Podcasts about heaven do

Bruce Hildenbrand, raised as a pastor's kid in rural Michigan, learned early on to rely on God for everything. So, when he faced uncertainty about his college major, he encountered the Holy Spirit in a powerful way, guiding him into the business world with one condition: that Bruce would dedicate all of it back to God. Since then, Bruce has become a serial entrepreneur with a 35-year passion for operating from a profound relationship with God. His journey is one of steadfast obedience, producing abundant fruit for the Kingdom. He fully dedicates his talents, resources, and business endeavors to glorify God. Bruce brings valuable insights into recognizing the voice of the Holy Spirit in business, practicing generosity, and investing in eternity. Major topics include: Bruce's supernatural encounter in the middle of a business lecture The necessity of a relationship with the Father as a businessperson God's view of wealth vs. the pharisaical view Focusing on EROI (Eternal Return on Investment) The heart posture of a generous giver Keys to hearing from the Holy Spirit How you can start serving your community today QUOTES TO REMEMBER “You can't do anything if you don't have a relationship with the Father.” “If you are going to exercise spiritual gifts, you need God's protection because you will be under spiritual attack.” “God, don't prosper my bank account before You prosper my soul.” “God wants all the credit. He wants you to say, ‘God, You get all the credit for everything I do.'” “Riches are not the divine approval for your life.” “You can fool man, but you can't fool God.” “Don't violate God's principles and expect Him to prosper your business.” “A relationship with God must be consistent, persistent, and tenacious.” “God's first definition of a generous giver was a poor widow.” “It's not about how much we give, it's about our heart condition.” “Write the check and get out of the way. Let the Holy Spirit to His work.” “As a businessman, if you really understood the Bible and you really understood where you're going to end up forever, you would be plowing every dime that you have into your eternal account.” LINKS FROM THE SHOW Treasures in Heaven, Part 1 by John MacArthur (YouTube Video) Treasures in Heaven, Part 2 by John MacArthur (YouTube Video) YouVersion The Finish Line Community Facebook Group The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW Deuteronomy 8:17-18 | God Gives Wealth   Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.   Isaiah 48:17 | God Teaches How to Profit   Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.   John 15:5 | Abide in the Vine   I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.   Proverbs 18:11 | Strong City, High Wall   A rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.   Proverbs 23:4 | Don't Toil    Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.   Proverbs 10:22 | Riches with No Sorrow   The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.   Matthew 6:19-21 | Treasure in Heaven   “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.   Mark 12:41-44 | The Widow's Offering   Matt 6:3 | Giving in Secret   But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

In a world where we often cling tightly to our possessions, this verse reminds us of a profound truth: everything belongs to God. Indeed, giving isn't just about money—it's a heart matter. When we recognise that all we have is a gift from God, it becomes easier to open our hands and hearts to others. As we go about our week, let's challenge ourselves to see our resources through this lens. How can we use what we've been entrusted with to bless others and make our city a better place? If you are new to Community Church, WELCOME! We would love to get to know you. Please fill in the following form and we look forward to connecting with you: https://bit.ly/cc-new-connect You can find all timely and relevant links from this service on https://bit.ly/cc-links You can also find out more about us at https://communitychurch.hk/ ================ This Week's Scripture: // Matthew 6:19-25 // Treasures in Heaven “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Do Not Worry “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

Seven in Heaven + Do the Browns have a Ken Dorsey problem? full 696 Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:23:36 +0000 6faFZC10vyO7yh5CCigg8MA94S4goRQX sports The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima sports Seven in Heaven + Do the Browns have a Ken Dorsey problem? The only place to talk about the Cleveland sports scene is with Ken Carman and Anthony Lima. The two guide listeners through the ups and downs of being a fan of the Browns, Cavaliers, Guardians and Ohio State Buckeyes in Northeast Ohio. They'll help you stay informed with breaking news, game coverage, and interviews with top personalities.Catch The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima live Monday through Friday (6 a.m. - 10 a.m ET) on 92.3 The Fan, the exclusive audio home of the Browns, or on the Audacy app. For more, follow the show on X @KenCarmanShow. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc.

Matt Mancinelli serves as the Managing Director at Generous Giving, where he harnesses his profound passion for generosity to empower individuals and unveil its transformative power. With unwavering dedication, Matt has committed his career to inspire others to embrace and embody the joy and liberating freedom that accompanies a life of giving. From a young age, Matt fostered a fervent enthusiasm for generosity, willingly enduring diverse circumstances to expand his capacity to give. Even during periods marked by minimal resources, he reminisces about experiencing boundless joy in the act of giving. In addition, Matt candidly shares about transitioning into married life and how he and his family, including their children, have embraced a lifestyle of radical generosity. Matt's life brims with captivating narratives of witnessing divine intervention through moments of unwavering faith and audacious generosity, contagiously igniting excitement within others. In this episode: What are common obstacles that people face when it comes to being more generous? How do we wrap our kids into lives of exciting generosity? How does giving impact our faith and relationship with God? How should we balance strategic, planned giving with joyful, spontaneous giving? How do we continue to grow in generosity? QUOTES TO REMEMBER The whole mission is to encourage people to be generous. Do I still actually believe that having more will make me happier? I got to spend a lot of years encouraging people to be generous without a hook. LINKS FROM THE SHOW Operation Mobilization George Verwer The Treasure Principle, by Randy Alcorn Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman) Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving Halftime by Bob Buford The Finish Line Community Facebook Group The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW Ephesians 6:16 | Shield of Faith In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; Matthew 6:19-21 | Treasure in Heaven “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Acts 20:35 | Better to Give ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.' WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

THE THESIS: Fauci knows he is untouchable. He knows where all the money has gone and why. He knows all the deals that have been made. He has stored up incredible treasures on earth. THE SCRIPTURE:  Matthew 6:19 Treasures in Heaven “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 2 Peter 2:19 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” THE NEWS:  The deadliest killer in my lifetime will get HOW MUCH for retirement? → Fauci on track to collect largest federal retirement in US history: report -- $350,000 PER YEAR and increasing for so called “cost-of-living.”  And rock-ribbed, America-loving, small government, constitutional conservatives like Mitch McPharma and Kevin McGo-along think what of this man? →  [AUDIO] - Rand Paul: they LOVED Fauci.  In all likelihood, YOU were forced to pay to develop this flu; YOU were forced to pay Pfizer to make the mRNA garbage; YOU were forced to pay to PROMOTE the trash; YOU will be forced to pay for the damage and death it has caused and will cause … but, Pfizer had plenty of money to work with the CCP to create traveling paper technologies! [AUDIO] - Why was Pfizer partnering with the Chinese Communist Party's platform for vaccine passports & social credit scores the year before the COVID-19 pandemic started? - NATALIE WINTERS, NATIONAL PULSE, WAR ROOM THE MONOLOGUE: FAUCI JUST SPOKE A KEY TRUTH! This is ANOTHER key admission from the Fauxch: he is doing ONLY what people will TOLERATE and he is changing this FULLY BECAUSE of a political calculation  Fauci: "There is the danger that there will be so many people who are being isolated who are asymptomatic for the full ten days, that you could have a major negative impact on our ability to keep society running. So the decision was made of saying let's get that cut in half." Rochele Walensky said the same thing but more bluntly → “It really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate,” CDC Director Walensky says on why the CDC shortened the isolation period from 10 days to 5 days if you're asymptomatic. Our full interview: Lie #1 - She slips in SYMPTOMATIC people  Deception #1 - She slips UN-VACCINATED in with “vaccinated” --- THEN, admits this is about tolerance!  MUSIC REVIEW: Save us from ourselves - STYX  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Chinese) Where do we find Heaven? Do we need to find a heavenly ladder to reach Heaven? Supreme Master Ching Hai says that being in either Heaven or Hell occurs just in a flash of thought, and that in Heaven there is no greed, hatred or ignorance. When we’re in the Samsara world, it’s just like being in Heaven if we feel no suffering. Thus, we hear teachings such as “Buddha is in our heart” and “the heavenly kingdom is within us.” If we practice well and have a good method and a great ...

Is Jesus the only path for a queer person to get to Heaven? Do churches fall on a spectrum kind of like the spectrum of sexual orientation? How can someone who's been wounded by the church find healing?These are some the topics brought up when Ryan interviews Dr. Cindy Ryan in this episode of the Identity Series.Dr. Cindy Ryan, who has a passion for connecting people to God through writing, speaking and ministry, graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelors of Psychology degree. She has a Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. She was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1987.She explains, "We all represent God, and God needs everyone of our voices. Or there's just such a partial picture." So whether you identify as a queer person or want to be an ally through the bond of Christianity and spirituality, check out this episode as we explore some learnings for connecting queerness and Christianity.Episode Cover Art: Photo by Rod Long on UnsplashResources:Dr. Cindy Ryan’s website, where you can learn more and sign up for her e-newsletter.Learn more about Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.

Scripture Reading- Matthew 6:19-34 Sermon Series: The Sermon on the Mount – A Study of Matthew 5-7 How to be a faithful follower of Jesus…even in a pandemic Gather Riches in Heaven “Do not gather for yourselves riches on earth. … Continue reading →

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1258/29 Will some be greater than others in Heaven? Do we need to be baptized in water in order to be saved? Is physical healing guaranteed?

Do you believe in Heaven? Do you believe that you will be reunited with your loved one when you get there? Do you need to wait until you get there to have a relationship with your beloved?

Are YOU Righteous? Are You SURE of Heaven? Do you know about 0% you and 100% God?

Exodus 20:2-13 New International Version (NIV)“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.“You shall have no other gods before me.“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousandgenerations of those who love me and keep my commandments.“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.“You shall not murder.Exodus 20:17 New International Version (NIV)“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”Matthew 6:19-24 New International Version (NIV)Treasures in Heaven“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.Ezekiel 18:7 New International Version (NIV)He does not oppress anyone,but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.He does not commit robberybut gives his food to the hungryand provides clothing for the naked.Philippians 2:3-5 New International Version (NIV)Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Pastor Rick Pasquale continues the series Heaven - Do you have the relationship with Jesus Please don't forget to like and subscribe to our channel. You can also follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icfromechurch Livestream: https://livestream.com/icfrome Website: http://www.icfrome.org/ Itunes Podcast: ICF Rome Youtube: ICF Rome

THE STORY: Week 18 – Heaven Do you spend much time ‘daydreaming’ about Heaven? Why/why not? What has been the picture of Heaven you’ve had growing up? Does it match what the Bible actually says about eternity? Read Matthew 6:19-24. Jesus’ first sermon (The Sermon on the Mt.) includes this instruction: to ‘lay up treasure […]

What is your view of Heaven? Do you long for that day? Erik and Brett discuss old views, why some might not long for Heaven, and why a proper understanding of Heaven is so important. Join the conversation!

How Do We Practice Giving in Light of Eternity?   By giving toward Heaven(give with the end in mind)   Store up treasures in Heaven “Do not store up for yourselves

    Four times was Genesis 15:6 quoted in the New Testament. It is insinuated a number of other times. This verse is especially important in the epistles of Paul. Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3, 9, (v.23 is a partial quotation), Galatians 3:6, and James 2:23 NKJV). Two major doctrines of the New Testament are stated in that verse: believing and righteousness. These are BIG theological words, and we want to look at them briefly.    Righteousness  Righteousness is a gift through trust and faithfulness (faith) in Jesus’ blood (His sacrificial and substitutionary death on our behalf). Many will agree with that statement. Though the above is true, many will reject the notion that righteousness, from Genesis to Revelation, refers to righteous living. Righteousness includes righteous behavior according to God’s Word, dictates, and commandments. There is no such thing in Scripture as being only righteous on the inside (spiritually) without also being righteous in one's actions (physically). Internal-only-righteousness is a fantastical and imaginary doctrine taught by pulling verses out of context and reinterpreting Paul’s teaching according to a relatively modern theology! That may be contrary to what you have believed and heard taught, but don’t be so quick to dismiss it. Read the next paragraph and look up the Scripture references. Convince yourself if it is true or not. Internal and external righteousness are inseparable in the Bible. Bible righteousness refers to relationship, both with God and with others. There are vertical and horizontal dimensions to righteousness in Scripture. Paul and John taught both and so should we! Look at the following verses in the New English Translation (and others) to begin to get a picture of Biblical righteousness-justification. You will see doing, practicing, and living in righteousness as well as receiving the gift of righteousness. These are two sides of the same coin, and they are inseparable! See Matthew 3:15, 6:1, 11:19; Romans 3:25-26, 4:22-25, 5:17, 6:12-23; 2nd Corinthians 6:14; 1st Thessalonians 2:10; Titus 2:11-12; James 2:20-26; 1st Peter 2:24; 2nd Peter 2:21; 1st John 2:29, 3:7, 10; Revelation 22:11, Deuteronomy 9:4-6; Ezekiel 18:1-32, and there are many more. [1] Please read the notes. Some are quick to reply, “But Brother Dan, it is by believing in the heart that we come into righteousness. Paul said, “With the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). I agree with that verse fully, but I am telling you that our interpretation has been incomplete and we need some exposition-interpretation.   Why so much interpretation? Recently on my Facebook feed, one pastor stated (maybe as a rebuke?), “Some want to give you Biblical interpretation instead of just accepting what the Bible says.” It was written in another language, so that is my loose version. The pastor’s statement sounds spiritual, but it’s not. It shows huge ignorance concerning Biblical language studies. If you were only dealing with modern English or Spanish, then the pastor’s statement could be applicable. When you are dealing with ancient languages and texts written thousands of years ago, that is when you are confronted with issues of interpretation. Let me give you some examples from the English and Spanish languages. Sometimes if you look at things in more familiar terms, it may help. Before I refer to older texts, I have been to places in the world where the English of the region was like hearing an unknown foreign language! Even in the U. S., when I first heard the people in the Appalachians speak in the mid 1960’s, I couldn’t understand ¾ of their words! I was in the car with my parents in 1964. We got lost in the mountains, so my dad stopped along a mountain road and called to a man plowing his field. When the man began to speak in answer to my dad, we were shocked. It sounded like a foreign language. Once the man finished, my dad politely thanked him, and got back into the car. My mother asked him, “Do you have any idea what he said?” Dad answered, “Wha wha wha to the right, and wha wha wha to the left.” That was all he understood after about a minute or two! We needed an interpretation! Have you tried to read English or Spanish documents from a few centuries ago? Please try it. Suddenly, you will be faced with the fact that the language, spelling, and grammar were different than they are today. Sometimes these will be so drastically different that you will not be sure what you are reading. For the modern English or Spanish speaker, in order to get a proper “interpretation” of the text, they must go beyond reading and simply accepting the text the way it’s written. We must go further or we will misinterpret and misunderstand the text unless we find out what the words meant in their historical setting. Unless you are an 11th or 12th century student or scholar of ancient Spanish, the oldest known poem in Castilian Spanish, El Cantar del Mio Cid, will leave question marks all over your face. Here is an excerpt: “De los sos ojos tan fuerte mientre lorando tornava la cabeça y estava los catando vio puertas abiertas e uços sin cañados alcandaras vazias sin pielles e sin mantos e sin falcones e sin adtores mudados sospiro mio Çid ca mucho avie grandes cuidados fablo mio Çid bien e tan mesurado grado a ti señor padre que estas en alto esto me an buelto mios enemigos malos” I am fluent in Spanish, but it doesn’t look much like it. The poem had no punctuations in the original text. That alone is a problem, but what in the world is, “uços sin cañados” or “adtores mudados”? Even if one could translate most of this poem, would their interpretation be correct? Probably not without quite a bit of study! How about in English? Do you know the words euene, forsothe, weren, borun, watris, or erthe? They are very unfamiliar, aren’t they? All those words are in a familiar portion of Scripture from the 1395 A. D. Middle English translation in the Wycliffe Bible: In the bigynniyng God made euene and erthe. Forsothe the erthe was idel and voide, and derknessis weren on the face of and derknessis weren on the face of depthe; the Spyrit of the Lord was was borun on the watris. That is Genesis 1:1-2, but if you read an original copy, get ready for a real chore! The lettering style Wycliffe used is h-a-r-d to read. Do you see all the strange words I was telling you about? If you were not familiar with the text, would you have understood it? I don’t think so. I know I would be scratching my head. I would need interpretation! A more drastic need for interpretation applies to ancient languages that existed long before Jesus walked the earth! The further back you go into the history of any language, the more you will need to study and interpret. Some words and phrases in the ancient texts make no sense to the modern reader unless you have interpretation AND historical context.   Misunderstood words and phrases The idiomatic peculiarities of a language can be translated word for word, but unless they are explained, or interpreted, you will misunderstand the word or phrase. One short list of Hebrew idioms is found on the website: Ancient Hebrew Research Center. Here are the idioms mentioned on their list from Psalms and Proverbs. In the parenthesis to the right, I added what these idioms are not referring to. You would be surprised at the funny ways people often misinterpret these idiomatic expressions. Some I have heard are roll-in-the-floor funny! Ps 3.7 Break teeth make powerless  (not a reference to losing teeth in a fight!) Ps 4.1 Enlarge space set free  (not a reference to getting a bigger space!) Ps 5.9 Their throat is an open grave they speak deceitfully Ps 6.7 Eye is consumed vision is blurred Ps 7.3 Iniquity in my hands guilty Ps 7.9 Hearts and kidneys thoughts and emotions  (not a reference to your blood pump or kidneys!) Ps 10.5 Snorts scoffs Ps 11.6 the portion of their cup their destiny Ps 12.2 double heart duplicitous Ps 17.8 Little man of the eye pupil Ps 24.4 Clean hands act purely  (not a reference to hygiene after toilet use!) Ps 25.1 Lift up my soul pray  (not a reference to coming out of depression!) Ps 27.8 Seek my face seek me  (not a reference to seeking the face as opposed to the hands!) Ps 33.18 Eyes are upon watches over Ps 41.9 Lifted heel against turned against  (not a reference to kicking someone!) Ps 73.9 Tongue struts through the earth arrogantly order everyone  (not a reference to gossip or slander!) Ps 75.5 Lift horn defy God  (not a reference to becoming great without God!) Ps 89.13 Right hand might  (not a reference to being right-handed!) Ps 89.22 Son of wickedness wicked person Ps 90.12 Number days use time wisely  (not a reference to length of life!) Ps 94.9 Planted created  (not a reference to being solidly built on a foundation!) Ps 102.2 Hide your face refuse to answer  (not a reference to being ashamed!) Ps 121.1 Lift up eyes look up toward  (not a reference to vision!) Ps 124.3 Swallowed alive killed  (not a reference to eating something that’s still alive!) Pro 17.22 Dries bones drains strength  (not a reference to osteoporosis!) Pro 22.9 Good eye generous  (not a reference to good or clear eyesight, good luck, or wishing goodness on people!) Pro 23.6 Bad/Evil eye stingy  (not a reference to being single-minded, bad luck, or putting a curse on someone!) Pro 18.20 Fruit of the mouth what someone says Pro 24.20 lamp will go out will die  (not a reference to a lack of light at one’s house!) Go to the link and read the idioms from the other books of the Hebrew Bible. There are hundreds more idiomatic expressions that are not included in that list. Any of these could be easily misunderstood unless explained. Did you know that many words in English meant one thing years ago that today mean something completely different? Nice used to mean silly, foolish, and simple. Silly was something worthy or blessed. Something awful was something worthy of awe, and naughty used to be one that had nothing! Gay used to mean light-hearted and joyous! My, my, my, how gay has been highjacked and misrepresented! To be a husband originally meant you owned a house or land and had nothing to do with marital status. To broadcast was the way you swept your hand to sow your seeds in the field! Buxom was not related to female anatomy, but meant that someone was meek and obedient! The list could go on for many pages! [2] If you only look at the English language in the last few hundred years, you will see that word order, grammar, definitions, and punctuations have changed. New words have been added, and many words have gone into disuse. Some words from 1960’s and 70’s have disappeared! Do you remember words like: groovy, having a gas (nothing to do with passing gas!), bug, crash (nothing to do with automobile accidents!), pad (not a reference to your iPad!), and far out. Did you ever get the question, “What’s your bag, man?” Did you hear the expression, “What a bummer”? If you remember any of these, then we dated you! Most reading this need interpretation from just 40 or 50 years ago! How much study and interpretation do you think we would need for languages 2 to 3 thousand years old? It is ludicrous to believe you need to accept the text as it is written without explanation or interpretation. If you follow the logic of the pastor that thought interpretation was not necessary, and that we should take the verses as they are written, then many Scriptures could be misinterpreted.   When the New Testament Quotes or Alludes to the Old Testament Besides reading and studying ancient texts in their historical, cultural, and linguistic context, we must look at verses in the right context when they are alluding to other passages of Scripture. Here is an example that will hit you like a ton of bricks because of the implication for dearly held evangelical ideas: “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it (Deuteronomy 30:11-15).  First, did you notice that God’s commandments were not too difficult? That flies contrary to Christian teaching that says that the law of God was difficult, harsh, or cruel! Paul quoted part of this portion of Scripture in Romans 10:6-10. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation (NASB). Generally, people think that our salvation in Christ is only based on believing it and saying it alone. They miss Paul’s intended and fuller meaning. The complete passage reveals something more than believing and speaking alone. Paul’s statement about believing in the heart and confessing with the mouth was also stressing that God’s moral commandments were within reach of every covenant person. God’s moral commandments were not burdensome, harsh, or cruel. (See 1st John 5:2, 3 in different translations.) They were not too difficult or out of reach, as stated in the context of Deuteronomy 30:11-15! Come on, let’s read the context! It was as close as a word spoken in the heart or by the mouth, so that you may observe it or do it. The Word wasn’t in your heart and mouth for the purpose of agreement with Church dogma, or so that others may call you a Christian. “Believing in the heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confessing Jesus as your Lord with your mouth” was emphasizing obedience to the Gospel of Christ, and receiving His Lordship over your life (see Romans 10:16).   The Lordship of Jesus over our Lives Jesus taught us concerning the meaning of having His Lordship over our lives, and it is not based on spoken words alone! “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built” (Luke 6:46-48 NASB).  Speaking or confessing Jesus as your Lord, and even doubling up on it (“Lord, Lord”), is incomplete. Note the three things Jesus mentions as those that truly are under His Lordship: You come to the Lord Jesus. You hear His words. You act on His Word, or you DO it! Notice that all three parts stated together. It is a threefold cord, if you would, that cannot be broken. Confessing His Lordship over our lives was always a reference to OBEDIENCE to Him whom is Lord! It always meant obedience to His Word and will. His message to the Gentiles was that, through the gospel of Christ, they were to be brought into the obedience of faith (Rom. 1:5, 16:26). “Not everyone who says to me, ʻLord, Lord,ʼ will enter into the kingdom of heaven - only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 NET). Just as important, we must understand that practicing the things that are in opposition to God’s Word (commandments) is a denial of His Lordship over our lives.  “On that day, many will say to me, ʻLord, Lord, didnʼt we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?ʼ Then I will declare to them, ʻI never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!ʼ” (Matthew 7:21, 22 NET)  Others translate lawbreakers as “workers of iniquity.” Another translation says, “those that practice lawlessness.” For us in Christ, the lawbreakers are the ones who rebel against God’s Word and His will, and live based on some past work of God in their lives. Disobedience and rebellion are at the very core of lawlessness. Frankly, even if you were at one time used by, or had a relationship with God, if you have fallen away, only repentance will bring you back (2nd Peter 3:9; Luke 13:3, 5).  Those that live in the obedience of faith in Christ right now will not hear those terrible words, “I never knew you”, and “go away from me, you lawbreakers”! Thank God! Those that live in disobedience and rebellion will hear them. It will be a horribly bad day for those that were once believers, but now live in lawlessness. Don’t get angry with me over this. I didn’t say it. Jesus said it, and I am only a messenger repeating what He said. Look at few verses down from Romans 10:9-10, and notice the connection between believing and obedience in verse 16. But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” (NET)  To obey the good news is to believe the report! Did you get that? Paul made the connection, and so should we.   Abraham “believed” If you look at the Greek word επιστεσευσεν [3] translated as "believed" in Romans 4:3, it is defined as; to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in, to place trust in Jesus or God, and so on. It would be incomplete to think believe means only that Greek definition because the quote came from Genesis 15:6. As we saw in previous articles in this series, Paul usually quoted from a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture known as the Septuagint (LXX). The Septuagint was a word-for-word translation that kept the original Hebrew word order. Therefore, to stop with a Greek definition of a word in the Septuagint or New Testament that quoted from it is to partially interpret the Scripture. Actually, it is worse than that because sometimes the Greek and Hebrew are opposed to each other. Their concepts were often worlds apart. That is why looking at the Greek alone can be VERY misleading.[4] Paul was not thinking pisteuo alone. If he was thinking believing alone, then why quote Genesis 15:6, a Scripture reference from a Hebrew source- the Old Testament? What was the word in Hebrew? What was running through Paul’s heart and mind as he used this Greek word pisteuo? He was quoting the Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew text, but he knew what the Hebrew text said and meant. The Hebrew word translated believed in Genesis 15:6 is heemin, from the Hebrew root word aman.[5] It does not mean Christian beliefs or to believe alone. The word is used in the sense of support, confirm, be faithful, uphold, be established, be firm, sure, lasting, confirmed, sure, verified, reliable, to trust, and to believe- in the sense of trusting that what someone has said can be relied upon as the truth. The word faithful means loyal, constant, staunch, steadfast and resolute. [6] These Hebrew concepts and definitions are at the center of Paul’s teaching and interpretation of believing in Romans 4 and Galatians 3. Let’s not forget the exposition of James 2. After looking at the emphasis in Hebrew in comparison to Greek-only definitions, these questions must be asked of every follower of Jesus after studying the definitions. I got them after reading the synonyms for the word faithful and the powerful synonym discussion on the Merriam-Webster dictionary site: Are you a support to the cause of Jesus, the kingdom, and the Father in Heaven? Do you have the Lord’s interest in your mind and heart, or are you after your own way and will? Is it your will be done or is it His will that you want for your life? Are you faithful to God’s Word and His moral commandments? Are these a description of your life since you declared your sworn allegiance to Jesus as your Lord? Or are you the kind of “Christian” that says “Lord, Lord” but refuses to do what He says (Matthew 7:21-23)? If you love Him, you will obey His Word/commandments (John 14:15, 21, 23, 1John 2:5)! Are you firm, sure, and lasting in the things of God and the Lord Jesus or are you an indecisive (or wishy-washy) Christian with no moral backbone? Are you one day an upright example of Christian moral principles according to the New Testament, and the next day you act like a heathen with your words or actions? Can the Lord depend on you? Are you reliable? Can the Lord expect you to live according to His Word and obey His dictates for your life? Do you trust (rely fully) in Jesus and His sacrifice for you? Do you have an assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of God and His Word? There is much more to discuss, but this should reveal that to believe in Jesus or the Gospel is not to have a mere belief, conviction, assurance, or credence. It is much more than believing alone! I often summarize what I have learned about this pregnant word by saying it is better defined by trust, faithfulness, loyalty, and obedience to the Lord and His Word. Like righteousness, it is a covenant term used of the faithful, loyal and obedient, and it describes relationship with God and with others. There is no believing without trust. There is no believing without faithfulness and loyalty. Don’t say you believe the Gospel and yet disobey and rebel against the Lord and His Word because these are completely incompatible! The obedient to God and His Word/commandments are the ones that truly believe. All others are pretenders and need to repent! Notes: [1] For “a fresh look at the old doctrine of justification by faith”, see Dunn and Suggate, The Justice of God (W. B. Eerdmans: Gran Rapids; 1993) pgs. 31-42. I will email you a 22-page PDF on this subject by James D. G. Dunn. Request it at dr@danalanrodriguez.com. There is no charge for the PDF. [2] Read an interesting article, Is English Changing? ; https://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/english-changing. Also see: http://mentalfloss.com/article/54770/15-words-dont-mean-what-they-used; and http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/words-literally-changed-meaning-through-2173079 [3] From πιστευω- See Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, G4100- pisteuo; Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon 511a. [4] If you can handle a scholarly, difficult, and sometimes boring book, see Thorleif Boman: Hebrew Thought Compared to Greek, (SCM Press LTD, 1960) for further study. The differences between these two languages and their ways of thinking are truly monumental! For the benefit of any detractors; I am not saying that Hebrew is to be preferred above Greek as a language, or that Hebrew is in general better than Greek. The Greek language brought us science, mathematics, philosophy and many other things. Greek has value in its proper place. It would be ridiculous to deny the clear influence and contribution of Greek culture to most of the world. In these studies, I am only referring to the importance of the Hebrew language insofar as Biblical interpretation goes. In the case of Biblical thought and interpretation, Hebrew is highly preferred, and should be primary. If you haven’t done it, read the previous articles in this series. [5] H539- See Brown, Driver, Briggs- אמן [6] See the definition for faithful, the synonyms, and the synonym discussion at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faithful.   Please listen to the short audio message: Living Healthy vs. Living in Anxiety. Be mightily blessed!

Spend some time in prayer • Ask the Lord for a reality check on your relationship with Him. • Ask the Lord to show you what keeps you from taking the next step. Read John 4:13-14 • This is a central verse in the story of the woman at the well. It would be good to read the entire story in John 4. • Notice the change. Jesus shifts from talking about water at a well to life. • Consider what makes you thirsty in life. What exists in your life that keeps you going back to the same well over and over again? • Reflect on the idea of living water that quenches all thirst. What is Jesus offering this woman? Read Matthew 13:44-46 • What are people willing to do to receive the Kingdom of Heaven? • Do you desire the Kingdom of Heaven above all other things? Read Ephesians 4:28 • The thief is always thirsty in life. The thief always needs more. • Notice how Paul shifts the thief from taking to creating to giving. • Theft is transformed into generosity. Thirst finds living water. Living well empties our hands to receive what is of greatest value. How empty are your hands today?

Is your name written in Heaven? Do you know? What does that even mean? While there is a lot to mention on this topic, this message simply shares through a few recent encounters how this verse from Luke 10:20 has come to the foreground: Rejoice that your names are written in Heaven.

Join us as we celebrate the release of Christopher's latest CD, Astral Projection: Spirit Reunions with Loved Ones on The Other Side. Listen in as Christopher talks about his new CD and how you can connect with loved ones and pets on The Other Side using Christopher's proven methods of astral projection! Have you ever had a dream in which you were visited by a loved one in Heaven? Do you remember those sentimental dreams when you've connected with a loved on The Other Side for conversation, healing, guidance and direction? These are all moments of out of body astral projections that we often remember in the form of dreams. Listen as Christopher explores the fascinating topic of astral projection, how often we go out of body to visit our loved ones and pets on The Other Side, and how you can keep track of all of your astral projections and spirit reunions with loved ones in Heaven! This CD is filled with information on all the above questions and topics, and offers a meditation geared to help you with astral projecting with those who love the most on The Other Side!  Get your signed copy of Christopher's latest CD by visiting his website at http://www.thepsychicspirit.com/cds.html

Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time. What is the bare minimum we can do to get into Heaven? Do you ever think that? I bet you do! You are not alone, but we shouldn't consider the least, but the most. (Preached on Thursday, June 12, 2014, 12:15pm, St. Malachy's Church, New York City)

Do you believe in Heaven? Do you believe in Hell? Do you believe in anything? One thing is for sure - you must believe that one day you are going to die. Then what? Listen to this short 15 minute message that GRAPHICALLY explains the process - both spiritually and physically - that is, if you are not disingenuous about wanting to  know and have sincerity in objectively inquiring. We promise, you will be glad that you did, and you will not quickly forget it.

Do you believe in Heaven? Do you believe in Hell? Do you believe in anything? One thing is for sure - you must believe that one day you are going to die. Then what? Listen to this short 15 minute message that GRAPHICALLY explains the process - both spiritually and physically - that is, if you are not disingenuous about wanting to  know and have sincerity in objectively inquiring. We promise, you will be glad that you did, and you will not quickly forget it.

Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time. Do you ever feel like you are far from Heaven? DO you ever feel like God is not listening, or He can't ever hear you at all? Father Dave tries to reassure us that He certainly is listening. (Preached on Saturday, November 3, 2012, 12:15pm, St. Paul the Apostle Church, New York City)

Do pets / animals go to Heaven? Do pets / animals have souls?