Podcasts about hellenists

Matthew Week 153     Luke 23:20-22 ESV   22 A third time he said to them, "Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him."       John 19:1 ESV   Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.       Matthew 27:27-30 ESV   Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.             John 19:4-5 ESV   4 Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him." 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!"       John 19:6a ESV   6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!"       Matthew 27:24-26 ESV   24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.       Deuteronomy 21:6-8 ESV   6 And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they shall testify, 'Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed.8 Accept atonement, O Lord, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.'       Genesis 9:6 ESV   6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man,   by man shall his blood be shed,   for God made man in his own image.       Psalm 26:6-7 ESV   I wash my hands in innocence   and go around your altar, O Lord,   7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,   and telling all your wondrous deeds.       John 19:11 ESV   11 Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin."       John 19:16-17a ESV   16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross       Matthew 27:32 ESV (with Mark 15 and Luke 23)   32 As they went out, they found {luke they seized} a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. {mark and luke who was coming in from the country}, {mark the father of Alexander and Rufus} They compelled this man to carry his cross. {luke They laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus}     Acts 2:8-10 ESV   8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome       Acts 11:19-21 ESV   19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.       Romans 16:13 ESV   13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.    

On the Road to Damascus Acts 9:1-31 by William Klock When I was a sophomore in University I took the first of several art history courses, where I discovered—I should say it was more like I was confronted by—Caravaggio's famous painting of the conversion of St. Paul: Paul fallen from his horse, hands covering his face, his servants scrambling to figure out what's going on and to help him, everything in darkness—except Paul, bathed in heavenly light.  I'd read Act 9 who knows how many times before then.  But seeing Caravaggio's interpretation of that scene suddenly piqued my curiosity—made me wonder what really happened to Paul that day, what did he actually see, and why did it make such a powerful change in him.  Paul, that day, became for me—I suppose after Jesus—the most intriguing character in the Bible and I wanted to figure him out, to understand him—I think, because I wanted a faith of my own like Paul's, because I wanted to know the same kind of transformation, the same kind of passion, that Paul had after meeting the risen Messiah. And one of the things I came to realise is that Paul's passion, his zeal didn't start when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.  Actually, let's call him “Saul” for now, because that's where he's at in Acts 9.  Saul's zeal was already there: for the God of Israel, for righteousness and justice, for the world to be set to rights.  He truly hoped in the God of Israel, whom he knew to be good, and just, and faithful to the promises he'd made to his people.  That was what it meant to be a Pharisee.  Paul knew that his people had sinned, they had been unfaithful, they had engaged in idolatry.  They had ceased to be a holy people, so the Lord departed from them.  His presence—the cloud of glory—departed from the temple and then the people were conquered and exiled to Babylon.  “You want to worship pagan gods,” the Lord was basically saying, “Fine, you can spend a few decades in Babylon living with the pagans and their gods and see how it works out for you.”  And the people of Judah learned the lesson.  They set aside their idols, they embraced the torah, and they longed for an end to their exile—they longed for the return of God's presence.  And they became a people of hopeful longing.  It's funny how experiencing God's discipline so often gives us more hope, because it just underscores all the more his faithfulness—to do what he said, even if it's making good on his promise of judgement.  They knew his promises of restoration if they repented were just as true. And in the meantime, with no temple and with no visible manifestation of the presence of God, they did the best they could.  They devoted themselves—the Pharisees more than others—but they devoted themselves to torah, to holiness.  If they couldn't go to the temple, they would become like the temple themselves—a holy people waiting for God to return to them.  And when they returned to Judaea and rebuilt the temple and the Lord still did not return, the empty temple—all the more—became the symbol for their longing.  And missing his presence, they would meditate on the very idea of the Lord's presence.  If they dared—and at least the later rabbis urged caution, based on the Lord's warning to Moses that “no one may see my face and live”—but if they dared, some would meditate on Ezekiel's weird and mysterious vision of the Lord in his heavenly chariot—not looking for some personal mystical experience, but out of a hope and a longing for the day when the Lord would return, when heaven earth, so long sundered by our sin, would be brought back together, for the day when the Lord's people would once again live in his glorious presence.  It was a longing borne of the absence of the temple and of God's presence there. It was this passionate longing for the Lord's return that fuelled the zeal of men like Saul of Tarsus.  This zealous young Pharisee, steeped in Israel's scriptures and Israel's story, with a passion for the Lord and a longing to see his return.  And in his mind, if anything was going to hinder the Lord's return to his people, it was the new Jesus movement, these people who blasphemously believed in a crucified Messiah.  It had to be stamped out.  And so Saul supervised the stoning of Stephen.  And now, as we get into Acts 9 [page 1090 in the pew Bibles) we find that he's one of the chief orchestrators of the persecution of the early church.  Luke writes: “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out threats and murder on the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and requested from him letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that he could find people who belonged to the Way, men and women alike, tie them up, and bring them back to Jerusalem.” And along the way, I think that Paul was probably meditating.  Luke doesn't fill in these kinds of details, but between his telling of the story here and Paul's telling it later in his epistles, there are parallels with the accounts we have of Jews engaging in this practise of meditating on Ezekiel's vision.  Paul was a man of faith, a man of hope, a man who knew that the Lord is faithful to his promises.  And so he knew the Lord would return to his people and I think Paul lived out that hope in the present by just this sort of meditation on scripture.  Up and down with the rhythmic movement of what was probably a donkey—there are some stunning parallels here with Balaam even if this donkey never says a word—the hot sun beating down on him.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Recall Ezekiel.  Eyes closed, Paul pictures as best he could the four bizarre living creates, all wings and eyes, and the chariot wheels, somehow wheels within wheel all going different directions.  He concentrated and mentally looked upward from the wheels to the crystal chariot itself, and then to the throne where Ezekial wrote that he had seen a figure not unlike a human, but gleaming with holy fire.  I expect Paul had meditated like this before.  Maybe it had never come to much.  Just try it yourself.  Try to visualise what Ezekiel describes.  Good luck making sense of it.  Or maybe Paul had done this many times before and had really been met by the Lord, the God of Israel through this kind of meditation.  But this time was different.  Luke goes on: “While he was on the journey, and was getting near to Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.  He fell on the ground and heard a voice speaking to him.  “Saul, Saul!” said the voice.  “Why are you persecuting me?”  “Who are you, Lord?” he asked.  “I am Jesus,” he said, “and you are persecuting me.  But get up and go into the city, and it will be told you what you have to do.” Saul, in his mind's eye looks up: angels, wheels, chariot, throne—and then the figure on the throne—to his shock—is Jesus, the crucified Messiah, now risen from the dead and here.  And Paul tries to tear himself away.  No!  He tries to open his eyes to escape the vision and realises that his eyes are already open.  This isn't a vision.  It's not in his head.  It's real.  It's really Jesus.  And the sight is too much to bear—in so many ways.  He throws up his hands as Caravaggio imagined him doing, as—stunned—he loses his balance and topples off his donkey.  And the vision of glory is still there.  Where Paul expected to see the God of Israel, there was Jesus and Jesus was asking, “Why are you persecuting me?”  And Paul's thinking that this just can't be.  “Who are you?” he asks, even though he already knows.  And the figure of glory confirms it, “I'm Jesus.”  And he might as well have said at the same time, “I'm the God of Israel, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”  And again, “Why are you persecuting me?”  And Paul, stunned, his whole world being rearranged and reinterpreted faster than he can take it in, he says nothing as Jesus tells him simply to go to Damascus and to wait. Luke says in verse 7: “The men who were traveling with Saul stood speechless.  They heard the voice but couldn't see anybody.  And Saul, he been struck absolutely blind by the vision.  So they led him by the hand and took him to Damascus.  He went for three days, being unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.” I expect the gears in Saul's mind were spinning away like never before during those three days.  This man of prayer was suddenly praying like never before.  If Jesus was alive, it meant he really was Israel's Messiah.  It meant that the Lord, in him, had fulfilled already the very promises that Saul so longed to see fulfilled.  It meant that the Lord, in Jesus, had returned to his people.  It meant that God's new world had already begun.  Paul, intelligent and deeply steeped in Israel's scriptures, began the long, slow process of rethinking everything he knew in light of Jesus.  Paul knew—really knew the story, the scriptures.  I try to steep myself in those same scriptures and I'm like a watered down Americano compared to Saul.  Saul was a dark, black, espresso—the kind your spoon will stand up in.  That's how steeped he was in God's word.  It wasn't so much a “conversion” he experienced as it was a reorientation.  The temple, the presence of the Lord, the place where heaven and earth meet, had finally come to Saul.  And, too, those words of Jesus: “You're persecuting me.”  It meant that these people he'd been dragging off to prison, they were Jesus' people, his covenant family, even in some way an extension of himself.  God's promises to Abraham and to Moses and to David, the words of the Prophets, it all spent three days spinning through Saul's mind as he reevaluated everything in light of Jesus. Now, verse 10: “In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision.  “Ananias!” he said.  “Here I am, Lord,” he replied.  “Get up,” said the Lord to him, “and go to the street called Straight.  Inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.  Look, he's praying!  And he has seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming and laying his hands on him so that he can see again.” You can go to Straight Street today—even on Google Earth.  It runs from the last remaining Roman gate, through the Christian Quarter of the old city.  Imagine the shock of Ananias.  He may have been in Damascus having fled from Saul already.  And now he has a vision and the Lord tells him he needs to go to Saul.  You can almost hear his “Ummmm…”  Was this vision for real?  Had he heard right?  “Lord,” replied Ananias, “I've heard about this man from several people…all about how he's done wicked things to your holy people in Jerusalem…and now he's come here with authority from the chief priests to tie up everybody who calls on your name!”  Ananias is worried. “Just go,” replied the Lord. “He is a chosen vessel for me, to carry my name before nations and kings—and the children of Israel, too.  I am going to show him how many things he is going to have to suffer for the sake of my name.”  So Ananias set off, went into the house, and laid his hands on him.  “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord has sent me—yes, Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—so that you may be able to see again, and receive the holy spirit.” Worried, hesitant at first, Ananias' faith got the better of him.  Maybe on the way.  Maybe when he met Saul and there was so clearly something different about him.  “Brother Saul,” he called him.  As Jews, yes, they were brothers, but Ananias somehow recognised in Saul the same faith, the same Jesus, the same Spirit.  I don't think Ananias ever expected to be in a situation like this.  What do you do?  Jesus said that Saul had already had vision of Ananias laying hands on him, so that's what Ananias does.  He lays his hands on Saul and he prays, and Luke writes (verse 18): “At once something like scales fell off his eyes, and he was able to see.  He got up and was baptized.  He had something to eat and regained his strength.  Ananias and Saul stayed with the disciples in Damascus for a few days.” I wonder what happened when Ananias took Saul back to meet the other Christians in Damascus.  I expect there were some skeptics.  Was this just a fake-out by Saul to get in amongst them.  And I bet, when Ananias showed up to say, “You'll never guess what's happened!” there was someone else there, older, wise, steeped in the scriptures who wasn't surprised at all.  “Brother Ananias, why would you have expected otherwise?  This is how our God does things.”  God dealt with the persecution of his people by making their persecutor one of them.  And Saul?  Well, he's as zealous for God as ever; Jesus has just given him new direction.  While the rest of the saints in Damascus were hiding, now that he can see again, Saul marches straight to the local synagogue to proclaim Jesus, risen and Lord.  Luke goes on: “At once he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “This really is the son of God!”  Everyone was astonished, and said, “Isn't this the man who caused havoc to those in Jerusalem who call on this name?  And here he is, coming to tie them up and take them off to the high priests!”  But Saul grew all the stronger, and threw the Jews in Damascus into confusion by demonstrating that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.” I bet.  Saul was one of the best of them.  He knew the scriptures and the promises of God inside out and upside down.  He was brilliant.  And he was passionately zealous for God.  And I expect—you know how when you figure something out that you've been wrestling with for a long time and it lights a fire under you and you get really excited to tell other people?—well, meeting Jesus lit that kind of fire under Saul.  It would take him a long time to really work it all through—he would go off to Arabia by himself to work it all through—but already he's been rethinking what meeting Jesus means about the God of Israel and about what it means to be Israel.  Even what it means that Jesus is the God of Israel.  And so he went to his fellow Jews to proclaim this good news.  To tell them that Jesus is the son of God.  This is, by the way, the first time in Acts we hear Jesus called “son of God”.  It was a big deal.  And then Luke says that the other thing Saul was eager to do was to explain to his fellow Jews that Jesus was the Messiah—or maybe it would better to say that the Messiah was Jesus.  Because given the context here in Acts and what we know of Paul later from his epistles and how he roots everything so deeply and richly in the Old Testament, I expect he was in the synagogue in Damascus reminding the people there of the scriptures and especially of these two ideas, these two characters: the son of God and the Messiah.  “Son of God” isn't used much in the Old Testament, but when it is, it refers to Israel.  God said to Pharaoh, “Israel is my firstborn son”.  But Jesus is also the son of David, the Messiah.  And God had promised that David would have a son who would build the temple.  God would raise him up and he would sit on David's throne.  “I will be a father to him,” God had declared in 2 Samuel 7, “and he will be my son.”  All this is swirling madly in Saul's mind and starting to take shape, to make sense.  And then there was Psalm 2, invoked by the first Christians as they faced persecution.  God confronts the wicked rulers of the world and declares that he has set up his King in Zion and that the nations will tremble before him.  He's the one to whom the Lord has made his firm decree, “You are my son, this day I have begotten you.”  Luke doesn't tell us exactly what Paul preached or even if he preached.  Maybe he just hung out at the synagogue and proclaimed the good news to whomever would listen.  But knowing Paul, I have to think he did some preaching.  And he reminded his people of God and of his promises and he appealed to their hope: God's promise to return to his people.  God's promise to set the world to rights.  God's promise to bring the nations under his sovereign rule.  And how all this is now coming true, how it's being fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah.  Through him God will reach out to the gentiles and bring them under his sovereign rule and make them his inheritance.  How the Messiah will rule them with wisdom and justice just as God promised.  This would be the heart of Paul's preaching: The risen Messiah is God's anointed King.  He's God's son, he shed his blood to purify us from our sins that he might bring us back from our long exile.  He's God's son who has built a new temple, a house for his Holy Spirit.  In him God's promises are being fulfilled.  2 Samuel 7, Psalm 2, Psalms 72 and 89 and 26 and 27.  God's promises.  Psalm about Israel's hope.  Psalms about the Messiah.  We know from the scrolls we've found at Qumran that how Paul was handling these scriptures was exactly the way other Jewish groups in his day were handling these scriptures and asking the same questions.  And struggling to find an answer.  Because no one ever dreamed that a man who was crucified could be the Messiah.  But Paul had met him, risen from the dead.  And the dots began to connect.  The royal psalms began to connect with the psalms of lament.  The great king who would rule Israel and the nations began to connect with the suffering servant who represented Israel.  And then it gelled: The king represents his people so that he can stand in for them.  So that what happens to him, happens to them—and what happens to them, happens to him.  And so the king died.  And then the king rose from the dead.  And in that great act, God had declared: “See!  This really is my son.  And with him I am well-pleased!”  Pleased with his beloved son—and through him, pleased with his beloved sons and daughters. And surely some believed.  But others were angry.  Verse 23: “After some days, the Jews made a plot to kill him, but Saul got wind of their plan.  They were watching the city gates day and night so that they could do away with him.  But the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket. When he got back to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and explained to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.  He was with them in Jerusalem, coming and going and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.  He spoke, as well, to the Hellenists, who tried to kill him.  But the brothers heard of it and took him down to Caesarea. There they sent him off to Tarsus.  So the church in all Judaea, Galilee, and Samaria found itself at peace.  It was built up and gained in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.” And Paul knew, this too is how God works.  He saved the brothers and sisters in Damascus from their persecutor.  But Saul, well, God humbles him.  He has to be lowered over the wall in a basket so he can run.  Sometimes that's also how God works.  He was preparing Saul for his missionary task and the struggles and dangers and humiliations that would come with it.  Even returning to Jerusalem, he is initially rejected by the apostles.  God bless Barnabas—the “son of comfort”—he vouched for Saul and told him that he really had met Jesus on the road to Damascus and that all the rest was, in fact, true, no matter how impossible it seemed.  And Saul then proved himself in Jerusalem, preaching to the Hellenists who promptly set about to kill him. And so Peter and the others packed him off.  Luke doesn't say exactly why.  Maybe the trouble his zeal for Jesus stirred up in Jerusalem was just too much right then.  Maybe they knew that Saul needed to go home to Tarsus, to begin his preaching with the people who knew him.  So—and not for the last time—Saul boarded a ship and set sail.  This would be the pattern for the rest of his life. Brothers and Sisters, Saul of Tarsus—Paul—knew better than anyone that Jesus changes everything.  That Jesus is the embodiment of God's goodness, his mercy, his love, and maybe most importantly his faithfulness.  Remember that last week we looked at that bit of Paul's writing in 2 Corinthians where he talks about the glory of God that was on display in the Exodus: at the burning bush, in the plagues, at the Red Sea, at Mount Sinai, in the cloud of glory that descended on the tabernacle.  And he wrote that Jesus upstaged it all.  The Messiah he met on the road to Damascus revealed the glory of God in a way Paul had never imagined possible.  Brothers and Sisters, may we encounter that same glory ourselves. I think for most—probably all of us—our experience of God's glory is far more hum-drum and ordinary and unsensational.  Maybe that's because, as far as being steeped in scripture and knowing the glory of God revealed there, we're a watered down Americano.  We're like those can of LaCroix that say they're orange flavoured, but the flavour is so weak—well—you wonder if it's just carbonated water that was bottled in a plant where there was a solitary orange sitting in the corner to imparts the tiniest hint of its essence.  Paul was the opposite.  And we need to aspire to be like him.  Pray that God will give us a hunger for his word and a desire to know him and to know the story.  My observation has always been that the better people know the story, the more saintly and the more passionate they are, the more zealous they are for the Lord and for his good news.  Steep yourselves in the scripture.  And meditate on your baptism and how Jesus has brought you through the water into life with him.  How he's plunged us into God's Spirit and given us new life.  And come to his Table.  Eat the bread, drink the wine, and recall what God has done for us in Jesus, in his incarnation, in his death, and in his resurrection.  Experience here the fulfilment of all God's promises that you might see his glory.  Then be the people who—like Saul who just couldn't stay quiet—make that glory known in the world.   Let's pray: Almighty and merciful God, by whose gift alone your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; that we might truly see and know your glory along the way; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

غ ن يAcademic institutions, like religious institutions, are metropolitan in nature, gathering where the Scriptural God scatters. They are the elephant whose snout hoards knowledge for the tyrants of the earth like the Egyptian scribes (Genesis 41:8), inscribing their will with an iron stylus on the foreskins of human hearts, concealing them from God (The Eucharist, 270).The psychē (ψυχή) fights against God by clinging to the sarx (σάρξ), desperately struggling to shut out the pneuma (πνεῦμα) with all its might, concealing the uncircumcised heart from the Almighty God under cover of the circumcision of human institutions.Oh yes, Hellenists love the psyche. It's what they “turn” (to) and in, epistrephein (ἐπιστρέφειν, Corinthians 3:16), away from him, spinning as they spin their rejection of the sufficiency of God. It's the source of all they talk about on their podcasts. They gather it up in their communities to meditate on it and its endless crisis of “loneliness.” (2 Timothy 3:2–4) “If only they knew.” (Qurʾan, Sūrat al-ʿAnkabūt سورة العنكبوت “The Spider” 29:64)But God, in his sufficiency, is all seeing and all knowing, and their schemes will fail.Each moment in life, each kairos, each encounter with the unseen God in the crossing of neighbors in the ʿarabah terrifies the human institution, because the crossing presents each living, breathing soul with a divine uncovering, and the possibility of a revelation: we do not need the institutions.We never did.It's ironic. The academy will insist it exists to question, to challenge and to tear down, but of its nature a building is incapable of the apostle's turning in his withering, let alone the prophet's birth-pains. Yes, they critique, but not to tear down, one stone from another.No.They critique in order to build their artificial mother. Their blasphemous alma mater.“Because they disbelieved and uttered terrible slander against Mary.” (Qurʾan, Sūrat al-Nisāʾ سورة النساء “The Women” 4:156)Yet, “God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7), for everyone knows that milk sweetened with chemicals is toxic.Well, not everyone.Against them, and all who are like them, the Abrahamic scriptures neither build nor synthesize. They present no dogma. People who “read” them do, of course. That's how we end up with buildings and tribes, which all three scrolls summarily condemn.Instead, what these texts offer is a method for hearing and seeing in daily living, so that each of us can hear how to walk our path in this life.Indeed, God, who is the source of all knowledge, has assigned a path for each of us, and this life is your test. Only you can hear and see what he has presented for you to understand, for your sake. It is your test. On that day, you have no advocate but yourself and no recourse but him.The sooner you stop covering your ears and hiding behind your eyes; the sooner you open your heart to his instruction, the better your chance of receiving his gift with empty hands.God has assigned a lesson for you in your brief time on earth, which, as the song says, is as “but a dream.”True knowledge does not come from men. It comes directly from him, and Scripture is a guide on the path through his wilderness. Unlike human institutions which traffic in recycled human words, Scripture offers only the witness—the martyrdom—of the unseen, of the done-unto by God, who stand by you on the path, bearing witness to your witness to his divine words.And the words are signs along that path to help you find your way, as you uncover the test he has prepared for you, which is yours and yours alone.The Bible was not written to establish anything. It was written to keep the path open, for your sake, so that nothing would ever stand in between you and God on the path, before the time, until the time he shall judge the living and the dead; and of his kingdom, there shall be no end.This week, I discuss Luke 9:38 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Join us as we dig deeper into last Sunday's sermon from Pastor Gabe Kasper "The Gospel for the Greeks" and hear from Amy Duncan and Nate Zuellig on "You Walk With Me".   Digging Deeper Questions: Where/to whom has God sent you?   What does "Spiritual depth" look like in your life?   An "other focus" doesn't mean we spend our lives worried about what others think of us, or as people pleasers, rather it means we live lives looking to serve others in love. What is challenging about that?   How does receiving grace transform our lives?   Scripture Reading: Acts 11:19-30 19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.   27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. Intro/Outro Song: "Only One" Nate Zuellig ULC Artist In Residence    "You Walk With Me" Housefires CCLI Song # 7130488   CCLI License # 11254293

1 Peter 5:1-4So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.Acts 20:17,28Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.Colossians 1:18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.Ephesians 1:22-23And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.Acts 6:1-4Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.Philippians 1:1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:1 Timothy 3:8-13Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.Romans 16:1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae,Titus 1:5-7This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,Acts 20:17Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.Acts 14:23And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.1 Timothy 3:1-7The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.Hebrews 13:7Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

In Acts 11, ordinary, nameless believers—scattered by persecution—stepped into Antioch, crossed cultural lines, and preached the Lord Jesus to Hellenists, and “the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21, ESV). These were not apostles or platformed leaders, but faithful “them” whose obedience launched gospel advance from the third-largest city in the Roman Empire and birthed the very name “Christians.” This message confronts the lie that God only uses the gifted, the clean, or the famous: He delights to rest His hand on ordinary people who simply proclaim Christ with steadfast purpose. Whether you're in a hidden Tarsus season of waiting or feeling sidelined by past failure, the same sovereign Lord who used the scattered is at work in you—preparing, shaping, and ready to unleash fruitfulness for His glory.

Join us as we dig deeper into last Sunday's sermon from Pastor Gabe Kasper "The Gospel Increases" and hear from Amy Duncan and Nate Zuellig on "Bigger Table".   Digging Deeper Questions: When conflict arises how do you deal with it? Did you learn anything from this text on how to handle it better?    The early church was culturally diverse but united in mission, how might we better embody that in our congregation? our lives?    What is the aim of your life? Is it bringing peace?    Scripture Reading: Acts 6:1-15 1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.   7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.   8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, "This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us." 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Intro/Outro Song: "Only One" Nate Zuellig ULC Artist In Residence    "Bigger Table" Matt Maher CCLI Song # 7202727   CCLI License # 11254293

Today, we are sharing a new lesson God has been teaching us about living in light of the Great Commission as God's people. God has increased our desire to really LIVE in light of eternity and to be willing to change maybe old habits and comfortable routines to line up with what we see in the New Testament.  So, we are looking at the Scriptures and asking the question- what was normal life like for the early church? What characterized their lives?  In this episode, we highlight one important theme that we have found. Listen to these 9 Scriptures and see what theme emerges: 9 examples in the book of Acts: Acts 2:46: “day by day, attending the temple and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.”  Acts 2:47: “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 5:42: “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” Acts 6:1: “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.”  Acts 16:5: “So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.” Acts 17:11: “…they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:17: “So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.” Acts 19:9: “…he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrranus.” Acts 20:31: “Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.” In the New Testament church, there was: Daily outreach (proclamation, reasoning with others) Daily time in the Word (teaching, examining) Daily fellowship (breaking bread in homes) Daily ministry (distribution for the widows) Daily increase A few ideas for your own action steps: 1- Every morning surrender your day to God and ask for opportunities to share the gospel and serve and encourage others. 2- Pray for the lost daily. Our team in our city prays for the lost in our city every day at 12:12 pm – if you want to join us, please email us. 3- If you're not already reading the Word daily, there are plenty of great daily reading plans online, or you can use the YouVersion app. 4- How often are you getting real Christian fellowship? Not just tuning into an online church service, but having real conversations about God and how you're doing. 5- Use your online presence to share biblical encouragement! Think about the people who follow you and how you can use that platform to speak about Christ and give people hope.  Find the full study on our webpage. Connect with us: The Coworkers Podcast website Instagram: thecoworkerspodcast Email: coworkersstudy@gmail.com

The Face of an Angel Acts 6 by William Klock I hate doing administration stuff.  I'm really glad that John handles our finances so well and makes sure all our bills get paid.  I don't like filling out annual parish reports and get annoyed when I have fill out one for ACNA and another for the REC.  Why can't they just ask the same questions and share the information?  Our church register is stuffed with Post-It notes going back five or six years so I know what to enter in it whenever I eventually get around to sitting down to make all the entries for baptisms, deaths, weddings, membership, and all of that.  And I wonder if Peter had his own First Century Post-It note system for dealing with the dreaded admin work that was perpetually threatening to cut in on his preaching and praying.  Because that's what we come to in Acts 6.  The church has been growing quickly.  There's something like 5,000 Christians in Jerusalem.  We don't know how they were organised.  We know that the apostles and presumable some others regularly spent time in the temple.  But they met together in their homes.  Were they divided into what we might think of as “churches” or “parishes” with an apostle or two overseeing each—or maybe each apostle overseeing two or three groups?  We don't know.  But what we do know is that the twelve apostles were overseeing everything.  They were preaching, they were teaching, they were praying, they were pastoring, they were making sure everyone's needs were met.  And it got to be too much, even for twelve of them.  I get that.  I have a friend who pastors a Baptist church of about 950.  They figured out thirty years ago that they need one elder to every hundred people or so in order to pastor well.  In Acts we're talking at least 500 church members per apostle.  People started falling through the cracks and complaining.  Look at Acts 6.  [Page 1086 in the pew Bibles.] “Now, in those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the ‘Hellenists' raised a dispute with the ‘Hebrews' because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.” As we've seen in Chapters 2 and 4, these first Christians were very aware that they belonged to a new family and they lived accordingly.  They were the beginnings of Gods new Israel.  The Spirit had filled them with love for each other—the kind of love that torah had always envisioned for the people of Israel—and so they began to live it out.  They fellowshipped with each other.  They shared meals together as Jesus' family and they shared with their brothers and sisters who were in need.  They weren't just overflowing with the love and mercy of Jesus; despite most of them having little, as a people they were overflowing with generosity and abundance. And there were plenty who were truly in need.  Widows would normally be looked after by their own family, but when people joined the church—just as in some parts of the world today—it meant being cut off from their families and the support they once had.  The church suddenly found itself providing for a large number of widows.  Maybe it was a language barrier or maybe it has something to do with social connections, but the Hellenists—the Greek-speaking widows—the ones who had come to Jerusalem from the great Jewish diaspora—they were falling through the cracks.  It surely wasn't deliberate.  It was growing pains.  The sheer scope of the church's charity work had become too much for the twelve to handle efficiently.  So the Greek-speaking members of the church take up their cause with the apostles.  The fact that their fellow “Hellenist' believers take up their cause with the apostles, suggests it was a language problem.  Maybe these widows didn't know how or when to ask for food or where to get it and there were simply so church members, that the apostles were no longer able to know the personal needs of everyone.  Whatever the case, the apostles realise they have to do something.  Luke goes on: “So the twelve called the full number of disciples together.  ‘Listen,' they said, ‘It wouldn't be right for us to leave the word of God to serve tables. So Brothers, choose seven men from amongst yourselves who are well spoken of and filled with the Spirit and wisdom.  We will put them in charge of what needs to be done in this matter.  We will continue to pay attention to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The apostles knew what their primary calling was.  It was to study and to teach and to preach the word and to pray.  Sure, they could do some other things.  But when those other things became so big that it meant taking significant time away from their ministry of the word and their time in prayer, well, it was time for the church as a whole to pick up the slack.  To sort of quote Paul: God gave some to be apostles and other to—well—to fill the other multitude of roles that need filling in the church.  Some are eyes and ears and mouths, others are hands and feet and finger and toes.  The body needs them all.  And this was common sense.  But it also—and I think Luke deliberately frames it this way—it had precedent in Israel's own story.  Think of Israel in the beginning, in the wilderness, just delivered from Egypt, and Moses trying to rule over a thousand and thousands of people and feeling totally overwhelmed.  Luke wants us to see the fledgling church as the new Israel and so he shows us the apostles in the position of Moses.  It's time to choose some well-respected men from amongst the people to help.  Verse 5: “The whole gathering was pleased with what they said.  They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus (a proselyte from Antioch).  They presented them before the apostles, and having prayed, they laid their hands on them.” It's worth noting: the seven names are Greek names.  One of these men was even a proselyte, meaning he was a gentile who had converted to Judaism and was now a Christian.  Presumably the seven were meant to serve the whole church, but the church chose seven men who were especially able to help with the problem at hand: the Greek-speaking widows.  So the church elects these men, brings them before the apostles for their approval, prays for them, and then it's the church that lays hands on them.  Now, almost every English translation says that it was the apostles that laid hands on these seven, but the Greek text doesn't really bear that out.  It says they, the church, elected the men and brought them to the apostles and there's absolutely nothing in the text that indicates a change of subject before Luke says that “they” laid hands on the men.  The church—probably a representative few—laid hands on the seven, not the apostles. And when we look at what was involved, it suggests even more that it was the church doing the laying on of hands.  There are several words in Hebrew that, in English, all get sort of generically translated as “to lay hands”, but the Hebrew behind the idea here, has the sense of pressing down on something—as if you're sharing or transferring something of yourself to another: your sins to a the scape goat, or the people of Irael “pressing down on” the Levites who will represent them and fill in for their firstborn sons, or Moses pressing his hands down on Joshua and making him his representative and successor.  Remember, the whole point of this is that the apostles knew “serving tables” wasn't their job.  Their job was word and prayer.  It was the job of the wider church to look after the welfare of each other and so it's appropriate that the church not only elects these seven men, but also “ordains” them, if you will. And what were the seven?  Traditionally we've called them deacons.  Deacon comes from the Greek word to serve—in this case to serve (διακονεῖν) tables, which is symbolic of making sure the widows get their charity.  But otherwise, what we see these men doing doesn't look all that much like what we see deacons doing later in the New Testament.  In fact, when the apostles talk about “serving tables”, there's a probably a word play there—“tables” is a banking or accounting term, not just a word for a literal table—that suggests that what these men were really doing was overseeing, administering the distribution of food and, more broadly, the resources of the church.  And if that was the case, they look a lot more like bishops.  I could be wrong, but what I would tentatively suggest, is that these seven men were the first men to be appointed to pastoral office in the church, before that role had split into bishops on the one hand and deacons on the other.  I think these guys were, more or less, both proto-deacons and proto-bishops.  And while their primary duty was to oversee the church's charity, the church chose them because they were full of the Spirit.  And in Acts, what that means is that they were bold and unafraid proclaimers of the good news about Jesus. So, writes Luke in verse 7, because of the apostles could now be devoted to the word to prayer and because these seven men were now ordained to ensure the church was being what the church is supposed to be, “The word of God increased and the number of disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly.  This included a large crowd of priests who became obedient to the faith.”  Brothers and Sisters, when the church—the people and the leaders—are boldly proclaiming the word of God and are diligent in prayer, God will multiply it.  We might miss it, but Luke makes the point: It's not us.  We don't grow the church.  It's God.  The power lies with him.  We need to trust his word and we need to proclaim it.  We need to pray and entrust our ministry to him.  Not gimmicks, not money, not all the other things churches often do to try to make themselves effective.  Just preach God's word and pray.  He'll bring fruit from it.  And be patient, because God works on his own schedule, not ours.  And, we might miss it: Luke makes a point of telling us a significant new step in the church's growth: now it's attracted a crowd of priests.  And that would not have gone unnoticed by the leaders of the temple.  Luke doesn't say anything here, but this means the Jewish leaders are getting more concerned, getting more angry, becoming more inclined to violent action. But, first, Stephen's story.  Look at verse 8: “Stephen was filled with grace and power and performed great signs and wonders amongst the people.  But some from the Freemen's Synagogue, as it was named, and from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia stood up and disputed with Stephen.  They could not, however resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.”  Stephen preached in the gospel in the synagogues.  And here's the thing.  Luke makes a point of saying that Stephen wasn't just full of power; he was also full of grace.  We've all heard people speak who are full of power, but are short on grace.  They can be jerks.  Maybe they're right, but just the way they speak makes people angry.  But that's not Stephen.  He's speaking with great grace.  But the folks listening still aren't having any of it.  Not that Palestinian Jews were any more receptive, but Luke kind of gives the sense that maybe these folks—they're all hellenised, diaspora Jews like Stephen—maybe they're overly defensive of their Jewish heritage because they feel deficient in some way for not being Palestinian Jews.  Whatever their motivation, they're angry with what he says and they get even angrier because they couldn't resist him.  And then they get even angrier—we've all seent his happen—they're even angrier, because he's not angry in response. He's full of grace  They couldn't refute what he was saying.  But rather than concede, they dig in and at that point there's only one thing left to do: they make false accusation of blasphemy.  Verse 11: “Then they put up men to say, ‘We heard this man speaking blasphemous words against Moses and against God.'  They aroused the people, the elders, and the scribes.  They set upon him, seized him, and took him in front of the assembly.  They set up false witnesses to say, ‘This man never stops speaking words against this holy place and the law.  We heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses handed down to us.'  Everyone who was sitting in the assembly looked hard at Stephen.  They all saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” It sounds a lot like the accusations against Jesus, when he was accused of saying he would destroy the temple and rebuilt it in three day.  Of course, yes, he said that, but his point was that God was doing something new, that God was about to fulfil his promises, and that God would establish a new temple in which he would come to dwell with his people.  But the Jewish elders didn't hear it that way, not because Jesus wasn't clear, but because they couldn't accept that God was fulfilling his promises through Jesus.  If Jesus was the Messiah, he was doing it all wrong, at least so far as they were concerned.  He couldn't be the one. And now exactly the same thing is happening to Stephen.  We don't have his words, but based on the false accusations against him as well as his defence that will follow in Chapter 7, we have a pretty good idea what he was saying and it was closely related to what Jesus had said.  Just like Jesus, just like Peter, just like the preaching we see through Acts, Stephen told the story of God and his people and how it leads to Jesus. There were four things that were all-important for the Jews and that marked out their identity.  There was the temple; the torah or law; the land of Israel itself and especially Jerusalem, where the temple was; and there was their ethnic identity as Jews—the sons and daughters of Abraham, delivered by God from Egypt when Moses led them through the Red Sea to Mt. Sinai.  Those things marked them out as God's people.  Those things marked them out as separated, as different from the pagan peoples and nations around them.  Compromise those things, and you'd be sliding down a slippery slope into the same idolatry that had got their ancestors exiled to Babylon.  So when Stephen spoke, as any of the Christians would have, about God establishing a new temple or about Jesus fulfilling torah, out came the angry charges of blasphemy. But those first Christians—just like Jesus—were never attacking the temple or the law.  The problem was that Israel—despite knowing her own story so well and so thoroughly—had forgotten where it was going and then failed to recognise how Jesus was bringing it to its climax.  When Jesus or when Peter or when Stephen said that God was doing a new thing, what people like the priests and the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, people like Saul of Tarsus heard was that these Jesus people were saying was the law and the temple were bad. What Stephen (like Jesus and Peter before him) was trying to say is that the word of God tells a story and that this story was moving forward and, as it moved forward, new things would happen.  This didn't mean that the old things that had happened were bad.  Just the opposite!  They were good.  They were necessary to get the story to the point it's at now.  Imagine you take a trip to Montreal.  First you drive your car to Nanaimo to get to the ferry, then you take the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, then you get off the ferry and get on a bus that takes you downtown, where you take SkyTrain to the airport, where you finally board an airplane that flies you across the country.  The fact that you left your car parked in Nanaimo to get on a ferry or that you left Skytrain to get on an airplane or even that you stopped travelling once you arrived in Montreal, none of that means that the car or the ferry or the bus or the airplane or even the trip itself was bad.  You couldn't get where you are without them!  And, just so, God gave Israel the law.  God gave Israel the temple.  And they were good things.  They were necessary things.  They were gracious things.  They were things that prepared the people for and brought them to the part of the story where Jesus became a part of it. But they tuned this part out.  Some modern Christians do the same.  I'm not sure where it comes from.  Maybe it comes from listening to Luther with only one ear.  But we get the idea that the old covenant was a bad thing.  People will get the wrong idea that the old covenant was about being saved by works and that's why Israel refused Jesus, who came to offer salvation by grace.  A thousand time, no.  If that's what Stephen had been saying, the Jews would have been right to be angry with him, because he would have been wrong.  The status of God's people has never been because of works; it has always been because of grace.  That's part of how the old covenant prepared people and led them to the part of the story where Jesus enters. Other times we just ignore God's story altogether and try to write our own.  But what's often even more dangerous is when we know God's story to a point, but then we lock it down and refuse to let him take it in a new direction.  We do that.  And that's what these folks mad at Stephen are doing.  Jesus just couldn't be where the story they knew was heading; instead, Jesus became a threat to their version of the story. And yet Stephen persisted.  Even as they dragged him before the Sanhedrin with a slate of false witnesses against him.  And think about that.  They're convinced they're in the right.  They're convinced that they represent God and everything that is good and right and true.  They think they're the heaven on earth people.  And yet what do that they do in response to his preaching?  They lie. By their actions they condemn themselves.  And in contrast stands Stephen.  For all his speaking with power, he's full of grace.  And as he stands before the Sanhedrim, as false witness after false witness testified against him, the Spirit, God, transforms—almost transfigures him—to the point that the whole assembly is left staring at him.  Luke says his face became like the face of an angel. As far as literal appearance, I don't know what that means.  But the important thing is that everyone recognised what was happening and in that moment, the Spirit revealed Stephen—and along with him the church—for what he, what they, what we really are: In that moment Stephen was revealed as the face of Jesus' heaven on earth people.  He was actively part of the church living out heaven on earth.  He was preaching the good news about Jesus and he is the fulfilment of God's promise to bring heaven and earth back together.  And in the middle of this controversy, in the middle of the false accusations, in the middle of these men who, despite all the evidence, were digging in their heels and refusing to accept the message about Jesus, refusing to let God lead the story they new so well in a new direction, God himself vindicated Stephen and made him a manifestation of heaven on earth.  Stephen was full of the Spirit, a little temple in miniature full of God's presence.  As if the shekinah—the cloud of glory visibly representing God's presence that had been missing from the temple ever since Israel's exile—suddenly became present with Stephen.  God announcing: “In this man, in this people, through my son, in this gospel I am fulfilling my promises.  Listen to him.” Brothers and Sisters, this should be a picture of us.  The bit where Stephen was transfigured and looked like an angel—whatever that means—that was unique.  But the rest of it, that ought to be us.  A people committed to be a covenant family, not just overflowing with talk of love and grace and mercy, but a family of people where love and grace and mercy are abundant in real, practical ways.  A family where we make a point of doing what needs doing to make sure that nothing gets in the way of that love and grace and mercy.  We ought to be a people of word and of prayer who are bold for the gospel, because we know that the power lies not with us, but with God.  His word, not ours, brings life.  His Spirit has the power to renew minds and regenerate hearts.  And so we pray, entrusting ourselves and our ministry to him and we proclaim not our word, but his.  We tell the story that leads the world to Jesus.  And if we're doing all these things, that word, that story will have power, but our telling of it will also be full of grace. The world, the flesh, and the devil will do their worst.  People will dig in their heels.  People will tell lies about us and about the story and the good news we proclaim.  People may even violently persecute us one day.  But remember: It's all of grace.  The story that leads us through the law and the prophets, through torah and temple, is all about the grace of God towards rebellious sinners, and so is the story that leads to forgiveness and life with God, the story that leads us to Jesus and the Spirit and eventually to the New Jerusalem.  Brothers and Sisters, it's all of grace.  Live the story of God's grace and the light of heaven will permeate the church.  Proclaim the story of God's grace, and that light will being to permeate the world. Let's pray: Lord, fill us with your grace.  And don't just fill us with it; ensure that we're ever and always overwhelmed by the knowledge and understanding of your grace, so that we will live it out in practical terms as your church and so that we will go out with boldness to proclaim your good news, not to win arguments, but make your grace known.  Through Jesus we pray.  Amen.

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Acts 6In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.SummaryIn this episode of "Right Side Up," Danielle Strickland and James Sholl explore themes of inclusion, power dynamics, and community within the early church, as depicted in Acts 6. They discuss how the early church addressed issues of neglect and racism by empowering marginalized groups, specifically the Hellenists, to lead and distribute resources. This approach is highlighted as a model for modern communities to correct systemic imbalances and foster inclusivity. The conversation emphasizes the importance of listening to underrepresented voices and sharing power to reflect the spirit of the gospel.This series was originally preached at James' church Wellspring Worship Centre - a diverse and Jesus loving community found in Toronto. Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Reading 1Acts 6:1-7As the number of disciples continued to grow,the Hellenists complained against the Hebrewsbecause their widowswere being neglected in the daily distribution.So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,"It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,filled with the Spirit and wisdom,whom we shall appoint to this task,whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayerand to the ministry of the word."The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.They presented these men to the apostleswho prayed and laid hands on them.The word of God continued to spread,and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.Reading 21 Peter 2:4-9Beloved:Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beingsbut chosen and precious in the sight of God,and, like living stones,let yourselves be built into a spiritual houseto be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrificesacceptable to God through Jesus Christ.For it says in Scripture:Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,a cornerstone, chosen and precious,and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone, andA stone that will make people stumble,and a rock that will make them fall.They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.You are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood,a holy nation, a people of his own,so that you may announce the praises" of himwho called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.GospelJohn 14:1-12Jesus said to his disciples:"Do not let your hearts be troubled.You have faith in God; have faith also in me.In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.If there were not,would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you,I will come back again and take you to myself,so that where I am you also may be.Where I am going you know the way."Thomas said to him,"Master, we do not know where you are going;how can we know the way?"Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life.No one comes to the Father except through me.If you know me, then you will also know my Father.From now on you do know him and have seen him."Philip said to him,"Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a timeand you still do not know me, Philip?Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,or else, believe because of the works themselves.Amen, amen, I say to you,whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,and will do greater ones than these,because I am going to the Father."

Acts 11:19-26 ·(They spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.) 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 ·(It pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.)

Pastor John Ryan Cantu brings this week's message, “What is Gospel?”Key Verse: Matthew 7:15-23 ESV: ““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” Romans 1:16 NIV: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Romans 10:13-15 ESV: “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”” Acts 6:1-4 ESV: “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”” Matthew 25:31-40 ESV: ““When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'” Sermon Topics: Gospel, False Prophets, Gospel DemonstratedIf you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe and share it with your friends on social media. For more information about PNEUMA Church, visit our website at mypneumachurch.org.Connect with Us: Instagram: https://instagram.com/mypneumachurch YouTube: https://youtube.com/mypneumachurch Facebook: https://facebook.com/mypneumachurch Time Stamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:30 - Welcome 01:46 - Matthew 7:15-23 ESV 03:08 - What is Gospel?

Acts 11:19-30 (ESV) 19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists […] The post What Do People Call You? (Acts 11:19-30) first appeared on Hope of Christ Church.

Packinghouse's Sunday morning worship service from January 25, 2026. The early church hit a love test when Greek-speaking widows were overlooked, exposing a cultural rift (Hebrews vs. Hellenists). Rather than abandon prayer and the Word, the apostles delegated care to seven qualified leaders—all with Greek names—so the solution matched the wound and restored equity. This models how love is the true metric (1 Cor. 13): lay down preferences, organize wisely, and refuse “second-class” thinking. The result was gospel momentum—the Word spread and even many priests believed—showing that passing love tests multiplies kingdom impact. - Greg Opean - Sunday, January 25, 2026

Packinghouse's Sunday morning worship service from January 25, 2026. The early church hit a love test when Greek-speaking widows were overlooked, exposing a cultural rift (Hebrews vs. Hellenists). Rather than abandon prayer and the Word, the apostles delegated care to seven qualified leaders—all with Greek names—so the solution matched the wound and restored equity. This models how love is the true metric (1 Cor. 13): lay down preferences, organize wisely, and refuse “second-class” thinking. The result was gospel momentum—the Word spread and even many priests believed—showing that passing love tests multiplies kingdom impact. - Greg Opean - Sunday, January 25, 2026

Having received his Ph.D. in mathematical logic at Brandeis University, Rabbi Dr. Dovid Gottlieb went on to become Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University. Today he is a senior faculty member at Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem. An accomplished author and lecturer, Rabbi Gottlieb has electrified audiences with his stimulating and energetic presentations on ethical and philosophical issues. In Jewish Philosophy with Rabbi Dr. Gottlieb, we are invited to explore the most fascinating and elemental concepts of Jewish Philosophy. https://podcasts.ohr.edu/ podcasts@ohr.edu

Was Hanukkah really a war of Jews vs. Greeks — or a Jewish civil war we chose to forget? Was Hanukkah really Jews vs. Greeks — or a Jewish civil war we chose to bury under a story about oil? In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz revisit the Hanukkah story through the sources. From Maccabees I and the politics of Ptolemy vs. Antiochus, to the lone Talmudic mention of the oil miracle (Shabbat 21b), they show how a messy internal power struggle became a clean miracle narrative. Key Takeaways Hanukah began as a Jewish civil war — not just Jews vs. Greeks. Each generation rewrites the Maccabees to fit its own battles. The shamash — the helper candle — may be Hanukkah's real hero today. Timestamps [00:00] Hanukkah beyond oil and miracles [03:12] Why the Talmud barely explains Hanukkah [05:01] The forgotten Jewish civil war [07:22] Hellenists vs. Maccabees reexamined [09:48] Power, empires, and internal factions [12:30] Modern culture wars through Hanukkah [14:55] Why the rabbis hid the conflict [17:05] Hillel vs. Shammai as metaphor [19:10] The shamash in Israeli children's stories [23:40] Hanukkah as a model for unity Links & Learnings Sign up for free and get more from our weekly newsletter https://madlik.com/ Sefaria Source Sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/695661 Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/  

Fr. Mike draws our attention to the cultural division present in the early Church and the origin of the ordination to the diaconate. He also discusses Paul's frustration with those who didn't recognize Jesus as the Christ and offers consolation to those who experience this in the hearts and minds of those close to them, as Paul did. Today's readings are Acts 6, Romans 9-10, and Proverbs 27:10-12. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

In this Bible Story, Saul and Barnabas team up to advance the gospel in Antioch. Saul is still learning about what it truly means to walk with Jesus, and Barnabas acts as a brilliant mentor and friend. This story is inspired by Acts 11:19-30. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is Acts 11:26 from the King James Version.Episode 226: As more men and women came to faith in Jerusalem, more were beaten and thrown into jail. Because of this, many believers scattered across the Roman Empire setting as far as Cyprus and Antioch for safety. In these cities, the gospel began to break out from being a Jewish-only message, now Greeks and Hellenists were receiving Jesus too! The attitude of the believers in the city was so helpful that people began to refer to these followers as little Christs, a name that has stuck with us for generations.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world’s greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If everyone in our church, churched like you, what kind of church would our church be? If everyone served like you, if everyone invited like you, if everyone shared the gospel like you, if everyone cared about the nations and the Muslim world like you, if everyone prayed like you pray, if everyone gave financially like you give -- Would the Church multiply?If God's own people don't take his greatness and grandeur and glory seriously, will the world?What might be the biggest problem in the world today, If there is anything missing in the church today, it's the fear of the Lord. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.Saul Escapes from Damascus23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.Saul in Jerusalem26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.Acts 9:19-31We'd love for you to subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications to get updates on our latest content and resources that will help more people know Jesus and people know Jesus more.GIVE : We believe that generosity is golden. Freely we have received and so freely we give back to God. If you would like to give to support the work Jesus is doing here please visit: https://www.elevatecc.church/give.Elevate City Church is a Jesus Over Everything Church that launched in the Atlanta Perimeter area on October 4th, 2020.Jesus Over Everything.Give us a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatecity.church/Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatecc.churchPodcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3H8BBrEFWxGKsTF8wPSvrn?si=epcQMMrmQIiTpeXEnyxMOQPodcast on itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/elevate-city-church/id1536637567Visit our website for more information about who we are as a church and how you can get involved.https://www.elevatecc.church/home

In this Bible Story, the ministry of Jesus begins to take on form. Jesus preached with authority, healed with compassion, and cast out demons with power. His fame begins to grow rapidly. This story is inspired by Matthew 4:13-17, Matthew 13:54-58, Luke 4:14-32, John 4:43-54. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is Luke 4:21 from the King James Version.Episode 180: As Jesus was walking the streets of Cana and Galilee, an official from Capernaum came running to Jesus begging Him to heal his son. Jesus, showing both compassion and tact, tells the man his son will live. And it was so. Jesus stayed in Galilee for a while longer, then made His way to the synagogue in Capernaum. While there a man, possessed by a demon, began to make a scene, but Jesus cast the demon out and set the man free using only His words. After a few weeks of healing and teaching, Jesus came back to His hometown of Nazareth where He was met with a less-than-warm welcome.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This morning, as we celebrate the official start of the programmatic year with Kickoff Sunday, our worship will be centered on the Book of Acts. In Acts 6, we read about a grievance brought by the Hellenists against the Hebrews in the early church: the Hellenist widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. In response, the Disciples instructed the community to choose seven individuals known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom to take on this responsibility. This moment is widely recognized as the calling of the first deacons of the church—a pivotal step in ensuring that both the physical and spiritual needs of the community were met, even as the Disciples continued to preach the Good News of the Gospel throughout the region. Sermon on Acts 6:1-7, delivered by the Reverend David J. Powers on September 7th, 2025.

What marked some of the greatest movements of the early Church? It was normal, everyday, ordinary people who position their lives and say, "here I am, my yes is on the table. I want to be a part of the revolution. I want to be a part of the story that God is writing."In this Sermon Pastor Thomas studies what marked 3 of the greatest christian movements in history. How all three movements were marked by just one person saying "Here I am Lord, Come Holy Spirit."Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.Stephen Is Seized8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.Acts 6:1-15We'd love for you to subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications to get updates on our latest content and resources that will help more people know Jesus and people know Jesus more.GIVE : We believe that generosity is golden. Freely we have received and so freely we give back to God. If you would like to give to support the work Jesus is doing here please visit: https://www.elevatecc.church/give.Elevate City Church is a Jesus Over Everything Church that launched in the Atlanta Perimeter area on October 4th, 2020.Jesus Over Everything.Give us a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatecity.church/Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatecc.churchPodcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3H8BBrEFWxGKsTF8wPSvrn?si=epcQMMrmQIiTpeXEnyxMOQPodcast on itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/elevate-city-church/id1536637567Visit our website for more information about who we are as a church and how you can get involved.https://www.elevatecc.church/home

The Potato Famine Could Happen Again https://youtu.be/SZjPmtP-bV0?si=13-Rp1D-7Po8yZN_ A Nagasaki Survivor And Physician Recounts His Life's Work https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/nagasaki-physician-masao-tomonaga/ 2.5 Billion Pixel Image of Galaxy Shot by Hubble https://youtu.be/B2aCFTYiJ4k?si=mBYDTg3aC16M5H8U (via ChatGPT) Hanukkah origins and Hellenists https://chatgpt.com/share/6893daa0-0e6c-8006-815b-1c13a2011201 The History and Physics of the Atomic Bomb https://www.wired.com/story/the-history-and-physics-of-the-atomic-bomb-hiroshima-80th-anniversary/ ‘DNA do tomate' está na origem da batata; entenda revelação de estudo ... Read more The post o passado e o futuro… das batatas! como seria a História da Humanidade se…? appeared first on radinho de pilha.

Join Pastor Michael Eastman as he continues his series, Acts of the Apostles. This week's message: How the Church Spreads Text: Acts 11:19-20 The Church in Antioch “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus."

The church grew in such an exponential way that there arose practical concerns and needs amongst the people in Jerusalem. The Apostles saw fit to establish what we now call Deacons to serve the most vulnerable among the Christian church. These servants become a means of the LORD's provision for His people. I. The Problem II. The Solution III. The Effect

As the Hellenists and Hebrews dispute care for the widows, a biblical model for complaints and conflict is found. May we all observe and may the men of God allow Him to mold them for His glory.

Send us a textActs 11:19-31Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.Support the show

Send us a textActs 9:26-31And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.Support the show

Acts 11:19-26 ·(‘‘They spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.') Isaiah 61:9-11 · (‘I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.')

In week 2 of A Series of Sermons, we look to Acts 6:1–7. The early church is experiencing explosive growth—and the real problems that come with it. The issue in this passage is essentially a money and operations problem. At the time, the church had two major groups: the Hebrews and the Hellenists. In modern terms, think “KJV-only Baptists vs. everybody else.” The Hellenist widows were being overlooked in the daily food distribution, and tensionswere rising.The apostles stepped in. They acted quickly and wisely—not just to resolve the immediate conflict, but to create a structure for the future. Their decision in that moment of crisis didn't just keep the peace—it produced lasting fruit.So what can we learn from this? Here's the first key question: What should a church do when growth leads to conflict? Second: What role do you play in that solution? And third: What might God do ifwe handle this correctly? Website:www.experienceredemption.comFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/experienceredemptionInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/experienceredemption

Acts 11:19-30 19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. 27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. Key Words: Scatter, Preach, Hand, Believe, Turn, Add, Christians, Relief Keystone Verse: And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:21) Download Bulletin

Divisions, Decisions, and Deacons (Acts 6:1-7) 1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that […] The post Divisions, Decisions, and Deacons (Acts 6:1-7) first appeared on Hope of Christ Church.

One of the visions we have as a church is that we reproduce ourselves. The church isn't merely an organization, but as an organism - a living, breathing organism. And organisms, by definition, reproduce. As a church, we want to be able to reproduce other churches. As lifegroups, we should be reproducing new lifegroups. As worship leaders and pastors, we should be reproducing new leaders. As disciples, we should be making disciples, who make disciples who make disciples. So we want to reproduce ourselves. However, the ultimate goal isn't to get people to be like us. But as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I imitate Christ”. Acts 11:19-20 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

Acts 9:19b-31 For some days [Saul] was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. 23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. 26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.   Key Words: Proclaim, Prove, Son of God, Jesus, Christ, Plot, Church, Built Up, Multiplied Keystone Verse: And immediately [Saul] proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20)   Download Bulletin

Study Passage: Acts 11:19-2619 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-3The Church in Antioch19 Those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, Cypriot and Cyrenian men, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Hellenists,[a][b] proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 Then the report about them was heard by the church that was at Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel[c] as far as Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And large numbers of people were added to the Lord. 25 Then he[d] went to Tarsus to search for Saul, 26 and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.Famine Relief27 In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world.[e] This took place during the time of Claudius.[f] 29 So each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea. 30 They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.Preparing for the Mission Field13:1 In the church that was at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.2 As they were ministering to[a] the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.” 3 Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world.Psalm 19:4 Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia. Jubilate (Psalm 100)[Alleluia.] The Lord is glorious in his saints: Come, let us adore him. [Alleluia.]Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladnessand come before his presence with a song.Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his;we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving;go into his courts with praise; *give thanks to him and call upon his Name.For the Lord is good;his mercy is everlasting; *and his faithfulness endures from age to age.[Alleluia.] The Lord is glorious in his saints: Come, let us adore him. [Alleluia.] The PsalterPsalm 28O Lord, I call to you;my Rock, do not be deaf to my cry; *lest, if you do not hear me,I become like those who go down to the Pit.2Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you, *when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies.3Do not snatch me away with the wicked or with the evildoers, *who speak peaceably with their neighbors,while strife is in their hearts.4Repay them according to their deeds, *and according to the wickedness of their actions.5According to the work of their hands repay them, *and give them their just deserts.6They have no understanding of the Lord's doings,nor of the works of his hands; *therefore he will break them down and not build them up.7Blessed is the Lord! *for he has heard the voice of my prayer.8The Lord is my strength and my shield; *my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped;9Therefore my heart dances for joy, *and in my song will I praise him.10The Lord is the strength of his people, *a safe refuge for his anointed.11Save your people and bless your inheritance; *shepherd them and carry them for ever. Psalm 30I will exalt you, O Lord,because you have lifted me up *and have not let my enemies triumph over me.2O Lord my God, I cried out to you, *and you restored me to health.3You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; *you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.4Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; *give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.5For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *his favor for a lifetime.6Weeping may spend the night, *but joy comes in the morning.7While I felt secure, I said,“I shall never be disturbed. *You, Lord, with your favor, made me as strong as the mountains.”8Then you hid your face, *and I was filled with fear.9I cried to you, O Lord; *I pleaded with the Lord, saying,10“What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?11Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; *O Lord, be my helper.”12You have turned my wailing into dancing; *you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.13Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; *O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Lessons2 Chron. 24:17-22A Reading from the Second Book of Chronicles.Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.  Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.'” But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!” The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Te Deum laudamusYou are God: we praise you;You are the Lord: we acclaim you;You are the eternal Father:All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you.The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;Father, of majesty unbounded,your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of deathand opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory.We believe that you will come and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saintsto glory everlasting. Acts 6:1-7A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles.Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.  And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Benedictus Dominus DeusBlessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersThe Lord be with you.And also with you.Let us pray.Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Suffrages AV. Show us your mercy, O Lord;R. And grant us your salvation.V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness; R. Let your people sing with joy.V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;R. For only in you can we live in safety. V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.V. Let your way be known upon earth;R. Your saving health among all nations.V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;R. And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.   The CollectsCollect of the DayWe give you thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. Collect of Saint BasilO Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

Fr. Mike draws our attention to the cultural division present in the early Church and the origin of the ordination to the diaconate. He also discusses Paul's frustration with those who didn't recognize Jesus as the Christ and offers consolation to those who experience this in the hearts and minds of those close to them, as Paul did. Today's readings are Acts 6, Romans 9-10, and Proverbs 27:10-12. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Acts 6:1-7 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.   Key Words: Increase, Disciples, Word, Table, Spirit, Wisdom, Devote, Prayer, Ordain, Faith Keystone Verse: And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7)   Download Bulletin

In this Bible Story, Saul and Barnabas team up to advance the gospel in Antioch. Saul is still learning about what it truly means to walk with Jesus, and Barnabas acts as a brilliant mentor and friend. This story is inspired by Acts 11:19-30. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is Acts 11:26 from the King James Version.Episode 226: As more men and women came to faith in Jerusalem, more were beaten and thrown into jail. Because of this, many believers scattered across the Roman Empire setting as far as Cyprus and Antioch for safety. In these cities, the gospel began to break out from being a Jewish-only message, now Greeks and Hellenists were receiving Jesus too! The attitude of the believers in the city was so helpful that people began to refer to these followers as little Christs, a name that has stuck with us for generations.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

And [Paul] spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. [1 hour 5 minutes]

And [Paul] spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. [1 hour 5 minutes]

In this Bible Story, Saul and Barnabas team up to advance the gospel in Antioch. Saul is still learning about what it truly means to walk with Jesus, and Barnabas acts as a brilliant mentor and friend. This story is inspired by Acts 11:19-30. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is Acts 11:26 from the King James Version.Episode 226: As more men and women came to faith in Jerusalem, more were beaten and thrown into jail. Because of this, many believers scattered across the Roman Empire setting as far as Cyprus and Antioch for safety. In these cities, the gospel began to break out from being a Jewish-only message, now Greeks and Hellenists were receiving Jesus too! The attitude of the believers in the city was so helpful that people began to refer to these followers as little Christs, a name that has stuck with us for generations.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fr. Mike draws our attention to the cultural division present in the early Church and the origin of the ordination to the diaconate. He also discusses Paul's frustration with those who didn't recognize Jesus as the Christ and offers consolation to those who experience this in the hearts and minds of those close to them, as Paul did. Today's readings are Acts 6, Romans 9-10, and Proverbs 27:10-12. If you have found this podcast to be helpful in your faith life and would like to help us continue bringing this Catholic media to as many people as possible, please consider making an ongoing financial gift at ascensionpress.com/support. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Fr. Mike draws our attention to the cultural division present in the early Church and the origin of the ordination to the diaconate. He also discusses Paul's frustration with those who didn't recognize Jesus as the Christ and offers consolation to those who experience this in the hearts and minds of those close to them, as Paul did. Today's readings are Acts 6, Romans 9-10, and Proverbs 27:10-12. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.