Podcasts about his gospel

What are we looking for to make the Christian life worth it for us? If we would just believe God's Word and live in response to it rather than focus on the afflictions of this world, we would see the goodness and joy that comes from His Gospel, now and into eternity. In this episode, Associate Pastor Josh talks about the fulfillment that comes from faithfulness from 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12.Get Connected! https://linktr.ee/reachtulsa

Questions and doubts do not have to weaken faith; they can become an invitation to examine the truth more carefully. Luke was not one of Jesus' original disciples, but he approached the story of Jesus as a physician, historian, and careful investigator. Drawing from eyewitness testimony, he compiled an orderly account so that readers could have confidence in what they had been taught.Yet Luke offers more than historical evidence. His Gospel presents a vivid portrait of Jesus as the Savior who sees people others overlook, welcomes those burdened by sin, and seeks those who are lost. Jesus extends grace to the sinful woman at Simon's table, calls Zacchaeus out of isolation, and ultimately gives His life so that undeserving people can receive salvation as a gift.This confidence in Jesus also leads to discipleship. Following Him means more than agreeing with His claims; it means placing Him first and learning to live with His compassion, loyalty, and concern for others. Whether someone is questioning Christianity, returning after being wounded, or growing complacent in familiar faith, Luke invites every reader to look closely at Jesus, receive His grace with joy, and follow Him with renewed certainty.

Color: Green Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 28:8–15 Psalm: Psalm 32; antiphon: v. 2 Epistle: Galatians 3:15–22 Gospel: Luke 10:23–37 Introit: Psalm 74:1–2, 19b, 21b; antiphon: vv. 20a, 21a, 22a, 23a Gradual: Psalm 77:14–15 Verse: Psalm 88:1 Jesus Is Our Good Samaritan   The Law cannot help us or give us life. Rather, it confines everyone under sin as wounded and naked before God (Gal. 3:15–22). So it is that two figures of the Law, the priest and the Levite, passed by the injured man on the side of the road (Luke 10:23–37). Only the promised Seed of Abraham can rescue us and make us righteous before God. Only the Samaritan, our Lord Jesus, had compassion, as did the Samaritans of old (2 Chronicles 28:8–15). He came down to us in our lost and dying condition, pouring on the oil and wine of the Sacraments. He placed us on His own animal, bearing our sin and brokenness in His body on the cross to restore us. Jesus brought us to the inn, that is, the Church, and gave the innkeeper two denarii, that His double forgiveness might continue to be ministered to us. In this way the Lord, by whose Law we are torn and stricken, heals us and revives us by His Gospel and raises us up with Himself. Lectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Read OnlineThe Holy One of GodIn the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. Luke 4:33–35Yesterday, we began reading from the Gospel of Luke in our weekday liturgies, and we will continue to do so until the season of Advent. Luke's Gospel was written especially for Gentile converts—those unfamiliar with Jewish customs—presenting Jesus not only as the fulfillment of Israel's hopes but also as the Savior of all humanity. Unlike Matthew, who highlights Christ's fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, Luke reveals a broader vision: a universal Savior who brings healing, mercy, and salvation to the poor, the outcast, and the sinner.In today's passage, that universal mission is subtly foreshadowed through Jesus' divine authority. Though the setting is a Jewish synagogue in Capernaum, His actions speak to a power not confined to time, place, or people. With a simple word, Jesus rebukes the demon, silences its protest, and frees the afflicted man. The astonishment of the crowd—“What is there about his word?”—captures the essence of the moment: Here is One whose authority reaches even into the unseen spiritual world and commands it.Though He ministers among His own people, Jesus is not merely a teacher of the Law or a local prophet. His authority is absolute, His identity divine. The demon's cry—“I know who you are, the Holy One of God!”—offers a strange testimony: Even the spiritual forces of darkness recognize and submit to Him. This is not just a healing; it is a confrontation between the kingdom of God and the powers of evil. And it is only the beginning.Luke includes this scene early in his Gospel to show that Jesus' mission is one of liberation—liberation from sin, bondage, and every form of darkness. The fact that this miracle occurs in a synagogue reminds us that no place, however sacred, is immune to the presence of evil. But more importantly, it reminds us that no evil is immune to the authority of Christ.It is also helpful to recall the broader context. This event comes shortly after Jesus' baptism, His forty days in the desert, and His rejection in Nazareth. That rejection led Him to Capernaum, a humble fishing village that would become the center of His Galilean ministry. It is here that He will call Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew—men who will carry His Gospel to the ends of the earth. Thus, what begins in a small synagogue soon echoes to the nations.Reflect today on the universal scope of Luke's Gospel, which we will hear over the coming months. Though Jesus begins within Israel, His mission reaches every soul. By beginning His ministry with a confrontation against evil, Jesus reveals that He has come not only to teach but to conquer—to break the chains of darkness and bring divine healing to the world. His Word still speaks with authority. May we listen, believe, and be set free from the evil one and all his demonic powers, so that we may help proclaim Christ's Kingdom to the ends of the earth in our own unique ways.My Lord and Holy One of God, from the very beginning of Your public ministry, You established Your divine authority over evil, revealing that You came to destroy the kingdom of darkness and to build Your Eternal Kingdom of truth and grace. Please cast out all evil and sin from my heart, so that Your reign may take full possession of my soul. Use me as You will to further Your Kingdom on earth, bringing Your light and truth to the ends of the earth, one soul at a time. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Jesus Casts Out the Evil Spirit, by Julius Schnorr von CarolsfeldSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

God is amazingly able to use bad things for good. The worst that people throw against you, God is able to use for good. But what is good? Good is the advancement of the gospel. That is more important than health or happiness or anything else that we might pursue in this life. God can use bad things to advance His Gospel, and this is a reason to rejoice! Join us at cefc.church#Philippians #Philippians1 #GodUsesBadForGood #JesusChrist #Gospel #ChristianSermon #Faith #Suffering #Joy #AllOfLifeForChrist

Fight the Real Enemy (1) (audio) David Eells, 8/23/26 Old Man Vs. the New Spiritual Man William Steenland - 12/07/2013 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was watching a political race between two candidates: an old man about 65 and a young man (or new spiritual man) of about 30. The old man had his arms and hands out. I can't remember what he was saying. All I knew was he was lying through his teeth. It was almost comical, the things he was saying. It was totally unbelievable and silly, but the crowd was eating it up and loving it. (The world loves the thinking and speech of the old man, who is their kin, even though it is all a lie. He speaks according to the curse that he sees and not according to the faith; in the flesh and not in the Spirit. He doesn't speak the language of our Kingdom and cannot bear its fruit.) The young man had a questioning look on his face, as if he was upset at this old man. As the old man just kept lying and lying, the young man walked right up to him and said, “You know, I am an adult”. (The young man, or new man, is the mature one in the Kingdom and has power over the old, foolish man.) The young man put the old man in a headlock and dropped him to the ground, where they wrestled and wrestled. (The headlock implies the new man bringing into bondage the mind of the flesh or old man. Let me share a dream I had, where I had the old man in a headlock. I knew he was a giant; only he appeared normal in size. We saw a big giant, and when I turned the old man loose from the headlock, he said, “Bigger, bigger, bigger” to the big giant. I knew if the old man was permitted to speak, he would cause the giant to grow. So, then I karate chopped him in the Adam's apple and said, “No! Smaller, smaller, smaller”. This is because if we let the flesh speak the old man becomes a giant that in our eyes is impossible to conquer. He is then bigger than the promises of God. Then we will be overcome by him. If the spiritual new man speaks him smaller, even dead according to the Word, we will overcome him. The good confession is: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. ... (Rom.6:3) Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (4) We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have become united with [him] in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of his resurrection; (6) knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin... (11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. (12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof. So speaking according to the promises brings the old man down to conquer him.) Suddenly, the dream changed. It was no longer the old man and the young man or new man wrestling. It was David and me wrestling outside on the grass. (This represents the Davids' words and teachings are wrestling with our old man, the flesh.) I, like the old man, was in a headlock and losing terribly. (When the old man loses, we win.) I had no choice but to tap out. (Meaning to give up and let God rule in you through the new spiritual man.) After I tapped out, we got up and sat on a white concrete wall. (When the new man wins, that is called sanctification, meaning separation from sin, signified by the white rock wall.) We were next to a big white factory (where sanctification is being mass-produced in many people through the new man conquering the old man). The police were walking around, as if to catch us fighting. I had my head down and said to David, “Wow, I never had anyone be a father to me before”. (Because the new or spiritual man is being produced in your life through the ministry of end-time fathers of the seed of David.)  I turned to look up at David and he was gone. (Because the Lord is the unseen Father and the Davids are only vessels for His use.) I saw a UBM brother in the distance in a wheelchair and went to talk with him. (As we manifest this sanctification, we are able to pass it on to those who are spiritually crippled, unable to walk in the Kingdom because they walk dangerously upon the earth where the Beast and curse can crush them.) I had a second dream where I was in the middle of two ancient armies --Roman and German -- coming together (like in the Gladiator movie). (The Roman army could well represent the apostate right-wing. The German army may well represent our own left-wing government. Read “Germany” Attacks United States. In our day, a civil war is coming between the right and the left, and both will be a threat to true Kingdom believers who refuse to fight with the world, against the world. Our ministry of the Good News is to both.) I was totally naked, except for a pair of white boxers. (The coming battle will mature many Christians delivered from both sides and now in the middle.) I knew that I couldn't try to fight my way out. (We are forbidden to fight with flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness.) These intense armies were slowly moving together to fight. I was walking down a narrow path, just escaping between them as they were coming together. I kept on the narrow path (of obedience to the Word) to escape the war. (Father will divide and conquer, as He fought in the day of battle for Jehoshaphat and Gideon.) Suddenly, I wasn't naked anymore, except for the pair of white boxers, but I was in the woods in full armor, and the battle was out in the distance from the woods in the clearing.  I had escaped from the war. (The mature will take no sides and so be hated by both.  Father will save them from this Beast through the armor of God's Word. And then taking their authority over their old man and all the power of the enemy.) I was now in full armor and riding a big horse and holding a huge axe. (Representing having the beastly flesh under authority with the weapons of spiritual warfare.) I looked down where there was a green demon lying crippled and close to dying. (Green represents life and demons represent the true spiritual enemy; hence, they will be losing their spiritual life or power through those who conquer the old man.) He was lying next to a stump of a cut-down tree. (Like with Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonish America is falling to internal and external foes for seven years of madness in leadership.) He was still talking trash, saying he would kill me and so on. I got off the horse and lopped off his head. (Through conquering the old man, we have full authority over all the power of the enemy. (Luk.9:1) And he called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ... (10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.) End of dream.   Fear Not For I Am With Thee Tianna Fire - 12/31/22 (David's notes in red)  The Holy Spirit was speaking to me through my husband, Samuel, and I felt the presence of God strongly. However, my flesh was fearful, as I could feel parts of my old nature dying. It was being washed away, and the Holy Spirit was increasing inside of me. (I feel sometimes my flesh fears dying to self, although the spirit and soul desire it. The enemy knows he is defeated and works with the flesh to grasp at every straw in order to survive.) (Rom.8:13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live.) I was really just desiring to hold onto Jesus, and I was agreeing with the Spirit and not wanting to give in to the flesh's fear. (When we are faithful to receive the Word of the Lord through His vessels and submit to it, our spirit man is strengthened as it is washed clean from the filthiness of the old man. My husband Samuel represents our spiritual Husband, Jesus. When we submit ourselves to the authority of His Word, we bear His fruit in our lives.)   I then saw, to my right, Jesus' giant hand come through the roof of our home and rest in front of mine, indicating and welcoming me to hold His hand. I put my hand where I saw His and felt an abundance of peace and comfort, knowing that He is always there and He won't let me go. He knows what I am experiencing, and He will get me through it. He has already gone through it all for me. (Mat.11:28-30) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. And (Joh.16:33) In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.) He is patiently waiting for us also to grab His hand [and lean upon His strength]. (Isa.41:10) fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.   Victory Assured for God's Army B. A. - 02/23/2012 (David's notes in red) I saw myself inside a worldly Marine Commander's tent on a battlefield. (Symbolizing a worldly religious leader.) The Commander was going over rescue plans with three of his Special Ops Men. (Leading his brethren to rescue one captive to demonic forces.) Earlier that day, one of the men named Brad in his platoon had been taken captive by the enemy while trying to take a nearby city. (“Brad” is short for “Bradley”, meaning “broad meadow”. Possibly symbolizing in this case, bearing the fruit of much flesh, since Peter said, “All flesh is as grass”. These are the people who get overcome by the enemy spirits easily.) After receiving their orders, the three Special Ops Men set out to rescue Brad (an acronym for bruised, rejected and defeated). Ops Man #1 went in first. As soon as he took two steps into the city, he was confronted by the largest enemy he had ever seen in his life. He pulled out his gun and fired, but the bullet came out of the chamber and fell onto the ground. He had no choice but to surrender. Next, Ops Man #2 was sent in. He saw the mistake Ops Man #1 made, so he decided he would use a hand grenade so he wouldn't have to get too close to the enemy. He pulled the pin and threw the grenade at the enemy, but the grenade was a dud. He was captured and taken prisoner along with Ops Man #1. Lastly, Ops Man #3 went in. His strategy was to get down on his belly and sneak his way around the enemy. What he didn't know was that the enemy saw him coming. When he got just a few feet into the city, the enemy came up behind him and knocked him out. All three of these men were thrown into prison with Brad. (2Co.10:3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (4) (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds.) Upon hearing this grim report, the worldly Marine Commander was at a loss as to what to do next since all of his TOP men had been taken prisoner. (When the leadership is taken captive to demonic forces, they are in a ‘work' they are not qualified to do.) His Lieutenant said, “Sir, there is a young Private from another army waiting outside to see you”. The Commander asked him, “What army is he from?” The Lieutenant said, “I don't know, sir, but I think you should at least see this Private”. (Turns out he is just a Private in God's army, which is higher in rank and authority than all of the carnal armies. (Psa.8:2) Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength, Because of thine adversaries, That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. If you have the two-edged sword of the Word, saint, you have the authority over the demonic forces holding the immature Christians captive.) So the Commander granted Private entrance into his tent. The Commander asked, “Son, do you understand the gravity of this situation?” The Private answered, “Yes, sir, I do”. The Commander asked, “Well, son, what makes you think that you have what it takes to rescue these men?” The Private said, “Sir, with all due respect, this kind of war can't be fought by worldly standards and weapons”. (Eph.6:10) Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].) The Commander asked, “What do you mean by that statement?” The Private stated, “Sir, this is a very different kind of war and requires higher intelligence and weaponry. My Commander (The Word in our heart is Commander Jesus) sent me to you as He said I would be capable of handling this rescue alone. Upon your approval, Commander, I would like to try”. (The disciple is full of faith and confidence. (Mar.16:17) And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons.)  The Commander said, “Alright, Private, I'll give you a shot at it, but if you get captured you are on your own”. The Private stated that he understood the risks, but he knew he would be fine. As the Private neared the city, he dropped to his knees, bowed his head, and began to pray. When he finished his prayer and thanked the Lord, he proceeded onward. Upon entering the city, he was immediately confronted with enemy #1, Rebellion. He was a BIG ENEMY, ugly and hideous. Rebellion said to the Private, “Haven't I seen you somewhere before? You sure look familiar”. Private said, “Oh, yeah, we've met”. Rebellion said, “You look pretty scrawny, Private. I can't believe they would send somebody like you in here”. (Zec.4:6)... Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts. While Rebellion was running off at the mouth, he didn't see Private pull out the large bazooka he had hidden behind his back. Private took aim and pulled the trigger. A large, powerful blast of water hit Rebellion right in the heart. It blew him into so many pieces he looked like snowflakes coming to the ground. (The washing of water with the Word is our authority to convict others of sin and to cast out their enemy.) Next, Private was going around a corner onto the next street, and there he was -- archenemy Anger was standing there with a big grin on his ugly face. He said, “Well if it isn't little ol' Private. I sure didn't expect to see you here”. Private said, “No, I don't expect you did”. Anger raised up his weapon to fire on Private and said, “Might as well get this over with quickly; it's lunch time and I'm hungry”. Private said, “I couldn't agree more”. He pulled out his weapon, and before Anger could get off a shot, Private hit him right in the middle of his forehead and he fell dead like a rock. (Conquering the mind of the flesh in which anger can live. (2Co.10:5) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ ...)  Private stopped and sang praises and thanks to the Lord, then proceeded on. He hadn't gone far when out popped Bitterness from behind a bus. Bitterness yelled out to Private from a distance, “Hey, Private, remember me? I whipped you good the last time I saw you.” Private stated back in a calm and controlled voice, “I remember, Bitterness. I wasn't prepared for your attack last time, but all that has changed”. Bitterness took a deep breath and spat a deadly, green-looking slime out of his mouth (slander and criticism) to destroy Private. Private remembered the last attack, so he was ready. He took aim and hit Bitterness right in the mouth and knocked his head onto the ground. (He destroyed the mind of flesh with the Word.) Private found the captives and led them out of the city. It was late in the day, so they stopped to camp for the night. Private expected victory, so he had brought plenty of food and water for himself and the captives.  Later, as they were sitting and warming themselves by the fire, the four men asked Private how he was able to rescue them all by himself. (Psa.149:6) [Let] the high praises of God [be] in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand; (7) To execute vengeance upon the nations, And punishments upon the peoples; (8) To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; (9) To execute upon them the judgment written: This honor have all his saints. Praise ye Jehovah. Even the least Private outranks the demonic nobles and kings over this world.  (Luk.10:17) And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us in thy name. (18) And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. (20) Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (21) In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding (the Commanders of apostate religion), and didst reveal them unto babes (or Privates): yea, Father; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. He told them about this special army he was in and how wonderful his Commanding Officer was to all the men. He told them his Commanding Officer wrote an awesome book (the Bible) that contained absolute truths and strategies on how to defeat your enemies. The Private told them that after completing this training, you won't have any problems defeating your enemies. He said, “I was once like you. I got my instructions from the world and I wasn't very successful in defeating my enemies. My Commander and His book changed my entire life”. Upon hearing this Real Good News, these men wanted to know more about the Private's Commander and this awesome book. Private spent all night reading the book to these men. In the morning, they all made their way back to base camp. Private delivered the four men back to their Commander. As Private turned around to leave, the worldly Commander stopped him and said, “Son, you can't leave yet. We have a reward for you”. Private stated, “Sir, with all due respect, I can't accept that reward, as it belongs to my Commander, not me. (Jesus warned us not to receive the glory of men or we would not have the glory of God.) You see, sir, it was my Commander (Jesus) and His weapon (the Word of God) that rescued these men. I was just the vessel He used to accomplish His mission. As Private was walking out the door, the four men that he had rescued came running up to join him. They told Private they had resigned from their army and they wanted to join up with his army. They couldn't wait to meet his Commander and learn more from that awesome book. Private was happy to take these new recruits to meet his awesome Commander.   Torment to Those Who Fight Back  G. C. - 04/28/2009 (David's notes in red) In this dream, I recall being inside a house that was owned by a semi-Christian believer who is in sin with his girlfriend. I had left his house and went into the street to sleep with nothing but a coat on the ground to lie on. Looking back, it was almost like I was downtrodden, but I would rather be in the street than in a household of sinners.  As I was lying there, a group of men from my past gathered around me. These were guys whom I had known in my high school days and thereafter; men that I had partied with and hung out with, but I always knew had hatred for me. They started to kick me in the head and curse me. They were beating me like a dog in the street. I looked around at them and noticed one of them was a recent convert of the Lord, whom I have been helping to disciple. I was shocked to see him in the midst of these attackers because I have done so much for him, by sending him money and food, writing him letters of encouragement, and being the only person there for him during his time of trouble. I cried out to him, “Why are you just standing there? I have done so much for you!” He just ignored me and watched as I was beaten.  As the attack went on, my anger was kindled, and I began to fight back, but with Samson-like power. They could not stand before me. I was knocking them down like bowling pins. I knew that this was not Godly behavior, but the persecution was so intense that my flesh prevailed and fought back with the attackers. (Jesus said, “Turn the other cheek”; “Forgive and you will be forgiven”; “Love your enemies”; “Resist not him that is evil”; “He that lives by the sword will die by the sword”; etc. Paul said by the Lord, “Overcome evil with good”; “Avenge not yourselves”; “Render to no man evil for evil”; “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord”; “Bless them that persecute you; bless and curse not”. Obedience to these commands is to take up our cross and follow Jesus so we can be His disciples.) All the while, I was so distressed that this brother had sided with the heathen. After I physically prevailed against them, I remember being in severe trouble with the police department and court system.  Very heavy charges had been brought against me for attacking the men, even though I was merely defending myself. The world had completely sided with the men, and I was under severe judgment. They brought me before rulers and councils that were always against me. A sense of fear and dread lay heavy upon me throughout the dream. I was so scared and hopeless. I was in so much trouble and was facing many years in prison for my crimes. I remember making so many excuses for my actions and trying to justify my behavior, but it was all to no avail. Not only did none of the authorities side with me, I also had no boldness before the Lord. You must understand that throughout the dream I felt my life was over; it was like a nightmare. I wanted to wake up from the nightmare but could not; it was like I was trapped in this other realm where nothing made sense and I could not get out. After what seemed like weeks and weeks, I found myself in a room with an arbitrator and the men, all of whom were in agreement that I was in the wrong. I finally got the revelation that I had to forgive them and apologize to them for fighting back. I did not make any excuses and just asked my enemies to forgive me and said that I should never have hit them. AS SOON AS I DID THESE THINGS, I INSTANTLY WOKE UP FROM THE NIGHTMARE. IT WAS LIKE BEING LET OUT OF PRISON. THE DREAD LEFT ME AND I WAS FREE.  I realized God was teaching me that soon I may be attacked and persecuted, even by Christians, but I cannot get offended or fight back. It will be better in the end for me if I suffer and take it all patiently. There may be times when we may feel alone, and many will leave our side, even those we have helped, but we cannot fight or get offended. Even if we do fight back in defense, the world and its authority will side with the worldly, and we will be in trouble for doing what only seemed natural. (And the Lord will not help us until we repent and forgive, just as Jesus taught His disciples.) Important related teachings:  The Sword or the Cross? How Shall We Die? Audio Series Let me share the following with you from our book, How Shall We Die? This is available for free download on our website. When we submit to the Word of God, we die to our old self. We've learned that Jesus' teachings concerning this nonresistance, submission to governments, loving your enemy, turning the other cheek, and so on, are very crucifying, but they're commanded of the Lord and, as we obey Him, He is going to come to be manifested in us. I'd like to look further at this in the Book of John.  One of the biggest problems I've seen is that God's people have a problem discovering where the kingdom of the world stops, and the kingdom of heaven starts. We really need to delineate that very explicitly with the Word of God. (Joh.18:36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. In the Old Covenant the Jews had a natural kingdom, a physical kingdom. In the New Covenant it's obviously not that way – it's a spiritual kingdom, as we're going to see as we read on. Theirs was a very worldly kingdom. They were wrestling with flesh and blood, but our battle is with the principalities and powers as Ephesians 6:12 shows. Jesus said that His servants wouldn't fight, even to deliver Him from death, or from the Jews, or from the Beast kingdom, which was the Roman Empire at that time. His servants wouldn't fight because they were defending a different kind of kingdom, and they were using a different kind of sword. Jesus also went to His cross, physically, as a type and a shadow of us going to our cross, spiritually. (Mat.16:24) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (25) For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. Except we take up our cross and follow Him, except we lose our life, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. The word “life” there is psuchē, not the physical life, but our soulish life. So, in order to walk in His steps, we follow Jesus' physical crucifixion by going to our spiritual crucifixion of self. Part of that is submitting to His Word, even when it disagrees with our worldly desires. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight.” But since His Kingdom is not a worldly kingdom at all, His servants do not fight, even to defend Him or to defend themselves. However, we do have One Who fights for us, don't we? In fact, His power is far greater than anything we could wield. Jesus told His disciples, “Don't you know, I could call 12 legions of angels if I wanted help? You don't have to bring out that puny sword.” 12 legions of angels! A Roman legion was between 4500 and 6000 men. And we also have angels. If we depend on God, His power is made perfect in our weakness. If we want to see the power of God to defend us, then we have got to quit trying to defend ourselves. What kind of kingdom is Jesus talking about? Peter says, “But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1Pe.2:9). He is speaking here to those who are born again; it says He “begat us again” (3). Those who are born again belong to this holy nation – “holy” meaning separate, sanctified, separated from the world. All of God's born-again people are one holy nation that covers the globe, and we know He's no respecter of persons. (9) But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. He said that they're “a royal priesthood.” We know that this is spiritual and not physical because of this verse: (5) Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We're spiritual priests; we offer up spiritual sacrifices to the Lord. As a chosen generation, we are a spiritual Kingdom, not a physical kingdom whatsoever.  The Lord has told us in the New Testament that He is not a respecter of persons. Whether He's talking about Jews or Gentiles, He uses that phrase. When He's talking about servants and masters He uses it as well. He's not a respecter of persons because He judges them alike. Read what Peter said to the Gentiles: (Act.10:34) And Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (35) but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. Out of all nations, God has made one nation of those who are born again. By the way, this nation is still called Israel. As it says in Romans 11, those who walk by faith have been grafted into that olive tree that's called “all Israel.” Read it.  We are now Jews according to the Spirit. We are now priests who offer spiritual sacrifices, the most important of which is that we offer up our bodies as living sacrifices. That means we offer this body up to serve the Lord and not to serve ourselves. In this manner, our reason rails against the fact that the Lord does not permit us to go along with the world by warring with one another, or defending ourselves with weapons, or anything like that. He has told us to submit to the governments and authorities around us, which, in some cases, does not sit well with our reason, especially when they're so contrary to the ways of the Kingdom. But He says it, and we do it because we've decided that He knows more than we do. (Jas.2:1) My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory, with respect of persons. (9) But if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. The Bible also warns us: (2Co.5:16) Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh…. It doesn't matter what nation a Christian comes from – they are our brethren. As a matter of fact, they are our brethren, but the natural people around us who don't know God are not. Many times Christians make alliances and allegiances with the wicked people around them, the antichrist people around them. But that's not our Kingdom. We're to “know no man after the flesh.” We know no one by skin color, nationality, or tongue. We're all one in Christ Jesus, Galatians tells us. There are no physical attributes that God accepts. He only wants born-again people. The Lord says that His Kingdom is quite different than the physical kingdom. (Luk.17:20) And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. Now what were they expecting? They were expecting a physical kingdom. Many Christians really think this is a kingdom today, a kingdom of some religious organization of people on earth. There's nothing that we can see that is the Kingdom of God – not our church building, not our preacher; everything we're looking at is not the Kingdom of God. It is the born-again man that is the Kingdom of God. (21) Neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you. That's what the Numeric version says, but it's a strange thing that the phrase “within you” can also be translated “in the midst of you.” As a matter of fact, in the footnote, the Numeric version says that either one of these translations has a numeric pattern because it means both of those things. It means “in the midst of you,” as in “among the disciples, between the disciples”; and it also means “within you” is the Kingdom of God. “Flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God” (1Co.15:50). That's why I said, “No, not your pastor,” because the man you're looking at there is not going to inherit the Kingdom. It's the spiritual man on the inside. He's even going to get a new body to inherit the Kingdom if he's born again, serving the Lord and bearing fruit. So there's nothing physical; it is the spiritual that counts, and in the spiritual Kingdom of God, we fight with the spiritual methods.  We have powerful weapons that the world knows nothing about and that it cannot resist. (2Co.10:3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (4) (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds). Their weapons are useless against the weapons of our warfare, which are not fleshly or carnal.  Many people fear that if they give up their right to defend themselves or their country, God can't take care of them. Well, as we saw, 12 legions of angels are at His disposal. If He just sends one to be by your side (and we know from the Scriptures that you have at least one), that one could kill 185,000 men, so that angel can certainly take care of you. The more we learn to put our faith in Him, the more we see that our puny weapons are worthless and that we shouldn't make any allegiances with nations that are not our nation.  Many people lean upon patriotism to a natural nation, which is not God's Kingdom and not of God's Kingdom and is a very dangerous and foolish thing to do. In fact, it says we're all just strangers passing through. (Heb.11:13) These all died in faith, not having received the promises (those are the New Testament promises), but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. This earth is passing away, but our Kingdom is eternal. We are not to pledge our allegiance to this world. (14) For they that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own. Meaning, of course, that if we're just strangers and pilgrims, that this is not our country. We're seeking after one that is our own. (15) And if indeed they had been mindful of that [country] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. Do you know that many people do return to bondage, to allegiance to nations that are not their nation? We belong to one nation; it's a worldwide, spiritual nation, but it's a real nation, and we are spiritual priests in that spiritual house with spiritual sacrifices. (16) But now they desire a better [country], that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.  God is not ashamed of those who don't claim that this world is their home or that this nation is their nation, but who claim citizenship of the spiritual nation, whose spiritual city, the New Jerusalem, is their capital. For the rest, who are members of the world, who have united themselves with the world, it's a different story. I know that God's grace covers our ignorance. Thank God for that. We're very ignorant, but God, by His mercy and by His grace, forgives us, and that's great; but when we get knowledge and understanding, we have to do something with it. This relates to what we're talking about here. If we don't act on what we see here to become a “holy” nation, which means a “separate, or sanctified” nation, then God is ashamed of us.  We see this separation here: (2Co.6:14) Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers…. Would you go out and fight for the world? Would you defend an antichrist kingdom? That's what the Bible says you'd be doing. Would you go out and kill the devil's servants for the devil? That happens, too, because we have brothers and sisters all over the world and some of them are ignorant; some are in the foreign militaries, and they think they're fighting patriotically for their country. But we see from the Scriptures that that's not so. We have one country and we are ambassadors for that country. (14) Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity…? Even what the world calls “good people” are not our brothers and sisters. We have a holy nation, a separate nation. (14) … Or what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial…? If you're fighting for a nation of this world, guess who the god of this world is? Who is it who causes nations to go out and kill each other by the thousands and hundreds of thousands? Do you think that is righteous? We've been deceived about this. When we join with the world against the world, we're leaving our Kingdom. (15) … Or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? (16) And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Now what is he talking about? What does it mean to yoke with the unbeliever? Obviously, we can do it with war, politics, marriage, business – we can do it in so many ways, but God says, “Don't do it.” We can reason our way out of it, or we can seek to do His will. I understand that sometimes a person comes into this knowledge and they're already yoked in a situation like that. We can be unequally yoked in a marriage, and God says not to leave them because how do we know that they might not be saved or sanctified through our faith? (1 Corinthians 7:16) We can't tell a Jew by looking at the flesh anymore. They might be one of those chosen from the foundation of the world, but we have to wait and see. (1Co.7:15) Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart…. We're not bound in such a case. After acquiring knowledge, we don't want to enter into an unequally yoked situation like that. We can marry, but only in the Lord (1 Corinthians 7). Concerning politics, some people say, “I'm a Republican.” Oh, really? Wouldn't you just rather stand for the Lord? Wouldn't you rather do what He wants you to do? And besides, He's going to install any kind of government He wants anyway; and usually they are vessels of dishonor, not vessels of honor, to fulfill His Will. Especially when you're talking about an end-time Beast government that God is putting together to chasten His people, to bring them to their cross, to which they refuse to go. So you see, God doesn't necessarily want good vessels in the government to do that, but many people are deceived into thinking that they can vote in godly people. It just hasn't ever worked that way. That's not God's plan. So, with politics, with war, should we become unequally yoked with a bunch of people who are antichrist to go and kill other people for the devil? There is no physical warfare in our Kingdom. It's all spiritual warfare: turn the other cheek; love your enemy; do good to them that despitefully use you. Why would we reunite? Why would we go back to the country from which we are coming out, as Paul said? God is not ashamed to call us His children and Himself our God. If we're looking for that spiritual country, we're not pledging allegiance to a wicked nation of this world. (2Co.6:17) Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord…. Some people think that's just talking about the Harlot. Well, that's part of it because the Harlot is a worldly church. They have more affinity for the world than they do for the Lord. But it's also talking about coming out of the world, if you look at the text. Make no allegiances with the world. (17) … And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you. We want the Lord to receive us in all things, but we're not willing to give up the world to do it. (18) And I will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Notice that sonship comes to those who become separate from the world.  Sometimes God will separate us from allegiance to the world and from being unequally yoked. We should accept it when the Lord does that. (1Co.7:15) Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart…. That's an example, but Paul goes even deeper: (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. We are not to join with the world in their bitterness, their anger, their lust against other nations, because we don't know anybody after the flesh. We don't have an allegiance to one man who is maybe one color, or maybe one nationality, against another man. The Lord is no respecter of persons, and we're also forbidden to do so. James said it was a sin. We don't hold one man more valuable than another man, especially when referring to a bunch of lost people in the world. They all belong to one another. But when we come into the Kingdom, we are one holy nation worldwide, and God has called us to be separate, in order for us to be sons of God. Praise God! You may say, “That's radically different, David.” Well, no, it's been there all the time. We're just reading the black and white here. There's nothing really hidden about this. (1Jn.5:19) We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one. All of the world- what men call “good people” and what men call “bad people,” they're all in the devil, all in the evil one, and he is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). We are in the world, but we are not of the world, according to what Jesus said. We're just passing through, on our way to a spiritual and eternal Kingdom. God doesn't appreciate it when we make allegiances and alliances with the wicked. He wants us to be separate.  That's made very plain here: (1Jn.4:1) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. So he's talking about the spirits of people here. (2) Hereby know ye the Spirit of God (he's talking about the Spirit of God in people): every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (When we run into the spirit in a person that confesses that Jesus is in that flesh, that's the Spirit of God.): (3) and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, (Notice: Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is the spirit of antichrist.) whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already.  Lots of people have that theology, but every time the word “antichrist” is mentioned in the Scriptures, it's not talking about an individual; in every case it's talking about the corporate spirit of all lost mankind. Antichrist is as close to us as the next pagan, the next lost person. (4) Ye are of God, [my] little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. (1Jn.4:5) They are of the world: therefore speak they [as] of the world, and the world heareth them. There is He that is in you and he that is in the world. These are two nations – the nation of the world and the nation of God's people. That is the nation of Christ and the nation of antichrist. (6) We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. The whole world, Jesus said, is going to hate us; all nations are going to hate us. The reason God is going to do that is to get God's people to join together. What way can God's people come to realize that the kingdom they live in and have patriotism toward is not the Kingdom of God, other than by turning it to hate them? The pharisees were at the top of a kingdom that hated Jesus. Many preachers who claim Jesus hate His Word and Him. And God will, for His name's sake, turn the whole world to hate His people. He caused the Egyptians' hearts to hate His people, and in these days God is going to do the same thing because God's people do not know that this world is not God's Kingdom and that they will never build God's Kingdom in America or any other place. God's Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. God's people must also realize who the enemy is. There's “He that's in us”, and there's “he that's in the world”, who is Satan in the body of all lost mankind. He that is in us is Christ from heaven. The Beast from the pit is in the lost, and Christ from heaven is growing in all born-again believers. Jesus said,“He that is not with me is against me” (Mat.12:30). That's anti (against); that is antichrist. “The whole world lieth in the evil one,” Scripture says. Satan is the god of this world. Would you be patriotic for a nation overwhelmingly made up of antichrist people? Don't you realize those are the devil's people? No, we're not here to judge them; we're here to bring them the Gospel, to offer them the grace of the Kingdom, and we will see which among them is chosen of God because “he who is of God hears the words of God.” We are to be separate, to have “no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph.5:11). “Fellowship” means “having in common.” It means “giving and receiving.” We are not to receive the things of the wicked world. We have fellowship with the world many times when we're just sitting there, feeding on that old TV or social media because we're polluting ourselves. (1Co.5:6) … A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. God wants us to have fellowship, “having in common,” with His Word, fellowship with Jesus Christ. Once a person is joined patriotically to the world, they're joined to a spirit that has murdered as many people as religion. Those are the two major killers of people – religion and patriotism. Some of you may say, “I never thought of it that way, David.” No, some of you are probably as mad as a wet hen at me right now, but it doesn't make any difference. This is the Word of God. Straight out of the Word, it says that we need to separate from this wicked world. They live according to their lust; they wage war against other nations because they think they have a right to. God says that we don't have a right to. We're to love our enemies; that's what He commanded. We're to offer them the Gospel, not a sword. What does it mean to worship the image of the Beast? We see the image of the Beast in Daniel chapter three and a revelation of it in Daniel chapter two. It is all the nations of the lost people of the world in one image of a corporate man; there's “the Antichrist” right there. Are we members of that? Are we patriotic toward that? (1Jn.2:15) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Eternal life has to do with our doing the Will of God. Some of these things that we're looking at are not popular, but they will separate us from the world, and that's what's necessary to be sanctified. (Heb.12:14) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification (separation) without which no man shall see the Lord.  Sanctification is this process of separating us from the world, from sin, from evil, from these antichrist people around us, unto the Kingdom of God, the one holy nation that does not recognize race, creed, or nationality. Obviously, when we get fully in the Kingdom of God, into heaven, we're going to have so many brothers and sisters that we'll be glad for the variety. God is; He created them all. Many a young man has gone out and died for a nation because of the vainglory of life, as he tells us in verse 16, and they think they're going to have great glory fighting for this world, but there's no glory in it. It's contrary to God's way; it's contrary to His nature. He hates it. The people who are being killed are the very people that we're supposed to be offering eternal life to, and yet, we're sending them off to eternal damnation. What are we here for? Wars don't come from God. (Jas.4:1) Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come] they not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members? There are no just wars. We are not to go to war along with the world, if we want to enter the spiritual, eternal Kingdom of God and not have God be ashamed of us. But if we're going to war with the world after we receive knowledge, God is ashamed of us. Now I'm not saying that God is condemning our forefathers here in America for the wars that they fought. The great thing about God is, To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (Jas.4:17). But the Lord wants us to grow up in this day, so when we look at these things, He wants us to act on them. It doesn't matter that our forefathers fought and died to give freedom to America. That has nothing to do with what God is doing with us here and now. He is creating sons of God in these days. Jesus, the Son of God, cannot even be imagined as taking up a weapon and fighting for natural Israel. As a matter of fact, when Jesus prophesied, He prophesied judgment on natural Israel and talked about the Beast kingdoms encompassing them and destroying them. And He was on God's side. That's where we have to be, on God's side. No matter what nation we come from, we have to be on God's side. What does God think? What does He want? (2) Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain... People fight over land; they fight over oil; they fight over what they think is injustice. They war with other nations and kill thousands of people, and the sad thing is the political Christians today don't understand that that's all of the devil, and they're pushing for it. (2) … Ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. Whatever we need, just ask God. (Mar.11:24) … All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. What do we need to take away from anybody else? Why is it that people need the world anyway? What's wrong with a simple life? People lust after so much. Wars come from it because people lust after things they could have for the asking. God will take care of it. (Jas.4:3) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend [it] in your pleasures. (4) Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? What does he call the friendship of the world? Well, those who go out and fight with the world. (4) … Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. If we're going to go out and make an unholy alliance with the wicked world, we become the enemy of God because now we become a member of the body of antichrist. We want to be separate, sanctified from the wicked world, having “no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.” We are to share God with the world, not be part of them. People say, “Well, David, what am I supposed to do if someone attacks my family? Am I supposed to just stand there and look at them or am I supposed to do something physical to take care of this?” Do you remember the words of Jesus? (Mat.26:52) Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. They thought they were just defending family; He called them transgressors. In Luke 22, those who took the sword were transgressors. “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” That doesn't sound like you're taking care of your family. That sounds to me like you're coming across as fighting against God and, ultimately, it will cost you. (53) Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and He shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? Does God promise to protect us with His angels? Sometimes not, if we protect ourselves. God says that His power is made perfect in our weakness. We don't ever get to see God defend us until we quit defending ourselves, and basically, that's what He was saying here. What did God say about the angels defending His people? (Psa.91:10) There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. (11) For he will give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Wow! He's talking about those who are in the “secret place of the Most High”, those who are abiding in Christ! How do we abide in Christ? By obeying His commands. (1Jn.2:24) As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. What we heard from the beginning is that which is written in His Book. If we abide in the Son, He promises His angels will take charge over us, to keep us. (Psa.91:12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. We can't even have an accident when we're abiding in Christ. Notice that they will protect you if you believe it. They will keep you. If you ask, “But what if somebody attacks?” you're denying the Lord here. You're denying what the Word of God says very plainly. (13) Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under foot. That seems like a pretty dangerous thing to do and it's a good way to get bitten if we're not walking with the Lord, but we're talking about the protection of God for those who abide in Him. Recently I was raking some leaves out of my way with my fingers, which caught a copperhead underneath and flipped him out. He was mad but I stomped on him. Think about Daniel in the lion's den. Why did God close the mouths of lions? Daniel was abiding in the secret place. And would He only do that for Daniel? No. (Psa.91:14) Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him…. Who is it who loves the Lord? He said, those who keep His commands. You see, when you have obeyed these things that we're looking at, you love the Lord, and you're abiding in the secret place of the Most High. Your enemy can't find the secret place.  Don't think about what things happen in the world, as if you're in the world. Don't compare yourself with the world. If you want to see God defend you, stop defending yourself. His “power is made perfect in weakness” (2Co.12:9). (Psa.91:14) Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. God holds your faith and your trust in Him very highly, but not all the “what ifs” that the devil can put into your mind. (15) He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and honor him. (16) With long life will I satisfy him, And show him my salvation. Wasn't Jesus saying this when He was speaking to Peter? “Put up your sword. All they that take the sword are going to die by the sword. Don't you know I could call 12 legions of angels?” What kind of puny defense is a sword or a gun? How many people get killed with their own swords and their own guns? But we're not taking any chances when we lean on God. We can lean on the medical profession and die of all sorts of things. Even their medicine has killed many. Some people think, “Oh, I'll take my chances, David. I need to trust in my gun and drugs.” You need to trust the Lord. You are taking a chance any other way. Jer 17:5  Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah.  Wouldn't you rather have a defense like this? (Psa.34:7) The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them. You might not even have the chance to get to your gun. I remember a testimony of a man a few years ago who picked up a hitchhiker. The guy shot him three times point blank, and he was never touched by the bullets. They don't even know what happened to the bullets. An assassin shot at me close range and my angel disappeared the bullet and there was a witness. Michael and I were in his truck sliding down a steep hill on ice. I saw clearly our vehicle pass THROUGH a parked car on the side of the road and our tracks in the snow proved it. (8) Oh taste and see that the Lord is good (we just need to taste and see): Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him. If we trust in ourself, we're not taking refuge in Him. We haven't put our trust in Him. God will guide you around or through a lot of these things that happen to the wicked. We have a Passover Lamb. (1Co.5:7) … For our passover also hath been sacrificed, [even] Christ. The Passover Lamb is for us to be delivered from the curse on this world. The death angel, the curse, passed over the Israelites who had the blood on their doorposts, but the death angel destroyed the Egyptians all around them. If we're really going to be believers, we don't need to listen to these horror stories that happen to the world because it normally happens to the world; they're the Egyptians. We have a Savior, and part of our covenant is deliverance. Now, I know that not everybody partakes of all of the Covenant. They take a part, bits and pieces here and there, and in the part that they believe, they partake of. But the part they don't believe in doesn't do them any good. (Hos.4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (understanding)…. God's people are destroyed because they don't agree with this Word. Many are trusting in their ability to shoot straight or to have enough ammunition stored up in the house. And to hold off whom? I have an acquaintance who lived not too far from me, and when my kids were growing up, I went to his house, and it was an arsenal. The guy had bazookas and everything. I said, “Man, what are you getting ready for?” He said, “I'm getting ready for the Germans.” So I told him, “You'd better get ready for the Americans because they may be coming to get you.” And that's the truth. We'd better get ready for the church to come against us. We'd better get ready for this Beast government to come against us when we don't take their mark. Forget about the Germans. Oh, they're coming, but they're coming to take care of the Americans who persecute the Christians. That's how it's going to happen. But “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him.” That guy's liable to blow himself up over there with all that stuff, or his wife might fall out with him and just shoot him with something, since it's nice and handy. I hope it's not a bazooka. At any rate, if we trust the Lord, there's nothing that any man can do if we put our faith and our trust in Him and abide in the secret place of the Most High. So don't give ear to all these horror stories – “What if this? What if that?” That's just the devil. We have something sure here to depend upon. The Lord says that we have these angels round about us. They won't even let us dash our foot against a stone. They'll protect us in the days to come. We can trust in God.  “The angels are mighty,” the Bible says in Psalm 103. But I'm not trusting in angels; I'm trusting in God. (Psa.103:19) The Lord hath established his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all. (20) Bless the Lord, ye his angels, That are mighty in strength, that fulfil his word, Hearkening unto the voice of his word. Did you know that we have to be entitled for these words to be fulfilled on us and for us? We have to walk by faith, so that when the angels hearken unto the voice of His Word, they are “ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation” (Heb.1:14). (Psa.103:21) Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts, Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. (22) Bless the Lord, all ye his works, In all places of his dominion: Bless the Lord, O my soul. The Lord God Almighty is our Savior in all things, and He will defend us and keep us. Jesus laid down His life, but no one took His life. (Joh.10:17) Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. (18) No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself…. When they tried, He just passed through their midst. The Lord told me years ago that bodily translation will be common in the days to come. Can you imagine, if you're not able to buy and sell or get on a jet plane to go from here to there, what God is going to do to get His Gospel all over the world? He says that it's going to happen. He can translate you into trouble, and He can translate you out of trouble. We heard a testimony here not too long ago of a minister who was in Africa. He was being accosted by a witch doctor, and God snatched up that witch doctor and threw him over in the midst of the deep, dark woods; it took him a week to walk out of there. God can protect you. He can take the enemy out, or He can take you out. Or He can just stop the bullets, but He can protect you. We need to put our trust in Him to find out what that's like. You know, we're in the minority here, as the people who trust in God. All the horror stories, all the statistics that you hear are overwhelmingly about what happens to unbelievers. Find some statistics about those who trust in the Lord. That's a small and narrow group of people, I agree, because even most Christians don't trust in the Lord. We need to find out what that's like because we're coming to the most dangerous time in all of history. Jesus said, “ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake” (Mat.24:9). God's raising up a great enemy. We're going to need to know how to walk in “the secret place of the Most High”; we're going to need to know how to put our trust in the Passover Lamb, so the death angel will pass over, no matter what. Every one of you out there who is a born-again child of God, you have an angel whose job it is to protect you. Believe me, no man on this earth can do anything to you without God's Will. God bless you, saints. I just pray that you'll be full of faith and seek out what it is to abide in Jesus Christ.

Peace with God is found through Jesus.Chandel Emerson reminds us that Jesus is Lord of all, and His Gospel is for everyone.

Doubt rarely defeats faith all at once. More often, it buzzes around the edges—persistent, distracting, and hard to ignore. In this opening sermon through the Gospel of Luke, we begin with Luke 1:1–4 and ask a simple but deeply important question: How can we know for sure?Luke writes so that believers may have certainty concerning the things they have been taught about Jesus. His Gospel is historically grounded, carefully researched, and intentionally organized. Luke places Jesus in real history, among real rulers, towns, roads, and eyewitnesses, reminding us that Christianity is not built on myths or abstract ideas, but on God acting in history through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.As a physician and careful investigator, Luke gathered testimony, compared accounts, and wrote an orderly narrative under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. His Gospel shows us Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promises, the One who forms a new people around His Word and table, and the Savior who sends His people out on mission.Throughout this series, we will trace three major themes: fulfilled, formed, and sent. We will see Jesus fulfilling the hopes of Scripture, forming a cross-shaped people, and sending Spirit-dependent witnesses to proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all nations.Whether you are meeting Jesus for the first time, wrestling with doubt, new to faith, or have followed Christ for years, Luke invites you to look again—and to know with certainty the truth of Jesus Christ and find assurance in God's Word.

How are you using the gifts, time, and opportunities God has entrusted to you? In today's Crosswalk Devotional, we reflect on Matthew 25:21 and Jesus' parable of the talents, reminding us that every resource, ability, and moment of our lives is an opportunity to glorify God. Faithful stewardship isn't measured by the size of what we've been given, but by our willingness to use it for His Kingdom. As followers of Christ, we have been called to live with an eternal perspective. Our time, talents, finances, relationships, and daily work all become acts of worship when they are surrendered to God. One day, every believer longs to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Living faithfully today prepares us for the joy of standing before our Savior tomorrow. Highlights: Discover what Matthew 25:21 teaches about faithful stewardship and eternal rewards. Learn why every gift, talent, and opportunity is entrusted to us for God's glory. Be encouraged to view your daily responsibilities as acts of worship and service. Understand how keeping an eternal perspective changes the way you spend your time and resources. Reflect on the difference between worshiping God and allowing worldly pursuits to become idols. Find practical encouragement to live each day with purpose, gratitude, and faithfulness. Join the Conversation What is one gift, talent, or opportunity God has entrusted to you that you want to steward more faithfully? How can you use it this week to glorify Him and serve others? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Continue the conversation with the Crosswalk community here: https://forums.crosswalk.com/ Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: Stewarding All God Has Given Us By: Emily Rose Massey Bible Reading:“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’” (Matthew 25:21, ESV). It’s a sobering thought for all of us that one day we will stand before the throne of God and be judged for how we lived our lives here on earth. For believers who are in Christ, we know our sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross, and we stand before the judgment seat totally forgiven. Tragically, for the unbeliever, they will be held accountable for every sin they have committed against the thrice-holy God and must suffer the consequences of their rebellion; Eternal torment under the wrath of God is their sentence, and the lake of fire will be their future home. Although the believer’s sins are no longer counted against them, they are still held accountable for the deeds they committed (or didn’t commit) for the sake of God’s Kingdom. As children of God, we are to shine brightly and reflect Him to the world. We do that by living our lives with the sole purpose of glorifying the Father; Through our good deeds, men who don’t even believe will glorify Him (Matthew 5:16). This life here on earth is a grace gift from God, and it should be our joy to thank Him by stewarding well every resource and talent we have been given. In Matthew 25, Christ shares a parable that reveals to us how we spend our life on earth matters; Every deed is recognized, and we will be rewarded by our Master and King: “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’” (Matthew 25:21, ESV). Intersecting Faith & Life: It’s often difficult to keep an eternal perspective in the midst of the mundane of life, but every moment is an opportunity to glorify Christ and continue in gratefulness and joy, no matter the task. Our life is worship unto our God. Worship is ascribing worth to something or someone; It is what you devote your time, your devotion, your affection, your finances, your heart to. If you allow yourself to really reflect on this, you will know in your heart where all those things in your life are going. Are you paying attention to where you are giving most of your life to? If you worship anyone or anything besides God Almighty, the Bible calls those people or those things idols. And when it comes to God, He doesn’t want you to give yourself away fully to anything or anyone but Him. He’s not egotistical or prideful. He just loves us so much and wants us to see the world and people as He does. The more we behold our King, the more we become like Him and long to reflect Him to a lost and dying world, using our life: time, resources, talents, finances, and good works to point others to Him. The world needs the hope of Christ, and we are to be carriers of that message that sets the captives free and gives them life eternal in Christ alone. We want to be faithful, obedient servants to our King so that we can see His Gospel and His Kingdom advance in the earth. Do you long to hear “well done, good and faithful servant”? May the Lord give you eyes to see many opportunities to serve Him with the life He has given you. Let us have a heart of gratitude for all the finances, time, talents, and passion that we can use to glorify His name and point others to Him. Ask the Lord to help you keep your mind fixed on eternal matters and say no to the entanglements of the world. Let us be wise with how we spend every day, making sure that everyone knows who we serve as followers of Christ. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to ignite a passion in our hearts to become a good steward of this precious life we have been given, all for God’s glory and name! Further Reading: Ephesians 5:15-16 1 John 2:17 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The early Church grew up in the firm expectation of the near return of Christ. The fact that He's delayed for 2000 years doesn't diminish the power of the promise nor the power of the message that Jesus gave, “Go preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. Freely you have received, freely give.” Jesus said, “Give! You don't have to provide the money, or take extra coats, shoes or anything… What I tell you in darkness, speak in light… And don't fear those who can kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but fear Him, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matt 10:7ff,26ff. Jesus is offering a Gospel that changes men. I'll never forget the simplicity of this Gospel when I was invited to preach in a high-security prison in Siberia in 1994. They allowed 30 minutes for worship, then I was to speak. The commanding officer told me, “200 of these men are serial murderers, 400 are serious sex offenders, the other 800 men are criminals of every kind. I beat them, I shoot them. What can your God do to change these men?” He could only offer brutality, no change. But Jesus brings life! I called on the Lord to tell me what to say. I preached love and forgiveness, a Gospel of change and power. The world today talks about violence, brutality, punishment. But I called on those men to repent. When I had finished, all 1,400 men were on their knees, and the guards with them too – crying out for God's forgiveness! The miracle was so great, 140 of those men, when they were released, became pastors and evangelists, and 30 years later, they're still working, still preaching Christ in the prisons in the Far East of Russia! Christian, preach the Gospel. God offers a message of hope, of love, of power to forgive sin, power to heal the sick. You see, God gives us Power! Jesus today has more Power on earth, more Authority, than any ruler or emperor! His Power is not to coerce and control, not to punish and destroy, but to bring healing and salvation of both body and soul. Reach out to Jesus! The Power is in His Gospel! Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/cvkPaIfTqqM  For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk 

Jesus is many things to us—Savior, Shepherd, Friend, Redeemer. But one picture the Church cannot afford to lose is this:Jesus is King, and He's coming again.So what are we supposed to do while we wait?In this message, we look at Acts 1, Matthew 9, 2 Peter 3, and Revelation 22 to discover that the return of Christ isn't meant to produce fear, endless speculation, or complacency. It should produce longing for His presence, urgency in our mission, and compassion for those who don't yet know Him.The King's delay is not neglect.His delay is mercy.May we be a Church that prays, “Come, Lord Jesus,” while faithfully carrying His Gospel to the ends of the earth.Scripture References:• Acts 1:6–11• Matthew 9:14–15• 2 Peter 3:8–15• Matthew 24:14• Revelation 22:20“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”Welcome to Living Hope Church! These podcasts are our weekly Sunday sermons. We hope you enjoy them.

Every believer is called to be a witness for Christ through both words and actions. In this message, discover what it means to represent Jesus faithfully and share His Gospel with boldness and compassion. Be equipped to live as an effective witness wherever God has placed you.

Next week marks the official 6-month celebration as the Metro East site of The Gathering! This Sunday, we're stepping away from our sermon series format so I can speak to you about the site. I want to share a vision of where God is calling us to over the next year, and that looks: INVITATION. Today, we are diving into Jesus' calling and mission to invite people to hear and experience the authentic Jesus and His Gospel.

This is message 12 in Understanding the Love of God 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 The Christian life is not sustained by human strength but by the faithful work of God. In a world filled with opposition, uncertainty, and spiritual conflict, the Lord establishes, guards, and guides His people with unwavering faithfulness. As He directs our hearts into the depths of His love, He produces steadfast obedience, confident endurance, and a joyful anticipation of Christ's return, anchoring us in the unchanging character of God. Don't forget to download our app for more from the Riverview Baptist Church. http://onelink.to/rbcapp Find more at https://riverviewbc.com/ Donate through Pushpay https://pushpay.com/pay/riverviewbc

After explaining the Gospel in Romans 1-5, Paul turns to dealing with distortions of its message. In Romans 6, he defended God's grace. Now in Romans 7, he defends God's Law. Paul knew that his statements about the Law in Romans may lead critics to suggest he thought the Law was bad. Yet he shouts in Romans 7:12, the Law is good! God's Law serves His purposes by exposing sin, yet sin seeks to seize this good Law and use it to kill us. Paul's argument that the Law is good, but the Gospel is better, will reach a crescendo in Romans 8:3-4– “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Take-Home Message: God's good Law exposes sin, but only His Gospel can defeat it.In Defense of the Law:The Law is not sinful; it exposes sin (7).The Law is not sinful; it is seized by sin (7b-8)The Law is not sinful; it is sin that kills me (9-13).Take-Home Lessons:God's Law is good.Sin can use good things for bad purposes.Sin kills me by lying to me.How does sin use the Law to lie to me?The lie of self-righteousness– I can keep the Law well enough to save myself.The lie of self-indulgence– I cannot keep the Law well enough to save myself, so I might as well get all the fleeting pleasure out of life that I can.The Gospel defeats sin where the Law could not.

The Secure MindPhilippians 4 Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we begin our study of the fourth and final chapter ofPaul's wonderful letter to the Philippians. As we begin this last chapter, I'dlike to remind you of the great theme that has run throughout this book.Philippians is often called "The Epistle of Joy." In these four shortchapters, Paul mentions joy or rejoicing at least sixteen times. What isamazing is that he wrote this letter while he was under house arrest in Rome,chained to a Roman soldier and awaiting trial before Caesar. Howcould Paul have such joy in the midst of such difficult circumstances? Theanswer is found in having the mind of Christ. In Philippians 2:5 Paul tells us,"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Aswe have walked through this letter together, we have discovered that eachchapter reveals another aspect of the mind of Christ that produces a joyfulheart. Inchapter one, we learned about the single mind. Paul's heart and life werecentered on one great purpose—to know Christ and make Him known through theGospel. Whether in prison or free, whether living or dying, his passion neverchanged. That is why he could say, "For to me to live is Christ, and todie is gain." A joyful heart begins with a single mind that is fixedon Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Then,in chapter two, we learned about the submissive mind. Paul pointed us to thegreatest example of humility the world has ever seen—the Lord Jesus Christ, whohumbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ThenPaul gave us three living examples of that same servant spirit: himself,Timothy, and Epaphroditus. They each considered others before themselves andwillingly sacrificed for the sake of Christ. A joyful heart is found in humbleservice. Inchapter three, we discovered the spiritual mind. Paul reminded us to place noconfidence in the flesh—not in our achievements, our religion, or our ownrighteousness. Instead, we are to count all things but loss for the excellencyof the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. Like Paul, we should have one greatdesire: "That I may know him." The spiritual mind is always growing,always pressing forward, and always pursuing a deeper relationship with JesusChrist. Nowwe come to chapter four, where we will discover the secure mind. This chapterteaches us how to stand fast in the Lord when life becomes difficult. Itteaches us to rejoice in the Lord always, to bring every care to God in prayer,and to experience "the peace of God, which passes allunderstanding." It teaches us to discipline our thoughts by thinkingon things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. Itteaches us the secret of contentment in every circumstance. Andit brings us to two of the most beloved promises in all of Scripture. In verse13 Paul declares, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthensme." Then, in verse 19, he assures us, "But my God shallsupply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Whatwonderful promises! As we study this final chapter together, I pray that Godwill give each of us a secure mind—a mind that stands firm in Christ, rejoicesin every circumstance, prays about everything, thinks on the right things,rests in God's peace, and trusts completely in His unfailing provision. Myfriend, that kind of mind produces a joyful heart. Let'spray. Heavenly Father, thank You for the wonderful truths You have taught usthroughout the book of Philippians. As we begin this final chapter, help us todevelop a secure mind that is anchored in Christ. Teach us to rejoice always,to pray about everything, to think on those things that honor You, and to trustYou completely for every need. May we truly experience the peace and joy thatonly You can give. In Jesus' precious name we pray. Amen. Godbless and may you have a wonderful wonderful day!

Isaiah 61:1-3 give us a beautiful prophecy of the coming Messiah.  Jesus quoted this passage in part and applied it to Himself at the beginning of His ministry thereby declaring that He is the awaited Messiah.  The power of the anointing was released through Jesus as He proclaimed His Gospel.  We are called to the same anointing so that we might continue all that He began to do and teach.  Not as individuals but as the body of Christ, His Church.

The New Covenant is one of the most important topics we can understand about the plan of God among people. Yet even though it's the covenant we're in right now with God, many Christians don't understand it. Today, in our study of Isaiah 42, we're going to look at one of the earliest references to the New Covenant found in the Old Testament. Join us for the key study in this key chapter! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. Isaiah 42 continues to build on the idea that a New Kingdom is coming. In verse 1, we find out that the leader of this kingdom is also a servant. Who is He a servant of? What does that indicate about His own nature and character? 2. The podcast explained that Isaiah 42 is one of several "Servant Songs" in the book of Isaiah. The four "Servant Songs" are found in Isaiah 42, 49, 50 & 53. What is a "Servant Song"? Why is it important to know about these "Servant Songs" when interpreting these passages? 3. Look over verse 1 again. How do we see the fingerprints of the Trinity in this verse? 4. Many Jewish people say that the servant here is the nation of Israel. While that is true in Isaiah 41:8-9, what were some of the reasons given in the podcast for why Israel is not the Servant here in Isaiah 42? Why is this "new" (or different) Servant necessary? 5. Verse 1 also speaks to the nature of the reign of the Servant. What kind of kingdom He establish? 6. In verses 2 to 4, how does He go about establishing this kingdom? In these verses, does it sound like Christ's kingdom expanding through conquest? How would you say that this kingdom is being established in these verses? How do we see this prophecy working out in our world today? 7. How does verse 5 show us the accountability that all people have to God? 8. Isaiah 42 introduces one of the earliest passages in the Bible about the New Covenant. In verse 6, what covenant is God appointing the Servant to bring to the nations? According to the podcast, what is the significance of the Lord's plan to move on from the Mosaic covenant? 9. In verse 7, why does the Lord characterize people's entrance into this kingdom as having blind eyes opened and being freed from dungeons? How did Jesus echo these principles in His Gospel proclamations? 10. In verses 10 to 12, what is the atmosphere of this kingdom? 11. Verses 13 to 15 speak of a different time period in the establishment of this kingdom. Verses 2 to 4 speak of Jesus' first coming and how He works in the world now. Verses 13 to 15 speak of His Second Coming when He will judge the nations and finally and fully establish His kingdom. How are these two interactions with mankind different? Why are they so different? 12. Verses 16 to 25 speak of the spiritual condition of mankind. What is the dominant malady of people described in these verses? What are the various responses to the Lord that are given in these verses? What accounts for these differences? What does this look like in our world today? How were you once blind? How do you now see? Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon just in time for the Genesis relaunch in January! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.   

Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share, Publicly, Your Relationship with Jesus? MESSAGE SUMMARY: Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share Publicly Your Relationship with Jesus? (Resurrection Anglican Church; Woodstock, GA) To what extent are you willing to share with others your relationship with Jesus? What price are you willing to pay, personally, so that others may know the good news of Jesus – the Gospel? What are you willing to go through to advance the Kingdom of God? In Ephesians 3:1-2, the Apostle Paul summarizes the price that he joyfully accepts to carry the news of the Gospel to the Nations: “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentile -- assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you.". In Acts 26:19, Paul gives his public testimony, in his hearing before King Agrippa; and told the King and everyone in attendance that he, Paul, felt privileged to testify, to the Nations, about his conversion and his relationship with Jesus: “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.". Paul was in prison facing a trial by the despotic Emperor of Rome, Nero. However, you may never have to go to prison or face death to communicate the Gospel; but you will face both physical and emotional discomfort as you become a visible follower of Jesus. While articulating the Gospel to others is important, the most effective way to communicate the Gospel is not by what you say but how you live – walk the talk and let others see Jesus in you. The world, the country, your friends, and your family have so many issues and hurts for which Jesus and His Gospel are the answer; but we keep this good news a secret by our unwillingness to live a visible life walking the talk of the Gospel and sharing the Gospel. Do you have the faith and courage and are you willing to share the Gospel? If you do, then pray for God's guidance to you for His will and role for you.     TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 3:1-21; Acts 9:15; Acts 26:12-23; Psalms 124:1-8. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “God Sees Jesus Followers as “In Christ”: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Do you see this lesson on greatness and its inseparable connection to Christ and His Gospel? May the Spirit use this passage to both convict and grow you in your daily battle with desires for vain glory and prideful ambition. The biblical view of greatness in the kingdom of Heaven isn't found in any rise to position or power. It isn't being in a place of honor or authority. No, it's having Spirit wrought and flourishing humility and love that is evident in your heart and life being focused on service and self-sacrifice, especially in the midst of suffering, as you seek to be faithful in imitating Christ as you follow Him.

Knowing who we are as God's holy, chosen people shapes how we live — joyfully receiving His Word, turning from false gods, faithfully proclaiming His Gospel, and eagerly waiting for His Son from heaven. 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 For more resources on this teaching please visit https://brcc.church/teachings/a-holy-chosen-people/

June 7, 2026Today's Reading: Luke 16:19-31Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 4:1-27; John 12:1-19“He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'” (Luke 16:31) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.At first glance, today's reading seems to suggest that life is the luck of the draw. The rich guy had it good during his earthly life, while Lazarus had it rough. And, because it is only fair then, the rich guy has to suffer in eternity, but Lazarus gets to be in comfort. It seems to make sense, right? It's only fair.And yet, this isn't about being poor or rich. This isn't a ‘fair picture' of who gets to have what. Instead, this teaches about the lie of independence and the idolatry of wanting to be your own god. This speaks to the heart of every sinner. The rich man had nice clothes and plenty of food; he lived lavishly. To us sinners who love control,  comfort, and excess, this sounds great! Lazarus, by contrast, suffers continuously. He wishes for crumbs. And yet, all he has are the dogs. When death comes, Lazarus is brought to heaven, and the rich man suffers in torment. Ephesians 2 teaches us that it is, “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is a gift from God.” We learn that Lazarus had faith. He trusted in His Savior, even in suffering. In Hades, the rich man still wants to control his destiny. He wants a drop of water - he wants some relief; he is told no. He begs that Lazarus be raised from the dead to give his brothers a warning about this eternity of torment. But, his brothers already have the Law - they have the words of Moses and the Prophets. If they will not repent when the Law is taught, they will have no use for someone being risen from the dead. Repent, dear sinner. Do not be deceived by independence, control, or the ability to chase your desires. God's Word of Law is for your good. It reminds you that you are a sinner. Remember that in your Baptism, your Old Adam daily drowns and dies; the New Man daily rises and celebrates the boundaries given by God. The New Man daily rejoices, even in suffering, because even in trials there is hope. Cling to the promises of Jesus, who has risen from the dead for you. In excess and in suffering, you need God's Law and His Gospel. You need to be reminded of your sin and your dependence on God. Rejoice in that reminder - for you have a God who does not spare His only, perfect Son, but abandons Him on the cross for you. You have a Risen Savior who daily forgives your sins and meets your needs. You are not without hope. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, the strength of all who trust in You, mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing, grant us Your grace to keep Your Commandments that we may please You in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Deac. Sarah Longmire, Curricula Curator for Higher Things and Director of Family Life at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee's Summit, MO.

This sermon explores how God's eternal plan of salvation is being historically fulfilled through the global expansion of the Gospel. The text states that Jesus Christ came as a servant to the Jewish people to fulfill covenant promises made to the patriarchs, yet he simultaneously extended unmerited divine mercy to the Gentiles. By citing four specific OT texts, primarily from the Psalms, the Apostle Paul demonstrates that the inclusion of all nations in the worship of Yahweh was always God's intention, though its implementation awaited the proper timing of the Messiah's arrival. The sermon serves as a celebratory reminder of God's sovereign grace and a motivational call for believers today to act as instruments of His Gospel, fostering universal praise and making His saving power known across all nations and local communities.

Pastor Tom Miller fills the pulpit on Pentecost Sunday, reminding us our redemption in Christ and the conquest of His Gospel was always Plan A, or rather Plan Only. Our prophetic witness is still what a dying world needs.

Color: White Old Testament: Ezekiel 34:11–16 Psalm: Psalm 23; antiphon: v. 6 Epistle: 1 Peter 2:21–25 Gospel: John 10:11–16 Introit: Psalm 33:1, 18–20; antiphon: vv. 5b, 6a Verse: Luke 24:35b; John 10:14 The Good Shepherd Cares for His Sheep   Our Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11–16). He is not like the hireling, who cares nothing for the sheep and only for himself, who flees when he sees the wolf coming. Rather, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks out His scattered sheep to deliver them (Ezek. 34:11–16). He gathers them and feeds them in rich pasture. He binds up the broken and strengthens the sick. He lays down His life for wandering and wayward sheep. On the cross, Christ bore in His body the attacks of the predators of sin and death and the devil for you that you might be saved. He now lives to restore your soul in the still waters of baptism, to lead you in the paths of righteousness by the voice of His Gospel, to prepare the table of His holy supper before you, that you may dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23). “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25). Lectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Friends of the Rosary,Today, April 25, is the Feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist, author of the second Gospel.He was baptized and instructed by St. Peter, becoming his disciple, secretary, and friend in Rome.Later, St. Mark accompanied St. Paul and St. Barnabas in their first missionary journey.His Gospel, written in the year 50 A.D., described the miraculous powers of Christ and was written to Romans, that is, to Western Christianity.Mark's Gospel is the "Gospel of Peter," as it was written under the direction and aid of the prince of the apostles.The Evangelist Mark is represented as a lion, one of the four creatures who worship the Lamb in Revelation 5:6-14, and because he opens his Gospel with the figure of John the Baptist, the “voice crying out in the wilderness”, recalling the roar of the desert beast.St. Mark preached in Egypt, especially in Alexandria, and was martyred there. His relics were transferred from Alexandria to Venice in 828, where a worthy tomb with the winged lion was erected in St. Mark's Cathedral.Alleluia! Christ is Risen!Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• April 25, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Today's Reading: Luke 24:36-49Daily Lectionary: Exodus 15:19-16:12; Hebrews 10:1-18“As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you!'”  (Luke 24:36)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.See Jesus. When your anxieties and doubts fill your mind. When you feel your best isn't good enough, or you're at your worst. When you know you've said hurtful things, done hurt to others, and caused yourself harm. See Jesus.Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, talked with adulterers, healed the sick and the unclean, and associated with those unassociated members of society. Jesus called ordinary fishermen to be His disciples and taught them despite their unbelief and designs for the kingdom of God.For those disciples, Jesus appeared and stood among them. What they had done had to come to mind. They abandoned Him, betrayed Him, denied Him, witnessed His death and shame before the world as He hung on the cross. Yet they see Jesus Himself, among them, and He said to them, “Peace to you!”Then Jesus shows them His hands and His feet, inviting them to touch Him. As if a ghost stood before them to haunt them, He asks them for something to eat and ate the broiled fish they offered Him. What the women from the tomb and the men from Emmaus had said was true. He has risen!Their master stood among them. Proclaiming peace, Absolution— they were forgiven before God and man. Then Jesus opened their minds to understand all that the scriptures had written from the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. Jesus, the crucified, fulfilled them; Jesus, the resurrected, fulfilled and proclaimed this to them, and now they, His preachers, would go and proclaim this truth to you. That you would know in your darkness, your suffering, your time of death, God is with you. See Jesus in His Word, in your Baptism, in bread and wine. These are where He comes to you, stands among you, and through your pastor proclaims, “Peace to you!” before God and man.Christ is risen indeed, Alleluia! He sees you, is with you, and has secured peace for you, and has proclaimed this to you in His Gospel promises, that trusting in Jesus, you may come at last to the Kingdom of your heavenly Father, and see Jesus.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, through the resurrection of Your Son You have secured peace for our troubled consciences. Grant us this peace evermore that trusting in the merit of Your Son we may come at last to the perfect peace of heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for Easter Tuesday)

Time is Now to Overcome (1) (audio) David Eells, 4/5/26 Saints, I want to share some revelations with you to both exhort and encourage you today to overcome and endure in your faith for all the promises the Lord has given us.   Keeping Satan Under Your Feet L. D. – 4/1/14 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was in a big cavern with a wide river where people were waterskiing. But they were skiing on crocodiles' backs, sometimes on purpose, like for sport. There was some class going on in the water explaining how crocodiles slip into the water to attack. But dolphins were used as an example to show us how the crocodiles slipped into the water. (Satan wants us to think his demonic crocodiles are our friends when they actually want to devour us for him.) But then, what I thought were dolphins were actually the body of an underwater serpent dragon. (The demon crocodiles are a part of Satan's body and seek to devour and bring us into his body.) It was moving in a wave in and out of the water. I realized that I was on top of its head! (Notice the serpent dragon, who is Satan, was in the water, representing the peoples, but it was under her feet, who was in the heaven above the earth. Those in the heavens who exercise dominion over Satan are safe, but those who dwell in the earth or waters among the crocodile, serpent, and Dragon are not. Eph.1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ: Isa.27:1 In that day Jehovah with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the swift serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent; and he will slay the monster that is in the sea. Rev.12:9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. 10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.) The nations are the body of Satan in the earth; they are the body of water in which Satan the Dragon and his many crocodile demons live, but we are to live in dominion over them. Rev.17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. Isa.17:12 Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters! 13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but he shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before the storm. 14 At eventide, behold, terror; [and] before the morning they are not. This is the portion of them that despoil us, and the lot of them that rob us. The Sennacherib army is spoken of here, and they are inhabited by Satan and his demons who seek to cause the Bride to stumble, as Peter, who got his eyes on the water and off of Christ, sank to what would have been his death. L.D. had the serpent's head under her feet. An exhortation to all of us that we fall not from heavenly places, dabbling in sin. Gen.3:14 And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this (deceived the woman), cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (the flesh of man was made from the dust of the earth, which the serpent eats): 15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Those who are born of the woman Church, who was deceived, should bruise the serpent's head.) The scene changed just a little. I was alone now with the crocodiles and this big sea serpent in this tall, enclosed cavern. I was very afraid and worried about the many crocodiles in the water, but I knew I was safe on top of this serpent's head. (We are not to be afraid. As long as we take dominion over the head and mind of Satan. In this way we control his body, and we have nothing to worry about. We grow up in Christ higher and higher as we keep the serpent in our flesh under submission. Luk.10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.) The serpent just kept taking me higher and higher. I knew it was only nine feet high (the number 9 symbolizes divine completeness or maturity), but it felt much higher, like 100 feet (completion represents 100%. Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple to test him.). The cavern wall to my right had a door with a cross on it (Through Jesus, the door, one can escape the temptation in the cave through faith and bearing our cross.) and I saw the serpent being cut open by a flashing sword (of the Word - Hebrews 4:12), but then it closed again. I wanted and tried to get through the door, but could not. (Through His Word, God offers many ways of escape from the trials, but some are too slow to take them. I know of brethren who were on prescription pain drugs that were killing their spiritual life and opening them up to Satan. Some were offered the Gospel of healing instead, but became addicted to the drugs and didn't want to hear of the perfect cure that Jesus paid for. This can end with God withdrawing His offer. 1Co.10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it. When the Word offers deliverance from the curse, take it by faith while the conviction is upon you.) Then the serpent spoke to me in my mind and said, “The guy before you got through this way: grace and mercy”. So I said, “Grace and mercy”, and it began to open, and a white light beamed out. (Don't count on your own wisdom or accomplishments. Cry out to God for grace and mercy, saints. It brings the light of truth and purity, for we deserve nothing. Pride, criticism, and unforgiveness can slam the door.) Then the scene changed; it was now unfolding like a camera was moving to the right slowly as it zoomed out. I was a snow leopard. (They are uniquely suited to life in winter snow, which means tribulation or trials.) I was running down a path toward a gazebo, in the top left part of the scene. There was a feast prepared outside in what seemed like a beautiful garden and a white room with beautifully designed golden chairs. (The Marriage Feast is also the time that the Lord's garden, which is His Bride, has borne fruit. Son.4:12 A garden shut up is my sister, [my] bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed. 16 Awake, O north wind; And come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden And eat his precious fruits. Son.5:1 I am come into my garden, my sister, [my] bride: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.) There was also a covered porch with more seating. But in the garden part underneath a giant gazebo was a giant snow leopard with a blue pendant, maybe as tall as a one-story house. (This could be Jesus, whom the tested Bride is to come into the image of, since they both are snow leopards. He has a heavenly blue pendant.) It was looking at a small dog on the porch in a playful manner. There were no humans, just animals for now. Then Jesus appeared. He said, “Do you think I will let those who will destroy My dinner/feast come in? (Those who do not have on the wedding garment of the Bride, which represents the righteous acts of the saints, will not be among them, and those invited to the Feast must also have on a clean wedding garment or, as Jesus showed, they will be thrown out into torment.) (I believe he looked at the door at this point.) He said, “Look.” A mirror appeared that looked like the oval blue-and-white one that was given to me, and Jesus was behind me to my right, and I was there. (We must look in the heavenly mirror and see Jesus to have power from God to overcome and be in the Bride garden. 2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.) He said something and then said, “Look.” I looked again and saw a small portion of the top of a head that looked like it had been burned by fire behind my left shoulder. I became fearful and worried that that could be me if I went to Hell. (A clear warning. We must not see the old man on the left with all his past guilt in the mirror, for it is not faith that we were crucified with Christ, and we don't live anymore, but He lives in us.) But then Jesus said, “Now do you see the fine one?” I saw the fine one behind my right shoulder, healthy-looking, maybe it could be what I should look like in Heaven, but I was still afraid about the bad one. (We have to forget about the bad “us” in our past, meaning behind us in the mirror and walk away. The fine one is who we are now by faith. We cannot wait for Heaven, for it is here that we bear fruit through faith. We have to look forward to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. Php.3:7 Howbeit what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ (Are you ready to give up every nature that is not Christ to gain Him? Your actions will prove it.), 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, [even] that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith (Jesus took our sin and gave us His life through the reconciliation or exchange): 10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death (Will you suffer with Christ so that you may live with Him?); 11 if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I could not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing [I do], forgetting the things which are behind (the old man and his sins), and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14 I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you: 16 only, whereunto we have attained, by that same [rule] let us walk.17 Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample. (Now we begin to see those who are devoured by the crocodiles.) 18 For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly, and [whose] glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, [that it may be] conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself. We exchanged a few words. He was talking about many things, but I don't remember all of them. I wanted to talk with him and ask him so many things, but I just kept remembering, let my words be few. Jesus was correcting me for some sins I had committed. He said, “May all the video games and all that would cause you to lose focus on Me be gone. Just focus on Me!” He cried, almost like a plea, “Be like the fine one!” And He wrapped Himself over me like a ‘duck-and-cover' move and was like a shield over me. I woke up. (Jesus is our covering for the sins of the past and our failures, but not our willful disobediences - Hebrews 10:26. We must now call the things that be not as though they were done at the cross, for this is faith, which is the very substance of the thing hoped for. Rom.3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment ... 23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 whom God set forth [to be] a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God; 26 for the showing, [I say], of his righteousness at this present season: that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus. 27 Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of faith. 28 We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God [the God] of Jews only? is he not [the God] of Gentiles also? Yea, of Gentiles also: 30 if so be that God is one, and he shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we then make the law of none effect through faith? God forbid: nay, we establish the law. Rom. 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God. 3 For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. 6 Even as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works, 7 [saying], Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom, the Lord will not reckon sin.) Next, let me share with you a word from the Lord that Debbie Fenske received about a year ago, but the Lord just recently brought to her attention because it's for now.   A Vision of Jesus  Debbie Fenske 4/15/25 (David's notes in red) This word was given on April 15, 2025. I read it to us over the last live stream, March 27, 2026. I've realized how wordy what I said before the actual word was. So, I cut out unnecessary things but left in everything that was needed in explaining what took place leading up to the Lord giving the actual word. After the Zoom meeting this morning, I got in front of my computer to finish up a timestamp assignment that I had been working on. I laid my head back as I was listening to the audio. After just a few minutes, suddenly I had a vision. I saw Jesus. I only saw the right side of Him, at first. What I was looking at was not lit up, like with a bright white light. It was just kind of shadowy-looking. I watched Jesus' feet walking very slowly toward me, then He turned slightly and stood in front of me. I knew that He wanted me to come before Him. So, I got down before the Lord to enter into a real time of worship of Him. I remember how awesome it was, how Jesus gave me each song He wanted me to worship Him with, that morning, He first gave me, Holy Holy Holy Are You Lord. Then, I Live To Know You More. And then, His Love Endures Forever. I was amazed that He specifically wanted me to worship Him with those songs. Each one gave me such a greater desire for Him and to be worshiping Him. And I realized that I had not been giving Him the time before Him in worship and prayer, and being in the Word that I thought I had. Just being alone with Him, I realized His great desire for me to worship Him, to have that time alone with Him. I kept worshiping in awe of Him, telling Him, “Lord, Your Name is being worshipped in heaven forever, on, and on, and on, and on! Your holiness, and Your holy Name, Jesus, is being heard throughout all of heaven, being worshipped, and proclaimed forever, and ever, by all Your holy angels, and all Your saints before Your throne! Suddenly, the vision of Jesus continued. I was not seeing His face. I was now seeing the left side of His body. Then, He turned more toward me, and I could see from the bottom part of His neck and His shoulder, down His left side to about the middle of His robe. Then Jesus held out one hand to me. And then He stretched out both His hands to me like He was giving me something. Then there appeared a scroll in His hands. And suddenly the scroll turned into a Bible. It was closed. Then the Bible just fell open, and there was a bright light shining off and up from the pages. Then, suddenly, the bright light turned into a large flame of fire. That was the last of the vision. I was now in tears, really overcome by all of this. And being in such awe of Him, this is what I said back to Him: “Oh Jesus, You are the Word! Your Word was the scrolls that have become the Bible that we use today. Lord, Your “Word,” that we say too casually every day, should not be just something to do in order to take up some of our time, or something that we read simply to be right with You. It is Your very Life. It is Light. And it is the Fire that you want us to allow to consume us. And so, I just had to repent and acknowledge before Him that I'm not in His Word as much as I want to think I am. I told Him, “Lord, I want all of Your Life and Light. I want the Fire of Your Word to consume My little life so that I can be big in You.” And then He was saying to us: “Again, I say to you, stay in My Life, and Light, and Fire, My Word to you. Dwell there. For there I Am Your Jesus. You must be overcoming the distractions in your life that you feel you have a right to. For no, you do not. You do not have a right to put your distractions and your fleshy enjoyment before Me. I Am your Enjoyment. It has always been My plan. I give you Myself. I give you My Life. I give you My Word to distract you away from the distractions of your fleshy pleasures and enjoyments. Yes, I have given you much to enjoy. I Am your God of love. I love to see My children enjoying wholesome things. But have you noticed that I have taken a lot of that enjoyment away from you? It is because, My Children, the time now is crucial. This is the crucial time. You will not know how to handle it. And you will not know how to help others handle it, if you are not enjoying all of My presence, finding what is My pleasure, and being consumed by My Life. There was not time for leaders of the flesh, who had forgotten their goal, and are no more. Do not forget your goal. The goal of the High calling of your God in Me, in heavenly places. You don't want to be a distraction to others. I gave up all earthly and fleshly pleasure for the Life of the Father, so that you could know My Life in the Father. I gave up My Life to offer you that prize. I am handing the prize over to you. Go for it! Take it! Run after it, and do not stop until you receive the crown! This is My calling for you, My children, My Sons and Daughters of the Kingdom. Do not stop hearing and responding to My call. Very soon is coming the chosen. My children, I desire it to be you. This is why I continue to speak to you, to correct and admonish you. It is for My glory who I choose to be the glory of My Name on the earth.” I know that Jesus led me to this word. You could say accidentally, but it was not accidental. He intentionally led me to this word as I was going to clean out my Proton email box. And as I did some scrolling through, I stopped at this word from Him. In my spirit, this word really seems now like it has such a final and serious tone. A final warning. He has spoken to us about this much. And so, we have to overcome every distraction and realize He wants to be our distraction from those the things that satisfy only our flesh. But only Jesus satisfies us wholly. Everything else is nothing. Jesus is now saying, “I will not warn you anymore about this. This is it, it's either Me living in you continually, as My chosen Bride, using you for the purposes of My kingdom, or it's not. It's up to you.” I found out that this word from April 15, 2025, was not blogged. I looked and looked, but I could not find it in the blog in the area where the date it should have been posted. I discovered this word in an email from Michael that he had sent out then. Somehow, he had it, but it did not get blogged. And after I found it, before I opened it up, I touched something and caused it to be moved somewhere. Well, I couldn't find it anywhere. So I called Julie and tried to explain everything to her. She also couldn't find it on the blog, either. But thank the Lord, with Julie's help and the Lord's, I found it this morning (3/31/26). I feel in my spirit that the way this came about, coming upon this word, that it is God's final warning, being understood by the fact that the Lord hasn't given another word of this matter after the previous one. But He chose to use this one that He had already given before. I just now heard in my spirit, “Let us press on to know the Lord.” I looked that up in a search, and Hosea 6.3, KJV, came up: “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD. His going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” I decided to look it up in the ASV version: Hos 6:3  And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.  Let us follow on.   Keeping Your Focus On The Light Anonymous 10/20/22 (David's notes in red) I was in the shower speaking with the Lord, and then the devil came along and gave me a thought comparing myself to another person. I have been casting down, criticizing, judgmental, and comparing thoughts a lot in the past week. I cast it down and then I heard the Lord say, “Look not to the left or to the right”.  (I.e. Stay on and keep your eyes on the straight and narrow path of the Word. Jos.1:7-8 Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.) Then I saw Jesus standing up ahead. He was wearing a glowing white light garment and had His arms open. It felt as if He was waiting for me to continue walking (in this way) to get closer and closer to Him. He was constantly watching me, not taking His eyes off of me. His presence was so patient, gentle, kind, understanding, loving, so peaceful, and there really aren't enough words to describe His presence. (Psa.32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. Psa 33:18 Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him, Upon them that hope in his lovingkindness;) Behind Him was this giant bright light shining, and the closer I got to Him, the brighter and bigger the light was. (Coming into the Sun/Son glory of God.) Behind me was complete darkness, and it kept lessening. It looked kind of like a tunnel of light with darkness all around and an opening of light up ahead with Jesus standing in front of it. The closer I got to Jesus, the more light and peace there was. (And this is the way it is.) I felt this meant about keeping our eyes completely focused on Jesus and our own walk or race to Him and not looking at other brethren to compare our walk with them. Not looking back to the darkness or looking around, but only looking to Him. (2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. Pro.4:25-27 Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil. 2Co.10:12 For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with certain of them that commend themselves: but they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding. Isa.26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.   Seeking In Secret Anonymous 12/17/22 (David's notes in red) I heard in prayer, and the Lord spoke: He said, “Shut out everything.” (Close off all distractions, the enemy always uses everything he can to distract us from seeking God's presence and to distract us from staying in God's rest.) (Seeking His will through the trials is a test of Faith and devotion to the Word. Just as Job gave acknowledgement and glory to God during his trials. Job.1:8 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil.) He said, “Prayer closet.” (Dedicate more of your time to God and His Spirit, not the flesh.) (“You have not because you ask not.” Being intimate with God in prayer has eternal rewards. Distractions will try to steal this time with God.) He said, “Have patience.” (Knowing that your prayers will be answered in His perfect time.) Jas.1:3-4 knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. 4 And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. Rom.5:3-5 And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness; 4 and stedfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope: 5 and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given unto us. (“He that endureth to the end shall be saved.”) He said, “Speak out when you can see the enemy attack and call out to Me.” (Alert the Saints and respond to duty. God sends these tests to cause us to get in line with His Word so the enemy has no advantage.) (There is safety in numbers because some brethren may have overcome some specifics that we have not encountered. It is not only Christ in you, but in your brothers and sisters too.) He said, “Turn up the heat, get into deep, fervent and desperate prayer!” (“The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.” “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”) He said, “Laugh the enemy to scorn for he does this all the time.” (Call out the enemy's bluff and staying in the resolve of Jesus and the truth of the Word.) (The majority of trials are enemy lies, or a twisted truth to deceive. Symptoms, curses, and afflictions – never last. Only Jesus is the everlasting!) He said, “That test is to turn it all back for what it is.” (Refute and retake the stolen things back from the enemy.) (Act.3:20-21 and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: 21 whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old. Jesus will come and restore all for He bore our curse so we could have Abrahams blessings in all things.) He said, “In humility give all gratefulness that nothing is done for you or to you, unless I allow it.” (Praise God in all things, praise Him for He is in control, and we can trust Him only.) (Psa.149:6-9 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the nations, And punishments upon the peoples; 8 To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: This honor have all his saints. Praise ye Jehovah.) He said, “Seek Me in fear and gladness for everything.” He said, “Bring the life of Christ into the open.” (Reveal the greatest of things for all to experience.) (Joh.10:10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.) He said, “Love all and be showing the example of Him.” (God through us to others.) (Rom.13:8 ASV Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.) He said, “See that nothing is allowed into Me unless it passes the test of being in the image of My Son.” (Nothing of self or evil can ever imitate.) (A final result of our trials is more of Christ revealed. “Christ in you the hope of glory.”) He said, “As you look to Me by the Word and heart, you can see I look through all things.” (There is nothing that can be hidden from God.) (Only the wicked do not believe He sees all and will do anything about it.) He said, “When you see that you need Me in everything and when you are that desperate, you can see Me in others too.” (Everyone is in dire need for more of the Lord Jesus and His salvation.) He said, “Pray in tongues and write down the interpretation you get.” (Exercising the gifts to be trained and gain experience.) He said, “Seeking the Lord in servitude and want.” (Nothing for selfish gain) (But to serve the Kingdom.) He said, “Draw close to Him” (Honestly and sincerely prefer the Lord as priority always.) (Talk to Him for He desires our fellowship.) He said, “Fan the flames that burn the traps and attacks.” (Nothing can withhold you when the fire of the Lord burns everything evil. Praise and worship engulf the evil.) He said, “Add to the fire the fuel of the Word and continue to add each verse in thought as it burns.” (Keep the fire burning with explosive power.) He said, “The light shines as the flames burn brighter in the zeal and desire of the Father.” (Love burns so hot, it eliminates all darkness.) (Return us, Lord, into Your wonderful garden and keep us hedged around and protected from all evil, under Your wings, in Your promises.) Amen!   Partaking of the Bread and Sufferings Marie Kelton 9/15/23 (David's notes in red) During the meeting, I had an open vision of being in heaven. My hair was its natural color (God's creation should show submission to Him). I was wearing a long lace head covering, and I was kneeling. (Marie represents the Bride of Christ, who is veiled and in the position of humble submission to His will.) I saw the Lord walk up to me, His eyes were a flame of fire (Rev.19:12 And his eyes are a flame of fire,...), and He had a flame of fire in His right hand. (This represents the Word of righteousness. Jer.23:29 Is not my word like fire? saith Jehovah… 1Co.3:12-14 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. Rev.2:17 … To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna… The flame of fire then turned to what I knew was Manna. I knew He wanted me to eat it. (The Manna is the Word of God, Who is Jesus, the Living Bread from heaven. We need to eat it so we can have His Eternal Life in us. Joh.6:48-51 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. He is the Word made flesh.) Then, a Goblet appeared in His hand. He handed the Goblet to me. And I drank from it. (What came to me was the cup of suffering, to partake in His sufferings.) (Mat.26:39 And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. Mar.10:38-39 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink? or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39 And they said unto him, We are able. And Jesus said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized) (We eat the Body of Christ, which is the Word of God, for He is the Word made flesh. We drink the blood because the life of the flesh is in the blood – Lev 17:11. Partaking of His life and nature is suffering the loss of our old life and nature. Baptism represents the death and burial of the old man, and coming up represents the resurrection life of the new man in Christ. The baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers us to be able to drink the cup of suffering, which is the death of the old man. This enables us to partake of His holiness.) (1Pe.4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you: 13 but insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy. Php.3:10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death.) (When we choose to overcome in the midst of these trials and tribulations and sufferings like Jesus did, we are taking up our cross to follow Him and be His disciple.)   Endure In Your Faith To The End David Eells Have you ever received promises from God that you really desired but lost faith in because much time passed and there was much failure on your part to live up to your expectations, and you think that is the reason that the promises won't be fulfilled? We have received many times by faith at random – Psa.102:13 Thou wilt arise, and have mercy upon Zion; For it is time to have pity upon her, Yea, the set time is come. (We are on the verge of many promises being fulfilled at this time and also to people who have failed to live up to what they thought they should have been. In all of your failure continue to be ‘Justified by Faith' and also forgive your fellow man their failures and believe now so the promises can come to pass.) We are entering a season of fulfillment! We also have received these verses by faith at random, about NOW is the time. Isa.33:10 Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; now will I lift up myself; now will I be exalted. Psa.12:5 Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the sighing of the needy, Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; I will set him in the safety he panteth for. It is now that we have no time for double-mindedness because of past failures or sin. Forget the failures and inability of the past with its condemnation, be justified by faith, repent and believe now. Here is a perfect example of a man receiving an important promise but then went through much unbelief and failure and self-works in his uncircumcised heart but when the time came God reminded him of the promise and brought it to pass through his renewed faith. Rom.4:1-10 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God. (Like many of us, Abraham's faith and works failed him for many years but when the set time was come it was impossible for him to bring it to pass by works of man. He and Sarah were too old and double-minded. Jas.1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. It was then that God reminded him of the promise and renewed his faith.) 3 For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. And then the promise was fulfilled. 4 Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. (The answer can only come by Grace, which is unmerited and unearned by man's works. Pray for mercy and grace by which faith will come.) 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. (Up to this point, Abraham was ungodly in his works to bring to pass the promises. Only the works of faith are considered righteous.) 6 Even as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works (of man), 7 saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin. (This grace through faith was given to a man who did not deserve it by his works.) 9 Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To Abraham his faith was reckoned for righteousness. 10 How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. (The promise was given when Abraham was sowing a seed of uncircumcised flesh. What can that get you? Ishmael. Abraham wanted God to accept him as the promised seed, but God refused because his work was of the flesh of man.) …17-25 (as it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not as though they were. (Abraham and Sarah were dead to any ability to bring forth the promised seed. We are also dead to any ability to bring forth the promised seed of “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. Here is where we can receive the unmerited, unearned favor of God. We cannot pick ourselves up by our bootstraps.) 18 Who in hope believed against hope (of man), to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be. (Within the year of the fulfillment of the promise, Abraham began to believe God by His grace, while ignoring his inability.) 19 And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb; 20 yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 Wherefore also it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. (Since it was impossible for them to do this, there was only one other choice: believe God and be counted as righteous so he could have the promise. Rom.3:3-4 For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God? 4 God forbid: (It was in this state of unfaithfulness to God's promise that Abraham and Sarah were to confess the promise and be justified in their words.) yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified (Accounted as righteous) in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. We prevail or overcome in Judgment when we confess the Lord's promises with our Words. When we are accounted righteous, we are entitled to Faith, which is the victory that overcomes the world. Back to Rom.4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was reckoned unto him; 24 but for our sake also, unto whom it shall be reckoned, who believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification. When Jesus died, we died; when he was resurrected, we received resurrection life. Have you failed? Ask for faith through grace and confess the promises! “Confess” in Greek is Homo-Logeo, meaning to “speak the same as”. I.e. Say what God says about you and others. Heb.3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus; 4:14 Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Jesus, as our High Priest, must have a sacrifice from us to give to the Father. Mat.10:32 Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. Luk.12:8 And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: When we confess in agreement with God's promises, the angels are given authority of Father and Son to fulfill our confession. Psa.103:20 Bless Jehovah, ye his angels, That are mighty in strength, that fulfil his word, Hearkening unto the voice of his word. Heb.10:23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised: 13:15 Through him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name. Speak life into every situation. Pro.18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Mar.11:23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. “Whosoever” shows that He wasn't only talking to His disciples and apostles at that time, but that He was talking to all disciples because disciples are the only ones who will take Him seriously and recognize this authority as a gift of faith. Again, Jesus was not only speaking to the apostles and disciples back in His time, but to anyone, from them to us, who believes he can have this authority. Is this just a silly statement that no one will ever really take Him up on? No! There have been many people who have commanded their personal mountains and giants out of the way. Multitudes of people have exercised this authority over Satan, over the flesh, over their circumstances, and over the curse. God is faithful to stand by His Word, not because we deserve it, but due to His mercy and grace. He has said, According to your faith be it done unto you (Mat.9:29) and Go thy way; as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee (Mat.8:13). “Whosoever” includes you and me and any other believer, so this authority has been put in our hands as sons of the last Adam, and not only given to those disciples in Jesus' day, as some say. Mar.16:14 And afterward he was manifested unto the eleven themselves as they sat at meat; and he upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them that had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. Jesus is referring to the disciples of the disciples. “Disciples” (Greek: mathetes, meaning “learner and follower”) are learners and followers of the Lord. He is our Master, our Lord, our Example, and He is the One Who does the works through us. Mar.16:17 And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Now we see that these signs will accompany those who simply believe, not only great apostles. That is authority! Jesus is giving authority to the people who believe these first disciples, or forefathers of Christianity, who wrote these pages to us. He has given us this authority to do good in the name of the Lord. All principalities and powers have been put under Jesus (Matthew 28:18), even “his feet” and we are “his body” (Ephesians 1:20-23). We have this authority, but it can be negative or positive. For example, when the Lord brought His people out of Egypt and into the wilderness, they continued to speak negatively and exercise their faith in a negative way. Faith is just what you believe. You can believe what God has spoken to you, or you can believe the things which you see in the world, but Jesus said, According to your faith be it done unto you (Mat.9:29). Faith is both negative and positive. Even fear is faith; however, it's faith in the curse, or faith in reverse – I.e. having faith in adverse circumstances and in the devil. The absolute proof in the world is what people believe happens to them comes to pass. Doctors say that approximately 90% and higher of sicknesses are psychosomatic (Greek: psuche, meaning “soul” and soma, meaning “body”). This implies “soul over body” and your soul is your mind, will, and emotions. Therefore, your mind, will, and emotions are making your body sick. The doctors are wrong in stating that 90% and higher of sicknesses are psychosomatic. That number is 100%. What makes people sick is what they believe. In fact, what you believe can kill you. As we saw in Matthew 18:18, you are the one who binds and who looses, and you are the one who creates your own future. You are the one who gives authority to the devil or gives authority unto God. Jesus needed authority, but when He went to His hometown, he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Mat.13:58). They had the authority to say no to God, and they did; they did not believe in Jesus and His Gospel. They believed in the sickness and the curse and they spoke it. We can believe in the blessings of God and speak the blessings, or we can believe in the curse and speak the curse. We will have what we believe because that's the Word of God. Num.14:28 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me. They complained to the Lord that they were brought out into the wilderness to die, and the Lord heard this too many times. The Lord basically gave them what they said. The Lord still does this today, and the Bible declares that He does. One of the fruits of a believer is that they believe in their heart and confess with their mouth (Romans 10:10). Many people profess to be believers, yet don't confess their benefits in Christ, so God says what you say is what you will receive. Num.21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. What is “against God”? It's when God has spoken these awesome promises, and we think we know better and continue to agree with the curse. For example, the 10 spies who spoke and agreed with the curse and brought the bad report led to the threats made by God to those who believed those spies. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who brought the good report, in agreement with God's promises. So, speaking against God can be more subtle than what people might think. When God says you're healed, and you say you're not, then you will remain sick. When God says He's taken away your sins, but you confess what you see and feel in the world, you are speaking against God. Num.21:6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Once again, what they spoke is what they got. I believe the fiery serpents represent the curse. The cure for this was that God commanded Moses to make a “fiery serpent” out of brass and put it on a pole, and as people got their eyes on the serpent on the pole, they were healed (verse 8). As we know, the cure was Jesus Christ, since He was the One who was made sin and was crucified on a cross. So, we have a cure from the curse, but we must confess God to receive this cure. Those who profess Christianity but do not confess the benefits of the Kingdom, so that the curse, which was put upon Jesus, doesn't come on them. We cannot gain the promises in Scripture without faith in those promises. Or, in other words, what we profess must be mixed with faith. Num.21:7 And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. When people pray, God is merciful, especially if they believe their prayers. But do you have to continue to live under the curse? Is it necessary, when you can agree with God, to have the “fiery serpents” bite you? These serpents are the curse manifested in so many ways. The serpent is, obviously, also the devil, who is a vessel of dishonor that administers the curse on God's people, especially when they don't believe the benefits of God. Jesus told us, According to your faith be it done unto you (Mat.9:29) and Go thy way; as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee (Mat.8:13). You can speak things into coming to pass. If you speak life, you receive life; if you speak death, you receive death. It depends on what you have your faith in. If your faith is in agreement with God's benefits, then you are justified by faith and receive those benefits. If you agree with what is in the world, then you don't receive God's benefits and have loosed the devil; you have loosed emissaries to continue to administer the curse on you. Many people are learning this and experiencing what I'm saying. This is nothing new, but is the same Gospel which is from the beginning. We have to have a renewed mind so that we understand what to believe and what we should speak. Faith can be both positive and negative. Pro.18:20 A man's belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; With the increase of his lips shall he be satisfied. Would you like your needs to be met because of what you say? We would like our lips to come into agreement with the Word of God and learn more and more to walk in His benefits by confessing Him before men. Pro.18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. I remember back in Louisiana, where I came from, there was a church that had a visiting minister who was preaching about death and how it was not to be feared. I know the church and its circumstances and have been there. The minister was actually going to show them how simple it was to die. He pulled up a chair, sat down, and said it was as simple as going to sleep. Then he nodded his head for an example. He stayed like that for a while, until the pastor, whom I know, got nervous and went up and touched him on his shoulder, and then shook him. He was gone. He talked himself right off of this earth. What was God showing with this example? Some people talk themselves right into the grave. Many people die before their time because their faith is to die; their faith is to be cursed and to receive the things that are around them. Their faith is not in what the Lord Jesus has given to them freely. Truly, “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” This is God's Word, and nothing is being taken away or being added to it. We need to agree with God's benefits to have them, and God will supply your every need to do His will if you learn to agree with Him. The tongue doesn't speak on its own. It gets its direction from your thoughts and the words that are in your mind. We need to watch our tongue so we can correct our mind. That's one reason the Lord is telling us to be careful with what we say, because when we are careful, we are correcting our thoughts. He tells us to be quick to hear and slow to speak. That's why we have one tongue and two ears. Mat.12:34 Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. If we want to speak good things, we need to put good things in our hearts and reject the other things that are there. I am sure that your mouth has spoken things that have slipped out that you wish you hadn't said. It's an automatic thing with some people, but we need to slow down and give the Lord time to correct our thinking. Good people speak good things, and bad people speak bad things. In some ways, we are both since we are both ‘son of man' and ‘son of God', but we also have authority over that part of us which is still man. The Son of God in us has authority over that man. As the outer man decays, the inner man is renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). That spiritual man is taking over as we walk by faith and believe more and more of the Word of God, and as we do, more and more of Jesus Himself is being manifested in us, and He is taking more and more ground from the enemy. Mat.12:35 The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. Those who get this revelation about the tongue spend much time talking about the tongue, but we must really begin with the heart. We have to repent – change our mind – and believe what the Bible says. Changing your mind and repenting is renewing your mind with what the Word says and agreeing with what it says, but we must do it enough so that it overcomes our natural thinking. Our natural thinking is what kills us and all those whose tongues are connected to their natural man. Mat.12:36 And I say unto you, that every idle (Greek: argos, meaning “unfruitful, barren”) word that men shall speak, they shall give account of in the day of judgment. The Lord obviously wants His Word to bear fruit in us, but there are many words that are unfruitful and don't bear the fruit of Christ in us. Every idle word will bring judgment upon you. The day of judgment is not just that day down the road, the corporate judgment, but it is the day of judgment that you come into. Your idle words, unfruitful or vain, will bring you into judgment. Many people have spoken the curse upon themselves, like the Israelites did. They confessed continuously that they would die in the wilderness and it happened. Mat.12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. The words that justify us are those words spoken in agreement with God. They are words confessing Jesus before God and men, saying what He said and agreeing with what He has taught us in the Word, and also by what He put in the disciples to teach us in the Word. We are accounted righteous, or justified, if we agree with God. But if we don't agree, we fall under judgment, for “by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” If you disagree with God's Word, it's like calling Him a liar. God told the Israelites that He was going to bring them to the Promised Land, and they basically claimed that God was a liar and that He brought them to the wilderness to die. They spoke it from their mouth, and He finally said, “as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you.” There are a lot of people who don't make it through the wilderness – what we call the “world” today. Hos.4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…. They agree with the curse and they receive the curse. It's what they believe; it is their faith. See Jesus in the mirror, all that He is, is yours. 2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. And 1Jn 4:17 Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world.

In this message, we'll look at Jesus' first parable, in which He teaches about the proclamation of the Kingdom and the receptivity of our hearts to His Gospel.   Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Do you have a bio? A bio is a short biographical profile on someone. It may be a sentence or a list of adjectives, but it tells an important story—what a person is all about. As Paul continued to write the epistle to the Philippian believers, he pens his bio, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” His whole life is summed up in eleven words. He surrounded those words with personal testimony and powerful encouragement for the Philippian believers. He wanted them to also live lives that were all about Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Let's receive this inspired admonition for our lives today. Thanks for joining us for this episode and please take a moment to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoy this content, please don't hesitate to leave us a 5-star review and share this podcast with your friends.  We'd like to extend an invitation to you and your family to join us for worship this week at Grace Baptist Church. We'd also love to connect with you online at https://gracekettering.org. Thanks again for checking out this episode, and we look forward to having you join us again right here on the Grace Baptist Church Podcast!

Read OnlineJesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13Sodium chloride, also known as salt, is one of the most commonly used substances in the world, used for seasoning, preserving, and purifying. Sodium chloride is a very stable compound and cannot lose its flavor unless there is a chemical reaction or dissolution. Why, then, did Jesus suggest that salt could lose its taste? One likely explanation is that the salt used in ancient Palestine could indeed lose its flavor due to impurities and the conditions in which it was stored.The Dead Sea, located in modern-day southeast Israel, contains a massive deposit of salt and other minerals. According to biblical history, Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt in this region. Because of the vast salt and mineral deposits, the area surrounding the Dead Sea is desolate.Salt extracted from the Dead Sea was never pure sodium chloride. Gypsum and other minerals were also present, making the salt impure. If this salt were stored improperly or came into contact with water, the sodium chloride could dissolve and wash away, leaving behind the solid residue of minerals. These residual substances, like gypsum, had the appearance of salt but were tasteless and useless for flavoring, preserving, and purifying purposes. When this happened, the “salt” lost its taste. In light of this explanation, Jesus' teaching becomes especially clear.The first notable feature of salt is its ability to add flavor to food. By calling His disciples the “salt of the earth,” Jesus was instructing them to enhance the “flavor” of the world by bringing the truth of the Gospel and the joy of His message to others. A Christian life lived in fidelity to Christ would make the world a better and more virtuous place, just as salt enhances the flavor of food.Salt is also commonly used for preservation. Before the age of refrigerators and freezers, salt was mixed with food to prevent corruption, by drawing out moisture and hindering bacteria and other microorganisms. Though this practice is still used today, it was especially vital in ancient times. By being the “salt of the earth,” Jesus was calling His disciples to preserve the world from moral decay. Through their witness and proclamation of the Gospel, they were to act as a preservative against sin and spiritual ruin. If they were to “lose their taste,” they would become indistinguishable from the rest of the world and ineffective in their mission. Hence, Jesus was exhorting them—and us—to avoid becoming watered down and bland in our witness to the Gospel.Lastly, salt held a significant role in Jewish religious practices, symbolizing purity and consecration. In sacrificial rituals, salt was used to consecrate offerings, as commanded in Leviticus: “You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not let the salt of the covenant with your God be lacking from your grain offering. On every offering you shall offer salt” (Leviticus 2:13). By seasoning their offerings with salt, the Israelites preserved the sacrifices from decay, making them pure. This practice reflects the disciples' role in purifying the world through their example of holiness, their lives of self-sacrifice, and their participation in Christ's redemptive work. They were to live lives of integrity, leading others to God through the purity of their hearts and their unwavering commitment to His will.Reflect today on this powerful metaphor of being the salt of the earth. The world desperately needs the enriching “flavor” of God's grace. Without Him, the world is left to corruption and decay. With God, we, and those we serve, are preserved as pure and holy offerings, adding to His glory and growing in holiness. Be the salt of the earth. Do not become watered down in your faith. Remain steadfast in your fidelity to Christ and His Gospel, and you will transform the world around you. In doing so, you will not only glorify God but will also share in His eternal joy. wqw2232Most pure and enriching Lord, You alone enrich and enhance our lives, preserve us from sin, and make us a pure offering to Your Father. Please use me to be an instrument of Your grace to the world, making me the “salt” that remains pure and effective, to bring Your saving truth to the ends of the earth. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Ilyas Basim Khuri Bazzi Rahib, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Read Online[Jesus] went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him. Matthew 4:23–24Once Jesus began healing the sick, expelling demons, curing paralytics, and performing other miracles, news about Him spread rapidly, reaching far beyond the boundaries of modern-day Israel. Galilee comprised northern Israel, while the Decapolis referred to a group of ten major cities in what are modern-day Jordan, Israel, and Syria. Jerusalem, the religious and cultural heart of Judaism, was the most important Jewish city, and Judea encompassed the territory surrounding Jerusalem in southern Israel. Ancient Syria covered a broader area than modern-day Syria, including parts of what are now Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. Jesus' fame spread throughout this vast and diverse region, which included Jews, Greeks, Romans, and other ethnic groups.Today, it's not uncommon for news stories or social media posts to go viral, given the immediacy and vast outreach of the Internet. “Going viral” in Jesus' time was much different. Word-of-mouth passed from person to person, town to town, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries. Jews, Greeks, Romans, and others began to hear about the astonishing things happening through Jesus of Nazareth, prompting many to believe.It's true that miracles naturally draw attention, especially from those in need of one. Many likely came to see Jesus out of curiosity or fascination. Could the stories be true? Could He really heal the sick, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and even raise the dead?Sadly, much of what goes viral today is shocking or scandalous. Such news often spreads quickly but fades just as fast. That was not the case with our Lord. Though some were drawn to Him only because of His miracles, countless others were completely transformed by Him, so much so that the Good News of Jesus continues to be one of the most talked about and impactful events in human history.The Bible is the most widely read and published book in history and has been translated into more languages than any other book. Despite this, billions of people today still do not know Jesus as their Savior. Instead, they are bombarded with shock and scandal, extreme drama, pornography, and every other form of instant sensationalism. In an era when communication is so easy, far-reaching, and instantaneous, we, as members of Christ's Body, the Church, must do all we can to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.Reflect today upon the billions of people around the world who do not know that Jesus Christ is the one and only Lord and Messiah. Imagine what could happen if the entire world turned to Him, surrendered their lives to Him, and sought His holy will with all their hearts. As you ponder this spiritual challenge, prayerfully place yourself at the service of Christ and His Gospel. Sometimes our mission is to focus on close family and friends. At other times, we might be called to a much broader mission, even in a “viral” way. Strive to become as holy as you can so that our Lord can use you however He chooses.My saving Lord, though many in our world know of You, many do not know You in a personal and faith-filled way. Please save souls, dear Lord, by sending Your saving message to all. I pray for the conversion of the entire world and offer myself to You to use me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.Image via Adobe StockSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

You were designed for true freedom, limitless joy, radical living and genuine love. What would it look like if your 2026 were marked by these gifts from God? It's possible! At Braveheart, this is our heartbeat - to see God's people transformed in every way by His Gospel.2026 is going to be a watershed year. It will be a year of planting and simultaneous harvest.Gospel Training Schools - We are helping launch SIX Training Schools in 2026, all across the U.S.! Each one will take on its own unique expression. While the expressions vary, they all share the same mission: the pure gospel and the formation of Christ in His people.2026 Gospel Nights - Regional worship nights will build faith, gather God's people, celebrate the Holy One and position us together before the throne. Plan now to experience one near you - San Diego, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Winnipeg, Canada and more!Jesus The Great High Priest - The abundant life is our inheritance, enjoyed and experienced through considering Jesus, our Great High Priest who draws us near the Father's heart. Our latest series is live and FREE. Log-in today!Send us a textSupport the show

His Gospel is peace.Not the world's fragile ceasefires or empty promises—but peace with God, secured by the blood of the cross.Christ didn't come to manage chaos.He came to reconcile sinners and reign forever.

During our Christmas Eve service we rediscover what Christmas is actually about; the greatest gift given, Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

If you've ever listened to the fans at a college or professional football game, you know some of them are the ultimate experts at what their team is doing wrong and what they should be doing. It's just amazing some of those fans haven't been hired as, like, head coach of the team, right? After speaking for professional football chapels and getting to know some of the players, I was less than patient with their critics all around me up in the stands. I mean, I knew some of those guys on the field. I knew they had everything on the line when they played and that they were the only heroes in the game. You know, there are no heroes in the stands. Sometimes I just wanted to stand up and say to one of those guys: by the way, I never did because they were all bigger than I am. But I wanted to say, "Hey! Why don't you get out of the stands and get in the game!" I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Get In the Game." I've got to wonder if Jesus isn't trying to say something like that to many of His "fans," which by the way, He has plenty of. There are millions of believers who are willing to go to Jesus' meetings, give to Jesus' causes, and cheer for the ones that are on the field. Oh yeah, and sometimes criticize from the stands how the players are playing. But Jesus doesn't need any more fans. He needs players - players who will join Him in winning some victories; some lives for the cause that He gave His life for! In Numbers 32, where we find our word for today from the Word of God, there is a sobering picture of the spiritual dynamics in Christ's church today. The Jews are preparing to go in and challenge the Canaanites for the Promised Land. The Jewish tribes of Reuben and Gad had been told that the land God was giving them was on the East side of the Jordan - the safe side. All the other tribes would have to go in and fight for their land on the other side of the river. The "East-siders" had this great idea, "Moses, how about we just stay here with our families and set up our little homes and farms?" Moses' reply in Numbers 32:6 comes echoing down through the centuries as a wakeup call for complacent Christians today. He said, "Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here?" Man, I can almost hear Jesus saying that to us today. "Should persecuted Christians and struggling missionaries take all the risks and fight all the battles to reach the lost while you sit here?" Or, in other words, "Get out of the stands and get in the game!" Later, Moses said that if they failed to leave their comfort zone and go with their brothers into the combat zone, they should "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). Did you know that's where that verse comes from? Sin that will find you out is the sin of complacency and passivity when there are battles to fight for the Lord! Today, the battle isn't for land, it's for lives - people who will spend eternity in either heaven or hell, people all around us and half a world away. Jesus' Great Commission to get out His Gospel cannot be delegated to a few spiritual daredevils we call missionaries. His Great Commission, His final orders before He left for heaven is always first person singular! Jesus intends for the cost and the risk of rescuing a dying world to be equally shared by all those who belong to Him! The Son of God sacrificed everything for it, and many have over the years, including this past year, sacrificed their lives for it. And many others have given their whole lives to this greatest cause in the universe. So who are we to just sit passively in the stands, just cheering or even jeering? So many of our brothers and sisters have gone to war. How can we sit here and ask them to make all the sacrifices? There is a war to win for Jesus Christ! It's time to get out of your comfort zone and go where your Savior is - in the combat zone!

If you've ever listened to the fans at a college or professional football game, you know some of them are the ultimate experts at what their team is doing wrong and what they should be doing. It's just amazing some of those fans haven't been hired as, like, head coach of the team, right? After speaking for professional football chapels and getting to know some of the players, I was less than patient with their critics all around me up in the stands. I mean, I knew some of those guys on the field. I knew they had everything on the line when they played and that they were the only heroes in the game. You know, there are no heroes in the stands. Sometimes I just wanted to stand up and say to one of those guys: by the way, I never did because they were all bigger than I am. But I wanted to say, "Hey! Why don't you get out of the stands and get in the game!" I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Get In the Game." I've got to wonder if Jesus isn't trying to say something like that to many of His "fans," which by the way, He has plenty of. There are millions of believers who are willing to go to Jesus' meetings, give to Jesus' causes, and cheer for the ones that are on the field. Oh yeah, and sometimes criticize from the stands how the players are playing. But Jesus doesn't need any more fans. He needs players - players who will join Him in winning some victories; some lives for the cause that He gave His life for! In Numbers 32, where we find our word for today from the Word of God, there is a sobering picture of the spiritual dynamics in Christ's church today. The Jews are preparing to go in and challenge the Canaanites for the Promised Land. The Jewish tribes of Reuben and Gad had been told that the land God was giving them was on the East side of the Jordan - the safe side. All the other tribes would have to go in and fight for their land on the other side of the river. The "East-siders" had this great idea, "Moses, how about we just stay here with our families and set up our little homes and farms?" Moses' reply in Numbers 32:6 comes echoing down through the centuries as a wakeup call for complacent Christians today. He said, "Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here?" Man, I can almost hear Jesus saying that to us today. "Should persecuted Christians and struggling missionaries take all the risks and fight all the battles to reach the lost while you sit here?" Or, in other words, "Get out of the stands and get in the game!" Later, Moses said that if they failed to leave their comfort zone and go with their brothers into the combat zone, they should "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). Did you know that's where that verse comes from? Sin that will find you out is the sin of complacency and passivity when there are battles to fight for the Lord! Today, the battle isn't for land, it's for lives - people who will spend eternity in either heaven or hell, people all around us and half a world away. Jesus' Great Commission to get out His Gospel cannot be delegated to a few spiritual daredevils we call missionaries. His Great Commission, His final orders before He left for heaven is always first person singular! Jesus intends for the cost and the risk of rescuing a dying world to be equally shared by all those who belong to Him! The Son of God sacrificed everything for it, and many have over the years, including this past year, sacrificed their lives for it. And many others have given their whole lives to this greatest cause in the universe. So who are we to just sit passively in the stands, just cheering or even jeering? So many of our brothers and sisters have gone to war. How can we sit here and ask them to make all the sacrifices? There is a war to win for Jesus Christ! It's time to get out of your comfort zone and go where your Savior is - in the combat zone!

When most people think of Jonah, they picture a fish. Yet the fish appears in only three verses of this profound prophetic book. So if Jonah isn't really about a fish, what's it about? In this special (short) episode, Nathan invites you to join him in a verse-by-verse study of the book of Jonah where we discover that Jonah is a book about the Living God who relentlessly pursues the lost, even when His own people would prefer He didn't. And woven throughout this humorous yet convicting narrative, we'll see stunning shadows of Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Watch the study series on YouTubeCheck out the Jonah series (called Swallowed by Mercy)-----------------» Join the Deeper Christian community and receive the Deeper Digest each Saturday, which includes all the quotes, articles, podcasts, and resources from Nathan and Deeper Christian from the week to help you grow spiritually.-----------------Deeper Christian Podcast • Episode 365

Third Wayism pretends to be balanced, but it splits God's law from His Gospel and sneaks progressive ideas into the churchIt's an old heresy in new packaging, and it strips Christians of the moral clarity this moment demandsLife, family, and truthDefend themLearn more at https://www.standingforfreedom.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedomcenterlu/ Twitter: https://x.com/freedomcenterluInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomcenterlu/

The Holy Spirit is more than just a concept. For many outside the Church or new to it, He may seem intimidating and mysterious. He's both of those things. But one of His primary jobs is to comfort us. He's not a spirit that brings fear or condemnation. As Pastor Bill will explain in today's message, the Holy Spirit does bring guidance and conviction, revealing ways that our lives dishonor God and leading us into behaviors and decisions that bring Him glory and share His Gospel of grace.

The Holy Spirit is more than just a concept. For many outside the Church or new to it, He may seem intimidating and mysterious. He's both of those things. But one of His primary jobs is to comfort us. He's not a spirit that brings fear or condemnation. As Pastor Bill will explain in today's message, the Holy Spirit does bring guidance and conviction, revealing ways that our lives dishonor God and leading us into behaviors and decisions that bring Him glory and share His Gospel of grace.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony reflects on Christ's call of St. Matthew as a revelation of the Lord's pastoral wisdom, patience, and mercy. Drawing on St. John Chrysostom, he shows how Christ approaches each person at the moment they are most able to receive Him, gently leading sinners to repentance while shielding the weak from the self-righteous. The homily invites us to imitate this divine pedagogy—offering mercy before rebuke, healing before judgment, and a way of life that draws others to the knowledge of God. +++ Mercy, Not Sacrifice: Christ's Pastoral Method in the Calling of Matthew St. Matthew 9:9-13 At that time, as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and He said to him, "Follow Me." And he rose and followed Him. And as He sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard it, He said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."  When looking at this encounter, it is important to know the context.  Jesus had been at this for a while.  He had already called at least four of the twelve; Andrew, Peter, James and John, to be his disciples.  Moreover, in addition to them, many others were following him.  He had already been baptized, been tempted, given the Sermon on the Mount and performed several public miracles. Knowing this allows us to better appreciate Christ, how He operates, and therefore how we might better imitate Him as we claim to operate in + His name. Example One: Calling the disciples Let's go back to His calling the disciples.  Why didn't He call Matthew at the same time He called Andrew, Peter, James, and John?  St. John Chrysostom indicates that it was Christ's pastoral heart that determined when we called each of His disciples.  Remember, as the Logos, He shares the Father's will that "all be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4).  This means that He addressed people in the time and manner they were most likely to hear.  St. John Chrysostom points out that Matthew's heart was not open to Christ's call at the same time as Andrew, Peter, James, and John.  It took miracles and profound teaching to soften His heart for the encounter.  And He didn't just do this for Matthew, look how long it took for the Apostle Paul!  And perhaps, we can look at long he waited for us! We should learn from this lesson from Christ's earthly ministry and imitate Him.  We may need to live among some people for a while, showing the miracle of God's love working in and through us in the way we act and the things we say, before they are ready to accept an invitation to join us in The Way that heals and perfects.  Many of us jump the gun; skipping the vital step of living a public life of miraculous love – and then are surprised when the call to "follow Christ" goes unheeded.  Yes, there are times when the modern equivalents of scribes and pharisees need to be confronted, but once again, let's imitate Christ and let them out themselves when they question our motives and sanity for performing acts of sacrificial compassion.  If we skip the step of imitating Christ in His love for mankind, not only won't we win converts, we may also be indicating that we aren't really working in His Name at all.   Example Two: Leaving, not owning the opposition Speaking of which, Christ also demonstrates his pastoral care at the very beginning of today's lesson.  You may remember that today's lesson begins with something that seems to be a throwaway line; a transitional clause that lets the reader know that the narrative is moving on to another scene.  St. Matthew writes; "At that time, as Jesus passed on from there,…" and then segues into this lesson about how Christ called him, the author, to be His disciple.  But what did He leave and why?  What did He "pass on" from in the previous scene? Let me share that with you; just prior to this, Jesus had publicly corrected some scribes - leaders in the Jewish community - by healing a man of his paralysis after they doubted His ability to forgive sins.  Do you see how they out themselves as fools?  But Christ doesn't want them to remain in ignorance.  He desires that they, too, be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth …  but He also knew that they were not ready to accept the truth, so He left before they could double down on their sin and thus become even less likely to change their way of thinking and eventually answer His call to discipleship. As St. John Christostom puts it; For when He had performed the miracle, He did not remain, lest, being in sight, He should kindle their jealousy the more; but He indulges them by retiring, and soothing their passion. This then let us also do, not encountering them that are plotting against us; let us rather soothe their wound, giving way and relaxing their vehemence. Jesus could have owned those scribes!   This is what our polarized and self-indulgent culture seems to require of us: to immediately jump on any perceived weakness to show the superiority of our way.  We even manufacture offenses so that we have an opportunity to score points and play to the crowd.  But that's not what Jesus did; there was a real offense and a real weakness – but He didn't want or need to impress anyone.  Again, his desire is that of His Father; that all be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth.  And so He forbeared and gave them an opportunity to cool off and repent while He moved off to spend time with someone who was ready to hear Him. These are the kinds of lessons that are obvious to those who have "eyes to see and ears to hear," but for the rest of us, it takes time.  As we have discussed previously, we still see the Gospel "through a glass darkly" and only see reality as "trees walking."  But we want to learn, and so we ask those who have made this journey successfully before us, men like the Holy Apostle and Evanglist Matthew, whose memory we celebrate today and St. John Chrysostom who shares the deeper Truths that St. Matthew shared – we ask them to guide and pray for us as go deeper into The Way. Let's see what more we can learn about Christ's approach to evangelism and pastoral care in today's lesson.  It is worth remembering that Matthew was a tax collector.  When Jesus gave him the invitation to "follow me", he responded with hospitality.  He opened his house to the Lord, his disciples, fellow tax collectors, and unspecified sinners.  Just to make sure everyone had a good time, this was all done within view of some local Pharisees.  The Pharisees spent their whole lives dedicated to righteousness (as should all of us).  I am perfectly willing to believe that they were sincere in their devotion to the Law.  In fact, it was probably their devotion to the Law that led to their revulsion at seeing an alleged rabbi (Jesus) eating with sinners.  They shared their righteous indignation with the Lord's disciples and He overheard them.  We can learn a lot about how to pastoral ministry by looking at Christ's response. First, He said (e.g. St. Mark 2:17); Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.  This is the most obvious point: God was explaining what His mission to these sinners (and the world) was:  He had come to bring them to repentance.  This would hardly satisfy any ultra-Orthodox takfirists – they always want their pound of flesh!  After all, they say, repentance requires tears, and the best way to bring someone to tears is not to eat with them and provide them a living example of the better way; no, surely it is more effective to beat them over the head with the Sin-Stick, right?!  Evidently not, at least according to the all-knowing and all-loving God-man Jesus Christ. After acknowledging the sinfulness of His dinner companions and their need for repentance, He corrected the Pharisees' dubious pedagogical and evangelical instincts with this (e.g. St. Matthew himself in 9:13); Go and learn what it means, 'I will have mercy, and not sacrifice': for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Christ is quoting Hosea when He says; "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice".  The full passage (which was implied) continues with (Hosea 6:6); "… and [I desire] the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."  This is huge.  The Pharisees knew the full quote and its context; they would have seen that Christ was telling them that they were guilty of the very same sorts of things that went against God throughout the Old Testament.  He was telling them that they were more concerned with fulfilling the letter of the law (i.e. doing the "burnt offerings" well) than they were with knowing God or bringing others to Him.  At that meal, He was doing something that they should have been doing themselves. How Christ Discipled His Sinners cum Apostles More importantly, along with His entire response, Christ used this quote to describe His method for bringing the "knowledge of God" to sinners; He would use mercy to lead them to repentance, which would in turn allow them to grow in the knowledge of God.   St. John Chrysostom brings this point out at the end of his homily on this passage; What Christ is saying through his words and deads is this, "The disciples have not yet become strong; they still need a lot of condescension. They have not been renewed by the Spirit yet.  You really shouldn't put a lot of injunctions on people who are still weak."  And He said all these things in order to set laws and rules for His own disciples, so that when it was their turn to train disciples, they would deal with them very gently.  To reiterate St. John Chrysostom's point, God is showing His disciples how the Gospel is to be taught: gently and with mercy … while protecting the weak from the attacks of the self-righteous.  This is important for us as Christian leaders: we are called to follow Christ!  We are called to take His Gospel to sinners so that they might repent,  come to the knowledge of God, and be saved.  Keep the Sin-Stick ready, but use it the way Christ Himself did; to defend the weak from the attacks of the self-righteous. There is a temptation to bring sinners to a full awareness of their sin in order to drive them towards repentance, but be careful with this.   Psalm 129: 3-4 (which we often repeat as a prokimen so that we will master it – or rather so that it might master us);  If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee. And later in that same Psalm, we learn from the Psalmist, in the Spirt, what the purpose of this merciful forgivness is; so that He might bring salvation to Israel (129:8). Repentance, kenosis, and discernment are fostered over time.  It is an iterated and communal process.  The wounds this world inflicts on God's children are serious and it takes time for Him to heal them.  This means that you may not be able to see the process through to its conclusion, but it is okay to simply begin the treatment; the Church has trained other physicians that can continue the process, just as you will be called to continue the work others have begun.  As Christ said "One soweth, and another reapeth." (St. John 4:37:4) Conclusion Saint Matthew's life is a testimony to the efficacy of this gentle discipleship process.  He was a sinner.  The Lord protected Him and showed Him mercy.  Over time, through His example, His holiness, and His teachings, He brought Matthew through repentance to the true knowledge of God.  As a recipient of this grace, St. Matthew could do nothing else but offer it to others.   It is true that the Church is a hospital, and that Christ is the Great Physician; and it is also true that St. Matthew found healing in the Church under the Doctor's care.  But it is also true that He did not stay in the hospital bed. After a lifetime spent spreading the Gospel, this "good and faithful servant" earned the martyr's crown in Ethiopia. May the Lord transform us into the kind of patient, merciful, and holy pastors who can do the same.

Something's fishy … and it's not the book of Jonah. When most people think of Jonah, they picture a fish. Yet the fish appears in only three verses of this profound prophetic book. So if Jonah isn't really about a fish, what's it about? What many dismiss as a children's story is actually a masterfully crafted account meant to pierce our hearts, expose our prejudices, and radically transform our lives.In this verse-by-verse study, we'll discover that Jonah is a book about the Living God who relentlessly pursues the lost, even when His own people would prefer He didn't. And woven throughout this humorous yet convicting narrative, we'll see stunning shadows of Jesus Christ and His Gospel.Whether you've read Jonah a hundred times or are encountering it for the first time, prepare to see this ancient book in a completely new light. It's time to move beyond the Sunday school version and discover the beauty, humor, and life-changing truth within this often misunderstood little Old Testament book. ------------» Take these studies deeper and be discipled in person by Nathan, Eric, Leslie, and the team at Ellerslie in one of our upcoming discipleship programs – learn more at: https://ellerslie.com/be-discipled/» Receive our free “Five Keys to Walking Through Difficulty” PDF by going to: https://ellerslie.com/subscribe/» For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/daily» If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/» Discover more Christ-centered teaching and resources from Nathan Johnson that will help you grow spiritually by checking out his website at: https://deeperchristian.com/

Something's fishy … and it's not the book of Jonah. When most people think of Jonah, they picture a fish. Yet the fish appears in only three verses of this profound prophetic book. So if Jonah isn't really about a fish, what's it about? What many dismiss as a children's story is actually a masterfully crafted account meant to pierce our hearts, expose our prejudices, and radically transform our lives.In this verse-by-verse study, we'll discover that Jonah is a book about the Living God who relentlessly pursues the lost, even when His own people would prefer He didn't. And woven throughout this humorous yet convicting narrative, we'll see stunning shadows of Jesus Christ and His Gospel.Whether you've read Jonah a hundred times or are encountering it for the first time, prepare to see this ancient book in a completely new light. It's time to move beyond the Sunday school version and discover the beauty, humor, and life-changing truth within this often misunderstood little Old Testament book. ------------» Take these studies deeper and be discipled in person by Nathan, Eric, Leslie, and the team at Ellerslie in one of our upcoming discipleship programs – learn more at: https://ellerslie.com/be-discipled/» Receive our free “Five Keys to Walking Through Difficulty” PDF by going to: https://ellerslie.com/subscribe/» For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/daily» If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/» Discover more Christ-centered teaching and resources from Nathan Johnson that will help you grow spiritually by checking out his website at: https://deeperchristian.com/

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure of infinite worth. Jesus' parables reveal the supreme value of Christ and His Gospel; He is the treasure who gave up everything to purchase the field (the world) for the sake of His people. When Jesus offers up this priceless treasure, he is rejected in His own hometown, a stark reminder that the saving power of the Gospel is lost where unbelief holds sway.  The Rev. Steven Theiss, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Matthew 13:44-58.  The Gospel of Matthew bridges Old and New Testaments, presenting Jesus as the promised Messiah who fulfills the Law we could never keep and establishes His kingdom of grace for all nations. Written by a tax collector transformed by pure grace, Matthew reveals Christ as the true Son of David and Emmanuel (God with us) who challenges us with the crushing demands of the Law in His Sermon on the Mount to the sweet comfort of the Gospel in His death and resurrection. From royal genealogy to glorious resurrection, this verse-by-verse study proclaims the One who conquered sin, death, and the devil for us, now delivering forgiveness, life, and salvation through Word and Sacrament as He remains with His church always, even to the end of the age.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Read OnlineThe Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Luke 10:1–2Saint Luke, whom we honor today, was a true evangelist. As an evangelist, he followed the inspiration from our Lord and was used to bring God's saving message to the ends of the earth. And there is little doubt that his ministry will continue to have a transforming effect on the lives of many until the end of the world. Tradition states that Saint Luke became a martyr, being hanged on an olive tree. He is identified in the New Testament as a physician and as a disciple of Saint Paul. Both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are attributed to him.Saint Luke is often spoken of as an evangelist to the gentiles. His Gospel was written in such a way that it didn't presume a full understanding of the Jewish faith and customs. Therefore, it is believed to have been primarily written for those who are not of Jewish origin. Thus, the life and mission of Saint Luke must remind us that the Gospel needs to be shared with all people, especially with those who do not have a deep and sustaining relationship with God.In today's Gospel from Saint Luke, we read that Jesus sent seventy-two disciples “to every town and place he intended to visit.” Only Luke mentions the larger scale sending of seventy-two disciples. The other Gospels only mention the sending of the Twelve. Though many of these seventy-two disciples would have gone to Jewish territory, some would have unquestionably gone to non-Jewish territory. The mission of these seventy-two was to prepare everyone they encountered for the preaching of Jesus and for the establishment of the Kingdom of God.As we honor Saint Luke today and read this passage from his Gospel, we are reminded that we are all sent by our Lord. We are sent to those who share our faith, such as family, friends and fellow parishioners. We are sent to love them and do all we can to help deepen their faith and love of God. But we are also called to share the Gospel with those who do not yet know Jesus as their Savior. There are so many people we encounter every day who have never truly met our Lord. Are there people in your life that God is calling you to reach out to? Who do you know that God may be calling you to share the Gospel with? Reflect, today, upon the fact that the Gospel is meant for everyone. Speak to our Lord and tell Him that you are ready and willing to be used by Him to bring His saving message to others. As you do so, wait on the Lord, listen to His inspiration, and respond when He calls. If someone comes to mind whom you sense God is calling you to evangelize, begin to pray for that person. Pray for them every day and be attentive to any inspiration God gives you to share His love and saving message with them. Do not be afraid to be an evangelist like Saint Luke. Doing so might make an eternal difference in someone's life. My saving Lord, You sent Your disciples on a mission to share Your saving message with all. Today I especially thank You for the life and ministry of Saint Luke. Please use me, dear Lord, to imitate his wonderful example and to share Your glorious life with others. Please lead me and inspire me to especially reach out to those whom You have put into my life. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Window: workshop of Franz Borgias Mayer (1848–1926); Photo: Andreas Praefcke, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

We all want peace with others, especially family. At Thanksgiving, we avoid certain topics. We bite our tongues during arguments. We compromise our witness, don't we? In this section, Jesus walks in and says something shocking: "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." He doubles down, too, saying His Gospel will divide father and son, mother and daughter. What could possibly be so important, so vital to our survival, that it would demand loyalty even greater than the love we have for our own family? Jesus is drawing a line in the sand and forcing us to ask where our true allegiance lies.  The Rev. David Mumme, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Waterville, MN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Matthew 10:26-42.  To learn more about Trinity Lutheran, visit trinitywaterville.org. The Gospel of Matthew bridges Old and New Testaments, presenting Jesus as the promised Messiah who fulfills the Law we could never keep and establishes His kingdom of grace for all nations. Written by a tax collector transformed by pure grace, Matthew reveals Christ as the true Son of David and Emmanuel (God with us) who challenges us with the crushing demands of the Law in His Sermon on the Mount to the sweet comfort of the Gospel in His death and resurrection. From royal genealogy to glorious resurrection, this verse-by-verse study proclaims the One who conquered sin, death, and the devil for us, now delivering forgiveness, life, and salvation through Word and Sacrament as He remains with His church always, even to the end of the age.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

This week, guest pastor, Ben Stuart, continued our sermon series on The Fifth Act by preaching on Acts 19 and the impact of Paul's ministry in Ephesus. Paul's time in Ephesus invites us to ask: how does the Gospel take root and expand in a powerful and influential city—and how can we mirror that in New York? When we give God our unrivaled affections, His Gospel goes out in power. Pastor Ben encouraged us to release idols we cling to for comfort and control through confession and repentance, and allow our delight in God to transform our lives and impact the world around us.

*** This episode talks about suicide. If you are suicidal, please call/text/chat *988 *** My friend Alex Hayes (from Utah County, Age 18, planning to serve a mission) bravely joins us to share his story which includes: * Turning to porn at age 13 use as a coping mechanism * Don't label porn as an addiction * Sexual orientation/feelings (gay or straight) are not from Satan * Importance of being a safe place when people are vulnerable * How shame and lack of self-love contributed to worse coping mechanisms resulting in being raped * PTSD of that whole experience (psych ward, etc) * How Emily Belle Freeman “Introduced this new Savior” * Alex's powerful testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus—and their role in our lives * How the “Miracle of the Gospel is Hope” * Buring desire to help others know Jesus and His Gospel of love and hope. Alex is one of the bravest that has ever been on our podcast because of his courage to be vulnerable and honest. Alex—because of his experiences—knows Jesus and His ability to heal and give hope. If you are looking for hope that Jesus can bring in your lives (or help others find hope), please listen and share this episode. Alex is one of my new heroes. Our church and world are a better place with Alex Hays in it. Thank you, Alex, for your courage to be on the podcast. You are a good man with a gift to help others. Links: Instagram: @alexhayes205

God desires three sounds in the heart and house of His people: the prayers for all nations, the praises of His Saints, and the proclamation of His Gospel. Anything less is a sound that grieves His heart.