Podcasts about Holy Spirit

As so often, Spurgeon is quite content to shift between the natural and the spiritual. I mean, he begins with the basic sense of the Lord's question to Job, “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion?” (Jb 38:31). Who is able to change, restrain, or overcome the divine government in the natural world? However, Spurgeon elevates the question to the spiritual realm, as illustrative of the operations of the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, his mighty working cannot be prevented. On the other, men in their own strength are able to accomplish no spiritual victories. As well as his customary flashes of practical insight, there are some particular lessons to draw from this. Again and again, we see this inventive and creative but not casual or crass handling of the Scripture. Spurgeon knows well that the question, in itself, belongs naturally to the realm of astronomy, theologically to the doctrine of providence as an expression of divine sovereignty. But experimentally and illustratively, it serves well to remind us of our powerlessness in all spiritual matters, and the gracious operations of the Holy Ghost among the people of God. As such, it teaches us to think carefully not just of what the Bible means, but of how it can be applied. It makes for a lively and striking sermon. Connect with the Reading Spurgeon Community on Twitter! https://twitter.com/ReadingSpurgeon Sign up to get the weekly readings emailed to you: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon. Check out other Media Gratiae podcasts at www.mediagratiae.org Download the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Father exhorts us to reject Satan before it is too late.

Today is a prayer for you to be kept safe, in heart and mind. During recording the Holy Spirit put "anxiety" on my heart. He sees the anxiety you are wrestling with. He wants you to come under the covering of Jesus' protection in your mind. So follow along. Follow the prompts. Pray what I encourage you to pray. Jesus promises protection. Do not be afraid, believe! Blessings in His presence! Visit intothewaters.com for more!

As so often, Spurgeon is quite content to shift between the natural and the spiritual. I mean, he begins with the basic sense of the Lord's question to Job, -Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion--- -Jb 38-31-. Who is able to change, restrain, or overcome the divine government in the natural world-- However, Spurgeon elevates the question to the spiritual realm, as illustrative of the operations of the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, his mighty working cannot be prevented. On the other, men in their own strength are able to accomplish no spiritual victories. As well as his customary flashes of practical insight, there are some particular lessons to draw from this. Again and again, we see this inventive and creative but not casual or crass handling of the Scripture. Spurgeon knows well that the question, in itself, belongs naturally to the realm of astronomy, theologically to the doctrine of providence as an expression of divine sovereignty. But experimentally and illustratively, it serves well to remind us of our powerlessness in all spiritual matters, and the gracious operations of the Holy Ghost among the people of God. As such, it teaches us to think carefully not just of what the Bible means, but of how it can be applied. It makes for a lively and striking sermon.

Nicky and Pippa Gumbel are among the most influential leaders of the church today, on a global scale. They have a unique vantage point on the state of the world, and the challenges facing our generation as believers. At the same time, they are humble and unassuming, so approachable and genuinely kind, that they would love to share a cup of tea with you if they met you. This rare balance is deeply attractive, and the fruit of a lifetime of dependence on the Holy Spirit. Stephanie and her husband Jonah have the deepest respect for them, and find themselves blessed to get to learn from them. When they lived in the UK with their pre-teen kids, they attended the church where the Gumbels were pastoring, Holy Trinity Brompton in South Kensington, London. One of the fastest growing churches in the UK, HTB is a multi-site church that the Gumbels only recently retired from. Stephanie welcomes them on the show today, and she is ready with a lot of questions! They talk about the state of the universal church of Christ today in the world, from their perspective –  including a word of encouragement for the new generation and the red flags they are noticing in the culture. They share where they think the power of influence is shifting, and how we can depend on Christ to guide us in the challenges ahead. Their passion for defining the line between Scripture and culture leads to some great advice on what it looks like for our generation. Nicky shares one thing he regrets, and Pippa shares about the power of revival and trusting God's sovereignty through life. Having been married 45 years, Pippa and Nicky share wisdom and insights into the makings of a marriage that holds the distance to the glory of God. Their dependence on the Holy Spirit is palpable, and deeply attractive. They tell us about the Alpha Course, the global phenomenon that invites spiritual seekers to embrace faith through conversations and personal connections. If you do not know the Alpha Course, Stephanie warmly invites you to discover it and to try it out. In this Easter season, it is the perfect time to invite your seeking friends to attend. Join them for a life-changing experience of faith! Pippa and Nicky share with us how they are running their race with perseverance, through the hardships and the good times, and pray for us at the end of our time together. You WANT to receive this prayer for yourself, so make sure to tune in! DISCOVER THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR APP: https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/ The Bible in One Year is a daily Bible reading plan which takes you through the whole Bible in 365 days.  It is ideal for anyone who is looking for an easy and accessible way to read and understand the Bible. Each day includes passages from a Psalm or Proverb, the New Testament and the Old Testament along with a daily commentary from Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, leaders of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) Church in London and pioneers of Alpha. The Bible in One Year will encourage you to engage more closely with the Bible, to apply its teachings to everyday life and to grow in your relationship with Jesus. You can follow along by reading the text or listening to the audio commentary and you can choose the version that best suits your lifestyle; the Classic version (25 minutes), or a shorter Express or Youth version (both around 15 minutes). Over 4.5 million people from 160 countries have experienced Bible in One Year. Why not join them, find your own rhythm and draw closer to God. Nicky Gumbel is the pioneer of Alpha and Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton in London, which he leads with his wife Pippa. Together, they introduced the Bible in One Year commentary in 2009 as a daily email for their congregation. Since then, it has become a successful app, book, podcast and website with a global following. Join them today as they take you through every chapter and verse of the Bible, sharing their reflections and prayers along the way. Nicky says, “Join us as we read the Bible each day. It's a practice that we have been doing for over 30 years and we hope it will benefit your life as much as it has ours.” DISCOVER THE ALPHA COURSE: https://alpha.org/ Alpha is a series of conversations about things we all question in life: Why do bad things happen to good people? What's the purpose of life? What's next? If you're looking for a judgment-free space to ask hard questions and share your own opinion, there's a place for you. Connection | Connecting with others is what we were made for. All sessions start with a time to connect and build friendships, eliminating awkwardness and creating space for important conversations. Content | Alpha's content explores the big questions we all ask, and guests from any background can unpack the basics of Christian faith. Bring your questions, you'll find you're not alone. Conversation | Those who attend Alpha share that their small group discussions are hands-down the best part of the experience. No questions are off limits and there's nothing you can't say (really). DISCOVER THE MARRIAGE COURSE: https://themarriagecourse.org/try/the-marriage-course/ The Marriage Course is a series of seven sessions, designed to help couples invest in their relationship and build a strong marriage. Nicky and Sila Lee, authors of The Marriage Book, developed The Marriage Course for couples looking for practical support to strengthen their relationship. The course is designed to help couples build strong foundations, learn to communicate more effectively and resolve differences well. Courses are run in various locations, including churches, homes and cafés, all around the globe. Extra resources: CT article: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/july-web-only/nicky-gumbel-alpha-course-htb-church-retirement-sermon.html We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Or, of course, you can start at the beginning with episode 1.  Season 1: the gospel of Matthew like you've never experienced it https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3280/link/ Season 2: Experience Jesus through the Psalms https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/ Season 3: the gospel of Luke, faith in action https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/ Season 4: Proverbs spiced with wisdom https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/ Season 5: Identity in the battle | Ephesians https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ Season 6: Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/ Season 7: Shades of Red | Against human oppression https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/ Season 8: God's glory, our delight |  https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/   Support us!

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 4 Deuteronomy 4 (Listen) Moses Commands Obedience 4 “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules1 that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal-peor, for the LORD your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the LORD your God are all alive today. 5 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? 9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—10 how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.' 11 And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom. 12 Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments,2 and he wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, that you might do them in the land that you are going over to possess. Idolatry Forbidden 15 “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day. 21 Furthermore, the LORD was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I should not cross the Jordan, and that I should not enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. 22 For I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan. But you shall go over and take possession of that good land. 23 Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the LORD your God has forbidden you. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. 25 “When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, so as to provoke him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. The Lord Alone Is God 32 “For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. 33 Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? 34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him. 36 Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them3 and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, 38 driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, 39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time.” Cities of Refuge 41 Then Moses set apart three cities in the east beyond the Jordan, 42 that the manslayer might flee there, anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being at enmity with him in time past; he may flee to one of these cities and save his life: 43 Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites. Introduction to the Law 44 This is the law that Moses set before the people of Israel. 45 These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the rules, which Moses spoke to the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt, 46 beyond the Jordan in the valley opposite Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the people of Israel defeated when they came out of Egypt. 47 And they took possession of his land and the land of Og, the king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who lived to the east beyond the Jordan; 48 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, as far as Mount Sirion4 (that is, Hermon), 49 together with all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah. Footnotes [1] 4:1 Or just decrees; also verses 5, 8, 14, 45 [2] 4:13 Hebrew the ten words [3] 4:37 Hebrew his offspring after him [4] 4:48 Syriac; Hebrew Sion (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 83 Psalm 83 (Listen) O God, Do Not Keep Silence A Song. A Psalm of Asaph. 83   O God, do not keep silence;    do not hold your peace or be still, O God!2   For behold, your enemies make an uproar;    those who hate you have raised their heads.3   They lay crafty plans against your people;    they consult together against your treasured ones.4   They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;    let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”5   For they conspire with one accord;    against you they make a covenant—6   the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,    Moab and the Hagrites,7   Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,    Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;8   Asshur also has joined them;    they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah 9   Do to them as you did to Midian,    as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,10   who were destroyed at En-dor,    who became dung for the ground.11   Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,    all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,12   who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves    of the pastures of God.” 13   O my God, make them like whirling dust,1    like chaff before the wind.14   As fire consumes the forest,    as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,15   so may you pursue them with your tempest    and terrify them with your hurricane!16   Fill their faces with shame,    that they may seek your name, O LORD.17   Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;    let them perish in disgrace,18   that they may know that you alone,    whose name is the LORD,    are the Most High over all the earth. Footnotes [1] 83:13 Or like a tumbleweed (ESV) New Testament: Acts 6 Acts 6 (Listen) Seven Chosen to Serve 6 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists1 arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers,2 pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Stephen Is Seized 8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Footnotes [1] 6:1 That is, Greek-speaking Jews [2] 6:3 Or brothers and sisters (ESV)

LESSON 90 For this review we will use these ideas: (79) Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved. Let me realize today that the problem is always some form of grievance that I would cherish. Let me also understand that the solution is always a miracle with which I let the grievance be replaced. Today I would remember the simplicity of salvation by reinforcing the lesson that there is one problem and one solution. The problem is a grievance; the solution is a miracle. And I invite the solution to come to me through my forgiveness of the grievance, and my welcome of the miracle that takes its place. Specific applications of this idea might be in these forms: This presents a problem to me which I would have resolved. The miracle behind this grievance will resolve it for me. The answer to this problem is the miracle that it conceals. (80) Let me recognize my problems have been solved. I seem to have problems only because I am misusing time. I believe that the problem comes first, and time must elapse before it can be worked out. I do not see the problem and the answer as simultaneous in their occurrence. That is because I do not yet realize that God has placed the answer together with the problem, so that they cannot be separated by time. The Holy Spirit will teach me this, if I will let Him. And I will understand it is impossible that I could have a problem which has not been solved already. These forms of the idea will be useful for specific applications: I need not wait for this to be resolved. The answer to this problem is already given me, if I will accept it. Time cannot separate this problem from its solution.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 90

It's The Fifth Friday in Lent in the Church Calendar. We are celebrating the life of John Donne, Priest, 1631. March 31, 2023. This week we are following the Daily Office lectionary with an episode Monday through Friday. Praying today for Jess in Pennsylvania, USA. Our general order and lectionary comes from the Book of Common Prayer Daily Office. We'll sing “He Loves Us” by John Mark McMillan. We'll read Psalm 16:5-11 followed by the Gloria Patri. We'll read John Donne's Holy Sonnet “Batter my heart, three-person'd God”. We'll say the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Collect of the Day. We'll then have a time of prompted prayer. If you have a prayer request please submit it here. Sign up here for the email list. Visit Patreon to give and support Morning Prayer monthly. Go to PayPal to give a one-time gift. Art: John Donne, Wimperis Illustration. Collect of the Day - John Donne, Priest, 1631, Rite Two - Almighty God, the root and fountain of all being: Open our eyes to see, with your servant John Donne, that whatever has any being is a mirror in which we may behold you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS – Jesus Walking in the Way of the Cross (VIDEO)   LYRICS TO MUSIC: So he then Handed him On to them To be crucified   They took him And he went Out bearing His own cross   To the place Called the place Of the skull Golgotha   There they crucified him   MESSAGE SUMMARY:    From Rembrandt to Francis Bacon, most visual representations throughout art history portray Jesus carrying the entirety of the cross. Though this picture is common, it is unlikely. The object Jesus was made to carry would have probably been only the horizontal beam, known as the patibulum. A full cross would have weighed well over 300 pounds, a near impossible feat for someone post Roman flogging. The patibulum likely weighed somewhere between 75-125 pounds, and would have been placed across the nape of the victim's neck, balancing upon their shoulders. It was sometimes tied to the victim's arms.     Immediately preceding Jesus taking up his cross, we must remember that he had been brutally tortured and beaten. His body would have been beginning to break down. Yet, he is made to carry the object that would eventually administer his death. The physical weight of this crossbeam amidst the circumstances is unimaginable, and we know that eventually this weight required the help of a bystander (Mark 15:21).     Though its material mass was certainly substantial, how much more the weight that was immeasurable? This beam would support the weight of the world's sins, as it raised the Son of God from the ground. This beam would eventually take the Son of God's life, and usher in Jesus' separation from his Father. This beam would become the emblem of Christ's sacrifice, and be displayed for the remainder of history as such.   Written by Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper golgothamusic.com // poorbishophooper.com // Second edition ©2022 Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper   TODAY'S PRAYER: Pray for a better understanding of both the physical and spiritual ‘weight' of the cross. Where can you share in Christ's sufferings? Pray that the symbol of Jesus' death and resurrection would have true meaning, and be a light to the world. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Heartlessness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Kindness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 19:16-18: “Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”. Further Reading: Mark 15:20. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “How Does God Say He Loves You: Part 5 The New Covenant”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Remembering God's Faithfulness is an Action, Not Just A Thought: How Psalm 105 Helps Us To Have Faith In Hard Seasons It can sometimes be difficult to have faith when we feel that God is silent.  Psalm 105 reminds us to look back at the ways God has been faithful to us throughout our lives.  That act of remembering can be the catalyst to having the faith we need to move forward. Thoughts to Journal: Spend some time today making a list of the ways God has been faithful to you throughout your life.  How does this act of remembering change your perspective for your future? Today's Key Verse: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Psalm 105:1   Hey friends, welcome to the Hearing Jesus Podcast.   Do you sometimes doubt if you are truly hearing God's voice or if it's really your own? Do you wonder how you can know the difference? Do you struggle to feel confident in your relationship with God and what He says in his word? Do you sometimes feel stagnant or like you hit a wall in your spiritual life?   Hey, I'm your host, Rachael Groll: missionary, author, pastor, and life coach. And I have been there. I, too, was doubting God's voice in my own life. I, too, felt insecure about the things I thought God might be calling me to do. I wanted to make a difference in the world and be obedient to what God was calling me to do, but I wasn't quite sure how to figure out what exactly that was. I kept telling myself that I was wasting time trying to figure it out or waiting for Him to show me. Or that I wasn't qualified to do the things I thought He might be telling me to do.   The answer for me was found in the pages of the Bible, as I learned how to understand what it was actually saying. If you are ready to grow in your faith and to step confidently into the calling God has for you, then join me as we dig deep into God's word so you can learn to live out your faith in your everyday life.   Friend, you are loved, you are cherished, and you are His.   The Hearing Jesus Podcast will encourage and equip you to step into the calling God has for your life, living out your faith in the everyday. Together we will break down walls that keep us from growing spiritually. We will dig deep into our Bibles to understand and connect the Scriptures to our lives. We will boldly obey what God calls us to do, walking through doors that only He can open.   Join me for your daily dose of faith, honesty, and prayer.   Need to chat one on one? Snag a private session with Rachael: https://calendly.com/shehears   Learn -> https://shehears.org Shop -> https://shehears.org/resources Connect -> rachael@shehears.org Community-> https://www.facebook.com/groups/743928930315696/ Instagram-> https://www.instagram.com/she_hears/  Purchase the She Hears: Learning to Listen to Jesus Bible Study : https://shehears.org/resources In this six-week study from the Book of John, Rachael Groll takes you on an in-depth exploration into the lives of six women Jesus knew. Women often deal with feelings of insecurity and unworthiness, yet the lives of these women show that Jesus values us, wants a relationship with us, and can use us to further His kingdom. In her warm, conversational style, Rachael ties together her life experience, knowledge of the Scriptures, and her compassion for women to encourage us and enable us to become the women God has called us to be.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:7 During this month in our reflections on peace, we have dug into the Scriptures and human history, dived into our memories, and revisited some of life's most challenging experiences. We have prayed and contemplated. In this world filled with wars, violence, and pain, we have sought to find God's shalom. Today let's look again at some verses from Philippians 4. Paul wrote this letter from a jail in Rome, where he was awaiting a verdict from the imperial court. Despite the sad circumstances of Paul's imprisonment for Jesus' sake, this letter is often called his epistle of thanks and joy. In our verses today Paul calls his readers first of all to “rejoice in the Lord.” It's a command that he repeats: “Rejoice!” The reason for this unyielding joy is simple: the Lord is with us. In the person of Jesus Christ and through his Holy Spirit, the loving God is never far away from his children. Paul also reminds us to be gentle and caring ­toward others. That's how we reflect Christ to them. And he encourages us not to be anxious about anything but to trust in the Lord completely, presenting our requests with thanks. When we live with joy, gentleness, thanks, and trust in the Lord, the incredible peace of God fills us. It “guards [our] hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Have you found his incredible peace? Merciful God, thank you for being near. Teach us to rely on you. Lead us to live with joy, gentleness, and trust in you, and fill us with your incredible peace. Amen.

Rev. James Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study John 18:1-14. Jesus faces His Passion knowingly and willingly. He goes across the Kidron Valley to a garden well-known to Judas. When Judas comes with a large group of soldiers, Jesus initiates the conversation. When He identifies Himself as “I AM,” the one true God, the soldiers draw back and fall to the ground. In fulfillment of His own Word, Jesus allows Himself to be arrested and bound in order to be tried before Annas and Caiaphas. He goes forward to drink the cup that His Father has given. “The Word Made Flesh” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the Gospel according to St. John. The disciple whom Jesus loved wrote his Gospel account as an eyewitness to Jesus' life and ministry. As we read the Word of God recorded by St. John, the Holy Spirit works in us so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so have life by faith in His name.

IntroductionWelcome back to the fifth and final session of Praying the Mass! If you have not yet read parts 1 - 4 of this series, I highly recommend starting there!The Fourth CupI want to pick up from last week's conversation on the Liturgy of the Eucharist with a discussion of the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, particularly the Passover. On the night before He was to suffer, our Lord Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His Apostles. He chose this time and meal to establish the New and everlasting Covenant in His Blood. At the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we are not re-enacting the Last Supper. One of the major differences between the Mass and the Last Supper is that the Last Supper anticipated the Sacrifice of Jesus and the Mass makes this saving reality present once again.In fact, we cannot understand the Mass as the Last Supper only. The Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ spans His entire saving Action, from the entrance into Jerusalem until His glorious Ascension into Heaven forty days after His Resurrection. It is impossible to separate the suffering of Christ from the Last Supper. The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross was once and for all. God is outside of time. Therefore, the Holy Eucharist was established, along with Holy Orders, in the Upper Room before Jesus suffered and died. However, this is precisely because Jesus was making the Cross present in His Body and Blood offered in the first Eucharist.The key to understanding the unity of the Last Supper and the Cross is understanding the Jewish Passover meal. In the Passover, the father of the family would use the first-person perspective when recounting the narrative of the Exodus. The blessings are read by the father of the house and the first cup of wine is consumed: the cup of blessing.At the Passover meal, each adult at the dinner drinks four cups of wine. The four cups mark the journey of the Hebrew people. The four cups mark that 1) God will save His People from harsh labor, which He accomplished by the plagues 2) God will save His People from servitude to the Egyptians, 3) God will redeem His People, which the Jews saw in the crossing of the Red Sea, and finally 4) that God will take His People as a Nation, which happened at Sinai.In Jesus Christ, these four cups reveal their fulfillment. The first cup is fulfilled in various ways by Christ, and in the Book of Revelation, as the full manifestation of God to man. The ten plagues inflicted on Egypt were directed against the various false Egyptian gods. Jesus reveals to us everything that God wished to reveal about Himself and frees us from harsh labor or toiling without purpose in matters of Faith. The second cup is fulfilled by the Incarnation. By the God-man entering into our humanity, we are freed from the slavery of sin, in order to share in His divinity. The third cup is clearly fulfilled in Baptism, which is the definitive escape from the power of evil through the Red Sea.The fourth cup of the Passover meal marks the establishment of the People of God as a nation at Mount Sinai. As a nation, the Exodus from Egypt out of slavery was brought to completion. The New Exodus is the deliverance of men and women from the slavery of sin. The New Moses is our Lord Jesus Christ. In Him is the fullness of redemption. His Perfect Sacrifice on the Cross is begun at the Last Supper. Dr. Scott Hahn goes into exquisite detail about the relationship of the fourth cup, the Last Supper, and the Cross in his 2018 book “The Fourth Cup: Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross.” I would highly recommend purchasing this book for a deeper dive. The main theological point that is drawn is incredibly important: the fourth cup is absent from the Last Supper!The absence of the fourth cup from the Passover Meal would have been noticed by the Apostles. Certainly, they would have been wondering why Jesus left the Passover meal incomplete when He went out to the Garden of Olives to pray. Where then is the fourth cup consumed? It is on the Cross! The fourth cup in Passover marks the establishment of the People of God as a nation at Mount Sinai. In the New Passover, the fourth cup is consumed on the Cross when Jesus drinks wine mixed with gall and gives up His spirit saying, “It is finished (cf. Jn 19:30, Mk 15:37).” In Latin, the phrase is “consummatum est.” The fourth cup is called the cup of consummation.On the Cross, Jesus establishes the new and everlasting Covenant in His Blood. The Church is borne from the Cross. The People of God become such by entering into the death of Christ and thereby sharing in His Resurrection. All of this is possible because of the outpouring of Jesus to the Father. What we need to remember is that Mass is not a reenactment of the Last Supper. It is a coming present once again of the saving Mysteries of Jesus' Last Supper, Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.After Supper Was EndedLet us resume our walk through the Mass. The bread has been consecrated. Now, in a similar way, our Lord took the chalice in His holy and venerable hands. He gave thanks to the Father, blessed it, and shared the cup with His disciples. Why did our Lord do this? He could have consecrated the bread and wine together and given that model to the Apostles.As we have explored earlier, the Last Supper is not merely a symbolic meal, it is a real participation in the events to come of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord. God is the master of space and time, so this is not outside of the possibilities for Him. When Jesus says, “This is my body which will be given up for you,” we can hear that it is anticipating a future action. The mystery comes when we realize that even though He is talking about an action in the future, He is saying that the bread in His hands is His actual body. The Church has never believed these words to be metaphorical. That heresy did not appear until the second millennium.We know that the Holy Mass is a sacrificial meal. So too was the Last Supper a sacrificial meal, inseparable from the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. What is the logic to the double consecration: the consecration of bread and wine separately. Jesus was making the Cross present at the Last Supper in a real, sacramental way, and, in so doing, made the Mass a memorial of the whole of the Paschal Mystery. When He took the chalice and said the words of consecration: “For this is the chalice of my blood...” He was essentially separating His Body and His Blood. The result of the catastrophic separation of Body from Blood is death.At every single Mass, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are separately made present under what looks like bread and what looks like wine. The Cross becomes present. The Death of our Lord Jesus Christ comes present. At the Last Supper, this was in an anticipatory sense because the events of the Passion and Death of Jesus had not yet happened. And at the Holy Mass, these events become present once more.Of course, we know that the Death of Jesus Christ is not the end. Our God knows the way out of death's decay. On the third day, He rose from the dead. His glorious Resurrection becomes present at each and every single Mass in a sacramental way during the Fraction Rite. Later on in the Mass, we sing the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). However, just before this, the Priest breaks a piece of the Host over the paten and places it in the Chalice saying, “May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.”Mysterium FideiAfter the bread and wine have been consecrated, the priest says the “mystery of faith” or mysterium fidei (in Latin), which is new to the 1970 Missal. Previously, the phrase mysterium fidei did not exist as an acclamation; rather, it was part of the formula of consecration spoken inaudibly by the priest. It was included just after “the new and everlasting covenant (novi et aeterni testamenti)” and just before “which will be poured out for you and for many... (qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur...).” However, it was only those two Latin words: mysterium fidei.Originally, the use of the term mysterium fidei referred to the mysterious goodness of the material of Christ's Blood being poured out. An early heretical sect, the Manicheans, held that the material order was bad and only the spiritual was good. So, adding the “mystery of faith” into the Canon further showed how important the Flesh and Blood of Christ was and is, His material humanity joined to His divinity.The 1970 addition to the Missal of “we proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again” seems to be more akin to the traditions of the Eastern liturgies. The Liturgy of St. James, a Byzantine form of liturgy, says, “This do in remembrance of me; for as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show forth the Lord's death, and confess His resurrection, till He comes.” This shows that the memorial acclamation may be new to the Roman Rite of the Church but it has been used for ages in the Eastern Catholic Churches.We are recognizing that the Mass is an anamnetic reality. By way of a quick review from last week, anamnesis in Greek literally means “bring to mind.” We could also translate it as a deliberate recollection. Anamnesis in the context of liturgy is more than just a memory or a calling to the mind in some abstract way. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the mediation of Jesus Christ, our High Priest, the One Sacrifice becomes present once again in an unbloody manner. The word anamnesis is what Jesus says in the words of consecration when He says, “Do this in remembrance of me.”So, the Mass is not a representation, it is a RE-presentation. It is the presenting once more the one and only Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His suffering, death, and resurrection. Anamnetically, we become present in these sacred events, outside of space and time. Through our prayers and intention, we take part in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We enter into the saving Action of Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.Borne By the Hands of Your Holy AngelThe priest is not only offering the Sacrifice of the Holy Victim, he is presenting an oblation or an offering. In the First Eucharistic Prayer, the ancient Roman Canon, the part which makes this explicit goes this way:“In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty, so that all of us who through this participation at the altar receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing.”As we mentioned last week, we recognize the Sacrifice of the Mass as the re-presentation of Jesus' suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. We acknowledge that He Himself is the Sacred Victim offered on our behalf. And now, we recognize the link between Heaven and Earth in the Holy Mass.What is offered here is not a request that the Body of Christ be locally transferred from the altar to Heaven. Jesus Christ is in Heaven already. Therefore, the meaning of this oblation is mystical. It is not a prayer invoking the power of God, like the epiclesis which calls down the power of the Holy Spirit on the gifts. Interestingly, the word used in the official Latin text for “these gifts” is more literally translated as “these Things.” God sees the gifts, He has commanded the Mass be offered in this way, and they are priceless and pleasing to Him.The word Angel that is used comes from the Greek word “angelos” which means “messenger.” Certainly all of the angels and saints are worshiping at the throne of God and are taking part in the Sacred and Divine Liturgy of the Mass. So, who is this Angel?St. Ambrose taught that an angel assists at Mass when Christ is sacrificed on the altar. From the text of the Roman Canon, there is little information as to the identity of this Angel. Is it the guardian angel of the Church? Is it St. Michael the Archangel, the guardian angel of the Eucharist? Is it Jesus Christ Himself, used in a metaphorical sense? Does the word Angel stand in for each and every angel and saint who takes part in the Mystical Supper of the Lamb?It seems clear to me that what is asked here is not possible to any angel or creature. Truly, what created being can accomplish what God has asked and what the Church presents once again here? Besides being a messenger, the Angel is the “One Sent” by the Father. So, it seems that the Angel is the Son of God, Jesus Christ: the One Sent by the Father. In fact, Jesus is the “Angel of Great Counsel” referenced in Isaiah 9:6. We also see the Word of God (albeit before the incarnation) active in creation in Genesis 1-2. We see the Word of the Lord coming to Noah (Genesis 5-6). There is also the mysterious passage in the Gospel of John where Jesus says that Abraham had seen Him (cf. Jn. 8:56).The point of this mystical prayer is to show that the Sacrifice of Heaven is the Sacrifice of Earth. The altar on high in the sight of the His divine majesty is the altar on which the Sacrifice of the Mass is being offered once more. Heaven and Earth meet by the power of the Holy Spirit and the mediation of the Angel of Great Counsel, our Lord Jesus Christ. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus... (1 Tim. 2:5).” So, the Holy Angel of the Mass's words is Jesus.The End of the Eucharistic PrayerThe priest ends the Eucharistic Prayer with a Final Doxology, a liturgical formula of praise to God, saying:“Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.”This entire Action, and truly the whole of the Holy Mass, is the action of God. The chief mover in the Liturgy is our High Priest, Jesus Christ. This final phrase given to us by the Church to close the Eucharistic Prayer might seem like a simple declaration of praise, but it is the key to understanding Catholic worship. “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.” Do we go to Mass to receive the gifts that God wants to bestow upon us? This is the view that many within the Church hold. We go to Mass to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Of course, if we are in a state of grace, we have the honor and profound privilege of receiving our Lord in the Eucharist. But why do we go to Mass? Is it to receive or to give?The key is this: “all glory and honor is yours.” We recognize that we have come to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass with our full, conscious, and actual participation for one primary purpose: to give glory and honor to the Father. And through this cooperation with grace, God makes us holy. Almighty God does not need our worship, but He delights in it. We have freedom and the free self-gift of His son or daughter is His delight. If we come to Mass primarily to receive, we are not coming for the right reasons. If we say, “I did not get anything out of Mass today,” then we have a wrong understanding of the Sacred Liturgy. We should not say, “I did not get...” We should instead say, “Did I give my all to my Heavenly Father?”The Communion RiteFollowing the Eucharistic Prayer, we stand and pray the prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us: the “Our Father.” This perfect prayer, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, contains all five excellent qualities required for prayer. It is confident, ordered, suitable, devout, and humble. It is also clear here the priest is leading this prayer in the Person of Christ, Head of His Body, because his hands are in the orans posture of offering.Next, the priest offers the peace of Christ to us, just as Christ offered His peace to the Apostles on the day of the Resurrection. “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld (Jn. 20:19-20).”Then, it is optional for the deacon or priest to invite the gathered faithful to turn to those in their immediate vicinity and offer the peace of Christ. This is the action of one Member of the Body of Christ to another Member of the Body of Christ. So, we do not say the other person's name, give them a secret handshake, or anything like that. We remember that Christ is now present on the altar and we offer the peace of Christ, which the world cannot give, to those around us. We are also reminded here of the words of our Lord: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Mt. 5:23-24).”The Fraction RiteAs I mentioned last week, the priest then takes a piece of the Sacred Host and breaks it. Then, he puts that piece into the Chalice, which makes the Resurrection of Jesus present in a powerful way. Body and Blood are reunited, never to be parted again! We, and the priest, do not receive dead flesh; we receive the whole Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity into our own bodies. Interesting to note here, as well, that our posture changed after the Final Doxology. Instead of kneeling in penitence and adoration at the foot of the Cross, we are standing in the joy and power of the Resurrection! Meanwhile, the priest is saying quietly: “May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.”Then, quietly, he prays directly to Jesus in one of two ways:“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who, by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit, through your Death gave life to the world, free me by this, your most holy Body and Blood, from all my sins and from every evil; keep me always faithful to your commandments, and never let me be parted from you.”Or: “May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving mercy be for me protection in mind and body and a healing remedy.”Next, while facing the people, the priest raises the host and chalice echoing the words of St. John the Baptist,“Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”The people and the priest then respond with the words of the centurion to Jesus who believed that He could save the centurion's daughter, despite being a Gentile pagan:“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”At this point, the priest then receives Holy Communion and then distributes our Blessed Lord, under the veil of a Sacrament, to the faithful gathered who are in a state of grace. Who Do We Say Amen?I think it is worth investigating: Why do we say Amen after receiving Holy Communion?In the Second Century, St. Justin Martyr writes in his Apologia that after the prayers of thanksgiving and consecration were finished by the priest, all responded by saying “Amen.” This is not simply a word found at the end of a conversation. It is not like saying, “Ok. Goodbye, God,” after a prayer is finished. St. Paul writes, “Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?” So, it would seem that the word Amen packs a punch. But what does it mean?Amen is a Hebrew word which means “so be it.” St. Augustine translated it as “it is true (Latin: verum est).” In a tract explaining the Mass from the Middle Ages, we read, “Amen is a ratification by the people of what has been spoken, and it may be interpreted in our language as if they all said: May it so be done as the priest has prayed (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907).”It is custom in most of the Rites of the Catholic Church, both East and West, to say “Amen” after receiving Holy Communion. In the 1962 Missale Romanum, the priest says, “Corpus Domini Nostri Iesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam, Amen (May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve your soul unto life everlasting. Amen).” So, even though the communicant does not say “Amen” like in the Ordinary Form of the Mass, the priest has said “Amen” for them.The language of “Amen” seems to be like a contract. When two people enter into an agreement with one another, they may mark it with a handshake and say, “so be it” or “I agree.” Is that what is happening at Mass? Certainly, what we are entering into at Mass is far more important, meaningful, lasting, and beautiful. Perhaps more than a contract, the “Amen” shows us that the language of the Mass is that of a covenant. A contract can be broken. A covenant cannot be broken.When we approach our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, we are approaching the Bridegroom as the Bride. We are uttering our wedding vows to the King of Heaven each time we receive Holy Communion. We are saying, “I do” when we say “Amen.” The meaning of the word is very close to this understanding. We are using the language of marriage to show that we are accepting the Bridegroom into our body and soul to remain with us always. As husband and wife become one flesh in marriage, the communicant and our Lord become one in the Eucharist. “Communion” means “one with.” We are becoming more closely joined to the Lord in reception of Holy Communion.Every time we say “Amen” we should call to mind clearly what we are doing. We are giving our assent of Faith. We are not saying “Okay” or “Sure”, we are saying “so be it.” Do we know what we are saying “yes” to? Do we know what we entering into? Our “yes” to God cannot be half-hearted or wishy-washy. It must be sure and resolute, by His grace. Our Lord Jesus is a strong proponent of authenticity and resolution. We hear in the Book of Revelation: “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth (Rev. 3:16).” And in the Gospel of St. Matthew: “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes' or ‘No'; anything more than this comes from evil (Mt. 5:37).” Let our Amen mean Amen. Then, after Holy Communion, the priest or deacon purifies the Sacred Vessels, which is something only they can do. They quietly say:“What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity.”Next, the priest invites the people to pray and says the Prayer after Communion. This is a special prayer given for each liturgical day, like the Collect, which ends the Communion Rite and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, more broadly. Will Wright Catholic Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Concluding RitesGreeting, Blessing, and DismissalWe have just taken part in the Liturgy of the Eucharist in which Jesus Christ became substantially, truly, and really present.  Having just received Him in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist, the faithful are living tabernacles.  The word Eucharist actually means thanksgiving in Greek, and this is what we are doing during the Concluding Rites.Out of deep gratitude for what our good God has done, we spend some time in silence following the Communion Rite, reflecting on the gift of the Most Holy Eucharist.  Then, the priest blesses the people assembled.  There is great power in this blessing. The priest, acting in the Person of Christ the Head, is blessing the people.  In other words, it is Christ Himself who blesses us at the end of Mass.  During Mass, where the priest is, there is Christ.The priest, acting in the Person of Christ, blesses those gathered with the power and might of the Most Holy Trinity: “May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”  By making the sign of the Cross and invoking the Trinity, the priest is sealing us with God's presence.  We have been shown mercy in the Introductory Rites and we glorified God.  We were fed with His adorable Word in the Liturgy of the Word.  And we received Jesus Christ Himself in the Holy Eucharist in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  This one, single act of worship began with the sign of the Cross and it ends with the sign of the Cross.Following the final blessing, the dismissal is given by the priest or deacon.  This is, in fact, where the word Mass comes from.  The words in Latin “Ite, missa est” literally means “Go, she (meaning, the Church) – has been sent”.  This word is related to our English word “mission.”  Fed by the Word and the Eucharist, Jesus fills us with Himself and we are strengthened to go out and share Him with the world. The Church exists to evangelize, and we are the hands and feet of Christ. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, in the Great Commission, Jesus says to the Apostles:“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Mt. 28:18-20).”Likewise, the deacon or priest is acting in the Person of Christ, telling us to “Go” as well! The dismissal makes the Ascension anamnetically present to us, because that is exactly what happened after the Great Commission.Then, the priest, still acting in the Person of Christ the Head, then processes down the center aisle towards the narthex as a recessional hymn is sung.  Technically speaking, the one, single act of worship – the Mass – ends with the dismissal.  Practically speaking, our celebration of the Sacred Mysteries ends when the priest reaches the narthex of the Church. This practice of waiting until the priest reaches the narthex highlights the reality that Christ is the presider at Mass, acting through the priest.ConclusionI hope that this series has been a blessing to you. I hope that we all will continue in our pursuit of the glory of God and the sanctification of man. I hope that the Mass comes alive to your senses in a powerful way. Thanks be to God for such a great gift!Thank you for reading Will Wright Catholic Podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Will Wright Catholic Podcast at www.willwrightcatholic.com/subscribe

Do you want to grow? Do you want to change? Are you looking for a fresh start? God gives you the ability to hit the reset button and start over. He wants to give you a second chance that will transform your life! In this series, Pastor Rick shares how to prepare for the reset journey, how to begin once you're ready, and how to experience lasting change in your life. The secret to changing your life is not willpower. It's God giving you the will and the power through the Holy Spirit to do what needs to be done. In this message, Pastor Rick teaches how to identify where you need to change and what it takes to make changes that last. Have you ever asked, Why are some things in my life so hard to change? or, Why do I hold on to self-defeating habits? Join Pastor Rick as he explores the answer to these questions. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1103/29

What is chrismation, and is it biblical? Why does the Eastern Orthodox Church practice chrismation as the means to receive the Holy Spirit?

The gift of speaking is given to us to praise God and to build up our brothers and sisters. But so often we use it to tear them down, tell lies, and say uncouth and uncharitable things. How can we overcome these sins of the tongue? Tune in to hear how Fr. Joseph, Paul, and Lauren seek to make sure their tongue is under control of the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit and Regeneration, from our Midweek Bible Study: "The Mystery of the Holy Spirit" - 3.29.23 Presented by McGregor Podcast 2023 Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com

On this WPN Call #223, Dr. Jim Garlow is joined by three special guests: Kevin Freeman, one of the world's leading experts on economic warfare and financial terrorism, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Policy; Greg Berg, the VP of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and a Well Versed Board Member; and Pastor Gary Cass, the senior pastor of Christ Community Reformed Church in San Diego, California. They discuss and explain everything we need to know about the recent bank closures and failures.      Dr. Jim Garlow has partnered with Pastor Mario Bramnick and Terry Barnes to bring you World Prayer Network (WPN), which seeks out Holy Spirit given strategies for how to be an effective and contagious Christ-follower in our present national situations. WPN hosts weekly prayer calls to seek out strategies for the transformation of nations, including our own. During these live calls, we share briefings from key leaders and then pray into what we see and hear from the Lord.     Follow us on social media:  facebook.com/wellversedworld twitter: @wellversedworld instagram: @wellversedworld www.wellversedworld.org

You want to gain massive ground in your marriage? Want to create sexual sparks, but in a way that ACTUALLY WORKS? Then listen in to learn one of the most important battlefields that you must learn how to occupy for the sake of your sex life, your marriage, and your wife's heart. This right here is one of the top 3 most important reasons to be a confident man in your marriage.If you'd like to set up a FREE 30 minute coaching consultation with Matt himself to get to work right away on yourself as a man so you can architect the marriage you've been hungry for, visit:https://www.manwarriorking.com/unshakeable/Get a spot on Matt's calendar right away here:https://go.oncehub.com/rebuildTo join the monthly membership program Ranks of Adullam, find out more information here:https://www.manwarriorking.com/adullam/If you haven't yet, be sure to grab The DNA of a Man.Visit the Man Warrior King store for additional resources and trainings: Man:Conqueror - Your guide to building confidence, the kingdom way. Husband:Rebuilt - How to stop pushing your wife away and start attracting her again. Take Back Your Marriage - Overthrow the myths that the church has accidentally passed on to us men that have kept us spinning our wheels in building a fiery, passionate, fulfilling marriage.

Minister Miranda Riser

LESSON 89 These are our review ideas for today: (77) I am entitled to miracles. I am entitled to miracles because I am under no laws but God's. His laws release me from all grievances, and replace them with miracles. And I would accept the miracles in place of the grievances, which are but illusions that hide the miracles beyond. Now I would accept only what the laws of God entitle me to have, that I may use it on behalf of the function He has given me. You might use these suggestions for specific applications of this idea: Behind this is a miracle to which I am entitled. Let me not hold a grievance against you, [name], but offer you the miracle that belongs to you instead. Seen truly, this offers me a miracle. (78) Let miracles replace all grievances. By this idea do I unite my will with the Holy Spirit's, and perceive them as one. By this idea do I accept my release from hell. By this idea do I express my willingness to have all my illusions be replaced with truth, according to God's plan for my salvation. I would make no exceptions and no substitutes. I want all of Heaven and only Heaven, as God wills me to have. Useful specific forms for applying this idea would be: I would not hold this grievance apart from my salvation. Let our grievances be replaced by miracles, [name]. Beyond this is the miracle by which all my grievances are replaced.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 89

To identify the character of man we must first identify the character of God, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the F.I.T. in Faith Podcast, Tamra delves into the power of the Holy Spirit's fire and how it can protect and guide us through any situation. She reflects on their own experiences with the Lord and asks what God is speaking to them through various aspects of their lives, from family time to community conversations. Tamra reminds us that when we are consumed by the Holy Spirit, we are protected from the enemy's destruction and can blaze a trail for others to follow. She also discusses the importance of not comparing ourselves to others, especially when it comes to blazing our own trails. Tamra encourages us to trust God's calling, even when it doesn't make sense, and to step out in faith to the places we are being summoned. Tamra quotes from Romans and reminds us that a new day of destiny dawns for each of us as the night's darkness dissolves away. She shares personal stories of her own experiences of being summoned to unexpected places, trusting in God's plan, and discovering unexpected revelations. Throughout the episode, Tamra offers uplifting and empowering messages to inspire us to live our lives fully and courageously, trusting in the Holy Spirit's fire to protect and guide us every step of the way. So sit back, relax, and let this podcast fill you with hope and inspiration - Holy Spirit Fire is your Birthright. Walk in it and blaze those trails!    Where to Find Tamra: Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you share your message! https://calendly.com/sharon-tamraandress/45min Work with us! https://tamraandress.com/ TEXT Me (yes, it's really me!) at

(00:03) Fr. Craig Giera and Fr. David Pellican welcome us to this episode of Men of the Hearts. They introduce us to today's guest, Fr. Jeff Allan (Chaplain, Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital). He shares a “recent grace” of reflecting on the saintly life of a priest friend who recently passed away. (08:50) Vocation Story — Fr. Jeff shares that he first thought of the priesthood as a child. As he grew up, he felt being a priest was “fourth on my list.” He was an altar server as a child. Following studying at Adrian College, he did an initial discernment of the priesthood, but didn't feel he should move forward in discerning. He worked in sales for several years. He began dating a young woman and enjoyed his life. At his office, he joined a prayer group, and started attending daily Mass. Some five years after his initial discernment, Fr. Jeff began discerning the priesthood again and revisited the seminary. (23:23) Two discernments and the role of peace — Fr. Jeff shares that in his second discernment, he felt a new and deep peace as he moved forward. His discernment weekend brought a greater clarity and peace to him: “Spending time in front of the tabernacle in the chapel, and feeling a sense of peace.” He shares that his days in seminary were difficult, and he struggled with studying theology, but the mentorship he received helped him journey through seminary. (31:33) Priesthood — Fr. Jeff shares that he greatly enjoys working as a hospital chaplain. “The staff are the parishioners.” He discusses how he has been stretched in this ministry, about listening to the Holy Spirit, and meeting people in crisis. (51:05) Advice for discerning well — “Don't narrow the focus! All of us have different callings within the priesthood. Our roles change, and be open to that.” Fr. Jeff offers his insights into discerning a priestly vocation and how he sees God's work in our lives. He says, “Have a consistent daily prayer life… Eucharistic Adoration, Liturgy of the Hours….” He tells us discernment is a “win-win” situation.

Patrick answers questions about if people with disabilities can receive the sacraments, shares a debate he had with a protestant about veneration of Mary and the Saints and explains why the Protestant bible has less books than the Catholic bible. Patrick goes though some of his emails Gloria - I have a 20-year-old disabled daughter. How do I go about getting her the sacraments? Patrick shares a debate that he had about veneration of Mary and the Saints Email from Ralph - where were people who died before Jesus opened the doors to heaven? Email from Dave – How did the Jews pronounce the name “I Am”? Elena - If someone is engaged and they know they can't have a baby, should they still proceed? Elvie - I'm part of a bible study with Protestants. They said we added books later. Pat - Communion: Sometimes I've run late on eating before mass. Sometimes I'll let the host sit in my mouth for a few minutes before swallowing. Jacob - What did Elisha do in order to give Elijah a double portion of the Spirit? What is the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Marilyn - I have to eat with my medication. should I still keep the fast?

Has the Holy Spirit gone out of style? Although it's seemingly an easy question to answer, it makes you wonder why we don't see the Holy Spirit active and moving in more churches today. Pastors Ron and Hope go over the importance of the Holy Spirit in the church and our day-to-day lives in this foundation-setting installment of Ron + Hope: Unfiltered. Don't neglect your relationship with your friend, comforter, and closest companion today! Episode 65Thank you to this week's sponsor Chime Financial - Get started at chime.com/ronandhope. That's chime.com/ronandhope. Are there any topics you'd like us to discuss?Do you have any questions you'd like us to answer?Send them to unfiltered@ronandhope.com. Follow Ron Carpenter at https://www.instagram.com/ron.carpenter/Follow Hope Carpenter at https://www.instagram.com/pastorhope.carpenter/ Subscribe to Ron's YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/user/pastorroncarpenterSubscribe to Hope's YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1TUxyS_-elLEOORZ2YiunA

It's The Fifth Thursday in Lent in the Church Calendar. March 30, 2023. This week we are following the Daily Office lectionary with an episode Monday through Friday. Praying today for Keith traveling to Lebanon. Our general order and lectionary comes from the Book of Common Prayer Daily Office. We'll sing “More” by Stephanie Osorio and me. We'll read Psalms 131 and 132 followed by the Gloria Patri. Our Gospel reading is John 10:19-42 . We'll say the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Collect of the Day. We'll then have a time of prompted prayer. If you have a prayer request please submit it here. Sign up here for the email list. Visit Patreon to give and support Morning Prayer monthly. Go to PayPal to give a one-time gift. Photo: New Zealand, 2011, Olivia Ward. Collect of the Day - Fifth Sunday in Lent, Rite Two - Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prince of Peace, Ruler, I Am That I Am...check out this message to find out where these Names of God come from and what they reveal to us about God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Johnny grew up in and around the church because his parents were evangelists. He saw them pour their lives into others then sometimes get severely hurt by the very ones they were trying to help. So, he left the church and didn't want to have anything to do with it – ever again. But, through a series of God-ordained encounters, Johnny experienced a renewal of faith that has radically affected everything and everyone in his life. Special Guest: Johnny Walsh.

On this episode of the God Pod: God and cohosts Jesus and the Holy Spirit, jump right into it with top news concerning conservative's hypocrisy over banning books, but not the Bible, which is filled with horrible traumatizing stories.  On the ‘GD News,' the Holy Trinity reports on the fake image of the pope's drippin' puffer coat, scary photorealistic AI, boner pills, a Christian lawmaker who is “very sad” (boo hoo) about a parent asking the Utah school district to remove the Bible due to its pornographic content, a classical sculpture too scandalous for Floridians, HGTV, Trump's pro-arrest demonstrators, the Proud Boys getting a time out at an NYC Drag Queen story hour, Disney's gay rights summit, and people get angry because Elmo wished a happy Ramadan to Muslims. On ‘Ask God,' you'll discover where you can find the live animated episode of the God Pod (pssst…it's on the God Pod channel on YouTube), if God will give pets the gift of speech, WWJD, if mermaids go to heaven, where listener C2 can find his old box of legos, why the days aren't even, and if the Trinity watches ‘Supernatural.' On “Listener Feedback,' the Holy Spirit gets birdsplained to about Tums, Cheshire Cat defends Jesus' hand holes, and Jesus' voice finally gets recognized as spicy.   Don't forget to listen to the end because God has a banger of a New Commandment! The God Pod: Have It Yahweh! After 6000 years of running the universe, God realized that Satan is kicking his butt, like, really bad. Over the centuries and despite lots of trying, God has not been able to smite the forces of evil. So, he started a podcast to do just that. Full of fun and heart, the God Pod is a twice-weekly opportunity for God to hang out with his fellow deities and maybe even meet some interesting humans. NEW EPISODES MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS Join our Discord chat server: https://discord.gg/7v3Cc4pjMC The God Pod is everywhere! https://linktr.ee/godpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bible cover to cover

Through the Holy Spirit of God, power is available to you and I. Power to do what we alone are not strong enough to do. Power to go far beyond our own limits. Power to know that which we cannot possibly know otherwise. God's desire is not for us to struggle our way through this […]

Our unofficial panel of menfolk are back. Tom Parrish and Jeff Verdoorn give their unique male perspectives on listener questions. They discuss a variety of topics including:  being doers of the Word, the names of the disciples, faith, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,  Jesus speaking in parables, and much more. Then economist Anne Bradley and Bill have a discussion on bank runs, bank of Japan, recession news, the US as the preferred currency standard, the gold standard, cash verses debit and credit cards, energy's impact on the economy, and much more.   Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here

The early church had its problems, but as the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and blessed their witness, men and women from all walks of life were drawn into the great and glorious fellowship we call the church. Join Dr. James Boice as he examines the early church at worship and at work. Today on The Bible Study Hour--preparing you to think and act biblically. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/581/29

Pastor Jeremy shares Wednesday in Glendive. By The Numbers: means something that is predictable, or very systematic, one who follows standard procedure. Last week we learned that our armor is what we know about the Word of God, Salvation, Righteousness, & Faith. Our armor is to be used against 3 very specific things. 1. Verse 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 2. Verse 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day 3. Verse 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. The wiles, the evil day, and the fiery darts all come from our enemy...the devil. His battle plan is simple...John 10:10 to steal, kill, & destroy. The devil's tactics are one-fold...systematic...by the numbers. ● The wiles, the evil day, the fiery darts all come from the same origin. ● 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ● John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. ● Rev 12:7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. ● Rom 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. ● Rev. 20 the devil is cast into the bottomless pit and shut up with a seal so he can “deceive no more” ● My conclusion is this: the wiles, the evil day, the fiery darts are thoughts, ideas, & suggestions that contradict the Word and ways of God.

Pastor David shares Wednesday in Dickinson. Continuing on the theme of “Speed Bump” while we look at how to be an obstacle for someone headed toward a path of destruction, we'll examine another aspect of restoration as mentioned in Galatians 6:1 — Interceding for Someone Who's in Trouble. We'll look at how Abraham interceded for Lot, and how that correlates with us interceding for those we love when we're in trouble. ● Lot was with Abraham and Sarah every step of the way: Genesis 12:5-7 ● Abraham refuses to allow strife to enter in: Genesis 13:1-9 ● Lot's decision: Genesis 13:10-12 ● Lot's depravity: Genesis 19:5-7 ● The Mercy of the Lord: Genesis 18:1-3, 16-33 ● Prayer of intercession: ○ We pray with the Holy Spirit's Help: Romans 8:26 ○ 1 Corinthians 14:14 ○ A spirit of wisdom and revelation: Colossians 1:9-12, Ephesians 1:17-23 ● The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of trouble: 2 Peter 2:7-9 ● Conclusion — God delivered Lot for Abraham's sake: Genesis 19:29

Rev. Carl Roth, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study John 17:20-27. As Jesus concludes His prayer on Maundy Thursday, He asks the Father on behalf of those disciples to come who will believe through the Word that will be preached by His disciples. In this, Jesus prays for His Church still today, that we would share the unity that He has with His Father. This prayer of Jesus is answered in the unity that He gives in His Word, not in any man-made attempts. Jesus has given His Church His glory, and in the unity that He gives the Church with Himself and with His Father, the world sees the love of God. Even as Jesus has made known His name to His disciples, He will continue to make it known to His Church still. “The Word Made Flesh” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the Gospel according to St. John. The disciple whom Jesus loved wrote his Gospel account as an eyewitness to Jesus' life and ministry. As we read the Word of God recorded by St. John, the Holy Spirit works in us so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so have life by faith in His name.

On this WPN Call #222, Dr. Jim Garlow is joined by Father Frank Pavone, he National Director of Priests for Life, National Pastoral Director of Rachel's Vineyard and the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, and president of the National Pro-Life Religious Council. He discusses the opposition he had received from the Catholic Hierarchy for simply standing up for the lives of unborn babies.    Dr. Jim Garlow has partnered with Pastor Mario Bramnick and Terry Barnes to bring you World Prayer Network (WPN), which seeks out Holy Spirit given strategies for how to be an effective and contagious Christ-follower in our present national situations. WPN hosts weekly prayer calls to seek out strategies for the transformation of nations, including our own. During these live calls, we share briefings from key leaders and then pray into what we see and hear from the Lord.     Follow us on social media:  facebook.com/wellversedworld twitter: @wellversedworld instagram: @wellversedworld www.wellversedworld.org

SUNDAY SERVICE || THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

With family: Leviticus 1; John 20 Leviticus 1 (Listen) Laws for Burnt Offerings 1 The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock. 3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, 7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering1 with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 10 “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, 13 but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 14 “If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He shall remove its crop with its contents2 and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 17 He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. Footnotes [1] 1:9 Or an offering by fire; so throughout Leviticus [2] 1:16 Or feathers (ESV) John 20 (Listen) The Resurrection 20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus'1 head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,2 “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. Jesus Appears to the Disciples 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,3 Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Jesus and Thomas 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,4 was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The Purpose of This Book 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Footnotes [1] 20:7 Greek his [2] 20:16 Or Hebrew [3] 20:19 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time [4] 20:24 Greek Didymus (ESV) In private: Proverbs 17; Philippians 4 Proverbs 17 (Listen) 17   Better is a dry morsel with quiet    than a house full of feasting1 with strife.2   A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully    and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.3   The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,    and the LORD tests hearts.4   An evildoer listens to wicked lips,    and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.5   Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;    he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.6   Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,    and the glory of children is their fathers.7   Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;    still less is false speech to a prince.8   A bribe is like a magic2 stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;    wherever he turns he prospers.9   Whoever covers an offense seeks love,    but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.10   A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding    than a hundred blows into a fool.11   An evil man seeks only rebellion,    and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.12   Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs    rather than a fool in his folly.13   If anyone returns evil for good,    evil will not depart from his house.14   The beginning of strife is like letting out water,    so quit before the quarrel breaks out.15   He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous    are both alike an abomination to the LORD.16   Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom    when he has no sense?17   A friend loves at all times,    and a brother is born for adversity.18   One who lacks sense gives a pledge    and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.19   Whoever loves transgression loves strife;    he who makes his door high seeks destruction.20   A man of crooked heart does not discover good,    and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.21   He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,    and the father of a fool has no joy.22   A joyful heart is good medicine,    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.23   The wicked accepts a bribe in secret3    to pervert the ways of justice.24   The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,    but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.25   A foolish son is a grief to his father    and bitterness to her who bore him.26   To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,    nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.27   Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,    and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.28   Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;    when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. Footnotes [1] 17:1 Hebrew sacrifices [2] 17:8 Or precious [3] 17:23 Hebrew a bribe from the bosom (ESV) Philippians 4 (Listen) 4 Therefore, my brothers,1 whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. Exhortation, Encouragement, and Prayer 2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion,2 help these women, who have labored3 side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in