POPULARITY
BONDED TO GODS PEACE We spoke last week about being bonded to God's love and we concluded that knowing we are loved by God and believing we are loved by God is the most deep and profound spiritual thing we can do. It was the starting point of what to know as the ultimate truth of who God is and his goodness toward us and the power of God is seen in his ongoing creative acts of love for us - and when we believe in God's love we receive God's peace and God's joy. Today we are discussing God's peace and the same principle is involved as with being bonded to his love, which is that what we know as truth with our mind we will believe with faith in our heart. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you (focussed on you) because he trusts in you Let us look at what peace means. In the original Greek the word is Eirene from the word eiro which literally means to be joined as one, and in spiritual terms that means being of one spirit with another person. This is what God wants with us, one spirit with him and one spirit with one another, and that means being of the one mind of truth and the one heart of faith as another person. Jesus said ‘My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:7). There is God's peace and the worlds' peace – and they are two very different things. Worldly peace is not really peace. The quest for worldly peace becomes the quest for worldly power. It comes from confidence in our own power base of influence or wealth without feeling threatened about losing it – and that can be a very unstable reality. A nation can feel peace if they have enough of a financial trading and military power base to overcome another nation in a war, but that is also a very unstable reality, depending on what military alliances they form and how much they trust in them. God himself has perfect peace and certainly has no fear or anxiety about being threatened by any other power. The Bible says that his spiritual peace and oneness is demonstrated in the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit by the perfect spiritual agreement they enjoy with one another in all things. (1John 5:6-7). Jesus wants us to have that peace of spiritual agreement with God. Jesus does not give us the worldly peace of worldly power, but he gives us his peace, the spiritual power of his love and provision for our lives - and he tells us that his peace overcomes the fear and anxiety in our lives. That means that we come to agreement with God concerning his overall love and goodness to us even in the times when difficult times come upon us, we will receive his peace. Can we agree that God still loves us and is at work for our overall good to us when difficulties happen? If we say to God that we can no longer agree that he is good or that loves us because of the difficulty we are going through, we may forfeit the peace he wants us to receive from him. I think we all get tempted to think this at those times – why have you forsaken me? But God has said I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) We live with the constant challenge of discerning the difference between the peace of the world and the peace of God. If we are anxious about financial lack and difficulty, we learn to not look for the temporary peace of the world that comes through street-smart strategies. We pray to God for our needs to be met and we agree that God still loves us and is at work for our overall good to us when in difficult times. But money does not start falling from Heaven - God gives us wisdom concerning employment opportunities or diligence regarding investment or superannuation or plans for applying for a pension or whatever else is in his order for our lives. God doesn't solve the worldly problems we get fixated on – He meets needs. There is no word for problem in the Bible but the word need (chrea- lack) is found 52 times in the New Testament. A problem is simply an unmet need, and our human nature tends to allow needs to turn into problems, so we have to reverse that and allow problems to turn into needs – and then we bring the needs to God – and that is prayer. (Philippians 4:6). Living with needs can be managed in a Godly way that brings hope and trust in God, which often means waiting patiently for God's timing in things – faith and patience. God looks after our needs, but we attend to our problems by asking him to meet our need for wisdom or faith or we might humbly look for good advice from someone we trust. The closest word to problem that is mentioned in the bible was used when Paul said he was perplexed – he didn't understand why things were not working out the way he wanted them to at the time. But at the same time, he never lost hope. 2 Corinthians 4:8 But we have this treasure in jars of clay (God's inner unlimited power in our limited human bodies), to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, (under pressure from all sides) but not crushed; We are perplexed (apore?? - no answer to the problem), but not driven to despair. We are cast down but not forsaken – people put him down and circumstances appeared to overwhelm him but he was not forsaken by God. Paul could have pushed back against the pressure with worldly power, and he could have anxiously analysed the perplexity, and he could have complained about being put down by others. But this is Paul's testimony of turning outer pressure and turmoil into inner peace. Paul learned the lesson of turning what looked like a problem into a need. He shared his need with God and became anchored in God's power and love and goodness and that gave him God's peace. He let the quest for the power and peace of the world die so that Gods inner power could come alive in him. He goes on to say so death is at work in us, but life is at work in you… For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. Paul was describing what spiritual ministry was all about – death in him and life in others. Paul knew that God was strengthening his inner life while his outer life appeared to be more helpless than ever. He never lost hope because he knew that God had allowed that difficulty to happen and that God knew what he was doing, and he trusted God to bring about his good and perfect will for his life ad for those he was serving. We too will find that learning to live in perplexity but not in despair becomes a doorway into the peace of God. I can have faith and hope that even though I feel helpless he is the helper. Being in agreement with God about who he is and what he does establishes my peace. When Isaiah prophesied You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is focussed on you he goes on to make this amazing prophetic promise about Jesus establishing his peace within us. LORD, You will establish peace for us, for you have indeed done all our works for us. His death and resurrection accomplished everything for the needs of mankind. That means – Jesus, you will give us perfect peace for you have died to the power and the peace of the world so that we can live in the peace and the power of God – your peace – your power. Jesus is our bond of agreement with the Father and the Holy Spirit and we can learn to live in that peace, day by day. Amen.
Pastor Scott a powerful word on the modern church of America
Pastor Scott a powerful word on the modern church of America
Deuteronomy 18 outlines God's clear instructions for spiritual leadership and the seriousness of speaking in His name. The chapter begins by explaining that the Levites, as priests, are to have no land inheritance but instead receive their provision from the offerings of the people. It emphasizes that true leaders must rely on God, not personal gain. Moses then gives a warning against pagan practices—such as sorcery, witchcraft, divination, and consulting the dead. God declares these things detestable, as they were common among the nations Israel was to drive out. Instead of turning to dark and deceptive sources, the people are to listen to the prophet God will raise up—a prophecy ultimately pointing to Jesus Christ, the greatest prophet and final Word from God. The chapter ends with a serious caution: anyone who falsely claims to speak for God or speaks in the name of other gods must be put to death. This shows the weight and responsibility of being a true messenger of the Lord. Deuteronomy 18 is both a warning and a promise—God will provide righteous leaders, but the people must be discerning and faithful to His voice.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sendme-radio--732966/support.
Who killed more people? God or Lucifer? Find out on this 7 Minutes In Heaven when the DIE pod team finds out the answer! Thanks for listening, Land of the Living! Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram @die.podcast for updates! Check out deathiseverything.com for merchandise and more!If you want to say hello, email us at hello@deathiseverything.com . We're dying to hear from you!#deathiseverything #DeathIsEverythingPodcast #7MinutesInHeaven#7MinutesInHeavenwithMarianneandChris #7MinutesInHeavenwithMCA #7MinutesInHeavenwithDIEpod #deathpodcast #LApodcast #takingchances #landoftheliving
Richard A. MansfieldExperiencing the Goodness of God – Part 12
Send us a textWelcome to Destiny Church's live stream!
April 10, 2025Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - The IntroductionDaily Lectionary: Exodus 4:19-31; Mark 15:16-32“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It is no small thing that Luther is teaching us in the Introduction to the Lord's Prayer. Read again what he writes in the explanation to the Introduction. “With these words (Our Father Who Art in Heaven) God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father” (Luther's Small Catechism). Being able to call someone “father” is not insignificant. It doesn't matter if we have a biological or adopted father; it is something we all need. Whether you have an earthly father or not, we all have a heavenly one! And oh, what our Heavenly Father does and how He cares for you. Think of all the things He does for you. Remember the First Article of the Apostles Creed? He gives you clothing, shoes, food, drink… well, you know the list. That is how God, your Father, provides for you. But there is so much more. These words of St. Paul are such a great reminder when talking about this. He writes, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32) This is the love John is talking about in 1 John 3. This love is shown in sending His own Son so that you would have all things. And what is meant by “all things?” It is more than those wonderful and important First Article Gifts. He gives us the forgiveness, life, and salvation, which our Lord won for us. He gives us the inheritance of the Son, eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. We have a seat at the banquet table of the marriage feast of the Lamb. Rejoice, for the Father loves you so much that He sent His Son to die to give you all that you need. In the name + of Jesus. Amen. God loved the world so that He gave His only Son the lost to save, That all who would in Him believe Should everlasting life receive. (LSB 571:1)-Rev. Timothy Chase, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Truman, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Harrison Goodman, Executive Director of Mission and TheologyVisit the timeless rhythms of the Christian life with award-winning author Harold L. Senkbeil. As he addresses the concerns and pressures of the world today, you'll discover that even while the world is dying, Christ's death brings about life. True life. One that He offers to you. Order Now!
Max Thrax, managing editor of Apocalypse Confidential and 3rd-century Roman emperor, has written a book called God Is a Killer. An extremely fast-paced noir crime novel, it's great fun to read. Among other things, we talked genre fiction, the differences between noir and hardboiled, JG Ballard, independent publishing, and more.Buy God Is a Killer (it's very, very good): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM8WKBW7Check out Apocalypse Confidential: https://apocalypse-confidential.com/Max on Twitter: @ThraxMaximilianApocalypse Confidential on Twitter: @APCON_MAG VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATIONJack has published a novel called Tower!Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tower-Jack-BC-ebook/dp/B0CM5P9N9M/ref=monarch_sidesheetThe first nine chapters of Tower are available for free here: jackbc.substack.comOur Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheBookClubfromHellJack's Substack: jackbc.substack.comLevi's website: www.levioutloud.comwww.thebookclubfromhell.comJoin our Discord (the best place to interact with us): discord.gg/ZMtDJ9HscrWatch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0n7r1ZTpsUw5exoYxb4aKA/featuredX: @bookclubhell666Jack on X: @supersquat1Levi on X: @optimismlevi
Sunday 01/05/2025Sr Pastor Kyle Widrick
Heaven— God's final vision of heaven to John unfolds with the river of the water of life flowing from God's throne and the tree of life bearing its eternal fruit, symbolizing abundance and healing. Jesus proclaims, "I am coming soon," offering an open invitation to all who thirst for His presence to come and receive freely. This message of hope is both a promise and a call to action. May we be ever responding to His invitation, living in eager anticipation of His return. The Rev. Warren Woerth, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Arnold, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Revelation 22:1-21. Shrouded in mysterious visions of cosmic battles, plagues, and catastrophic events, the Apocalypse of St. John, or as it's more commonly known--the Book of Revelation, paints a haunting picture of the end times. Cryptic symbols of beasts, the rise of the Antichrist, and the final judgment unfold with unsettling intensity, revealing the ultimate clash between good and evil. Yet, beneath its terrifying imagery, Revelation is also a deeply personal letter, offering comfort to early Christians facing persecution. It reassures them—and believers today—of God's control over history, His promise of redemption, and the certainty of Christ's victory. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
MIRACLES FOR YOU Sondra Ray & Markus Ray on A Course in Miracles
There is a "rock" upon which the whole foundation of our liberation from pain and suffering is based: "There is no sin." Eternal Innocence is the nature of our Self. No matter what "mistakes" we may have made in the past, they are all correctable. We are eternally innocent regardless of our errors. It is our responsibility to look on these errors and forgive them, correct them with the help of the Holy Spirit ("Christ's Vision"). But in no way do our errors mean that we are damned to a hell of "immutable sin. "The Rock of Salvation" is our ETERNAL INNOCENCE. And we take up the special function within this world we "made up" to bring this truth into the light. This will include all the people and situations that are unique to us. We have a role of transmuting the "hell" we made up into the Heaven God created. This is our job. No one else can do it for us. What better work do we have to do, within this "context" of the world we "made up?" Heaven is the decision we must make, along with the Christ, to restore our minds to sanity.
In the world as we know it the powerful, rich and famous are highly regarded. But in the Kingdom of Heaven God has a much different standard for position and rewards that just may surprise you! We're in Matthew chapter 20 today and upon first glance at this story you might be tempted to think God isn't being fair or just! Some have totally missed the point of the passage and drawn the wrong conclusion as you'll soon see. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/621/29
Sunday Worship Service 08:04:24 - Heaven God's Eternal Goodness To You by vbcchino
Good morning! Here is our Monday street sermon “OUT OF HEAVEN: God made thee to hear his voice!" it was preached from Moorhead and Table Mesa right here in Boulder, Colorado. God bless you!! —JC. ★ Support this podcast ★
Jun. 29 & 30, 2023 - Help From Heaven: God's Holy Angels Pastor Josh Sorensen Acts 12:1-12 | Study #20240630 GUEST
Listen in as Pastor Kirk Shelton shares a message from Revelation 21 & 22. www.CalvaryFayetteville.com info@CalvaryFayetteville.com 479-442-4634
HOW TO ANSWER HEAVEN'S CALL TODAY1) A CALL INTO GOD'S PRESENCE Revelation 4:1-5 NIVENJOY HIS PRESENCE IN THE WORD AND PRAYER2) A CALL TO HOLINESS Revelation 4:6-8 NIVREPENT AND RENEW TO BE SET APART (HOLY)3) A CALL TO WORSHIP Revelation 4 9-11 NIV
Man dies and experiences HEAVEN, GOD & shown Truth of HELL! #NearDeathExperience #SurvivalStory #CloseCall #BrushWithDeath #LifeAfterDeath #MiracleMoments #BeyondTheBrink #SecondChance #NDEjourney #CheatedDeath #GuardianAngels #NearMissChronicles #UnbelievableEscape #HeartStoppingMoments #NearDeathEncounter #FateIntervention #LuckyToBeAlive #OutoftheAbyss #NearFatalExperience #ResilienceStories --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ndeworld/support
Randy Kay --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aei-leon/message
The birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem's manger brought heaven down to us so that God in Christ might bring us up to heaven. From Matthew 1:23 and Revelation 21:3 we learn that just as Jesus is Emmanuel - God with us - so Heaven is God with us. Where Jesus is, there is heaven.In this Christmas meditation we consider seven things that will be true of us when we get to heaven.
Pastor Mark Balmer preaches a message called "Son of Heaven - God Takes On Flesh” from John 1:1-4.—Parkview Church exists to glorify God through the whole church forming whole disciples for the good of all people.Website: www.parkviewchurch.orgInstagram: @parkviewchurchicFacebook: Parkview Church
Whether it's reflecting on the loss of a loved one, or trying to explain why there are so many deaths on the TV news, it's essential that parents provide hope for their children by giving them the assurance of Heaven. On today's edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson speaks with Anne Graham Lotz about her children's book, Heaven: God's Promise for Me. In her beautifully illustrated project, Anne reminds us that Heaven is for children also, and death is not something to fear when you have put your faith in Jesus. John 14:3 says, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29
Gospel = "good news"; Matt 10 - decrees to disciples; Revelation; Who is Jesus?; Simon a rock?; Fathers on the earth; Equality; Family; Levites; Degeneration of society; Welfare snare; Herod's legal charity; Honoring parents; Stone temples; Respecters of persons; Pure religion; Parallel service; Matt 11:1, Command = "diatasso" (appoint, ordain); 2 Pe 2 2:15; Rev 2:14; Idolatry (covetousness); Fornication?; Stumbling blocks; Registration of men; Blind man story; In but not of the world; Herod's other temple; Taxation; Jude 1:11; Spots?; Media influence; Shifting standards; Repentance; John the Baptist; Bondage of Egypt; Hearing truth; Nazarite?; Death?; Single gospel message; Born of Holy Spirit; Nearing Tree of Life; Kingdom of Heaven/God; New world order; Matt 11:12; Lk 16:16; Violence?; Burdens?; Superstition; Religion; Making your "yes", "yes"; Cities of blood; Coming together in love/charity; Matt 11:15; Seeing your faults; Killing care; Prodigal son; Saul's folly; Children of wisdom; Missing History; Freely disseminating truth; Guidance by Holy Spirit; Matt 11:24 Sodom?; Knowing Jesus; Christ's light burden; 1 Cor 1:20; The "wise"; The right of choice; Foolish wisdom; Gaul's history; Learning to come together; Kingdom truth; Admitting your wrongs; Making the foolish wise; 1 Cor 3:19; The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah; Ez 16:49; The solution; Strengthening the poor; Brethren; Supporting your chosen minister; Fear not!; Sabbath?; Seeking righteousness; Conforming to Christ daily; Leaven?; Living Network; Freeing the whole world; Only one creator; Don't waste any time.
If you don't do anything else-- if you don't listen for the Silence, if you don't chant a Name of God, if you don't practice witnessing, or watching that body, that mind, just practice the Feeling of Love, and you've arrived. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6 "...not my will but yours be done." - Luke 22:42 I Love You I Am You nik To claim your free gift, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it and send it to me at nikki@curlynikki.com! Join us on Patreon to support the show, and tune into and participate in live video Q&As with me! Support the show राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम "This Divine Will is immense; in every instant It circulates within everyone, It gives life to everything, and orders all things. And the soul, soaring in this immensity, flies to everyone, helps everyone, and loves everyone. It is as if Jesus Himself helps and loves - something that cannot be done by a soul who lives in submission." - Luisa Piccarreta, Book of Heaven= "In the world I need mirrors to which to go and look at Myself. Only then can a fount serve as mirror in which people can reflect themselves..." - Luisa Piccarreta, Book of Heaven "God is the embodiment of perfect Love; so, He can be known and realised, and won, only through Love. You can see the Moon only with the help of Moonlight. You can see God only through the rays of Love." -Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 12 Ch. 11 "The whole mission of Jesus on earth is to make the Father known to men and so he ends his preaching on the kingdom saying I made known to them thy name, and will make it known, that the love which thou has loved me may be in them, and I in thee ' (Jn 17:26)."- Luisa Piccarreta, Book of Heaven
Matthew writing to a Jewish base; Lev 14:2 leper offerings; Extra work for Priest; Turtledove altars; "Religion"; Doctrine of Jesus; Badmouthing Paul; Implementing Christ; Rightly dividing bread; The other FEMA; Jehovah-Nissi; Essene interpretation; Doing what Jesus taught; Connecting the testaments; Taking the kingdom from the Pharisees; Appointing to His little flocks; "Meat"?; Temple: den of thieves; Understanding Jesus; Salt of the modern church; Solving the world's problems; John the Baptist's preparation of The Way; Network of charity; Binding ourselves by faith, hope and charity; Gathering of friends; John's respect for Jesus; Matt 4:1; Jesus led by Spirit; Temptation; "Son of God"; Gospel of James; Welfare snare; Stones to bread?; Living stones; Corruption of priests; Wave offering; Handling money; Firing moneychangers; Word of God; Temptations of Christ and us; Fate?; Fasting?; Temptation -> Corruption; Sanhedrin; Opulence of priests; 2 Cor 8:9; Repentance; Religions of force; Oregon article 2 section 22; Media control; Perverting altars; 1 Sam 8; Fixing corruption; Matt 4:5; Jumping out of the system?; Seeking His kingdom and righteousness; Turning neighbors into bread; Matt 4:8; "world"; Your power; Worship = service; "Angels"?; The love from Christ; Mt 4:17; Kingdom of Heaven/God; Separate from the "world"; Receiving Holy Spirit; Christ's commands for His Church; Kingdom within your reach; Simon and Andrew; James and John; Synagogues; New kind of "net"; Unrighteous leaping; Adversary to God - other "son"?; Public religion = legal charity; Exercising Authority; Process of repentance; Selling yourself into bondage; Distractions from neighbor's needs; Tempting God to take care of you?; Burnt offerings; Evolution of "giving"; Systems of social welfare; Following the money; Caesar's hut?; Democracy; Return to Pure Religion.
Matthew the man; Charity in the early Rome; Cities and tents; Codified rules; "Citizen"; Paul the Rhomaios; Early American citizenship; Understanding Matthew; Sons of God; Defining "religion"; Intimate charity; Sexual revolution; Legal charity; The sin of Sodom; Early Church kingdom; Right provision of bread; Baptism of Jesus Christ; Jews in the Early Church; Justin's apology; Caring for neighbor as selves; Charity vs force; Matthew 1 = Generations; Walking by faith; Sacrificing for the needy; Corban?; Saul's folly; Bonding society; Forcing your neighbor; Imaginary belief in Jesus; Covetous practices; Altering sexuality; Treating symptoms; Solving social problems; Matthew's birth story; Gospel of James?; Directions of Jesus; "Patri" = father; Contextualizing the gospel; Benefit addiction; Public religion; Temple of living stones; Matt 2; Luke 2:4; Micah 5:2; Bethlehem; Pretend Christians; Wise men?; Troubling Herod; Jesus' mission; Matt 2:6; Rule people? Or "feed" (shepherd); No covetous practices; 1 Sam 8; Rejecting God; Repent and see; "Worship"; Moving stars?; Supporting Christ's kingdom; Dream warnings; Nu 24:8; "Unicorns"; Degenerating the people; Hosea 11:1; "Out of Egypt"; Herod executing children; Jer 31:15; "City" = "polis" = community of people; Existence of "Nazareth"?; Nazarene Essenes; Where was John the Baptist?; Death of Zachariah?; Long line of Kings; No king in Jerusalem at Christ's time; Until 1099 (crusades)?; Anarchy?; Moving by love; Worshipping Christ; Jer 3:13; Herod Antipas?; Kingdom of God is at hand; Your responsibilities; "Love"; "Polis" on a hill; Power in hands of individual = Republic; Mammon; Jesus rich, made himself poor; Different kind of governor?; Surviving the days ahead; Matt 3:1; Preparing the Way of Christ; "Kingdom of Heaven/God"; "ouranos"; Christ's new world order - seek it!
Randy Kay --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aei-leon/message
On this special ep of Second Service Kevin and Caroline write a Christian song called God's Thing in 30 minutes or less with special guest musician Nick Jester.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If all God's ways are just, what do we make of children who die prematurely? Many wonder how God will rightly judge babies and young children. Pastor Lutzer ponders essential Scriptures on children's conception, personal accountability, and destiny. As we bring these honest questions to God, we can leave it in His hands.
Pastor Matt introduces this series by talking about God's mission in the world and how we can be a part of it.
Being prepared to be in the right place at the right time where God wants you to be.
What does our rebellion against God result in and why? Tune in to Kent's sermon to understand the biblical theology behind it and the idea that humanity is in slavery to the fear of death and under the power of Satan, and how Jesus came to break that power and set us free! IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). OPENING ILLUSTRATION: You know there was a study that was done to see if kids are more influenced by nature or nuture - meaning, are we more a product of our environments or our inherited traits. They found that nature won out. Kids who had been adopted were more similar to their birth families in nature than the families who had raised them. That's why my kids are all so good looking! Ha! Actually it's why all my kids knees are going to be shot by the age of 19… My kids are just lucky to have Jenni for a mom - her good WAY outweighs my genes, thank Jesus. We all are a product of what we have inherited. b This is not just true physically, but spiritually as well. You don't have to teach your kid to disobey you, do you? None of you had to teach your child to be selfish, right? None of you had to teach your child to say “no” to you As a matter of fact, it's not till your kids are older that people start to teach them how to be more sophisticated with sin, right? This is what most of you experienced in College… Rebellion is a part of the human condition. ILLUSTRATION: It's so built in that some parents will use it to get what they want. We say things like, “You better not eat that vegetable…” That's how my parents got me to do all kinds of things - they leveraged my sinful rebellious nature to get me to obey them. What they didn't know what they were actually encouraging rebellion in me… We call it reverse psychology… It's part of the reason we never used it with our kids… It's not reverse psychology though, it's feeding the beast inside of us. Rebellion is part of our spiritual inheritance… b Can I walk you through some biblical Theology to set up an idea for today? The Bible is clear that mankind's rebellion against God resulted in death entering the world. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death Probably, if you grew up going to church you've heard that before. But did you know there is another theological idea tied to this? At the core of Adam & Eve's rebellion against God was the core idea of “we will attempt to live life on our own terms” - remember the tree they ate from was the knowledge of Good & Evil? b The problem was and is: when Adam & Eve and all mankind become aware of what is good and what is evil - and still choose to do evil - all become subject to the judgment of those choices. ILLUSTRATION: In other words when I was a kid and knew that stealing was wrong, but I chose to steal anyway because it was easier than saving my money up and buying the thing I wanted. There was a necessary consequence for that action. You may be thinking, but does sinful rebellion really deserve Death? Here's why it results in death… Our rebellion is ultimately us placing our trust in the words of the accuser (Satan) over the creator (God). For Adam and Eve it's hyper clear - God said don't do this, they did it. The sin was in them giving authority to Satan that was only God's… and they became subject to right and wrong, good and evil… When talking about the work Jesus did on the cross, this is what the author of Hebrews says about it and why Jesus came in the flesh like a human… Hebrews 2:14-15 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. This idea that humanity is in slavery to the fear of death and under the power of the devil, Satan, or the Evil one, is throughout the New Testament… I'm going to post later today several passages that show this, but can I just point to one place from Jesus' life that illustrates this fact? When Jesus is in the desert before starting his ministry, Satan comes and tempts Him. Do you remember what the 3rd temptation was that Satan put in front of Jesus? Matthew 4:8-10 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'” Why didn't Jesus say, “It's not yours to give?” He didn't say it, and it was a real temptation, because Satan IS the god of this world. Satan had the authority to give Jesus the loyalty of mankind because all mankind has been put under the spell of believing our rebellion is our own idea. b …and if Jesus would rebel Himself, He could have avoided the cross and gained position, but lost authority. b So, why am I telling you all this? b You will miss the power of today's parable if you don't understand the predicament of our world… Mt 13:44-46 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. These are not hard to understand parables… The Kingdom of Heaven - God's Kingdom is like treasure -whether you find it or go searching for it, once you've experienced it, you'd give anything and everything to get it and have it be yours! b CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: I want to tell you a story and try and tie all this sermon into a bow if possible… In 1987 a young couple had a baby who was only 19 days old that came down with a very high fever. The parents took the baby to the NYC hospital to be treated. What they didn't know was a woman would dress up as a nurse at that hospital and kidnap this baby - Carlina White. Police, FBI got involved, but no one ever found Carlina. Carlina kept feeling like there was something off as she grew up - she didn't resemble her “mother” at all. Her mother eventually told her that her biological parents died in a fire - but things didn't add up. Carlina. Started searching through missing children's case and all of the sudden came on a picture of herself as a baby. Can you imagine, learning your entire life was a fraud. What do you do with that? You can either stay where you are, or you can move towards the life you were always meant to have. That's what Carlina did - she moved into the life she was meant to have. Her “mother” was eventually tried and put away for the kidnapping. Carlina was reunited with her birth family and be reunited with them. Let me ask you a question - you are either moving towards the life Jesus offers in the Kingdom or you are moving back towards your life ruled by Satan, rebellion, and the fear of Death. b Which is it for you? and can I ask you a harder question? What in your life shows which Kingdom you're running towards? Listen to me, the reason the Kingdom is like a treasure, is because it's freeing - it's hope, it's Joy, it's the consequences of sin being taken upon Jesus so you can be free - it's you putting your authority and trust back in Jesus and literally being moved from a kidnapping victim to coming back home to God. It's crazy to me how many Christians were like, “yup, that's really my dad,” and then walked right back into the house of the kidnapper - living under the rule of sin. Paul will say this this way in Romans 6 right before Romans 6:23 that I read earlier Romans 6:19-13 Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift of God is eternal life and to live for it. What will you do? If you don't know how to do this, let me tell you, it's simple You die to yourself - die to your old way of doing life You live by faith - you choose to moment by moment include God in your life You learn the heart of Jesus - start reading the New Testament today and ask God, “what does your heart beat for?” ---------------
Heaven God by Melky by 826 Valencia
Episode 13March 20 - March 26 | Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13 | “Who Hath Ears to Hear, Let Him Hear ”Let's go fishing Good seedsSatan aka tare #NewTestament #ComeFollowMe #ComeFollowMe2023 #TalkofHim #FindHimJoin hosts Ganel-Lyn Condie and John Fossum on this New Testament episode of Talk of Him as we explore these important themes, topics, and questions from Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13:Heaven is a large net being cast into the worldOur journeys to the kingdom are personal“The Kingdom of Heaven” = God's Plan of RedemptionA tare can never become wheat, and a stalk of wheat can never become a tare. Everyone on earth is wheat! The opposition provided by the tares is vital to our growth!“And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost.” - D&C 50:42—Invitation: How were you caught in the gospel net? Sharing stories of conversion can not onlyhelp one remember but also strengthen others. Maybe there is a friend or neighbor that you haveheld back from sharing your faith. This week could be a wonderful time to be a part of the wide diversityof heaven by sharing the gospel with an unexpected someone.— Quotes & Links: Link to FIND HIM New Testament Study Guide:https://www.seagullbook.com/find-him-new-testament-come-follow-me-guidebook.html Link to Expanding the Borders of Zion by Charlie Bird:https://www.seagullbook.com/expanding-the-borders-of-zion-charlie-bird.html —Talk of Him is presented by Seagull Book and hosted by Ganel-Lyn Condie and John Fossum.
TAKEAWAYSThere are principalities in your city and your family that you can be freed from if you simply change your environment and relocateNo beauty on Earth can compare to the beauty of Heaven God gave Erin confirmation that she was fully forgiven and direction on how to use her giftings to reach the lost for ChristCheck out Erin's book, Towers of Silver: A Sacred Guide to Womanhood, to fully grasp how to live as a bold woman for Christ
Many people wonder what they're going to do in heaven. You're definitely not going to be bored! Pastor Rick explores some of the specific answers the Bible gives about what your work looks like in heaven.
God invites everyone to heaven, his home, but not everyone chooses to accept God's terms. Pastor Rick explains how you can accept God's invitation to heaven.
What is heaven? It's a physical and permanent place that will last forever. Join Pastor Rick as he teaches how, in God's goodness, God reserves heaven for his family.
We think it's time to call Christians back to a bigger, older, and more thrilling way of seeing our world—of seeing Earth as crammed with heaven, because it is. That's the theme of our upcoming Colson Center National Conference, May 19-21, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Registration is now open at colsonconference.org.
Stephanie invites us today to continue the conversation about depth of faith through trials and tribulation and hardship and suffering this side of heaven. She then moves to a glorious reality: Scripture is quite clear: there is a glorious inheritance that awaits us. Warning! This episode is particularly chockfull of Bible verses! It might maybe even contain mentions of some of Stephanie's favorite books- namely, The Lord of the Rings, The Pilgrim's Progress and The Chronicles of Narnia! She explains that Christian fantasy books can be a powerful drawing to point us to the reality of the perspective of heaven! So first, we discuss hardships. Hardships force us to decide if we're going to trust God or self. Trusting self can take many different shapes in afflictions: - Plowing through and trying harder - Swallowing your emotions and pushing through - Crumbling in despair and despondency - Blaming everyone - Self-loathing - Choosing to distrust God. Or trusting God. It's both harder and easier. It has to do with surrender and rest, and it does lead to greater delight in God through the hardship. If you trust God through your affliction, you will find yourself delighting in Him more on the other side of your affliction—and maybe even while you are still in it. If you have truly decided to make the glory of God your priority at any cost, then like Paul you can begin to see afflictions and thorns as blessings. Instead of recoiling, you can start embracing and maybe even welcoming afflictions. Don't go looking for them—Scripture says they will come soon enough. But when God, in His perfect timing, allows afflictions your way, what if we had enough faith to say, “God thank you for this opportunity to learn to trust you, love you, delight in you.” That is exotic faith. It's not your plain vanilla, slap-on faith that makes you feel good. This is exotic faith from deep inside the trenches. Resting in Him means knowing at a deeper, new, more profound level that He is trustworthy AND omnipotent. And then we start pondering our inheritance in Christ. A smattering of deep truth: Romans 8:17 - Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Ephesians 3:6 - through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:29 - If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Listen to the whole episode for the whole truth! Let's be practical... - Reminder – there are listening guides for each episode. They allow you to follow with pen and paper, or with your phone to take notes from the app. These listening guides are part of the workbook you can download for free as a member. - Today and each GGOD episode has a listening guide as well as questions for either group discussions or your own personal time, inviting you to ponder what you heard in the days to come. - Today we are introducing a new feature which is a listener suggestion: about halfway through the episode, there will be a 30-second musical interlude to allow you to pause and reflect on the lesson. You are also invited to use the second music break at the end of the episode, it is newly expanded, if you feel the need to chew on the lesson some more. - Also use our membership page to muse, ask questions, ponder, reflect, connect with us! - Please do remember that you can go back and listen again. We aim to give you the best quality content we can teach so it is intense and deep – that is because we highly respect you and your time, and we want to honor you as you seek to deepen your faith. There are all sorts of people listening alongside you, from overseas missionaries to seminary students to brand new believers, people listening as they drive or jog or run errands or do the dishes. So you are welcome, at whatever stage of your spiritual journey you find yourself in. If it means listening twice or taking notes using the listening guide, that's awesome! Take it slow. These epsidoes are more akin to a slow cooked French meal than a McDonalds drive-thru! - Finally, there will be a Gospel Spice online Bible Study starting in a few weeks – go to gospelspice.com for more. It is free, live, weekly for 6 weeks, and on a private Facebook group. Small scale. In depth. More details to come. Sign-up now. - Also Sign-up for our newsletter so you know about those things before everyone else! This will also give you access to all our content for free, including a video version of this teaching. All in one easy place: https://www.gospelspice.com/sign-up-to-be-a-member GOD'S GLORY, OUR DELIGHT | THE GOSPEL SPICE SERIES Delighting in the glory of God. Does this concept strike you as reserved for spiritual contemplatives? What if, instead, it proved the highly practical, deeply foundational perspective you need right now? Why does God's glory even matter in our day and age? How can we learn from Jesus to make His glory our true North and lifelong quest? What keeps us from fully stepping into this God-ordained purpose for our life? How do we kindle delight for God on a daily basis? And, once we have embraced God's glory as our heart's true delight, how can we then come alongside others? Join us to cultivate a sincere delight for God's glory, rooted in an honest, hard look at the depth of our need, and in the much deeper Reality of His grace. Trace the glory of God through Scripture and in your own life. Behold the exact radiance of God's glory, revealed in Jesus. Learn to see yourself as Christ does—through the lens of the Father's love at the cross. Jesus offers to overwhelm our deadly self-centeredness with His resurrection power. He carries us every step of the way, even as He calls us to true humility on the path to glory. Who has time to cultivate the delight that comes from pondering the glory of God? And yet, nothing could be more urgent today. Marthas and Marys, Peters and Johns—we are all invited to dare to dream of a lifestyle of God-centered delight. Nothing could be more practical. We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Or, of course, you can start at the beginning with episode 1. Season 1: the gospel of Matthew like you've never experienced it Season 2: Experience Jesus through the Psalms Season 3: the gospel of Luke, faith in action Season 4: Proverbs spiced with wisdom Season 5: Identity in the battle | Ephesians Season 6: Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience Season 7: Shades of Red | Against human oppression Season 8: God's glory, our delight | This month we are celebrating the anniversary of Gospel Spice! We launched our first episode in 2019, we we faithfully and haltingly followed God's pretty clear directions! Would you please take a moment to celebrate with us? There is a very simple way to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. Would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now!, to leave a COMMENT on a very instrumental ranking website for podcasts? It would truly be so helpful, and such a lovely birthday gift for us! 3 simple steps to do it: 1- go to listennotes.com and create a user profile, using the top right corner LOGIN. There are 4 easy ways to do that: you can use either your facebook, twitter or google account, or otherwise provide a valid email. It will then send you a verification email so it needs to be a valid email. That is the most time consuming part! You are almost there already. 2- Once you have created your profile, then please find Gospel Spice (using the search bar at the top - or click here directly); 3- Please LEAVE A COMMENT in the COMMENTS section. It will truly be instrumental in making Gospel Spice more discoverable among the more than 2.5 million podcasts out there. If this seems too complicated... please try clicking HERE (which should take you straight to the COMMENTS section for the Gospel Spice Podcast) and create your user profile from there. Once you are done, feel free to UNSUBSCRIBE from the website Listennotes, and you will never hear from them again, while having given us a free birthday present! MERCI! THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY! First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal. See below for more details about your impact. Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc…) And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us! MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY: Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Our goal is to provide in-depth, high-quality, free Bible resources for all. They are free, but expensive to create! We need your financial support to keep producing and distributing them. Please pay Gospel Spice forward today! We want the money to go to those who really need it. No one at Gospel Spice is taking a salary. We are all donating our time. For example, a Podcast episode takes at least 10 hours of work each week. A complete Bible Study requires 500 man-hours. A Bible reading plan takes 100 man-hours. Once our operating costs are paid, 100% of your donation is redistributed to our partners who fight human trafficking. Your pay-it-forward donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. Thank you! Support us!
Stephanie enjoins us to embrace exotic faith with the goal of developing the perspective of heaven in our hearts - namely, in order to start perceiving our life and circumstances and relationships the way God does. God sees us as He created us to be—not as we are today, right now, with all our imperfections. He sees the finished product. One of Stephanie's favorite descriptions of ourselves? "We are half-baked masterpieces." Masterpieces? That's how God calls us: Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Psalm139:14 - I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Genesis1:27 - So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. But half-baked, because we are a work under construction. Philippians 2:12-13 - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Ephesians 4:24 - put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Half baked masterpieces. That's you and me today. Stephanie shares, "The more I see myself as God sees me, the easier I will find it to delight in His glory." So in this context, how do we approach suffering, and how does humility give us the proper perspective when trials and pain hit home? Humility is both the soil that allows faith to grow, and the fruit that grows from that tree of faith. And it all points to delight in the glory of God as our ultimate goal and purpose. Paul tells us of his amazing revelations. He says he was caught up in the third heaven (2Cor 12:2). He literally got the perspective of Heaven. And it was so glorious, that he was actually at risk of developing pride. At risk of thinking he was better than others for having been granted such a perspective. So God, in His wise goodness, afflicted Paul with a thorn. Paul asks for the affliction to be taken away. That's the context for a few famous verses from the pen of Paul, when God tells Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2Corinthians 12:9) and Paul's conclusion, verse 10: For when I am weak, then I am strong. This is a lesson we all must learn if we truly seek to delight in the glory of God. Pride has no place in this quest. So Paul went from pride of place to delight in God. He didn't regret it for a minute: the moment he understood why this affliction was not taken away, but that it was given as a grace, then he stopped asking for it to be removed. He actually started thanking God for it. Not because he was masochistic or loved being in pain, or wanted to be pitied, or wanted to tell us how amazing he is for handling such pain. But Because he wanted to live in God's strength, not his own. Listen to the full episode now! We warmly encourage you to find the listening guide and personal questions at gospelspice.com/delight - they are completely free and will assist you in embracing the full experience of this lesson. GOD'S GLORY, OUR DELIGHT | THE GOSPEL SPICE SERIES Delighting in the glory of God. Does this concept strike you as reserved for spiritual contemplatives? What if, instead, it proved the highly practical, deeply foundational perspective you need right now? Why does God's glory even matter in our day and age? How can we learn from Jesus to make His glory our true North and lifelong quest? What keeps us from fully stepping into this God-ordained purpose for our life? How do we kindle delight for God on a daily basis? And, once we have embraced God's glory as our heart's true delight, how can we then come alongside others? Join us to cultivate a sincere delight for God's glory, rooted in an honest, hard look at the depth of our need, and in the much deeper Reality of His grace. Trace the glory of God through Scripture and in your own life. Behold the exact radiance of God's glory, revealed in Jesus. Learn to see yourself as Christ does—through the lens of the Father's love at the cross. Jesus offers to overwhelm our deadly self-centeredness with His resurrection power. He carries us every step of the way, even as He calls us to true humility on the path to glory. Who has time to cultivate the delight that comes from pondering the glory of God? And yet, nothing could be more urgent today. Marthas and Marys, Peters and Johns—we are all invited to dare to dream of a lifestyle of God-centered delight. Nothing could be more practical. DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries. In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God. In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus. PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family. PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with! PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. (*ListenNotes ranking, 2022) This month we are celebrating the anniversary of Gospel Spice! We launched our first episode in 2019, we we faithfully and haltingly followed God's pretty clear directions! Would you please take a moment to celebrate with us? There is a very simple way to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. Would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now!, to leave a COMMENT on a very instrumental ranking website for podcasts? It would truly be so helpful, and such a lovely birthday gift for us! 3 simple steps to do it: 1- go to listennotes.com and create a user profile, using the top right corner LOGIN. There are 4 easy ways to do that: you can use either your facebook, twitter or google account, or otherwise provide a valid email. It will then send you a verification email so it needs to be a valid email. That is the most time consuming part! You are almost there already. 2- Once you have created your profile, then please find Gospel Spice (using the search bar at the top - or click here directly); 3- Please LEAVE A COMMENT in the COMMENTS section. It will truly be instrumental in making Gospel Spice more discoverable among the more than 2.5 million podcasts out there. If this seems too complicated... please try clicking HERE (which should take you straight to the COMMENTS section for the Gospel Spice Podcast) and create your user profile from there. Once you are done, feel free to UNSUBSCRIBE from the website Listennotes, and you will never hear from them again, while having given us a free birthday present! MERCI! Support us!