us in Christ for our salvation.Image: Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well, Angelica Kauffmann, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Image Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angelika_Kauffmann_-_Christus_und_die_Samariterin_am_Brunnen_-1796.jpeg

Steve Head encourages the church on the importance of connection with God because God wants us!

Display text: "We love because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19 (Can be found on page 1023 in the pew Bible)Pre-service song: Hymn 80:1, 2, 5, 6 (Page 480, In the Book of Praise)Votum and SalutationPsalm 71:8, 9, 10, 11 (Page 174, In the Book of Praise)Profession of faith: Hymn 2 (Page 360, In the Book of Praise)PrayerScripture reading:Romans 9:1-13 (Page 945 In the pew Bible)1 John 4:13-5:5 (Page 1023, In the pew Bible)Confessional reading: Canons of Dort, Chapter 1, Articles 9-13 (Page 567, In the Book of Praise)Psalm 147:6 (Page 347, In the Book of Praise)Text: Romans 9:11-13We love God because God first loved us1. Before we had done either good or bad2. Because he wanted to3. Be assured by your loveHymn 35 (Page 417, In the Book of Praise)Thanksgiving PrayerThanksgiving OfferingPsalm 46:1, 2 (Page 114, In the Book of Praise)BenedictionTime:AfternoonMinister:Rev. J. VanSpronsenTexts:Romans 9:11–13Psalm 147:6Romans 9:1–131 John 4:13—5:5Canons of Dort: First: Article 9Belgic Confession: Article 10Belgic Confession: Article 11Belgic Confession: Article 12Belgic Confession: Article 13

FIRSTLY: NONE OF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR BUT GOD!  Because fear is NOT of God- Because God has a plan for you that He has promised to fulfill if you stay the course!  God stated: For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, to give you hope/ and a future! So if God has made you this promise- and GOD finishes what he starts- THEN WHY are you falling prey to the lies of the devil that you have no future?  THIS IS SUCH A LIE!  God has already said its NOT the devils time!  ITS GODS!  REFOCUS!  Megalodon – on Shark week – did you watch the replays for Shark Week?  Where they found a REAL Megalodon on the coasts of Cape town South Africa?  Seriously. Go look it up on Youtube, where a boat full of people went out fishing and they ticked off this huge shark and it capsized their boat and killed them all. THEN- it bit their boat in half and they had a HUGE boat!  But what does this mean to you- it means the witches/satanists are conjuring BIG OLD demons against America at present so YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO FIGHT or the enemy is about to eat some of your lunches! So- HOW IS WITCHCRAFT TREATING YOU:Go over the demonic holidays for July The enemy is also using people who think they have covenant with the Lord (BUT DON'T) to release word cursings/ evil decrees/ using the word of God in malice. But let me let you in on a little secret!Ps 50:16-21 – for DROOLING FOOLS Next, God calls up the wicked: “What are you up to, quoting my laws, talking like we are good friends? You never answer the door when I call;  you treat my words like garbage. If you find a thief, you make him your buddy; adulterers are your friends of choice. Your mouth drools filth; lying is a serious art form with you. You stab your own brother in the back, rip off your little sister. I kept a quiet patience while you did these things; you thought I went along with your game; I'm calling you on the carpet, now; laying your wickedness out in plain sight. Support the show

When my kids were young and I was home with them there was a period of time when I baked all of our bread Yeast bread is not difficult to make It requires just a few staple ingredients But it does take time It is a process that requires revisiting the dough many times It is a process that cannot be rushed It is a process that is dependent upon the temperature of the room It is a process that is physical When beginning yeast bread, the yeast must be activated Yeast is an incredible thing If the water is too hot you can kill it, too cold it will remain dormant Once the flour and other ingredients are added, the dough must be kneaded This was always one of my favorite parts of bread making Really using the muscles in my hands, arms, and shoulders Massaging the ingredients together into a satiny, firm, dough Kneading requires strength and purpose Integrating all of the parts into the dough Then the dough must rise in a warm place, around 100 degrees Fahrenheit It has to sit, rest, and grow in this place Then, for most recipes, you punch the dough down . . . All of that rising and growth, Was gone in an instant with a few pounds of my fist But the yeast is incredible It raises the dough once again, growing and rising When the dough is finally ready to bake, there is no smell quite like fresh baked bread The warm, grainy smell filled my nostrils, bringing me warmth, fullness and satisfaction Jesus continues his discourse on the bread of life in the Gospel of John this week We are quite familiar with this use of words Words like “eat my flesh” and “drink my blood” are common in Christian communities as we regularly celebrate the Lord's Supper But to these people, these words were disturbing The Jewish people abided by strict dietary codes These words from Jesus would sound abhorrent Yet we know that Jesus doesn't often speak literally He most often speaks in parable and metaphor So while we hear clear connections to the Lord's Supper in Jesus' words today, this Gospel is really a bit more complicated than that The Greek word that is translated as “eat” can also be interpreted as “chew on” We often use a similar idiom, “chew on this” to mean not literally to eat something but to process it thoughtfully Interpreting Jesus' words in this way we hear: Unless you chew on who I am and how I live You have no true life within you Those who really chew on my teaching will have a meaningful life I will uplift them I am true Those who chew on my ways allow me to dwell deep within them And they dwell deep within me This indwelling is not only with me and them, but also with God Because God sent me So chew on this And find meaningful life   The people Jesus spoke to were familiar with the process of making bread Bread is an ordinary thing that they could relate to Making bread isn't difficult But it is a process that requires time A process that calls you back again and again A process that invites you to be aware of what's happening around you A process that involves your whole self Chew on this Dwelling in God and accepting God's indwelling in us is a process Like yeast that causes the bread to grow and rise Indwelling requires warmth and nurture Indwelling requires rest and patience Chew on this Sometimes we get punched down Deflated Yet God's indwelling within us causes us to rise once again   And what about drinking Jesus' blood? He instructs the people to drink his blood 4 times within these 7 verses Bloodlines were a significant and critical life force in ancient times Bloodlines ensured survival and success This ideology of ancestry and heritage persists today Throughout the bible, we hear stories of stress and division over bloodlines Abraham and Sarah fretted over their inability to produce an heir Jacob tricked his father, Isaac into blessing him with the family inheritance over his older brother Esau Newly widowed, Ruth went to great lengths to secure a future for herself and her mother-in-law Continuing one's bloodline through heirs was essential to survival   And here Jesus is challenging this ancient foundation of family and society He declares that his blood is available to all people His blood brings meaningful life to everyone This Holy blood runs through the veins of all humankind Stress and division over bloodline end when we are all one in Jesus' blood Everyone is welcome, cared for, and included when we accept unity in Christ This redefinition of family in Jesus' blood has special meaning to me It strips away what I have learned from culture, society – And even from my own blood-relatives - About who is family to me This Holy blood has broken open my heart And persists in flowing throughout my entire being In a way that leaves me no doubt of the interconnectedness we share with others In a way that gives me no choice But to be broken open and shared By Jesus' holy definition of family All together, through flesh and blood, Jesus is inviting us to embody God, By living like Jesus To allow God to fill our flesh and course through our veins To be united through God Made whole, And to receive unimaginable experiences in life and love   We're given a lot to chew on in today's Gospel reading Jesus is challenging and inviting us to grow and change Jesus is reminding us that Christ abides within us – and within all others Jesus knows that living this way is a process, it takes time It's difficult to overcome rigid thinking and barriers that have been perpetuated in society for thousands of years So, as you go about your week Chew on this What process of change is God raising within you? Feel the pulse of Holy blood coursing through your veins Embody Jesus the Christ in your everyday life God is calling you Rise up Rise up and follow Jesus Rise up and unite in God's Holy blood Rise up and live fully into this gift Amen

As a Jesus Follower, You Have No Need for an Intermediary, such as a Minister, Between You and God Because God Sees Jesus In You MESSAGE SUMMARY: As Followers of Jesus, you are "In Christ" -- God looks at you, as a Jesus Follower, and He sees Jesus in you. Throughout the Epistles we find: "In Christ" or "In Him". In Galatians 3:14, Paul tells you that your faith in Jesus makes you “In Christ” and a recipient of God’s Covenant with Abraham: “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.". Also, Paul goes even further, in Galatians 3:25-28, to tell you that, through your faith in Jesus, you no longer need any kind of intermediary because you are “In Christ” and you have a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe: “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”. When God sees you, “In Christ" as a Jesus Follower, He sees Jesus, the Son. Therefore, God sees you as His son or daughter.   TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Self-Centeredness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Love. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 3:21-26; Romans 6:5-11; Romans 6:22-23; Psalms 63:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Jesus Resurrection Completes God’s New Covenant Providing His Personal Relationship with Jesus Followers; However, If Jesus Is Not in Your Life, There Is a Blot Between You and God", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “We All Need “Hope” in Today’s World of Fear, Doubt in Our Faith, and Feelings of “Hopelessness”; and God Is this “Hope””:  www.AWFTL.org/watch DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB Sermon Series: Jesus Follower

We need to strive not to be sinners, but recognize that we are sinners and accept the gift of Christ being sacrificed for our sins and thank and praise God, for doing so and thank Jesus Christ for accepting the mantle in His life. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/MomentsOfFaith/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/MomentsOfFaith/support

WINNING WITH THE WORD “Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God’s principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God’s manual for life. AN INVITATION TO YOU: To follow this blog, click here.  If this blog has blessed you, please encourage your family and friends to subscribe as well. Thank you! ______________________________________           Do you prefer listening instead of reading? Then click below to listen to today’s blog post:   https://media.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/content.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/WWW_Podcast_08242020_Who_Am_I_Really_.mp3 ______________________________________________ Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, August 24, 2020. Today’s Podcast is Episode #33 in Series 2020 and is titled "Who Are You Really?"   _______________________________________________   We hear a lot of talk these days about self-image, self-esteem, and self-fulfillment.  All of this discussion has as its goal discovering who we really are. While discovering our true identity is crucial, most of us are going about it the wrong way. We are looking in the wrong place to discover who we really are. We are looking to ourselves. Let's take a deeper look. Have you noticed that all of these phrases--self-image, self-esteem, self-fulfillment--include the word "self"? It seems as though the entire goal of life is to find ourselves. We think that in finding ourselves, we will ultimately find the meaning of life and our purpose in life.  But is this really true? Is it really true that when we find ourselves, we will discover who we really are? That we will discover the meaning of life and our life purpose? The answer to this question lies in God's Holy Word. What does God say about finding ourselves? In Matthew 10: 39, God says this about our search for ourselves:  "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Hmm. Now that's the exact opposite of what the world has taught us, isn't it? The world has taught us that we need to find ourselves in order to discover the meaning of life. God says that if we focus on finding ourselves to discover the meaning of life, we will eventually not only lose ourselves, but we will also miss the meaning of life. On the other hand, if we focus on finding God, we will find ourselves and the true meaning of our lives. Why does finding ourselves depend on finding God? Because God is our Maker. To expect the self to know the purpose for which it was made is like asking a car to know the purpose for which it was made. The car is incapable of knowing its own purpose. Only the maker of the car can tell us the purpose for which the car exists. Likewise, the self is incapable of knowing its own purpose. Only the Maker of the self can tell the self the purpose for which the self exists. While this may be a weak analogy, I think you get my point.  You see, my friend, we were made in God's image. Precisely for that reason, our true identity lies only in Him.  if we ignore or deny that truth, we will miss the very meaning of our lives. The world's emphasis on the self takes our eyes off the true source of our identity, and that source is God Himself. When we look to ourselves to define ourselves, we will be deceived and go astray. We will lose our bearings. But when we look to God to define us, we will discover who we really are. To seek our identity outside of this truth is to end up with a false image of who we truly are. Yet, this is exactly what Satan tempts us to do. Liar that he is, Satan tempts us to believe that we can know ourselves by ourselves. He tempts us to isolate ourselves from our Maker.  But isolation leads to desolation. And that is precisely the goal of the enemy. The Bible says he comes only "to steal,

Patience is the most difficult of the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit to cultivate. Nevertheless, since God saw fit to have it listed among these spiritual virtues, obviously he expects us to master it. Why is our patience so important to God? Because God’s main concern is the development of our character, not our personal […]

Pauly [00:00:07] Welcome to walking our talk with Alan and Pauly Heller. Join our conversation as we discuss practical ways to apply spiritual principles to your everyday life and help you walk your talk. One step at a time. Alan [00:00:29] This is Alan Heller and we're walking our talk today. Paul is here, too. Pauly [00:00:33] Hello. Alan [00:00:34] Great to have you here in the studio, always. And I'd like to read you from a classic Oswald Chambers. "Utmost for his highest building for eternity, for which of you intending to build a tower, sit it now down first and count the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it." That's Luke, 19:28. Alan [00:01:00] Our Lord refers not to a cost we have to count. But to a cost which he is counted. The cost was those 30 years in Nazareth, those three years of popularity, scandal and hatred. The deep, unfathomable agony in Get Simone and the onslaught at Calvary. The pivot upon which the whole of time and eternity turns. Jesus Christ has counted the cost. Men are not going to laugh at him, at last, and say this man began to build and has not able to finish the conditions of discipleship laid down by our Lord in verses 26 and 27 and 33 mean that the men and women he is going to use in His mighty building enterprises are those in whom he has done everything. If any man come to me and hate not, he cannot be my disciple. Our Lord implies that the only men and women He will use in the building enterprises are those who love Him passionately and personally and devotedly beyond any of the closest ties on earth. The conditions are stern, but they are glorious. All that we build is going to be inspected by God. Is God going to detect in His searching fire that we have built on the foundation of Jesus some enterprise of our own? These are days of tremendous enterprises, days when we are trying to work for God. And therein is the snare. Profoundly speaking, we can never work for God. Jesus takes over for us, his enterprises, his building schemes entirely. And no soul has any right to claim where he shall be put. Pauly [00:03:02] Wow, that's really great. You know, I think about how I like watching these shows on home and garden television network. And there's this one show called Love It or List It. And the challenge is for somebody to make their home more livable for them. Maybe they started out in a house that had two bedrooms and their kitchen is really small. And now they have two children and they're running out of space. And so they hire this woman to come in and say, well, I can make your home what you want it to be. How much money do you have for me to spend to redesign and reconfigure your home? And they'll say, well, we're going to give you this much money. And then they have a man who goes out looking for another house and they'll tell him, well, we have a budget of this much money. And then this woman is working on remodeling their home, giving them another bathroom, and she runs into an issue and she says, well, we need to give you a new roof or structurally your house will do this. And they're saying, well, we just want you to spend to do everything we asked you to do, but you can't spend any more money than when we've given you. And then at the end of their time, she says, well, with the money you gave me, I could do this for you and I could do this for you. But I couldn't give you that - whatever it was - that you wanted because you weren't willing to spend any more money. Sometimes they get upset with her. Well, counting the cost. Yeah. If you're not willing to invest everything that you that it's going to cost you, then the results are going to be less than what you expect or what you desire. You have to be willing to give God everything and to make the sacrifices necessary in order to live the life that's fully pleasing to him. Alan [00:05:23] Good. So we're talking about attitudes of a disciple, teachable, servant, faithful, heart for God. And the next one we have is humble that there you know, James says, "humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and he will exalt you in due season." And of course, somebody has said everybody likes to think of themself as a servant until people start treating you like one. Everybody is not real humble when they get asked to do something they never wanted to do. I remember Josh McDaniels saying he was all excited about being a part of Campus Crusade. And then they was working at Arrowhead Springs, which at that time was the headquarters in California. And there his first assignment was to clean out the toilets. And he did not have a very good attitude at that time. But it was a part of him learning to humble himself and do whatever he was supposed to do so he could do what he wanted to do in the future. And, of course, he has spoken to literally hundreds of thousands of students around the country and has a worldwide ministry. And it all started with him humbling himself to do what he was asked to do by the people in authority. And I think that's a pretty big issue. I don't have this down on my notes, but being under authority, I think that's a very difficult thing for our culture, especially in America, to understand, because we, again, demand our rights. We're so into self and rights that humility and being a gentleman or a lady can be very difficult because we are demanding our rights. So, another characteristic would be meek. And we had a pastor, Darryl at Scottsdale Bible that used to say meekness is not weakness, it's power under control. And certainly, Jesus demonstrated that he had a lot of power, but it was under the control of the Holy Spirit. And I think many times with us and as we look at disciples or being a disciple, we need to know whether we have the fruit of the spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. And the last one is self-control, which really means Christ control. And so people say you can't measure that. I think you can measure very easily. Hey, if you're getting upset most of the time and losing your temper or all that sort of thing, that's not under control. And so we can work on those things and get others to help us. The next one is being a God pleaser rather than a man pleaser or a self pleaser. And of course, that's, you know, love the Lord, your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and then love your neighbor as yourself. Be diligent. That's not automatic. We have to work at it. And as you talked about in a previous podcast, that as an athlete, I mean, I can't tell you how many bruises on my shins trying to do this thing called a Stutz, which is a half turn on the parallel bars where you swing your body up and let go and then you come around on the other side. And the first hundred times, all I could do is get my knees and shins crashing on the bars and just going down. I'll never gget it. I'll never get it. And then finally, one day I did it and I went, Oh, my God. It didn't hurt. So and back handsprings learning them. One of the things in a back handspring, you have to learn to be off balance and then be able to push off the ground so you can do your flip and not land on your head. And so I think our coauthor in the Trust book, Ed Delph, talks about and unless the pain exceeds the gain, probably aren't going to change much of the pain of landing on my head. Definitely course, that does explain some things that I've thought about. So being diligent and then a heart for people, how can you be a disciple and not love people? And of course, first, John says, How can you love God who you cannot see? If you don't love the people around you whom you can see. So loving people. Lucy, I think or Charlie Brown in one of the Peanuts cartoons says, you know, "I love" I don't know. He says "I love people, but humanity, I can't stand" or something. Pauly [00:10:20] I love humanity, it's people I can't stand. Alan [00:10:23] So a big word humanity. It's just people, I can't stand. Jesus was with people practically all the time, constantly interrupted. If you read the gospels, you see he's got a woman with an issue of blood. He's got a blind person. He knows the lane and the guy who's been thirty two or thirty five years at the pool at the Seita. And he says, what do you want? And the guy says, I want to be healed. But everybody gets in front of me and jumps in the water before me. And this is a story where the waters get troubled or stirred up and people were getting healed. And he's been sitting there and he says and Jesus says, just get up and get in there. And he finally is healed. Pauly [00:11:06] I think of these stories about Jesus where people would come up to him. The gospel writer will make the comment: Jesus looked at him and loved him, or he looked at them and felt compassion for them, knowing that what they were asking him to do would require for them to make sacrifices that they didn't understand that they were going to have to make. Alan [00:11:37] Like the rich young ruler. I mean, here, Jesus, said sell all you have. And he couldn't do that right, because that was so important to him. Pauly [00:11:46] Right. But he didn't say that because he didn't love him. It was exactly the opposite. He looked at him and he loved him, but he challenged him as a would-be disciple. He challenged him in the part that he knew is going to be the hardest for him. And that's what being a disciple is. It's not doing the things that you already know how to do well, it's not doing the things that come naturally to you. You don't need to be disciple. And in being good at the things you're already good at. It's looking at your weaknesses and giving those over to God and letting him have control of those things so that he can show you so that he can work those out in your life. Alan [00:12:38] So another one is availability. Somebody has coined the phrase, I think when we were in crusade F.A.T, are you looking for F.A.T people, faithful, available and teachable? Right. So availability available means that sometimes there'll be interruptions. And that's what God wants you to do and you need to be willing to see your life interrupted in order to minister to people. So there's a love for people and availability. A transparency. I know in our group that we have on Thursday nights, my goal is to try and when I ask people to be transparent in the group, I try and start off with something that I'm transparent about in my life or weakness or you know, I remember sometimes saying to our home group, I just am bushed. I couldn't get to the lesson. It was just a bad week for me - will you pray for me? Or calling somebody in the middle of a week and just saying, I just can't lead this study this week, would you mind doing that for me? And the willingness to be vulnerable and transparent with your disciple. I remember Howard Hendricks, who was a big influence on my life, who used to be the head of the Christian Education Department at Dallas Seminary. And he used to say, the people see me, the students see me as I am. They don't see all the mistakes I made to get where I am. And so he intentionally would share something about what he did that was just a mistake. And so they they'd go, oh, Prof. You know, we thought you did everything perfectly because, you know, the way you teach and everything that you do is just so. And he would share some of the blow ups that he had as a young disciple. We'll talk about actions. So let me just review these the attitudes: teachable, being a servant, being faithful, having a heart for God, being humble, meek, being a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser, or being diligent, having a heart for people, being available to people, having transparency to those who you're ministering to. We're going to say something? You look like you were. Pauly [00:15:00] Well, I think part of transparency. It is what you were just saying. People see us functioning in the areas of our spiritual gifting. And of course, when we are functioning with the power of the Holy Spirit in the areas of our spiritual gifting, they're seeing God really working through us. And they might think, wow, this person has it all together or this person always does everything right. It's like, no, what you're seeing really is Christ at work in me. This is not me. Don't get me mixed up with Christ working through me, because if you think this is me, you're going to be really disappointed in me. You just need to see that when I am teaching and my spiritual gift is teaching you, what you're seeing is Christ working in me. But if you see me hosting something, trying to make flower arrangements or trying to comfort somebody when it's not Christ working in me and I don't have that gift, you're going to see me and all my weaknesses and I'm going to let you down because it's not me. What you need to see is that this is Christ working in me, and I need to be honest with you. I have lots of weaknesses. So you need to know that as a disciple, you need to know that I'm not perfect and I will let you down. Alan [00:16:42] So something I haven't done in the past couple of podcasts is just tell you if you want to email us, alan@walkandtalk.org. And if you want to interact with us or ask a question, feel free to do that and we'll try and answer it on a podcast in the future. If you want to get any materials from walk and talk. Just go to walkandtalk.org. So now we're gonna talk about some actions and we're almost to the end of our time, but we have a few minutes here. Actions that show that you are a real disciple. And also, what are the actions or deterrents? What are the things that stop you in your tracks? I remember the gal that led me to the Lord came from a Mormon background. She was just an unbelievably excited Christian and she shared Christ with me. She said, you know, you eat my oatmeal cookies, now you're gonna have to go to this Christian fellowship meeting. And I was my freshman year at college and I just said, okay, if I have to go to your meeting, do I get to go with you? And so she was a pretty girl. I kept talking to her, the manager of the gymnast the team came in the door with a Bible in his hand. Girlfriend with a bible in her hand. I couldn't believe Mike was one of these people, too, just like Ginger, crazy talking about Jesus and now he could change my life and do this for me and that for me. And but I ended up spending a couple of hours with Mike and coming to know the Lord. And it was an unbelievable experience. And one of the things that Mike said to me and I've said this in a previous podcast is that people will let you down. But God will never let you down. And here one of the actions that stopped Ginger was by the end of our senior by her senior year. She did not have a marriage partner. And so she ended up going back to the guy that she knew from Alaska and ended up marrying that guy who was a Mormon and went back to Mormonism and totally recanted her faith. And those words that Mike had said to me, "people will let you down, but God will never let you down", came back to me and the Lord was asking me, are you going to let Ginger's life get in the way of you being my disciple and following me? And I chose Him or the guy who led me to the Lord. He had an affair with his secretary, and he was interested in pleasing man more than pleasing God and his own appetite. And then I had another close person that I shared Christ with right after I came to know the Lord, and he read dedicated his life, but he got all involved with business and stopped going to church because he was too busy with business. So what will stop you from being a disciple? It's selfishness. Is it that my heart isn't really given over to God? Because God says he only gives good gifts to his children. And so even though it may be painful, even though something may not feel right to you, if it's in God's word and he's bringing it about, you want to be able to follow him and follow what the word says more than what your appetites are. Actions that show a real disciple - you're hearer of the word and a doer. You're both. You hear it and do it. And James says, don't just be a hearer of the word, but be a doer as well. And we're going to talk more about discipleship and what it takes to be a disciple in the context of disciples in the completion of the process, how to become a full-orbed disciple. And we're excited about talking about this subject and walking our talk. And we hope you are, too. Pauly [00:20:48] This has been walking our talk with Alan and Pauly Heller, where we put into action those principles we know from God's word one step at a time. You can find more help at our web site, walkandtalk.org.

Romans 10:9-10 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.  Prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Savior: Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven. At this moment I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer my trust to Him. I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures. Father, I take you at your word. I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior. Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me through the deep valley. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

13 January 2018 - Sunday night, Rev. Aaron Eime took a closer look at the at the historical and religious context of baptism in first century Judaism. The baptism of Jesus is in the desert, where John the Baptist has been preparing the way of the Lord. John is calling for national repentance, and Jesus joins in. By doing so, Jesus identifies with Israel and with our humanity. In the middle of this, Jesus prays, the heavens open, and God speaks. How do we know it's God? Because God speaks his scriptures back to us. Aaron also looks at the Holy Spirit throughout the Hebrew scriptures. Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-24; Luke 3:15-23

Sermon and readings from the Last Sunday of the Church Year, November 25th, 2018. Old Testament Reading is from Isaiah 51:4-6. Epistle is from Jude 20-25. Holy Gospel is from Mark 13:24-37. Sermon and readings were delivered by Pastor Aaron Mueller.

First John: 1 John 4:19-The Child of God Loves God Because God First Loved Them

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