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One of the greatest books of Christian theology ever written is On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius. This beautiful book dives deeper into what we see in our text today. The Word becomes flesh and lives among us. This is a powerful truth. We do not serve a distant and foreign God but a God who knows us and has faced what we face. Jesus became one of us to save all of us. As God, He could perfectly atone for our sins and grant us forgiveness. The incarnation is one of the great miracles of God. God is with us! Halleluiah!Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today's passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=589631260You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/
Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter delivered by Fr. Doug Spina
Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter delivered by Fr. Joe Karikunnel.
Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter delivered by Fr. Joe Karikunnel.
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter delivered by Dcn. Bob Evans.
Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter delivered by Dcn. Bill Schneider.
Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter delivered by Fr. Doug Spina.
Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday delivered by Fr. Joe Karikunnel.
Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday delivered by Fr. Doug Spina.
Homily for Palm Sunday delivered by Fr. Joe Karikunnel.
Homily for Palm Sunday delivered by Fr. Doug Spina.
Homily for Palm Sunday delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Homily for Easter Sunday delivered by Fr. Joe Karikunnel.
Homily for Easter Sunday delivered by Fr. Doug Spina.
Homily for the Easter Vigil delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
He is RISEN!Every year we visit the passage that speaks of the empty tomb and we rejoice in our God who overcame sin and death, Halleluiah!But, what good does it do for us to sing and shout, “He is risen!” if we do not experience the transformation that Jesus bought for us on that cross?What good is it for you and me, if we can only profess with our mouths, “He is risen” but do not experience the reality of His life in and through us?Let's join the women who are weary and worried as they make their way to the tomb looking for a dead Jesus, but encounter an empty tomb and 3 words that transform them from worry to worship!
Join the American Baptist Churches of Nebraska on the 2024 Lenten reflections, "Facing Jerusalem." Easter Benediction In the dark of the early morning, It descended. The very breath of God. Dawn approached. The Spirit filled the lungs of our fallen king, And his heart began to beat anew. At the rising of the sun, He awoke. He opened his eyes. He smiled. He rose. Victorious. They say the tomb was empty, But we know otherwise. Sorrow and mourning. Left behind. Fear and shame. Left behind. Sin and death. Left behind. Our old ways and our old selves. Left behind. Forever entombed by Christ the Son. He who has conquered the grave. He who is risen. He who reigns. Halleluiah. ~ written by Mike Yager, and posted on Ecclesia. 2024 Lent Readings February 18: Luke 9:51-62 February 25: Luke 13:22-30 March 3: Luke 17:11-19 March 10: Luke 18:31-34 March 17: Luke 19:11-27 March 24: Palm Sunday Luke 19:28-44 March 31: Easter Luke 24:1-12 April 7: Luke 24:13-34 Churches and Pastors First Baptist Church, Lincoln, Nebraska--Rev. Joy Martinez-Marshall United Faith Community Church, Valley, Nebraska--Rev. Scott Jones Gibbon Baptist Church, Gibbon, Nebraska--Pastor Taylor Shippy Second Baptist Church, Lincoln, Nebraska--Rev. Dr. Steve Wisthoff Arthur Baptist Church, Arthur, Nebraska--Rev. Blake Wilkes American Baptist Churches of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska--Rev. Dr. Greg Mamula
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent delivered by Fr. Joe Karikunnel.
Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Lent delivered by Fr. Joe Karikunnel.
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent 2024 delivered by Fr. Joe Karikunnel.
Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent delivered by Dcn. Bob Evans.
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time delivered by Fr. Williams Abba.
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Homily for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time delivered by Fr. Williams Abba.
Homily for the 1st Sunday of Lent delivered by Deacon Bob Evans.
Homily for the 1st Sunday of Lent delivered by Deacon Bill Schneider.
Each person who believes in Jesus has a battle going on inside. Between the desires of the flesh, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Each one. Sometimes we feel as though it's a battle we're losing, even though we've already won. How can we actually live out that victory? How can we walk in in the Spirit? THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT One of the most encouraging things God has ever said to me in His Word, the Bible, the most powerful thing I think, is that He is not surprised or perturbed or put off His purposes for me, one little bit, because of my sin. I mean, He doesn't like it; He doesn't want it to be the norm in my life but it is no surprise to Him. How do I know that? Well, simple. The Apostle Paul writes that very thing in the Book of Romans, beginning at Romans chapter 7, verse 22. Paul says of himself: Look, I delight in the law of God in my innermost self but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who is going to rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin. And this is from a man who wrote almost half the books in the New Testament – Paul the Apostle. And you know what Paul was going through is exactly the same thing that you and I go through. There's a war going on between our flesh (the original Greek word for ‘flesh' is ‘carne', from which we get ‘carnal' – right?) and the work of the Spirit in us. And that battle can get us so down – it seems some days as though we are never going to win the battle – but Jesus has already won. “Who is going to save this wretch from this body of sin and death?” asks Paul, “Thanks be to God, Jesus Christ our Lord.” And that's the fantastic news I want to share with you today. Are you ready for it? One of the things I don't hear much chatter about in Christian circles is this reality of the battle that is raging within us between the flesh and the spirit. And when I finally go to be with the Lord, I want to find Paul and thank him for being so direct and honest and real about this reality in his life. He tells us here in Romans chapter 7, that he knows the right things to do – I mean he even wants to do them – he just can't seem to do them. That's the problem. Not that he doesn't know, not that he doesn't want to, but that he just can't. And our mate Paul wasn't some woos. He was no airy fairy weakling. Paul was tough as nails when he had to be. He was driven, he was focused, he was an achiever, he poured out his life for the Gospel and even he had this very same problem. Can I go on record and say I had this very same problem happening in me? And I know, I know absolutely, that you had the same thing going on in you. That's why church is never perfect because it's full of people like you and me – people who are growing and improving and changing but people who are, never the less, a lot like Paul. And his answer to everything is the grace and the power of Jesus Christ. I am going to share with you now what he goes on to say about how to win this battle that rages between the flesh and the spirit because the answer has everything to do with the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Are you ready to settle down and join me for this wonderful passage? Romans chapter 8, beginning at verse 1. He comes straight of the back of this problem that he is talking about and says, look: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from this law of sin and death. Because God has done what the law, weakened by our flesh, simply could not do: by sending Jesus, his Son in the likeness of our sinful flesh to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk, not according to the flesh any more but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those of us who live according to the Spirit, we set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh, frankly, is death, but to set our minds on the Spirit, that is life and peace. It is for this reason that the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law – indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh simply cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, because the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ in them, does not belong to God. But if Christ is in you, though the body might be dead because of our sin, the Spirit is life because of God's righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit that dwells in you. So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to our flesh, to live according to the desires of our flesh, for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you will put to death the deeds of the body and you will live. I love this! Because what it is saying is: look, boys and girls, I don't care how bad things are, God's not going to condemn you if you put your trust in Jesus. “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Your slate has been wiped clean and that is your starting point of your relationship with God. But now we have to deal with this battle that everybody has between the desires of the flesh and the work of the Holy Spirit in you. And the way we do that is by sorting out what we really want. Do you really want to follow the nasty desires of your humanity – greed, anger, sexual immorality, hatred, selfishness? Is that what you really want for your life? And if it is, then set your mind on that and that's what you are going to get! If that is what you set your heart on, friend, it's going to kill you. But if you set your mind and your heart and your desires and your focus and your attention on the Holy Spirit, that's going to bring you life. Your body may well be dead in sin, but set your heart and your desires on Christ and you will have life. Seems to me that whatever we set our hearts on; whatever we turn over and over in our minds, it's what we end up living. Set your heart and your mind on the Spirit of God and you will end up walking in the Spirit. Elsewhere in writing to his friends at Philippi, Paul puts it this way, really powerful. Philippians chapter 4, beginning at verse 8. He says, look: Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just and pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, then think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me and the God of peace will be with you. You see, our thoughts are where our actions come from. And that's something effectively, that you and I already know. I am in the process at the moment of shedding a few kilos of weight and often times I would just love not to go out for a walk after work and miss out on that calorie burning exercise. And often times I think, “Gee, look at that piece of cake. That would be nice for morning tea.” Do you know what keeps me on track? I keep thinking about what it will be like when I reach my target weight. God has already given His Holy Spirit to each person who has put their trust in Jesus. We already have the Spirit of God – we have the power. What God is calling us to do here is to turn that over and over in our minds; to keep focused on that; to keep thinking about how wonderful it will be when we finally overcome our anger or overcome our selfishness or whatever it is that's plaguing our lives. If there is anything commendable or excellent or praiseworthy, think about those things and the result of that is that we will end up doing the things that we have learned and received and heard from God. Thinking comes before walking. And so when it comes to walking in the Spirit and seeing the power and the blessings of that walk flow out into our lives, all we need to do is to set our hearts and minds and desires on the Holy Spirit and discover that by doing that we engage His power – the power to do the things that, in our own strength, we simply could never do. It's good news, hey? CHILDREN OF GOD One of the greatest blessings in my life was my parents. Now, no one's parents are perfect and I know there are a small percentage of them who are absolutely horrendous. But what I got from my parents as I grew up in the Dymet family, in the small but comfortable home just south of Sydney in Australia, was safety and security and nurture. And I try to imagine sometimes what it would be like to be a child growing up in fear – afraid of being beaten, afraid of being abused, afraid because they are completely alone. Sadly many, many children grow up like that. Their parents have died or they live in poverty, completely alone. I can't imagine what it must be like to live in fear as a child – at a time when you are weak and vulnerable and defenceless. There is something precious about belonging to a family. We are made to need that sense of belonging and frankly, we are not made to live in fear. Over these last few weeks we have been chatting about walking in the Spirit; living our lives and journey in the presence and the comfort and the guidance and the nurture and the blessing of God Himself because His Spirit dwells in us. God Himself dwelling in us! And today we are going to finish off by looking at the powerful sense of family and belonging that comes through walking in the Spirit. Earlier we were chatting about how to walk in the Spirit – laying hold of the Spirit, rather than the desires of our flesh in our day to day walk. And it comes down to this one simple thing, according to God's Word: … those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. It is for this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; does not submit to God's law – indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. It's about where we set our minds and what we desire in our hearts. It's a powerful thing! Because when we set our hearts and minds on God; on the Holy Spirit, it's like putting a car into gear and letting out the clutch. By faith we are engaging the power of the Spirit! And there are two other things that the Apostle Paul has to say about walking in the Spirit. The first … the first of those has to do with family, belonging to God's family. If you have got a Bible, open it. Romans chapter 8, beginning at verse 14. He says: For all who are led by the Spirit are children of God. See, you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry out, “Abba! Father!”, it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are in fact, children of God and if children, then we are heirs, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – since we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. See, the Spirit of God in us witnesses the truth to us, that we have been adopted into God's family. When we give the Holy Spirit full sway in our hearts, through Him we know that we know that we know that we know that we are children of God – precious in His sight. And here is the thing about being a child: what happens whether we live with our natural parents or whether we have been adopted into a family, is that we take on many of the traits and the mannerism of our parents. You may have heard me tell this story before but I remember the first time I saw myself interviewed on television – I was completely gob-smacked at how much I was like my father. The mannerisms, the way I spoke … it just completely blew me away. How could this be? Well, because he's my dad and some of the things I had inherited genetically from him and others, without ever realising, I had learned by mimicking him over the years. I was an absolute revelation to me. As we come to the realisation that God is our Father; that you and I are His children, I have to tell you, exactly the same thing happens. We start looking like Him and sounding like Him and thinking like Him and loving like Him and sacrificing like Him – right? And that's what is meant to happen. Being a child of God takes the fear away from our lives – the fear of being alone, the fear of not belonging – because when we are adopted back into God's family (which is actually where we were always meant to be in the first place) we know the blessedness of having God as our Father. And when we cry out to Him, “Father”, “Abba”, “Dad”, right then and there the Holy Spirit tells us that we are His kids. But secondly, children aren't just children. Children are heirs and in this case, we are co-heirs with Christ when we put our faith in Him. In other words, walking in the Spirit gives us the certainty that we have a destiny … an eternal destiny. Let's go on and read the second part, beginning at Romans chapter 8, verse 17. Paul goes on to write. He says, look: … if we are children of God, then we are heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ – since we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits in eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation has been subjected to this futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning like…..like in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Holy Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for this adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. So, Paul is saying, look, indeed there is going to be suffering – Jesus suffered, we certainly will but because the Holy Spirit is in us every moment of every day, we know that we have a destiny … an eternal destiny. As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need fear no evil, because God is with us and He is witnessing to us that we have a future – not just here on this earth, but a future with Him for all eternity. One day this world as we know it will cease to exist. One day you and I will no longer be alive on this planet and when either of those two eventualities takes place – whichever one happens to come first, we will spend the rest of eternity with God if we have placed our faith in Jesus today. We will be there with Jesus, so the suffering we are travelling through just doesn't compare to the glory of our eternity with God. Anyone who walks in the Spirit as the days and the weeks and the years pass by, knows that more and more in their hearts because the Spirit of God speaks it to us in a way that it becomes a part of us. Friend, walking in the Spirit is about experiencing the presence and the power and the promises of God. Let me say that again – walking in the Spirit is about experiencing the presence and the power and the promises of God. And that happens when we yield our lives to Jesus and set our hearts and our minds and our hopes and our dreams and our passions and our desires on the things of God; the things of the Spirit, rather than on the things of this world. And a huge part of that is setting our hearts on the destiny we have because of Jesus. And all of a sudden – and many of you figured this out way, way before I ever did – then all of a sudden we get the things of this world into perspective – the pleasures and the pains, the triumphs and the trials. We walk through each and every experience with power and peace, focused on the end-game; focused on the reality that we are saved in Jesus Christ; we are here to do His work; we are here to sacrifice our lives for Him. And one day we will be there with Him for all eternity, to worship Him and to rejoice with Him in His glory. Friend, that is God's plan – nothing more, nothing less – for those who choose to walk in the Spirit. Hey, that's quite a plan, isn't it? GLORY, GLORY, GLORY!! So let me ask you – this fantastic stuff we have been talking about, not just today but over the last few weeks on the programme – is it just all too much to believe? Do you look around sometimes and think, “Yea, well, maybe for that preacher on the radio, maybe that stuff is happing in that guy's life, but mine … holy good night!” If you are thinking that right now, you wouldn't be alone and from time to time, to tell you the honest truth, that's how I feel too. You see, things happen in your life and you think to yourself, “Is God really in this place?” Well, seems the Holy Spirit knew exactly what you and I would be thinking when He had Paul pen Roman chapter 8. Have a listen with me. Just let the wonder of God's Word melt into your heart. Listen as though He had Paul write this for you, because you know what, He actually did. Romans chapter 8, beginning at verse 18. Paul says, look: … the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. … For in hope we were saved. And hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what they can see? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. So the Spirit helps us in our weakness; because we do not know how to pray as we should, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, and for those who are called according to his purpose … What then should we say about these things? If God is for us, who can possibly be against us? … Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … I am convinced that neither death, or life, or angels, or rulers, anything in the present, anything in the future, no power, no height, no depth; nothing else in all creation, will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. What is God saying? He is telling it just the way it is. There will be suffering and pain and all that stuff, but right here in the middle of this, the Holy Spirit is interceding for us; right here in the middle of this mess, God Himself is working things out together for good; working things out for His glory. And this Apostle Paul who went through all of the things he lists here – all of them: hardship, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword – has experienced the presence of God, the very Spirit of God, right there with him in the middle of all that stuff. And as a result, because of that experience, he is convinced absolutely nothing: not death, nor life, not angels, nor rulers, things in the present, things to come, powers, height, depth … nothing in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ. Halleluiah!! Friend, this is what it means to be filled to overflowing in the wondrous Spirit of God. It's what it means to be baptised in the Spirit, drenched in the Spirit, drowned and changed and transformed in the Spirit. To live life, all of life, all of the ups and downs – two steps forward, three steps back – in the certain knowledge God is here in this place with us. God's Spirit is at work in us, changing us, cleaning us, pruning us, growing us. Halleluiah!! Friend, it takes power to live as Christ. It takes power to forgive as Christ forgave those who crucified Him. “Forgive them Father, they don't know what they are doing,” as they gambled over the very clothes on His back. And it takes that very same power – the power of the cross; the power that raised Jesus from the dead – that same power that is alive and effective in you and me as we yield our lives to Jesus, as we are filled with the Holy Spirit just as Jesus promised. Isn't that what you want for your life? Well, in Christ it's yours!
We Need To Check Ourselves (6) (audio) David Eells 2/7/24 Speaking Grace in Love and Faith David Eells When we speak faith into people, they get grace: “for by grace have ye been saved through faith.” There is a place for condemnation but not in the life of one who truly wants to obey and be holy. These people need grace to do the works of God, but condemnation is contrary to faith and robs them of the very power of God they need. We feel Paul's pain under the slavery of condemnation until he got the revelation of faith which is a free gift of God's power to do His will. (Rom.7:15) For that which I do I know not: for not what I would, that do I practice; but what I hate, that I do. (16) But if what I would not, that I do, I consent unto the law that it is good. (17) So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me ... (22) For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: (23) but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. (24) Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death? (25) I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord ... (8:1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. We want to always have grace for those who suffer like Paul did. (Col.4:6) Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one. Once, in a church that I was teaching in, there were two ladies who were running around gossiping. So I talked to them in front of another elder about it but they just jumped right on my case and rebuked me right back. I felt real calm and quiet in my soul, and the Lord spoke to me. He said, “They are going to get sick.” Well, I didn't say a word back to them and the other elder was there. That night both of those ladies went to the hospital with unrelated illnesses; one of them had migraine headaches and a tumor and the other one had a kidney infection. And they asked that other elder, “Why did this happen?” The guy had sense enough to say, “Because you rebuked an elder. You judged him and he was right.” When they came to me and asked my forgiveness I prayed for both of them and the Lord healed them. So I've thought, “How many times in my youth have I mistakenly judged someone?” They judged me when I was doing the work of the Lord and I knew I was doing the work of the Lord. But then the Lord judged them for rebuking an elder. They were judging me and the Lord judged them. They didn't know that they were going to be judged; they didn't know that they were doing wrong. You know, it's always a dangerous thing to take it upon yourself to judge anybody whom the Lord has put in authority. Hey, we can be living under a curse right now because of the way we're treating other people, but we're not doing the work of the Lord if we're not putting faith in people's hearts. Now there is a place for condemnation and I don't want to leave that out. When there is willful disobedience, the blood of Jesus doesn't cover it, the Bible says in (Heb.10:26) For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins. But even then, it says, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one (Gal.6:1). There is no way to restore anybody except they move past a place of condemnation and come into faith because that's the only way to get grace. Without grace, you don't overcome and without faith, you don't get grace. Our prayer should be, “Lord, just give us Your grace to be graceful and preach the good news and bring these poor people out from under the condemnation and judgment of the devil.” I think sometimes we misjudge love. Sometimes we don't necessarily feel what we have called “love,” that emotional feeling about people. “Love” in the Scriptures, agape love, is always tied to obedience. We're never even asked to phileo God; we're asked to agape God. And Jesus said, “If ye love (agape) me, ye will keep my commandments” (Joh.14:15). A proof of Scriptural love is obedience, not the mushy feeling that we get from emotions. The proof that you love God is, “Do you obey Him?” And that's what we need to pray for, too. We need to ask to be able to love God because if we have that, we'll obey Him. Again, that's not an emotional love. God doesn't trust emotions that are not motivated by love and He doesn't want us to trust them, either when they're physical and of the flesh. They can be used by God and they can be a great blessing, but they can just as easily be used by the devil. And that's what is so untrustworthy about emotions: they're schizophrenic. They're following the Spirit one minute and following the flesh the next. You probably know people who do this with the Lord; it's because they follow emotions and they're not stable in the Word. We need to be based on the Word. Some people claim phileo love is a human love but that's not true. I've found places in the Scripture where God phileo-loved Jesus and where God agape-loved Jesus. So, phileo is not just a human love; however, we're not asked to phileo God. We're asked to agape God enough to obey Him. You can't make yourself feel mushy and emotional in your heart toward God but you can do that love of obedience, which is what God asks. And just because you don't feel something, it doesn't mean it's not there. That's why we're not supposed to be based on feeling, but we're supposed to be based on the Word. And the more you grow with God, the more He's going to wean you away from your feelings and put you on the Rock. Let our feelings be His feelings. The Rock is the Word and emotions have to be the water swirling around the Rock because there is nothing stable about them. But God wants to wean us and the more we grow with God, the more we'll be weaned away from feelings and emotions, which can be easily manipulated by the enemy. Some people think that if they don't feel something, they didn't get healed, or if they don't feel something, God didn't hear them. We're not asked to believe any such thing. We're asked to believe, “All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them” (Mar.11:24). There is not necessarily any kind of feeling that goes along with that. And, as a matter of fact, the more you grow with God, probably the less you will get feelings because God wants to wean you away from them so that you don't trust in them, so that you don't consider that things are “yea” or “nay” because of your feelings. Did you know God wants us to believe in the Word and trust in the Word? You don't have to feel anything. You know, there are people who say that you have to have a rhema word, you have to have God speak a special word out of the Word to you before you can stand upon it. That's just hogwash! You don't have to do a thing but believe what this Bible says and stand on it. Yes, God can give you a rhema, but I tell you, every word in here is a rhema, if you are humble to it. That's the whole point: Are you humble to what the Bible says? Does God have to talk to you when He has already talked to you through His Word? Of course, He can do it, but He doesn't have to. He can speak one of these words to you and He can confirm it with a dream or a vision, or He can speak to your heart, but He doesn't have to. Everything in the Bible is rhema, if you're humble to it, if you just believe the Word and you stand on the Word with no need for feelings one way or the other. Otherwise you will be a hearer but not a doer. People who think that they have to have feelings will likely not obey. I've proven in my own life that I don't have to feel a thing. I can pray and feel nothing. And even though I just pray and don't feel a thing sometimes, the Word is still true. And if you're dogmatically determined to say that, “Hey, the Word is true and everything else is a lie,” just like the Bible says, “let God be found true, but every man a liar” (Rom.3:4), then what you've prayed for is going to happen. It'll work and that's all you need. I've known people who believe they have to have what they call a rhema before they will believe and they don't see miracles, healings, deliverances, provisions, etc. Outside of emotions and feelings, the Word is all you need; stand on the Word. Accept only Scriptural thoughts in your mind; reject everything else that exalts itself against the true knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). And resist every temptation to “avenge disobedience” (2 Corinthians 10:6) or to correct people, without the anointing of the Lord. Now I want to point out something else here, too. The Lord will not ever use you to correct somebody, if you have the same problem that they do. He'll use a person who has overcome in that area to correct that person. But if you have that problem, don't ever think the Lord's going to use you to correct somebody else with it. We are told to be ready “to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full” (2Co.10:6). So I'll say it again: If you correct people without the anointing of the Lord, that's judging and being unforgiving, and only God can do that. But God can do it through people and He does do it through people who have overcome that problem or else they are hypocrites. In fact, Scripture says it so clearly. (1Co.6:5) … What, cannot there be [found] among you one wise man who shall be able to decide between his brethren. (2:15) But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man. In other words, God can use your spiritual man to speak judgments and He can even use you to not forgive as a ministry for God. Jesus told His disciples that, for the Kingdom of God, “whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are retained” (Joh.20:23). Paul didn't forgive the man who had his father's wife (1 Corinthians 5:6); Paul threw him out because “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (1Co.5:6). He didn't forgive him for the Church and the Kingdom's sake, so we see there is judgment. There has to be judgment. But we have to be careful. (Rom.2:1) Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost practice the same things. (14:4) Who art thou that judgest the servant of another? to his own lord he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be made to stand; for the Lord hath power to make him stand. We have to be careful that we don't judge unless God is doing it. (1Ti.5:1) Rebuke not an elder, but exhort him as a father; the younger men as brethren. You know, I don't think a lot of times people realize that Paul is talking to Timothy there and Timothy was an apostle not a pastor. So if this is true for an apostle it certainly is true for everybody else. (1Ti.5:19) Against an elder receive not an accusation, except at [the mouth of] two or three witnesses. (20) Them that sin reprove (“rebuke” in the KJV) in the sight of all (again, he was talking to Timothy),that the rest also may be in fear. I know that the King James says “rebuke not,” and then it turns around and says “rebuke.” The word for “rebuke” in the Greek is epiplesso. Epi means “upon” or “at,” and plesso means “to strike” or “to smite”; hence, “to rebuke verbally.” That's the word for “rebuke” in 1 Timothy 5:1. The other one in 5:20 is not “rebuke” at all. In verse 20, it's the Greek word elegcho and it means “to convict, confute, refute.” In other words, it basically means “to exhort” and that's really what our ministry is. It's to help people believe what Scripture says. There are a lot of Christians who don't believe the Gospel because they have no hope and don't see a way out of their sin. But if you believe the Gospel, there is power there to come out from under sin. So we help people believe the Gospel, the good news that, “You don't have to dig your way out or by your own willpower. Come out of sin because Jesus already did it!” There is no way to make a person believe but you can speak faith to their heart. I know how I've treated myself when I've had a problem with unbelief. Instead of studying faith, I've repented of my unbelief because it's a sin. It's a sin that Jesus took away and I treat it like a sin that Jesus took away. People who can't get a hold of faith need to be exhorted because a lot of rebuke will just harden their hearts. You can study faith until you are blue in the face, but if you still have the sin of unbelief, you won't believe it. The Lord spoke to me one time when I was in a situation where I was preaching faith to a group of people who weren't catching on to it. The Lord said to me, “You are trying to give them resurrection life before death. What they have to do is repent of unbelief before they can accept faith.” Repentance is death; it's a dying to self. If you don't repent, you can't take hold of resurrection life. Resurrection life is faith. You can preach faith, faith, faith and if it doesn't go in, it's probably because of the sin of unbelief or double mindedness. That person has to repent first. We have to see that as sin in our life and sometimes a demon. We have to confess that as a sin, rebuke it from our life as a sin and accept ourselves as delivered because that is what Jesus did. He delivered us. Another point is that people who have a fear of rejection in their heart rarely confess their sin. They usually try to hide their sins. And again, you can't get power from God that way, so in either case, you have to preach faith and not constant correction, which they read as rejection. Word From The Lord Debbie Fenske 1/8/24 I was asked to share what the Lord spoke to us towards the end of our worship time on Monday night. Our praise and worship time unto the Lord was so great. Even before we started, Michael saw Jesus and angels come into the house and join us. Halleluiah! Our time worshipping and praising Jesus with the angels was greatly anointed. Towards the end of our worship time Jesus said, "How I desire for you to hear the sound that I and the angels are hearing of your sacrifice of honor and praise unto Me from your heart this night. This is the sound I so always long to hear. I bless you, My children, for I hear great oneness of sound, oneness of song, oneness of heart, and unity in your worship of love to Me this night. My heart is thrilled over such oneness in spirit and holy worship.” “Truly you feel the anointing of My presence. And though you feel My presence, and you too are lifted up through the power of your sacrifice of worship unto Me, yet, how I desire that you could hear what we are hearing, the glorious sound of true oneness of worshipful sound, and song, and heart, in holy unity. Continue, My children, in this blessed oneness each time you come together as one to worship Me. My children, let nothing take this away.” Revelation Of Slumber Anonymous 12/25/22 I awoke, and my wife and I needed to attend to our son. As we were in lack of sleep the previous few weeks and desired more, we asked the Lord why we were woken early, having only slept 3 hours that night. (The flesh is weak when it is sleep deprived, which seems like a form of crucifying the flesh.) After our son went back to sleep and my wife prayed in tongues, I sat awake and continued to listen to a list of David Eells videos which we also sometimes play while we sleep. This particular video was stating to harvest in the summer to have food in the winter. When the scriptures related to this were correlated, I felt such conviction. I was tempted to resume sleep. The last few nights had been a battle to get up. We knew it had been the enemy trying to stop us from praising and in prayer especially during the tougher hours of the night (12pm to 3am). The enemy knew and attacked very hard again, but not to avail this time. The Lord intervened and answered our prayers with a timely wake-up with our son and being awake and listening to the video at that particular point. (Are we going to commit to the blessings?) The current season where we live is summer. The very last thing I would want to do is be lazy, especially before Almighty God! So, the phrase to “harvest in the summer” immediately pricked my hearing and I listened in agreement. Then the verses: Pro 6:8-11 Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man. And related verses: Pro 10:4-5 He becometh poor that worketh with a slack hand; But the hand of the diligent maketh rich. 5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son; But he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame. How can I truly say I will serve the Lord and then spend a lot of time sleeping? Luk 10:2 And he said unto them, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers few: pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest. Luk 2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must be about my Father's business. The enemy will sneak around, trying not to awaken our defenses. The thief will steal all, even peace, if left alone. We need to fight in the Spirit and not feed the flesh. Eph 5:14 Wherefore it saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, And arise from the dead, And the Christ shall shine upon thee. Now is the time and our duty is to serve our Father. Php 3:12 Not that I have already received, or am already made perfect: but I follow on, if so be that I may apprehend that for which also I was apprehended by Christ Jesus. Joh 4:23 But an hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for even such the Father seeketh as his worshippers. Rom 13:11 And this, knowing the season, that already it is the hour for you to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Let us rebuke the self, flesh, and lies. We are to plunder the enemy's camp and return all in restoration to the Kingdom of Heaven for our Father. Luk 11:21-22 When the strong fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: 22 but when a stronger than he shall come upon and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. (Our Jesus overcame satan and his demons and we are commanded to gather the spoils of his defenseless kingdom. 23 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.) To the very least, I woke and wrote all this to share, and continued into the day the Lord has made. 2Co 6:2 for he saith, At an acceptable season I hearkened to thee, And in a day of salvation I succored thee: lo, now is an acceptable season; lo, now is a day of salvation: Promise Ring Marie Kelton 10/25/22 This morning I had a dream. I was in a jewelry store, in the mall looking for a promise ring. I heard the voice of a woman say, “When women look for a promise ring, they're looking for their wedding ring.” (We are “looking” at the Lord's promises of being part of the corporate Bride. It is not quite an engagement ring. It's more like a going steady ring.) The scene changed, and I'm going on a public bus. I go sit in the back next to a window on a long bench type seat. (Representing humility by taking public transportation, not independently traveling in your own vehicle. When sitting in the back of the bus, you have a view of everyone before you possibly meaning you think others a more likely choice. You would be the last of a long line of people. Luk 14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and take the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he shall say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in presence of all that sit at meat with thee.) And then a black girl sat next to me. At first, she was rude to me but later in the dream we became friends. Another girl came up and told the girl to get up, and move, so that I didn't have to sit next to the window. So, we switched, and I actually told the girl that I had become friends with, that I didn't mind sitting by the window, so we switched back. (The window is a better view of progress.) I had the promise ring on my ring finger. The ring was a silver ring with scriptures on it. (I had this type of ring before in real life.) (There are many promises given to us and we need to hold on to them and speak in agreement with them in faith to receive them.) Hos 2:19-20 And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. 20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know Jehovah. Pro 7:1-3 My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee. 2 Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy fingers; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart. Deu 6:6-8 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; 7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.) I knew in the dream that my husband (Jesus) was watching me to see how I treated the people on this bus. (The Lord is always watching us. We are taught not to judge others and to treat others as we would want to be treated and show no respect of persons. Those who live this way have a better chance of being chosen. Mat 7:12 All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.) Jas 2:1-6 My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing; 3 and ye have regard to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool; 4 do ye not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? 6 But ye have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats?) Spiritual Fornication Winnie Osegueda 7/29/22 (David's notes in red) I dreamt I was in a light blue car talking to a young man that I recognize from YouTube on a video call on my phone. I don't know his name." This young man is a Christian and has a pretty good testimony and hell revelation. I believe he is still pretty young in the Lord, but to my knowledge, he walks in what he knows. As I was talking to this young man in the dream, he began to tell me about the problem he's been having with fornication. (In the dream he meant physical fornication, but in real life he is married, and I don't believe this is physical, but spiritual.)(Spiritual fornication for a Christian would be like having a relationship with someone besides the Lord. With many this would be with a religion or a preacher.) He said he was struggling with this and did not know how to overcome it, although he did not want this in his life. I told the young man that it was a demon and it needed to be cast out. I went to look for David to cast this demon out of this young man, and I found him sitting in a temple on a bench on the right. Instead of the bench facing forward though, it was facing the other side where the windows were. I could hear the people worshipping and praising the Lord. David was joining in worship, but it was also as if he was watching outside the windows for something. (Looking for the Lord's coming in us.) (A confirming text given to Winnie below said in 2Pe 3:12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God… To be ready for the Lord's coming for us in death or in the air we must be wanting His coming in us now. 1Jn 2:28 And now, my little children, abide in him; that, if he shall be manifested (Meaning shine forth from us), we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one also that doeth righteousness is begotten of him.) As David came out, I told him about the young man who needed deliverance from this spirit. David then laid hands on me and began to pray and cast a spirit out of me. My thoughts in the dream were that he did this so that I could be a clean vessel to cast the demon out of the young man as well. (The Lord was reminding us that our authority is based in holiness.) (Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. After this I went back to call the young man on my phone and cast this spirit out of him. As I was looking for a place to call, I passed through a recreation room/cafeteria where Matthew Stewart and Obi were getting ready to play drums, but he said he would wait until I made the call so it wouldn't be too loud. I went back to my car instead to call the young man and cast the spirit out and then I woke up. The chapter I received for this dream by faith is: In selected portions of 2Pe 3:1-18 we are warned to depart quickly from worldly lusts and be prepared to escape judgment. 3 knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts … 7 but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. … 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. … 11 Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, 12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God… 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight. 15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you… 17 Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own stedfastness. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and for ever. Amen. Run Your Own Race Samuel Fire 5/20/23 (David's notes in red) I saw a man running in a race on track from his perspective. (Representing our race to manifest Jesus in the time Father has personally given each of us. Seeing the race from “his perspective” represents only considering himself, or self-righteousness like the Pharisees.) Heb 12:1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.) There were many others racing too in their own lanes. The man looked to his left and right at the other runners and he criticized the others next to him. (2Co 10:12 For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with certain of them that commend themselves: but they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding. And Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest the servant of another? to his own lord he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be made to stand; for the Lord hath power to make him stand. Jas 4:11-12 Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbour?) I then felt that he failed to see that he had slowed down to criticize the others and not focus on running his own race. When we keep our eyes on the goal of the prize and see Jesus in others, we are capable to run and finish faster. 1Co 9:24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain. (The one who wins the prize is Jesus so we must run legally by abiding in Him.) (Php 2:12 So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.)
Homily for Epiphany delivered by Fr. Doug
Homily for Epiphany delivered by Fr. Williams Abba
Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time delivered by Fr. Doug Spina.
Homily for Epiphany delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
https://dphx.org/catholics-in-the-public-square
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent delivered by Fr. Williams Abba.
Homily for Holy Family Sunday delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Advent delivered by Fr. Doug Spina.
Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent delivered by Dcn. Bob Evans.
Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent delivered by Dcn. Bill Schneider.
Homily for the 2nd Week of Advent delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Bezalel Raviv is the Founder of Lionsgate Network, a company specializing in cyber intelligence, blockchain analysis, and fraud detection services. He has an impressive track record in helping victims recover their funds from scams involving cryptocurrencies and online frauds. Recently, Bezalel's company has been in the spotlight after it thwarted hacking attempts and intercepted an impressive $90 million in Hamas funds. Bezalel is also the Founder and CEO of Halleluiah, a company that introduced music to metaverse, paving a new culture of copyrights management through blockchain. In this episode… Today, the extensive use of the internet has connected people globally, making sharing information and even funds much easier. With billions of people embracing this technology, scams and various forms of exploitation are increasingly common. What support systems are in place for victims of internet fraud? Bezalel Raviv outlines the process his company, Lionsgate Network, uses to help victims of scams in the crypto and digital spaces. He shares the challenges that victims face when seeking help from authorities, and how his company steps in to provide efficient solutions. In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, host Dr. Jeremy Weisz welcomes Bezalel Raviv, Founder of Lionsgate Network, to discuss the crucial role they play in making blockchain transactions safer and more transparent — including a recent interception of $90 million in funds intended to fund Hamas terrorism. Bezalel's technical expertise, diligent team, and robust technology made it possible to identify the suspects involved. He shares how his team not only investigates suspected accounts but also has a system in place for preventive monitoring. Bezalel's ultimate goal goes beyond gathering data — it's about ensuring a conclusion that serves justice and improves blockchain security.
Homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent delivered by Fr. Doug Spina.
Homily for Christ the King Sunday delivered by Fr' Doug Spina.
Homily for Christ the King Sunday delivered by Fr. Williams Abba.
Homily for Christ the King Sunday delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
Homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent delivered by Fr. Kilian McCaffrey.
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