Podcasts about Holy Spirit

This week, in Lashmeet, West Virginia, a sudden, and brutal murder may have been brought on by a very strange living arrangement, involving a woman, her boyfriend, and her ex-husband, One day, both the woman, and her boyfriend begin drinking, in the morning. This leads to arguments, when one claims to be "God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit", while the other believes that demons are responsible for their problems. This obviously leads to the murder, but did they get the right person??    Along the way, we find out that people who live in very rural areas seem to love pageants, that apparently mental illness can make you blind & unable to walk, and that sometimes, there may be more to a case than what a murder scene seems to tell you!!   New episodes, every Wednesday & Friday nights!! THE HALLOWEEN VIRTUAL LIVE SHOW!!! 10/30/2025 @ 9:00 PM Eastern Time Get your tickets on moment.co/smalltownmurder  Tickets are $20.  Video Playback will be available for 2 weeks after the live event.    Donate at patreon.com/crimeinsports or at paypal.com and use our email: crimeinsports@gmail.com Go to shutupandgivememurder.com for all things Small Town Murder, Crime In Sports & Your Stupid Opinions!   Follow us on... instagram.com/smalltownmurder facebook.com/smalltownpod   Also, check out James & Jimmie's other shows, Crime In Sports & Your Stupid Opinions on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!!

The Holy Spirit of Promise and the New and Everlasting Covenant

#10MinuteswithJesus ** Put yourself in the presence of God. Try talking to Him. ** 10 minutes are 10 minutes. Even if you can get distracted, reach the end. ** Be constant. The Holy Spirit acts "on low heat" and requires perseverance. 10-Minute audio to help you pray. Daily sparks to ignite prayer: a passage from the gospel, an idea, an anecdote and a priest who speaks with you and the Lord, inviting you to share your intimacy with God. Find your moment, consider you are in His presence and click play.

Friends of the Rosary,Lord Jesus explains in today's reading (Matthew 13:47-5) how the end of the present time will unfold.He said to the crowds:"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,which collects fish of every kind.When it is full they haul it ashoreand sit down to put what is good into buckets.What is bad they throw away.Thus it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteousand throw them into the fiery furnace,where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."It's how divine justice will be applied after divine mercy has been rejected by many. Today, we have a unique opportunity to commit ourselves to a life in grace. This way, we will be in the righteous group of people. Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• November 15, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Today, Pastor Jack teaches that when David was anointed with oil as the King of Israel, it wasn't because he was gifted. It was because God gifts those that He calls into service, and fills them with power of the Holy Spirit to carry out what He calls them to do.

Hardship and troubling times won't come because of political or economic turmoil; these seasons will be driven by the degradation of human character. In this sermon, Pastor Allen Jackson discusses how we can live with peace through frightening times. We see in the Book of Revelation that we will need courage to persevere through persecution, but Pastor Allen reminds us that we can rely on God's judgment, justice, and provision to stand boldly. God has sent us the Holy Spirit as our helper, counselor, and comforter, and through Him, we can fulfill the assignment of the Church: sharing the Good News of God's Kingdom to the ends of the earth.

Here in John's gospel, we get a lengthy behind-the-scenes look at the Last Supper. As Jesus eats the Passover meal with his disciples, he knows that the hour of His crucifixion is drawing near. As both Lord and servant, Jesus leads by example and washes the disciples' feet and commands them to love one another. It's revealed that Judas will betray Jesus, and he departs from the other disciples to execute his plan. Jesus reveals the nature of the relationships within the triune Godhead, describing how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit relate to one another. Finally, Jesus tells his disciples that they should expect to be persecuted by the world.John 12 – 1:10 . John 13 – 9:25 . John 14 – 15:31 . John 15 – 20:44 . Isaiah 40 – 24:47 . :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Waiting is hard. And it's harder when you don't know how long you'll have to wait. When Jesus left his disciples, he told them their mission. But instead of giving them marching orders, he gave them “waiting orders”: Wait for the Holy Spirit. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29?v=20251111

God Is Strengthening You For Every Battle—YOU'RE NOT ALONE | Blessed Morning Prayer To Start The DaySUBSCRIBE to catch all the latest prayers uploaded to the Daily Effective Prayer Podcast!For more powerful daily prayers and to connect with the ministry visit:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org© Copyright DailyEffectivePrayer.com  SUPPORT THE MINISTRY: (We are listener-supported)https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/donate/ DO YOU NEED PRAYER? Send us a prayer request right now:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/prayer-request-online/ CONNECT WITH US:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/connectYouTube (1M+ SUBSCRIBERS)X / TwitterInstagram ThreadsInstagramFacebook Daily Effective Prayer™

#10MinuteswithJesus ** Put yourself in the presence of God. Try talking to Him. ** 10 minutes are 10 minutes. Even if you can get distracted, reach the end. ** Be constant. The Holy Spirit acts "on low heat" and requires perseverance. 10-Minute audio to help you pray. Daily sparks to ignite prayer: a passage from the gospel, an idea, an anecdote and a priest who speaks with you and the Lord, inviting you to share your intimacy with God. Find your moment, consider you are in His presence and click play.

In this thought-provoking episode, Tony and Jesse delve into Jesus's twin parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price from Matthew 13:44-46. They explore the profound economic metaphor Jesus uses to illustrate the incomparable value of the Kingdom of Heaven. Through careful examination of both parables, they discuss what it means to "count the cost" of following Christ while simultaneously recognizing that no earthly sacrifice can compare to the infinite worth of gaining Christ. The conversation moves between practical application—considering how believers assess value in their spiritual lives—and deeper theological reflections on Christ's perfect sacrifice that makes our entrance into the Kingdom possible in the first place. Key Takeaways The Kingdom of Heaven has such surpassing value that sacrificing everything to obtain it is considered a joyful exchange, not a loss. Both parables show different paths to discovering the Kingdom (unexpected finding vs. intentional seeking), but identical responses: selling everything to obtain the treasure. The parables are not primarily commanding material poverty, but rather illustrating the "sold-outness" required in pursuing the Kingdom of God. Counting the cost of discipleship is not only permissible but necessary to fully appreciate the value of what we gain in Christ. The ultimate treasure we receive in salvation is not merely benefits like eternal life, but God Himself—union with Christ and fellowship with the Trinity. Christ Himself is the one who ultimately fulfills these parables perfectly, giving everything to purchase us as His treasure. The irresistible draw of the Kingdom illustrates how God's grace works in the heart of believers, compelling joyful surrender. Exploring the Incomparable Value of the Kingdom The economic metaphor Jesus employs in these parables is striking—both the hidden treasure and the pearl are deemed so valuable that the discoverers "sell all they have" to obtain them. As Tony and Jesse point out, this transaction reveals something profound about how we should view the Kingdom of Heaven. It's not simply that the Kingdom is valuable; it's that its value so far exceeds anything else we possess that the comparison becomes almost absurd. As Tony notes, "For sure the worth of the kingdom of heaven surpasses anything we could imagine... there's no measure that is satisfying, there's no measure that can actually show us how worthwhile it is." This perspective transforms how we understand sacrifice in the Christian life. When opportunities or comforts are foregone because of our faith, we're not simply losing something—we're experiencing the reality that we've chosen something infinitely more valuable. The parables teach us to view these moments not with regret but with a clearer vision of the treasure we've received in Christ. The Ultimate Prize: God Himself Perhaps the most powerful insight from the discussion is the realization that the ultimate treasure of salvation is not the benefits we receive, but God Himself. As Tony eloquently states: "All of those things are attending gifts. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God... we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We get swept up into the life of the Trinity... We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that." This perspective reshapes how we understand the value proposition of the gospel. It's not merely that we receive eternal life, freedom from suffering, or other benefits—though these are real. The pearl of great price is relationship with God Himself. This helps explain why both men in the parables respond with such dramatic, all-encompassing sacrifice. When we truly grasp what's being offered, nothing seems too great a price to pay. Memorable Quotes "What we get in salvation ultimately is we get God. We get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We get swept up into the life of the Trinity... We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that." — Tony Arsenal "I often say in my own line of work, that cost only matters in the absence of value... it's like at the end of days when we think about the worthiness of our God, that there's no one like him, that he's unequal, that he has no rival, that the gospel is the sweetest message that we're rescued literally from the pit. We'll just say no matter what the cost of us personally, great or small, totally worth it." — Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript [00:00:08] Tony Arsenal: All of those things are attending gifts. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the, the power of the Holy Spirit. We, we get swept up into the life of the, the God of the universe. Like the life of the Trinity indwells us. And we, we become a part of that. We get swept up into that. We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that. [00:00:47] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 469 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:54] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:00:59] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. Discussing the Value of the Kingdom of Heaven [00:01:00] Jesse Schwamb: Speaking of ears to hear, we're back at it again with a whole new, or let's say different parable from our Lord and Savior Jesus. And we've been talking about how really these parables give us this view of the face of heaven through these earthly glasses. And I am pretty interested in our conversation about what's coming up because sometimes we don't like to put too fine a points to our, our point of question to our faith. And in this case, we're gonna get to ask the question, what is it all worth, this kingdom of heaven, this rule and reign of Christ? What is it all about? Who are the beneficiaries of it? And what is it all actually worth? There's a little bit of economics in this, so we're gonna get there. And while we talk and do a little affirming or denying, you should just go ahead write to just skip, go. Do not collect $200 or maybe. Pass, go and collect $200. I dunno. But just go to Matthew chapter 13 and hang out there for just a second. Affirmations and Denials [00:01:58] Jesse Schwamb: But first, I'm always curious to know whenever we talk, are you gonna affirm with something or are you gonna die against something? We've been on a string of lots of affirmations, but I'd like to think that's just because we're fun, loving, optimistic people. But there was a day where we had to do both. And now that I only have to choose one, I do find myself gravitating almost naturally toward the affirming width. But I leave it to you, Tony, are you affirming with or denying against? [00:02:22] Tony Arsenal: I, unfortunately am denying tonight. Technical Issues with Apple Podcasts [00:02:25] Tony Arsenal: So you and I already talked about it a little bit, but uh, I'm denying Apple Podcast Connect. Oh yes. So, uh, I. Obviously, like if you're affected by this, you're not hearing the episode 'cause it's not updating for you. But, uh, if you happen to be using Apple to listen to the podcast and for some reason you're listening somewhere else, maybe you realize that the podcast has not been updating for several weeks. And so you went to a different podcast catcher. Um, apple just decided for some reason that none of our feeds were gonna update. No good reason. So I've got a ticket out to Apple and hopefully we'll get it fixed. Uh, if you do know someone who listens to the show and they use Apple, please tell them to subscribe to something else or to, uh, go to the website. You can get all of the, all of the episodes on our website. You could go to Spotify, you could do something like, uh, overcast or PocketCasts. Um, it really is just Apple. It's, it's the actual account that we use to, uh, to access. Apple's Directory is not pulling new episodes and it's not pulling new episodes on another show that I run as well. So, uh, it's not just this show, it's not our RSS feed. These things happen. It'll, you know, you'll get four or five episodes all at one time. When it, when it corrects itself, usually they're pretty quick. I put in a ticket like late on Friday afternoon, so I didn't expect them to get to it on, uh, Saturday or Sunday. So hopefully by the time you're hearing this, uh, it's resolved. I would hope so, because that means it would be about a week from today. Um, so hopefully they'll have a resolve. But yeah, it's just th thorns and thistles. This is our own, our own, uh, manifestation of the curse here in this little labor that we do. It's, it's thorns and thistles right now, but no big deal. Just, uh, catch up when you can. And, uh, yeah, so denying Apple Podcasts now, really, it's, it's a great service and this is a, a little glitch. It's, it's just a little frustrating. [00:04:20] Jesse Schwamb: The sweat of our brow. Yes. Here it is. We're just toiling over getting Apple to please release our episodes. Well, it'll be your happy day if you use Apple Podcasts and then get a bunch of them all at once. That's fantastic. It's like the gift that is over in abundance. Supporting The Reformed Brotherhood [00:04:36] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, it is a good reminder that you just said, Tony, that everybody should go, just take some time. Head on over to our form brotherhood.com. You can find all the other 400 some odd episodes living over there. And while you're over there and you're perusing or searching by topic to see what we've talked about before, you're probably gonna think to yourself, this is so incredible. How is this compendium, this omnibus of all these episodes just hanging out here free of cost? And I'm so glad you're thinking about that because there are so many lovely brothers and sisters who have decided just to give a little bit to make sure that all that stuff gets hosted for free for you Yeah. And for us, so that anybody can go and explore it and find content that we hope will be edifying. So if that's something you're interested in, maybe you've been listening for a while and thought, you know what? I would like to give a little bit one time or reoccurring, we would love to, for you to join us in that mission. You can go to patreon.com/reform brotherhood, and there's all the information for you to give if that's something that you feel you would like to do, and we would be grateful for you to do it. [00:05:32] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. We, we have a group of people who support the show. They make it possible for your, uh, your ear holes to be filled with our voices. And, uh, but again, you know, the costs are going up all around and, and we would, uh, certainly love to have people partner with us. Um, we've committed to making show that the, making sure that the show is free and available. Um, it's never our intention to put anything behind a paywall or to, to barrier and in that way, but we can only do that if there's people who are supporting the show and making, making sure that we've got the funding that we need to, to keep going. So, thank you to everybody who gives, thank you to anyone who's considering it, uh, and thanking anybody who decides to, uh, jump on board with that. [00:06:11] Jesse Schwamb: Right on. We're appreciative who we really are. [00:06:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So Jesse, what are you affirming or denying today? Exploring Open Webcam DB [00:06:16] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, this is what I've kind of done before, but I think I've found a new place for it. I just am continually impressed and fall in love with how great and big and lovely God's world is. So I love these types of sites that give you insight into this great big world, even if it's in unexpected places or maybe in strange places. So I'm affirming with a website called Open webcam db.com. Open webcam db.com. And it's exactly like what it sounds like. It's a database that has something like 2000 live cameras streaming daily from over 50 countries, all searchable by a category. So you can find natural landscapes, airports, construction sites, and one of my recent favorites, honestly, and this is. It's so strange, but kind of awesome is this warehouse, it's called Chinese Robotic Warehouse Buzz, and it's just robots moving pallets around or like stacks of all of these items. It's mesmerizing. But I would encourage you go to open webcam db.com, search for like your stage or your country. You'll find so many amazing things. So I've sat and just watched, you know, between tasks or when you know you just need a break or you're just curious about the world. Like I look, I watched the Krakow Maine Market Square quite a bit because it's. Beautiful and brilliant, and to think about the people moving to and fro and what they're doing, what their lives are like. There's some great scenes from San Francisco Bay. There is a bird feeder in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that I often watch. So of course, like go out as we've said, and live and breathe and be in your own communities. And as well, if you're looking at scratch that itch of just seeing all these different places, all the different things that are happening in God's created world, I can firmly and unreservedly recommend open webcam db.com for that. [00:07:58] Tony Arsenal: Nice, nice, uh, little known fact at one point, Dartmouth Hitchcock, which is the hospital that I worked for, had to block a penguin cam, uh, because it was causing such a productivity drain combined with an actual measurable decrease in internet bandwidth at the hospital. 'cause so many people were watching this little penguin cam at some zoo in Boston. I think it probably was. Yeah, I, I love this kind of stuff. I think this kind of stuff is great. Uh, I use, uh, Dartmouth College has a, like a live one that I use all the time, especially when we're trying to figure out what the weather's gonna do. You can see it on the camera. Uh, we, we often will, you know, see, especially as we get closer to the season when we're talking about traveling to the beach and whatnot, uh, often look at the ocean grove. Oh, that's right. Uh, pier cam. So yeah, check it out. Uh, sounds like a fun time. Do not share it with too many of your friends at work. Or it may crash the network and Yeah. But [00:08:53] Jesse Schwamb: yeah, for [00:08:54] Tony Arsenal: sure. That was a funny email that they had to send out. I remember that [00:08:57] Jesse Schwamb: for sure. Use, use the penguin cam responsibly. I just did a quick search. There are four different penguin cams. Uh, three of them are in the United States, one is in New Zealand, and you better believe I'm gonna be checking those bad boys out. Yes. I didn't even think about. The penguin feature here and penguins are an amazing animal. Like we could stop right now and just shift our topic to penguins if you want to. [00:09:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. ' [00:09:16] Jesse Schwamb: cause there's so much there. And the spiritual truths are so broad and deep, but I just think penguins are kind of undervalued. Birds. Everybody should go check them out. [00:09:26] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. They're, they're pretty cool. [00:09:28] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Um, I'm like, I will watch any Penguin documentary and just be astounded by Penguin. Like, whether they're Emperor Penguins or South African Penguin, wherever. I just think they're phenomenal and hilarious and seem to be living the dream. And he doesn't want a little bit of that. [00:09:46] Tony Arsenal: You just gotta get Morgan Freeman to do the voiceover in any documentary or, or nature documentary is better with Morgan Freeman doing the voiceover. [00:09:55] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I all, this might be a deep cut real quick, but I just learned this, and I'm guessing some of our listening brothers and sisters probably already know this. Maybe you do too, Tony. So, Benedict Cumberbatch, do you know where I'm going with this? Yep, [00:10:06] Tony Arsenal: yep. Pen wing. [00:10:07] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. I didn't. I cannot say that word or stumbles over its pronunciation. He did some kind of big documentary in which Penguins played at least some part. Yeah. And they were in an interview. They were giving him such a hard time because they played his reading of it like within the same kind of five minutes. And his, the word just kept degenerating in his mouth every time he said it. So it became like almost undistinguishable from the actual word. And it's like initial pronunciation. It was so hilarious. Apparently it's a big joke on the internet and I just didn't know it. [00:10:38] Tony Arsenal: Especially for someone like Bent Cumberbatch who just is, uh, like he's a world-class voice actor. [00:10:44] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:10:45] Tony Arsenal: And like a super smart ude guy and he just can't say the word penguin and penguin. Yeah. [00:10:51] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. He said, you got everybody go look it up. 'cause it is super hilarious. And now it's kind of gotten stuck in my head. But um, again, this suddenly became like the All Penguin episode all of a sudden. [00:11:01] Tony Arsenal: I mean like, he can pronounce his own last name just fine, but the word penguin escapes him. I like to call 'em blueberry crumble bottom or whatever. Crumble bunch. [00:11:11] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, see that's the good stuff right there. That's what everybody we know. This is what you all tune in for. This is what you're missing when Apple Podcast doesn't send everything out on time. Yeah. You're welcome. [00:11:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl [00:11:23] Tony Arsenal: Well, Jesse, why don't we, why don't we get into it? Because you know it, it's interesting. Let's [00:11:27] Jesse Schwamb: get into it. [00:11:28] Tony Arsenal: Well, it's interesting because when you, you know, you kind of, we, we sort of do the little lead to the episode and I, I suddenly realized that I think I've been interpreting this parable very differently than maybe you have or other people. Great. Do, uh, because I, I think I, I think I might have a different take on it. Let, let's do it. Yeah. So let's get into it. Uh, do you have the, the text in friend you wanna read? Uh, why don't we just do 44 all the way through 46? We'll do both parables in one reading. We'll come back and talk about it. [00:11:54] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Sorry, everybody. So here's a two for one for you. Beginning in where we're in verse 44 of Matthew chapter 13. This is Jesus speaking. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field again. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Interpreting the Parables [00:12:22] Tony Arsenal: I think maybe this is the, like the beauty of parables, uh, when Christ doesn't give us a interpretation. I, I think we're, we're, we're not free to like make up whatever we want, but these kinds of teaching tools are useful because the fact that there can be multiple interpretations actually is, is probably intentional. [00:12:43] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:12:43] Tony Arsenal: So it's funny because I think when you intro the episode here, it sounds like you're going to the kingdom of Heaven being a treasure hidden in a field, being something that we should sell everything we have and go after. And when I read this, I read it as the kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden a field. And the man who is Jesus goes and sells all that. He has. He gives all that he has and buys the field. So, and I, I think this is one of those ones where like. Probably both of those things are in play. Sure. But it's interesting 'cause I've never, I've never really read this and thought about myself as the person who buys the field. [00:13:19] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Interesting. [00:13:20] Tony Arsenal: I've probably heard sermons or read devotionals where people have said that and it just never clicked. And it didn't register until just now. And you were, when you were, uh, introing the parable that maybe you are the, maybe your way of introing your, your interpretation. Maybe that's the dominant one. So I, I looked at a couple quick, um, commentaries while you were speaking and I didn't get a chance to do my commentary reading before the episode. It seems like I'm the weird one. So, but it's interesting, um, 'cause again, I think that's the, kind of the beauty of parables is that sometimes the, the, um. Ambiguity of what the possible meaning could be, probably plays into the, the, um, teaching technique itself. [00:13:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I, I think that's fair. I totally can take and understand what your perspective is on this. What I find interesting is that these, we've got these two abutting each other, like the cheek to cheek parallel approach here, and in doing so, there seems to be like kind of an interesting comparison between the two. Actors in this. And I think we should get into that. Like why in one case Jesus is talking about a person who finds this in a field, which by the way, I think the, the thing that jumps out to me first about that person is this person doesn't actually own the field at first. Right. That the treasure is in. So that is interesting. I'm totally with you. But then the second one, so in the first one there's kinda almost like this sense, and I don't wanna like push this too far, but that this person who finds this treasure does so very unexpectedly, perhaps like he's even the hired hand and of course not the one who owns the field. [00:14:48] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:14:49] Jesse Schwamb: And in the second case, we have somebody who almost is volitionally looking for this thing of great value, but finds the one thing above all the other things that they're used to looking for that clearly has the greatest and most. You know, essential worth and therefore the end is always the same in both of 'em. They give everything they have. They're willing for forsake all other things with great joy, recognizing the great value that's in front of them. I think there is a place to understand that as Christ acting in those ways. I think there's also interesting, again, this comparison between these two people. So I'm seeing this as we've got these varied beneficiaries of the kingdom. They both come to this place of the incomparable value of the kingdom, but then there's also like this expulsive power of the kingdom. All, all of that's, I think in there, and again, these are really, really, really brilliant, I think, because the more that you spend time meditating on these, the layers just kind of come and they fall away and you start to really consider, well, why again is Jesus using these two different characters? Why is he using this kinda different sense of things of, of worth what the people are actually after? I think all of it's in play. You're totally right. [00:15:54] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. The Cost and Value of the Kingdom of Heaven [00:15:55] Tony Arsenal: So I think, you know, when we think about the kingdom of heaven, when we think about these perils, we made this point last week, we shouldn't, um, we shouldn't restrict, we have to be careful not to restrict the comparison to just like the first noun that comes up, [00:16:08] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:16:08] Tony Arsenal: So it's not just that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, it, it is like a treasure, but it's like a treasure that's hidden in a field. Yes. And it's not just like a treasure that's hidden in a field, it's a treasure that's hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Right? So, so like we have to look at that whole sequence. And I think, I think, um, you know, obviously like the, the interpretation that we are the, we're the man who finds the kingdom of heaven and we, you know, we go and buy the field. Um, that, that obviously makes perfect sense now that I'm looking at a few different commentaries. It seems to be the predominant way that this gets interpreted. And we, we look at it and we say, what, well, what does this mean for like our Christian life? Like. What does it mean? Do we have to, do we have to give everything away? Do we have to sell everything we have? Is that the point of the parable? I think some people make that the point of the parable. Um, I'm not convinced that that actually is the point of the parable. Um, because it, you know, it, it, it just, there's lots in the scripture that, that, uh, doesn't seem to require that Christians automatically like, give away everything they have. Um, maybe that's your calling. Maybe it is something that God's calling you to do to sort of, um, divest yourself of your, your belongings, either to sort of fight materialism or greed or, or just because like you're gonna need to have that fluidity and liquidity to your assets 'cause you're gonna need to move around or whatever it is. But I don't think we look at this parable and have like a, like a, a command for a life of poverty or something like that. Right. Um, really this is more about the. Utter sold outness of the Christian to pursue and seek the kingdom of God. [00:17:48] Jesse Schwamb: Right? Right. [00:17:49] Tony Arsenal: And and I think that that's the same in both, even though the way that the person in the parables comes a, comes across the kingdom or they come across this, this thing of great value or thing of great price, that they find their response in both parables is the same. And to me, that that actually tells me that that's more the point of these parables. Um, or, or maybe we shouldn't even think of these as two parables, right? Some of the introductory language that we see in when we transition from one parable to another, we don't really see that here. Uh, and if, if we're gonna follow that, actually we would be going to the next parable would also kind of fall into this. But he says the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure. And then in 45 he says, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. We're gonna run into something like this later on when we get to like the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of lost coins. Where there are these distinct parables, but they're kind of stacked on top of each other in order to make a specific point. All of the parables that are sort of in these parable stacks are making the same point. And so I think it's not so much about like, how do we find the Kingdom of Heaven or how do we come upon the kingdom of heaven? It's more about what do we do once we've come upon it? Once we've thrown it's, that's the point of the parable that we need to unpack. [00:19:03] Jesse Schwamb: That's right. And I would add to that, like who is it that is the beneficiary of this kingdom? We have two different, very different individuals, which I, again, I think, we'll, we'll talk a little bit about, but I'm totally with you. I, I think it's, it's easier, it's almost too narrow and too easy to say. Well, this is really just about like physical ma or about wealth. Like in some way the, what we're being taught here is that you have to get rid of everything of value in exchange for this. In some ways, that almost feels too transactional, doesn't it? As if like what, what we need to do is really buy the kingdom. We express our seriousness about this kingdom or the rule and reign of God by somehow just giving up everything that we own as if to prove that we're really worthy of receiving that kingdom that we prayed enough. Right. That we've done enough, even though that we're contrite enough. Yeah. And all that stands like in direct opposition to the mercy and grace, which God gives to us through his son by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring us into this kingdom. So we know it can't really be about that. And so that leads me back again to just like the lovely details here. And like you've already said in the first case, here's what really strikes me is. For probably most of us in the West, this idea of treasure is novel and maybe romantic. There's a adventure and an energy to it. Because we've all heard stories about this, whether it's like, I don't know, pirates of the Caribbean or the county Mount Cristo. Like there's something about treasure finding some kind of, or national treasure. Sorry, that just came to my mind. Like I couldn't go any further without mentioning Nick Cage. So you know, like there's something there that pulls us in that finding this thing almost unexpectedly in a hidden place of immense worth and value is, has a real draw to it. But I imagine that in Palestine being like a war torn region in Jesus' day, in the way people might store goods of great value in the fields they own. And then of course the owner may never be able to achieve for lots of reasons, including death. And then somebody might stumble upon it. And as I understand the, the laws there, of course, if you were to stumble upon something. I was in somebody else's property and and on earth that thing take it out of the ground. In this case, you would be by law required to bring that back to the person who owned the field. So there's something interesting here that this first person, probably the more meager and humble of the two with they at least respected, like their socioeconomic status is let's, we could presume maybe going about their normal work. They find this unexpectedly in the field and it's immediately recognized to be something of great value that it is to stop and to, again, there's like a measuring that happens behind the scenes. This person at least is measuring of all the things that I own, all things I could possibly own. The better thing for me to do is to consolidate all the rest of my wealth. And this case, again, it's not the message of the story to do this, it's the exemplification of what's happening here. This person is so sold out to ensure that they acquire this great treasure that they stumbled upon, that they will take literally everything else of value that they own to exchange it for this very thing. So I'm totally with you because I think the predominant message here is not like take all your wealth and make sure that you give it to the church or that it goes to ministry or to missions. That may all be well and good and it may all be the kind of calling that you receive. However, I think the principle message here is the kingdom of God is so valuable that losing everything on earth, but getting the kingdom is a happy trade off. Like that's actually a really, really good deal. And so having the omnipotent saving reign of Christ in our lives is so valuable that if, if we lose everything in order to have it, it would be a joyful sacrifice. [00:22:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I think, um, I think there is a level of. Encouragement in Sacrifice and Joy in the Kingdom [00:22:27] Tony Arsenal: Sacrifice that happens for every Christian and. I mean, I, I know there's a lot of people who they, uh, come to faith as young children and we've kind of talked about that as like, that's that testimony that, you know, I think everybody really wants is like they wish they never had a time that they didn't know Jesus and Right. I don't know any parent that I've ever spoken to, and I'm certainly not any different here that doesn't want that testimony for Jesus, but, or for, for their kids in their relationship with Jesus. But. I think most people who come to faith at some point in their life when they're able to remember it, like they, they have a conscious memory of their conversion experience. There is this sort of sense of sacrifice and e even a sort of a sense of loss. Um, I think there, there are times where, and, and you know, I think maybe, um, even people who've always been in the faith, um, they probably can resonate with this. I think there are times when we might look at how our lives could have been different or could be different if we weren't in the faith. Um, and, and sometimes there's a sort of wistfulness to that. Like being a Christian can sometimes be difficult right On, um, you know, maybe you miss a promotion opportunity because you're not willing to work on the Lord's day or because you're not willing to do something unethical. Like you, you miss out on some sort of advancement and you think, well, if I could just, you know, if I could have just gotten past that, like my life would be much different. And what this parable teaches us is. That's an understandable, like that's an understandable emotion or response. Um, and there is this weighing of the cost. And in the parable here, he, like you said, there's this calculation that goes on in the background. He finds this treasure, he makes the calculation that to have this treasure is worth. Everything it's worth everything he has. He sells everything he has, and he buys the field in order to get the treasure right. And, and there's some interesting textual dynamics going on through this chapter. We've talked about how the parables kind of like the imagery across the parables in chapter 13 here of Matthew, they kind of flip certain figures around and almost, it's almost intentional because he is getting the treasure and the treasure. The kingdom of heaven here is like the treasure, but he's also getting the field right. And the kingdom of heaven is, is the field in other parables. Um, but this, this calculation that happens, um. I don't know, maybe my heart is just sensitive to this right now. I, I, I, I feel like a lot of times we look at that sort of wis wistful second glance at what could have been if we were not Christians, and we automatically feel like that's gotta be a sinful impulse. Like, how could I ever even consider what life might have been? Like this parable implies that that's the thing we actually have to do. You have to know and consider what it is you've sacrificed or will be sacrificing in order to make this transaction happen. You can't just blanketly say like, oh, of course. You know, you've gotta, you've gotta count the cost, as it were, and then you have to actually make the purchase. So I think we should look at this as a source of encouragement. Um, like I said, I'm not sure why. I feel like maybe there's, maybe there's just a, a. I dunno, I'm feeling a little weird and charismatic right now. I feel like this is something that I definitely need to be saying, like, I feel like someone needs to hear this. Maybe it's just me that needs to hear this. And that's, I'm tricking myself by thinking of someone else. But we are able, as Christians, I think God permits us and in some sense, maybe even expects and commands us to recognize what we have given to be Christians in order that we might realize how much we have gained with that transaction. It's not just this like remorse or regret, um, for the sake of remorse or regret. It's to be able to see how good and how beautiful and how worth it is the kingdom of God, uh, to, to, to claim that. [00:26:23] Jesse Schwamb: I like that there is a great discipline and a great joy in remembering worth and worthiness. So there's gonna be times, like you said, when it's hard and if you look back, look back at the ministry of Jesus, I've often thought that he's like a poor evangelizer from like modern standards. Yeah. Because often people come to him and say things like. I, I wanna be part of the kingdom of God. Well, what do I need to do to enter the kingdom of God? And here you have like a seemingly a willing convert. And he always says things like this, like, you gotta go count the cost. Yeah. Like is, is this worth it to you? Like you have to deny yourself, you have to hate your own father and your mother, and your wife and children, and brothers and sisters, even your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple. And in this kind of language, it's clear that Jesus is saying you fail often. And maybe this goes back like you're saying, Tony, it's like the parable of the soil that you fail to really take into account what it means to follow with full fidelity, to commit yourself in a fully unencumbered way. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to consider that? And as human beings, we're just not good often at counting costs. We're not good at thinking about opportunity costs. And it's interesting here that we're called out to say, even if you've already purchased the field as so to speak, that as if you've been saved by Christ, to continue to remember how good it is to be in the kingdom of God. And that the joy. Of knowing as like the Heidelberg Catechism says in the first question that all things are subservient to our salvation. Yeah. That incredible worth of, that should be a source of encouragement in times of great trial and tribulation, no matter how big or small, so that this joy that this person has when they go and sells everything he has and he buys this field, you know those details, like you're saying, do press us. It really comes to us with this idea that we should be able to see plainly why having Christ is more valuable than all other things. If the omnipotence all wise, God is ruling, ruling over all things for our joy, then everything must be working for our good, no matter how painful and in the end, God is gonna triumph over all evil and all pain. So this kingdom is a real treasure. Like it is a, it is a real. A real quantity in our life and our wellbeing and in our spiritual consistency, that'll ought demand some reflection of how valuable it truly is. And then knowing that in our minds, that like influencing our behavior, our other thought patterns, and then our actual feelings about stuff. So that when, like you said, we're passed over, we're looked over, we're ridiculed for something, we go back and we count it all joy to be worthy of being part of God's kingdom, knowing that it was because of the entrance and acceptability and the identity in that kingdom that we experience. Those things, those hardships begin with. [00:29:05] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And, and I, um, I don't want us to miss out on the fact that even as the parable may be encouraging or forcing us to think about. The cost. It, it really is trying to emphasize the great value of the kingdom. Right? Right. We, like I said, we, we don't just count the cost. In order to count the cost for its own sake. We count the cost in order to understand the great blessing that is ours in Christ. Right. All I, I count all that I have as a loss compared to the greatness of Christ Jesus. And, um, I think we just don't often do that. I, I, I think as Christians, that's probably a thought that is in our head more as young Christians, especially if we come to the faith in, in a time in our life where we're aware of things like that. We think about things like that. Reflecting on the Cost of Faith [00:29:59] Tony Arsenal: You know, I was 15 when I first came to faith and, um, I, I don't think I was in a frame of mind as a 15-year-old boy to think about, like. The cost of what I was doing, right? It's not like I was a particularly popular kid. I didn't have a, you know, I didn't, I wasn't unpopular, but it wasn't like I lost a ton of friends when I became a Christian. I didn't really lose anything that was measurable. Um, but I do think that, as, you know, someone now in my forties, looking back at, you know, 15, 20, 25 years of, of Christian life, it's easy to see that things could have been different on a sort of temporal scale. Like my, my life could probably be more comfortable in terms of wealth or opportunities or other things that might, uh, aren't, aren't even bad things necessarily. There is a sense of sacrifice. But again, God has brought us into this kingdom and he's given us parables like this and given us the ability to recognize. That we do have a cost, that there is a cost to be counted in order that we might now look at it and praise him for how great and glorious and valuable the gift that he's given us is. Understanding the Parable of the Pearl [00:31:08] Tony Arsenal: And so I think, you know, I think that's the same basic meaning of this second, second half of the same parable. I guess the, the pearl of great price or the pearl of great value. But it's not exactly the same, right? It's not like Christ is just repeating the same ver, you know, parable with, with different words for variation. Um, every word is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching correction, reproof, and training and righteousness. And I had a, I had a prophet in, uh, in Bible college who would say like, difference means difference. And he was often talking about like minute things, like the difference, um, or why, why is this word used instead of that word? This word would've worked. And, and the author chose that one. There's a reason for that. Difference means difference, but. Christ here chooses to, to tell the parable a second time, um, in a slightly different way. Uh, and Matthew chooses to record these in the same sense next to each other in slightly different ways. So what, what do we, what do we wanna pull out of this second parable that's different and what do we think it's telling us that's a little bit different than the first version Y? [00:32:14] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's a great question. Diverse Approaches to the Kingdom of Heaven [00:32:16] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, I love this idea because not until really, I was thinking about it this week when I read through them, was I really, again, drawn to the differences between these two main characters. Interestingly, I think in both, and we can make the case that the, the treasure, the kingdom of heaven here represented in both this pearl or in this literal treasure is in a way hidden. Certainly the first man is not necessarily looking for, it's still revealed to him, but the second in a way. And on the other hand, he knew this guy knows treasure. He's been seeking it with diligence in vigor, or at least like this is what he does for a living in his vocational career. He's out there trading pearls, presumably, and he knows something about them and how to evaluate them effectively. And so it's his business and he's dedicated himself to finding them. And apparently he's seen plenty of them over the years. But then all of a sudden, and this is wild, the beautiful, all of a sudden, clearly the search comes to like an abrupt end because he finds this one of immeasurable value, so much beauty exceeding and value exceeding all the other ones. And he doesn't need to search anymore. He just finds the one pearl that he can retire on a pearl with more than everything else. Or anything else that he's ever possessed and he gets it again. He does. And this brings him into symbol two with the first man. He does the same thing, then liquidate everything else and go after this one. Great pearl. So to me, and I'm curious your perspective on this, I'm not necessarily promulgating that. Well, the first one is not a seeker and the second one is like a seeker of of God things. Right? There is though, like you said, a difference in their approach and what they're after. And so I think what we can take from this, at the very least, is that there is diversity in these beneficiaries of the kingdom of God that's covering everybody. And just by these two kind of bookended or polar examples, that's what Jesus draws us to. But I would turn the question back to you. What do you think about this second guy? What do you think about the fact that his business is searching after these things? What? What do we take away from that? [00:34:07] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. The Ultimate Value of the Kingdom [00:34:07] Tony Arsenal: And you know, the thing that drop that jumps out to me immediately in the first parable, the kingdom of heaven is, is like the treasure hidden in the field, [00:34:16] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:34:16] Tony Arsenal: In the second one, the kingdom of heaven is the merchant who's searching, [00:34:20] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:34:20] Tony Arsenal: Right. The kingdom of heaven is like the merchant in search of fine pearls who finds one. That's right. And so I think that they kind of are like, almost like mirror images of each other, right? One of them is about the treasure and what it takes to come upon it and then obtain it. The second is about the person who is coming upon the treasure and, and finding it. And then what it takes again to obtain that treasure. And I think, I think you're right, there is an element here that. Um, in this second parable, the person who is seeking for this treasure is one he's seeking for the treasure, right? Right. You get the image in this, in this first parable that the dude just kind of stumbles upon it. Um, I've heard this Todd as like, it's actually more like a guy who's just walking through a field rather than like a person working the field. And I'm not sure that matters that much, but there is this sense in the first parable that the guy kind of stumbles upon it. He wasn't looking, it wasn't what he was trying to do, but you're right in the second one, the kingdom of heaven, and this is where I, this is where I think I need to think more about it, is what does it mean for the kingdom of heaven to be like a merchant searching for fine pearls right [00:35:23] Jesse Schwamb: on. [00:35:23] Tony Arsenal: Rather than the pearls being the kingdom of heaven, which is what we see in the first bearable. Um, and I don't know the answer to that question. I think I need to, need to think about it and study it a little bit more. But I do like this distinction that in, in the first case, it's sort of a happy accident. And in the second case, this is, this is the life, this man's life work. He finds he's, he's in search of fine pearls. I'm not sure I know exactly what he's trying to do with the fine pearls. It seems like it implies that he's a pearl merchant or a pearl trader, but then he finds this pearl. He doesn't seek to sell it. He buys it. Right. [00:36:00] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:36:00] Tony Arsenal: And, and the, the, the fact that the parable stops with him buying it sort of implies that like. He actually is not going to sell it. He's just gonna keep this pearl. Now before the, the pearls, the, the source of the value of the pearls was kind of in the, the financial gain that selling or trading them could bring. But now he suddenly finds this pearl that is so valuable. It's so great, it's so beautiful. Everything he was working to obtain before all of the money he's gathered by finding and selling pearls in the previous like mode of living. He now gets rid of all of that just to purchase this one pearl and presumably to keep it. And I think that again, is kind of a, kind of a, um, statement on our Christian life is that we, we probably have all sorts of things that we've been doing our whole life and we are seeking to, to move forward in our life. And the kingdom of heaven is kind of the ultimate goal of all of that, for those who are in Christ, for those who are called according to his purpose. The purpose is not just to accumulate wealth. It's not even necessarily, uh, in and of itself to like grow in righteousness. It's to be transformed to the, uh, to the image of God's glory son, for the purpose of making him great, making his name renowned. Right. When we look at that passage in Romans that have kind alluded to, he's, he would transform into the image of Christ so that he might be the first born among many brothers. The Incomparable Worth of Salvation [00:37:24] Tony Arsenal: Ultimately, our, our sanctification and glorification is about making Jesus great and glorified, um, to give him glory, to have our glorification reflect his already intrinsic glory and the gift that he gives us, and I think that's kind of, kind of in play here, is that. Uh, we might have all sorts of goals in our life. We might have goals in our Christian life, um, that are good things that we should strive for, but at the end of the day, all of those things only serve to bring us to the kingdom of heaven, which is this pearl of great price that we, we purchase, we buy it and we just kind of hang onto it. It is its own treasure and it's, it's not about what this, this treasure can bring to us, right? Which is what the fine pearls were before they were about what the merchant can find and sell. It's, it's now about just obtaining the pearl and enjoying that pearl. Um, which I think is a little bit different than, than, um, what I would've thought of with the par before. [00:38:19] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I totally agree with you. I think, I think you're actually onto something with the distinction because I think of. So much of my career has been spent in financial services among people who are buyers and sellers of things. They're traders. And the way I read this was very similar to what you were saying to me. What resonated was if this gentleman or this person is. Trading, collecting these pearls. Presumably they have appreciation for the beauty of the pearl itself. So there is like something innate that draws them to this particular thing. And with that experience and with that knowledge and with that, that appreciation of that beauty. I think when they see this other pearl, it moves from, well, why would I ever sell that? I've seen everything. This is the most beautiful pearl I've ever laid my eyes on. And now I want to keep it for me. I want to have it in my possession. I want to cherish it and not just keep it in the inventory and then turn around and sell it for markup, presumably, because there is no nothing that would be of greater value to this person. 'cause they just sold everything else that they had. So they, it's appreciation for the pearl itself. It's going after that finding and seeking that great beauty. And then that led me right into Philippians chapter four, where Paul writes the church in Philippi, beginning of verse eight. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever's honorable, whatever's just whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, whatever's commendable. If there's any excellence, if there. Anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Practice these things and the god of peace will be with you. So this idea, like you and I, Tony, have talked about like the world has great wisdom, it has great knowledge, it has things that can lead us by way of common grace into certain amounts of peace. But the pearl of great price, the seeking after the going after all these great things is to find the gospel, to be given the gospel it revealed to you. And then say everything else I count as a loss. Everything else is worthless compared to this thing. And if you're a person that can appreciate even just by turn of mind or God's influence in your life, you know, knowledge and wisdom, and you're seeking after that, which is the ultimate expression and representation of those things, and then you find you come upon this pearl of great price, the gospel wisdom and the beauty of God represented in his son Jesus Christ. And you say, this is it. I, I know enough to know, again, by the regeneration that comes through the spirit, this is the real deal. Then I think the message still stands. We come through two different directions into the same final culminating point, which is there is a condition for having this kingdom of God, for having the king on your side as your friend, but the condition isn't like wealth or power or negotiating or intelligence or even good trading behavior or going out and finding the right thing. The condition is that we prize the kingdom more than anything else we own. The point of selling everything in these parables is to simply show where our hearts are at. And so I often say in my own line of work, that cost only matters in the absence of value. Actually, it's true for everything that we. We presumably spend our time or our money on cost only matters in the absence of value. And I think like you and I could do a fun little experiment where I don't know, you ever talking to somebody about something and you're paying a cost to have that service delivered to you and you're, and you're just like totally worth it, like I would do totally worth it. Like, yeah, that's kind of the vibe I'm getting here. It's like at the end of days when we think about the worthiness of our God, that there's no one like him, that he's unequal, that he has no rival, that the gospel is the sweetest message that we're rescued literally from the pit. We're just say no matter what the cost of us personally, great or small, totally worth it, that that's what we'll be saying for all of eternity as we worship him. [00:41:45] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think even more than saying, totally worth it. I think when we are given our new eyes to see, and we no longer see through a da a glass dimly, we're gonna recognize saying that it was worth, it is is like it's a pale, like it's a faulty answer to begin with because the, for sure the worth of the kingdom of heaven surpasses anything we could imagine. And in our, you know, locked in little meat brains that we have now, we're kind of com we're just comparing it to. You know, like what, what we could have had or what we, what we've given up. Um, it, it's gonna be an incomparable comparison. Like there's no, there's no measure that is satisfying, there's no measure that can actually show us how, how worthwhile it is. And, you know, we've, we've made a point of it, like the, the blessing of salvation and, and really like what it is that we're getting, uh, in, in the. You know, the Christian understanding of salvation, it's not, it's not an eternal destiny. It's not bigger mansions in heaven. It's not freedom from death. All of those things come with it. All of those things are attending gifts. That's right. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the, the power of the Holy Spirit. We, we get swept up into the life of the, the God of the universe. Like the life of the Trinity indwells us. And we, we become a part of that. Uh, not, not in the, you know, like. Eastern Orthodox deification sense, although I think there's a proper way we can talk about deification. Um, but we get swept up into that. We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that. There's nothing that we could ever point to. Um, it's funny, my, my wife and I, um, this is a little corny, but, um, we'll often say to, to each other instead of saying, I love you more than anything, we'll say, I love you more than everything. Right. And, and it's, it's a way to say like. You could take all that there is in the world, everything that I have that I could possibly consider and sum up the value. And I love my wife more than that. I love my children more than that. So it's not that I love them more than any one thing, it's that I love them more than everything combined. And this is even greater than that, right? We, we will look back at our lives and if, if it's even in our mind, if we even can, can comprehend anymore. The idea of thinking about what it costs us to obtain this pearl of great value, which is the kingdom of heaven, which is just another way to say, is just fellowship with the God of the universe. Um, we'll look at it and say no matter what it was. No matter what it could have been, I would give everything I, I love God more than everything. Right. Right. There's nothing that could ever possibly be considered that even comes close to what we gain in, in Christ Jesus, in union with, with God. And I think that's the point of this, like I think the guy who, um. Christ's Perfect Sacrifice and Our Response [00:44:58] Tony Arsenal: I think about what it would take for me to even like to sell everything, like the concept of selling everything I own. I'm not even sure how I would do that, to be honest with you. Like, I don't even know the mechanism for that kind of thing. But the idea that there's anything that could be valuable enough that I would just sell every piece of human property that I have, there's probably nothing like that in this world. Like, there probably isn't. And to, to take that comparison and then basically say like, that's just what the kingdom of God is like. 'cause that's the other thing I think we miss about parables is you, you only make a comparison when you can't describe something, um, analytically, right? There's the difference between analogically and analytically Ana lot analytically means we're able to actually quantify and explain it kind of in strict terms, right? I can, I can say that, um, uh, a heavy object ways, X number of grams or it, you know, or, um. Pounds or whatever. I can, I can measure that and make an analytical statement, or I can make an analogy, an analogy that is comparative. Uh, but by definition, or almost by by nature of the thing, when you make that comparison, you're kind of saying like, not only is it like this, but it's actually it, like it's more like this than I can even describe. Right? So when we're talking about the kingdom of Heaven here, and we say it's, it's like, it's like a man who goes, he finds a treasure and then he sells everything. He has to get that treasure. It's infinitely more like that than it actually can be described. Does that make sense? I feel like I'm rambling on that a little bit. Maybe trying to describe something that can't be described is, is hard to do. [00:46:35] Jesse Schwamb: It's, that's, yeah. But yeah, that's, that's very difficult to do. I'm actually totally with you on this. I think I understand clearly what you mean, this idea that no matter how hard we actually try to value it, we'll be incapable of doing so. Yes. And at best, it almost seems like this is a strange command in a way because it's, it's asking us to do in some ways a thing that is impossible for us to do. However, I think what you're saying is it doesn't mean that we shouldn't turn our minds toward that. We're a bit like people who, I don't know if this show is still on PBS, but like, do you know that show, remember that show The Antiques Road Show? Yeah. Where people would like come, they'd ran ransack their homes or their garages with these old antique items and they bring them to this road show where there'd be experts who would value them. And inevitably we'll be like those people who come with what we think is like a. A thousand dollars clock that we got at a garage sale thinking, wouldn't it be great? I know this is valuable. It's probably a thousand dollars. It'll be, look at the return, tenfold return, I'll get on this item, and then instead finding that it's worth $10 million when it's appraised. Yeah, I assume it'll be just like that in the Beautific vision that even maybe for all of eternity will be growing in our appreciation for just how valuable this great salvation is. And yet at the same time, I think what this should encourage us to do is to pray things like God make us real in seeing and savoring Christ in his saving work above all the other things. Yeah. So that, as you said in your example, we would cherish him above everything, above all things that you have that right place in our hearts or that we be inclined to undertake that posture, which says, God, though I cannot understand it in full. Would you help me to see that? Encouragement in Our Spiritual Journey [00:48:08] Jesse Schwamb: And I wanna just say like, as a word of encouragement, maybe I'm speaking more to myself here so everybody else can disregard this if you like, but I think sometimes there can be a little bit of intimidation then when you hear these things and say like, ah, I'm just not, I just dunno if I love God enough, like I wanna love him, or I want to want to love him more. And I think even that posture is appropriate. Yeah. Sometimes there, oftentimes in my personal life, I'll pray something like, God, help me to know how much you love me and would you give me the strength to love you back? So that even that awareness, that energy, that volition, that vitality, that, that heat, all of that, that fire itself is kindled by the Holy Spirit. It's not like we need to like try to again manufacture here. Because the point of these, these stories is not again, that we just find the means to do a transactional exchange here, but that instead we really just sit in the full promises of God. And of course to that, I would say we always need to go back to, to something like Romans eight. I mean, I know that we should, like you said, Tony, the. The standard description we give for the Bible is the one that gives itself, which is that all of it, all of it's is carried along by the Holy Spirit. All of it is God breathe. All of it is useful for something. And yet, of course, I say somewhat tongue in cheek that, you know, if I have 10 minutes to live, I'm probably not gonna the s descriptions of reading a genealogy, I'm going straight from Roman and say, Romans say, I think it's just like the pinnacle of the scriptures. And so just a couple of verses at the end there, because I think this is, this is leading us into what is this great treasure? What is the kingdom of God? Why do we value it so much? What is the saving power? And uh, these verses, I mean, always just entirely get me ready to run through a wall. So this is the end of, of Romans eight beginning verse 35. Who shall separate us from the law of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword as it is written for your sake. We are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I'm sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from a love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. [00:50:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's a good word. And I, I, I like what you're saying too, is, is I think we, we can. There's this paradoxical thing that happens when the scriptures is trying to encourage us to do something, is we often like to get our, in our own way. And, and actually that becomes a source of discouragement for us. The Bible calls us to something and we know we can't live up to it. And that's actually like part and parcel of, of reform theology to recognize that this is law, like the, the, the, the, you know, maybe not in like the strict sense, like when we talk about dividing the scripture into law and gospel, um. It may not be that this particular passage would fall under that rubric of law normally, but this idea that we need to count the cost and that we need to be treasuring Christ more and more, and then when we feel like I'm just not getting it. I'm just not there. Like, I don't, I don't treasure Christ as much as I so should. Um, that Yeah, that's right. Nobody does. Nobody can, like, that's, that's kind of the point of this, and that's why it's law is it's, it shouldn't drive you in Christ. It should not drive you to despair. Right. It should not drive you to discouragement. It should drive you to gratitude that God saved you anyways. That, that this pearl of great value is still yours even though you can't possibly deserve it. Um, you know, we're, we're a little bit different than the, the merchant and the man who finds the treasure in the field in that we can't sell everything we have and obtain it like they have the ability to do that in the, in the parables. Right. Um, we, we don't, and we never will. And so rather than let that drive you to being discouraged that like you're just not getting. I recognize God is of infinite value and we are finite creatures. So we, we could, uh, value God perfectly. Like whatever that means, and I don't even know what that means, but we could value and cherish and love God perfectly as far as our capacities are concerned, and it still would not be enough to sufficiently merit God's favor for us. Like as much as we can, even in, even in eternity. As much as we can value and worship and love and praise Jesus, he is worth infinitely more than we could ever give, even when we do it perfectly. And this is, this is why you know Christ coming to die, to live on our behalf, to die in our place. Why that's necessary is because only this is a, maybe a different take on it. We, I think we talk a lot about how, um. Only God could, could carry, bear the wrath of God and not be destroyed. Right. Right. Only God could, um, could stand up under his own wrath, could stand up under the wrath of God and bear that punishment and not be destroyed. And so therefore, um, Christ had to be not just a man, but had to be God. But on the flip side. And God requires perfect perpetual obedience, which involves loving the Lord your God, perfectly with your whole heart at all times. Right? Only God can do that too. So it's not just that God. It's not just that G

It's Friday, November 14th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Iranian Christian prisoner denied treatment after spinal fracture On October 31st, Iranian Muslim authorities denied proper medical treatment to a prisoner named Aida Najaflou, an Iranian Christian convert, after she fell and fractured her spine, reports International Christian Concern. Najaflou, who suffered from spinal disc issues before her arrest, sustained the injury when she fell from her top prison bunk. She was taken to a local hospital, where medical professionals diagnosed a fractured T12 vertebra. Shockingly, Muslim authorities refused to allow Najaflou to obtain treatment and, instead, used a stretcher to bring her back to the prison that same day.  Due to the inhumane treatment and pain that Najaflou endured, fellow prisoners reportedly protested the situation. Iranian officials responded by taking the woman to a second hospital, where doctors recommended emergency surgery to repair her vertebra.   According to the Cleveland Clinic, “spinal fracture surgery” is recommended if the spinal fracture is in danger of damaging your spinal cord or if your pain doesn't improve a few months after non-surgical treatments.” The prolonging of proper care for Najaflou's injury is likely to have caused additional, unnecessary pain. Romans 5:3-5 says, “We know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us.” Sadly, previous requests from Najaflou for a lower bunk, based on her pre-existing spinal problems and a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, were dismissed by prison authorities.  Najaflou, along with two other Christians, was arrested in February 2025 for their Christian activities, including “praying, performing baptisms, taking communion, and celebrating Christmas.” She also spoke out against the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to Open Doors, Iran is the ninth most difficult country worldwide for Christians. Trump chastises Democrats for 43-day gov't shutdown Late Wednesday night, President Donald Trump signed legislation to end the Schumer Shutdown of government that spanned 43 days, punting the next funding deadline into late January, reports Politico.com. He called out the extortion of the Democrats who tried to force the funding of health care for illegal aliens as well as the extension of Obamacare benefits which they themselves had sunset. TRUMP: “Today, we're sending a clear message that we will never give into extortion, because that's what it was. The Democrats tried to extort our country. “In just a moment, I'll sign a bill exactly like we asked Democrats to send us all along, many days ago.  Republicans never wanted a shutdown and voted 15 times for a clean continuation of funding. Yet the extremists in the other party insisted on creating the longest government shutdown in American history, and they did it purely for political reasons.” President Trump explained the harm the Democrats caused. TRUMP: “Over the past seven weeks, the Democrats shut down as inflicted massive harm. They caused 20,000 flights to be canceled or delayed. They look very bad, the Democrats do. “They deprived more than one million government workers from their paychecks and cut off food stamp benefits for millions and millions more Americans in need. They caused tens of thousands of federal contractors and small businesses to go unpaid. And the total effect of the damage their antics caused will take weeks, and probably months, to really calculate accurately. “So, I just want to tell the American people, you should not forget this. When we come up to midterms, don't forget what they've done to our country.” The House passed the funding measure earlier in the evening, after eight Senate Democrats broke with their party to advance the package Monday night. Paychecks to federal workers reportedly will begin going out Saturday, reports NewsMax. Trump faces biggest Republican rebellion yet over Epstein Republicans are preparing a mass rebellion against President Donald Trump in a vote to release all classified files related to the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, reports The Telegraph. At least 100 or more Republicans are expected to support the release of the files after a selection of emails sent by the deceased pedophile financier, that frequently mention the U.S. president, were made public on Wednesday. President Trump was friends with Epstein before the pair fell out in the early 2000s, but has always denied any knowledge of or involvement with Epstein's sex-trafficking or abuse of underage girls. Senator John Fetterman hospitalized after fall John Fetterman, the senior U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, was hospitalized on November 13th after falling down and hitting his face due to a heart-related issue, reports The Epoch Times. Because he had “a ventricular fibrillation flare,” a condition where the heart stops pumping blood to parts of the body, Fetterman became “light-headed” and then fell to the ground in Braddock, Pennsylvania, “hitting his face with minor injuries.” Kamala to Jon Stewart: Biden was competent to be President As part of her 107 Days book tour, former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was oddly hesitant to question President Joe Biden's mental acuity on Jon Stewart's podcast Listen. HARRIS: “I believe he was fully competent to serve.” STEWART: “Do you really?” HARRIS: “Yeah, I do.” STEWART:  “That, that surprises me, actually.” HARRIS: “No, I do. There's a distinction to be made between running for president and being president.” STEWART: “What's the distinction?” HARRIS: “Well, being a candidate for president United States is about being in a marathon, at a sprinter's pace, having tomatoes thrown at you every step you take.” STEWART: (laughs) “That sounds lovely.” HARRIS: “Yeah, it's more than a notion. And to be the seated president, the sitting president, while doing that, it's a lot.” STEWART: “I think it's a hard case to make for people that he didn't have the stamina to run, but he had the stamina to govern, because I think most people view the presidency as a marathon, run at a sprint, with tomatoes being thrown at you, in terms of governance.” Not surprisingly, people on social media were incredulous. On X, AdaminHTownTX asked, “If Biden was competent to serve, why did his party force him out of the race and install Kamala as the nominee?” Harris has hinted at a second presidential bid in 2028. Obama accused of destroying national landmark to build monument to himself What kind of U.S. president demolishes a cherished piece of American history in order to build a shrine to himself? Locals are still trying to make sense of the $850 million Obama Presidential Center, dubbed “The Obamalisk,” which broke ground in Chicago's historic Jackson Park in 2021 and will be finished next spring, reports the New York Post. Renowned Chicago architect Grahm Balkany, a self-described liberal, is upset. He said, “Obama, of all people, should not be building a palace for himself, a fortress in the middle of a public park. It's just contrary to what I thought he believed in.” Greg Laurie to hold crusade where Charlie Kirk was killed And finally, Evangelist Greg Laurie will headline a Harvest Crusade event at Utah Valley University, where conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10th during a Turning Point USA event, reports The Christian Post. Approximately, 10,000 attendees are expected. Known as “Hope for America,” the event will be held this Sunday, November 16. LAURIE:  “This is the place where Charlie left this world for the next world. We're going to go into that campus where darkness took place, and we're going to turn on the radiant light of Jesus Christ and preach that same Gospel that Charlie preached and call people to Christ.” Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, November 14th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

If you saw an old woman struggling to carry some heavy bags, you would probably want to help her. Our Heavenly Father knows that prayer can be a heavy burden for us and He sees us struggle sometimes because we do not know how or what to pray. But He has given us the Holy Spirit to come alongside and help us bear the burden of prayer. In our weakness and uncertainty, the Holy Spirit helps us to pray in harmony with the will of God. Be encouraged on Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/791/29?v=20251111

Not many parents can sleep real soundly until they know their children are in for the night. At our house, we asked our kids - big teenage guys to stop by our room no matter how late it was and just say, "Hey, we're here." Sometimes they get delayed, or sometimes they're in a situation where they couldn't call. And it's natural, I think, for a mom or a dad to be anxious until they can get a fix on where their kids are, and the great time of relief is when they come in the door and we know everything's okay. Right? I guess some of the most beautiful words in the English language are, "Mom, Dad, I'm home." Maybe you know a child who's way overdue. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Mom, Dad, I'm Home." Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 7, and I'm going to begin reading at verse 12. "As Jesus approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out; the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Now, a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, 'Don't cry.' Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying stood still." This is truly a dramatic moment here. "He said, "Young man, I say to you, 'Get up!'" The dead man sat up and began to talk. And Jesus gave him back to his Mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God." That's a powerful story! And the most touching words of all for me are these, "And Jesus gave him back to his Mother." You know, Jesus is still in the business of giving children back to their parents, even when it appears hopeless they'll ever come back. Maybe you or someone you know has a son or a daughter who's away right now; spiritually, emotionally, physically. My word of encouragement is this simple word from the Lord. He's still in the business of giving children back to their parents. I don't know, for some reason, I just thought that this day should be the time when we should talk about this for someone who needs that little word of encouragement. Maybe you know better than I do why we're talking about this today. Sometimes maybe it seems like your prayers just are not being answered for the one you love. But remember, much of God's work is invisible. Like plants getting ready to sprout and come out, and flowers blooming in the spring. We don't see anything going on all winter, looks like nothing is going on under the ground. But God is at work all the time. Much that God is doing to bring that child home, you can't see. But you'd better believe it's going on under the ground where you can't see it. Secondly, the hound of heaven - the Holy Spirit - pursues that child wherever he goes. They can get away from you; they can't get away from Him. Thirdly, open arms do more than open mouths to bring kids home. Sometimes we can talk too much and push them so hard we actually push them away from the Lord. The Father of the prodigal son didn't chase the son. He just kept his arms open for him to come home. And then fourthly, remember God does answer prayer. Release that child again to the Lord. Don't try to do God's job of changing that child's heart. I understand that John Newton, the writer of Amazing Grace said his conversion came in a storm at sea with a mast crashing down on him as he cried, "My Mother's God save me!" And her prayers were answered. Continue to claim that child for Jesus Christ. Do not give up! "Be not weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap if you do not give up!" Jesus is still in the business of bringing kids home to their parents and home to Him. Because of His love, I believe one day you will hear, "Mom... Dad... I'm home."

In this episode, Petia Kolibova Burns unpacks what it truly means to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. It's not just about holiness—it's about intimacy, identity, and walking daily with the presence of God within you. Learn how to live from a place of reverence and empowerment, not striving and performance.     Key Takeaways God's presence no longer dwells in buildings—it lives in you (1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NLT). The Holy Spirit isn't visiting; He's made His home in your heart. Holiness is not perfection—it's partnership with the Spirit in your daily choices. You worship God not just on Sundays, but in how you live, speak, and love every day (Romans 12:1 NLT). You are never alone; the Spirit is your comforter, guide, and strength (John 14:26 NLT).     Scriptures Mentioned 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NLT • Matthew 27:51 NLT • Romans 12:1 NLT • Ephesians 1:13–14 NLT • John 14:26 NLT • Acts 1:8 NLT     Reflection Prompt Where have you forgotten that God's Spirit lives in you? What would shift in your daily rhythm if you saw your body as sacred space for His presence?     Prayer Holy Spirit, thank You for living in me. Cleanse my thoughts, guide my steps, and use my life as Your dwelling place. In Jesus' name, amen.     Call to Action If this episode touched your heart, share it with a friend—and if you're longing to go deeper in your faith journey, join my free online Bible study Deeply Devoted, a safe space for women rediscovering their faith and purpose in Christ.

Have you ever sat down for quiet time and walked away feeling like you just checked a box — but didn't really connect with God? You're not alone.In this episode of The Happiest Lives Podcast, I share a practical, 45-minute structure you can use to turn your quiet time into an intentional meeting with the Holy Spirit. This simple nine-step rhythm will help you worship, process your thoughts, engage with Scripture, and walk away with clarity, peace, and a renewed sense of God's presence.And to make it even easier, I've created a free printable guide you can download and use during your own quiet time. Grab your copy at myhappyvault.com/morningmeeting and try this practice for yourself.Want to learn how to process emotions with God instead of pushing them down?Join me for my live workshop, From Stuck to Surrendered: Recovering the Lost Art of Feeling—a two-hour experience to help you move from emotional paralysis to peace.

Friends of the Rosary,The second coming of Christ Jesus will be like the time of Noah, as He revealed to his disciples and we read today (Luke 17:26–37):"As it was in the days of Noah,so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;they were eating and drinking,marrying and giving in marriage up to the daythat Noah entered the ark,and the flood came and destroyed them all."The flood was the result of humanity's sin. His refusal to properly steward the creation and the worship of false deities.God then sent, in a salvation operation, a righteous man named Noah, who built a giant ark in the midst of the desert. It was the Ark of the Covenant.Animals of all species, as well as Noah and his family, came on board.Noah would become a precursor of Christ and the ark of Noah as the womb of the Blessed Mother and later as the Universal Church.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠November 14, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

It takes humility, intentionality, and the power of the Holy Spirit to create a workplace of trust and unity amongst school staff. Hear from members of the team at GDQ International Christian School in Albania about their experiences with navigating conflict. "We want to have the school be a safe place so that people can voice disagreements that they have and know that someone will listen to them." -Lori "One thing that helps to resolve conflict is, on some level, to expect there to be at least different perspectives." -Nate "Continue to build into relationships among the staff so when you have to come with things like that, it's not just negative all the time, but you do have these trust banks to pull off of." -Lori "You really do need to have a culture of unity in place to be able to handle things like this." -Nate "Unless people see you acting in a way that is healthy in resolving conflict and in communicating, then any policy that you have, any professional development is useless." Lori "You have to be able to say, 'This is not against me. Same team!'" -Lori James 1:19 "Something that is really helpful for me when I am offended is to remember how much God has forgiven me." -Peter "We have to give glory to God for being our captain." -Nate What's changing our lives: Keane: Finishing the entire Chronicles of Narnia series Heather: Autumn scenes on YouTube Nate: Using ChatGPT to wean off of coffee Peter: Hot cocoa with homework, fresh persimmons, and pumpkin pie Lori: Cozy blankets Weekly Spotlight: GDQ International Christian School We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

On this episode Kent Ward talks about  Faith for the Supernatural and dives into what it truly means to believe God for the impossible. It explores how faith unlocks the power of the Holy Spirit and invites the miraculous into everyday life. Through Scripture and real-life examples, listeners are encouraged to strengthen their faith and expect God to move in extraordinary ways. 

In today's episode, Pastors Todd & Katie Holmes share on obedience and truly following God's plan for your life.There are a lot of opinions as to what the right thing would be to do, but is it God's plan for you to do? We must be sure that our lives and decisions are done in obedience to the Word of God and what the Holy Spirit leads us to do. When we move in obedience, God moves! NEW EPISODES every Monday & Friday @ Noon.https://www.facebook.com/TheRiverOfTriCities/https://www.youtube.com/@TheRiverofTriCitiesChurchhttps://www.instagram.com/rivertcchurch/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/thelastdayspodcast/?hl=en

The Bible did not appear by chance but was divinely orchestrated by God, whose wisdom ensured that His Word would stand as an indisputable authority through the ages. Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar discuss how Scripture was formed, explaining that man did not grant the Bible's authority. Many believe the Bible was compiled centuries later by human decision, but in reality, its authority was immediate, and its recognition only confirmed what was already divine. Recognizing the Bible's authority is crucial because it affirms that it is free from error or contradiction, providing everything believers need for their walk with Christ. Unlike the constantly changing nature of science, the message of the Bible stays the same, bringing order where the world brings chaos.The Old Testament was confirmed with its three main divisions—the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings—by 132 BC. Josephus referenced twenty-two sacred books, and by 430 BC, around the time of Malachi, the Old Testament was considered complete. The Apocrypha was later added by the Catholic Church, but not as part of the confirmed canon. Although the original manuscripts no longer exist, Mark emphasizes how scribes took meticulous care in copying the texts, ensuring accuracy through precise measures. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls further demonstrated the reliability of Scripture, showing only minor differences that never changed the meaning.Jesus Himself affirmed the Old Testament, and the apostles understood that their own writings carried divine authority. Just as God made covenants in the Old Testament, Jesus established a new covenant, which required new writings. The apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, recorded teachings that matched Christ's promise to bring His words to mind. The detailed genealogies and honest portrayals of flawed heroes throughout scripture attest to the truthfulness of the writers' accounts. God's Word does not hide human failure but shows how He fulfills His perfect plan through imperfect people.The early church used clear and consistent standards to identify which writings belonged in Scripture. As authentic writings circulated among believers, false ones were naturally rejected. Scripture is described as God-breathed, meaning it comes from Him and has His authority. It is useful for teaching, correction, and training in righteousness, providing everything necessary for faith and life. The Bible remains a trustworthy revelation from the living God, divinely inspired and unchanging, guiding believers to the truth and grounding them in the gospel.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

Today, Pastor Jack teaches that we often acquaint appearance with strength or weakness. So, when Samuel anoints David as king, it's God accomplishing His will, not through David's human strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Daily Rosary with SPOKEN FEMALE VOICE with AMBIENT MUSIC by THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS ROSARY 2 United in Prayer.  Enjoy this week's collection of beautiful music to help inspire your prayerful intentions alongside this daily rosary. The spoken portion of this rosary features a female voice and is a little over 20 minutes long, with extended music for additional meditation. This rosary contains the luminous mysteries, recited on Thursdays.  These mysteries focus on Jesus' public ministry, including his baptism and the institution of the Eucharist, with fruits such as openness to the Holy Spirit and adoration. Join the communion of saints in praying the rosary, as it connects you with the communal prayer of the universal Church and the saints throughout history, fostering a profound sense of spiritual solidarity.  May this Rosary become a faithful companion to your prayer life. Additional prayer tools at www.rosarywristband.com **NEW**  30 MINUTE TRADITIONAL ROSARY - LUMINOUS THURSDAY - SPOKEN ONLY https://youtu.be/3FsR8I6WiTs SPOKEN ONLY VERSION: 17 Minute Rosary - Thursday - SPOKEN ONLY https://youtu.be/S6fNrAPjf2M MOST VIEWED THURSDAY ROSARY: Calm Music    https://youtu.be/73Z7rRx6dnM MOST VIEWED ONE HOUR ROSARY DEVOTION: Complete Rosary    https://youtu.be/rrNMRJ5oH-Q MOST VIEWED SLEEP ROSARY: 4 Hour Sleep Rosary    https://youtu.be/4a-uaEEJOF4 Have you joined our Membership?  Starting at only $1.99 a month, you can directly help this channel grow:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLXCEpdy0etQAdEHB1z-oTg/join Or consider a donation through PayPal to help us continue creating quality content:  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?business=CHerrera720037%40gmail.com&cmd=_donations¤cy_code=USD&item_name=Donation+to+The+Communion+of+Saints&return=https%3A%2F%2Frosarywristband.com%2Fhome All music in this video is licensed thru Epidemic Sound Publishing. Blessings, Chris - The Communion of Saints Email: chris@rosarywristband.com Simply, easy and quick rosary prayers for everyday recitation and reflection.   This collection of Catholic rosary videos in english serve as a daily devotion and feature calm background music and nature soundscapes.   Choose from audio only or follow along video with all mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous.  Listen before sleep or any time for renewed focus and peace. "Together we pray" Visit rosarywristband.com for comfortable one decade rosaries. #Rosary #JoyfulMysteries #CatholicMeditation #MondayRosary #todayrosary #todayrosaryinenglish

A powerful sermon by John Ramirez urging believers to guard their spiritual fire, pursue God's presence, and live fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit.

FREE Show Notes Here: https://page.church.tech/750c40a8 ____________________________ Get Addison's New Book on Prayer: https://a.co/d/3H74mTu___________________________Discover the life force behind a marriage that lasts. In this episode, Addison and Juli Bevere sit down with Lisa Bevere to talk about the power of prayer. They clear up common misconceptions about prayer and show how it can strengthen your marriage and family from the inside out. They share real stories from their own marriages, showing how prayer brings couples together, helps them face challenges, and invites the Holy Spirit to bring peace and lasting connection. Learn how prayer can be the foundation that keeps your marriage strong through every season.___________________________For more content, check out: https://addisonbevere.com/or follow us on Instagram!@athomewiththebeveres@juliannabevere @addisonbevere 

Do you ever wonder what it truly means to have access to the power and presence of God every single day? In today's episode, Richelle Alessi leads us in a heartfelt reflection on the Gift of the Holy Spirit, inspired by John 14:16-17. Together, we'll explore how God's Spirit not only comforts and guides us, but dwells within us—offering daily help, revelation, and wisdom to face life's challenges. As a community, we'll discover how to embrace this incredible gift with gratitude and how to lean into the Holy Spirit as our ever-present Advocate.Come join our devotional journey as we join in prayer, giving thanks for the Holy Spirit and seeking to use God's gifts to the fullest in our lives.Want to get resources related to this episode? Enter your info at https://www.mymorningdevo.co/newsletter/ and we'll send it to your inbox!Tap HERE to send us a text! BECOME A FOUNDING "MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL" MEMBERIf you enjoy your 5 minute daily dose of heaven, we would appreciate your support, and we have a fun way for you to partner with the MMD community! We've launched our "Buy Me a Coffee" membership where you can buy us a latte, OR become a founding member and get monthly bonus video episodes! To donate, go to mymorningdevo.co/join! Support the showNEW TO MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL? We're so glad you're here! We're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in a church in Miami, FL, and we're so blessed to partner with the My Morning Devotional community and continue the great work done by the show's creator and our friend, Alison Delamota.Join our Community Subscribe to the show on this app Share this with a friend Join our newsletter and get additional resources Follow Us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Leave a review Support Our Friends and Family Connect with the original host of MMD Alison Delamota Follow our family podcast The Family Business with The Alessis Check out our Worship Music Hear the new music project "Praise the Lord EP" from Metro Life Worship and Mary AlessiListen on SpotifyWatch on YouTube

#10MinuteswithJesus ** Put yourself in the presence of God. Try talking to Him. ** 10 minutes are 10 minutes. Even if you can get distracted, reach the end. ** Be constant. The Holy Spirit acts "on low heat" and requires perseverance. 10-Minute audio to help you pray. Daily sparks to ignite prayer: a passage from the gospel, an idea, an anecdote and a priest who speaks with you and the Lord, inviting you to share your intimacy with God. Find your moment, consider you are in His presence and click play.

Send us a textWhen did strength start sounding like a shout? We open Philippians 4 and discover a better way: a life marked by steady joy and a reputation for gentleness that disarms cynicism and heals conversations. Joy here isn't tied to lucky breaks or perfect outcomes; it's a Spirit-formed conviction that God is worthy of worship in every season. Gentleness isn't weakness either. It's a practiced willingness to yield, to meet people halfway, and to use influence without crushing the bruised reed.We walk through Paul's rapid-fire commands and unpack how joy is birthed in the gospel, grown by the Holy Spirit, nourished by Scripture, and paradoxically deepened in trials. Then we turn to gentleness, a layered word that carries reasonableness, forbearance, and courtesy—exactly what our combative moment lacks. From traffic merges to tense meetings to unwanted sales calls, we trace everyday places where believers can trade point-scoring for peacemaking and show what grace sounds like under pressure.Everything centers on a short phrase with massive weight: the Lord is near. Hope looks forward to Christ's return, and presence steadies us right now. With that anchor, we can rejoice without props and answer discourtesy with calm. Expect practical handles, real stories, and a vision big enough for hard weeks: resolve to be joyful and pursue a reputation for gentleness. If you want to advance the gospel at home, online, and at work, you don't need a stage—you need a posture. Subscribe, share this with a friend who could use some quiet strength today, and leave a review to help others find the show.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

In this special live episode recorded at Daniel and Jackie Groves' church, Adam and Ashlee dive into a transformative conversation about what it truly means to love well in marriage—not by achieving perfection, but by embracing honesty, healing, and spiritual alignment. Rooted in 1 Corinthians 13, they explore how declaring “I am patient, I am kind” isn't pretending to be something we're not—it's prophesying who God is shaping us to become. Love becomes less about performing and more about surrendering to divine transformation.They also unpack the reality that our past doesn't magically vanish when we get married or come to Christ. Every wound, decision, and old relationship comes into the new season with us unless we intentionally pursue healing. Adam and Ashlee break down the **three layers of intimacy—spiritual, emotional, and physical—**and explain why so many couples stay frustrated when these layers are built in the wrong order.One of the most freeing truths from this conversation: it is not our job to fix our spouse. It's our job to intercede for them. When we stop trying to be the Holy Spirit in our marriage and instead bring our partner before God, we release the pressure—and make room for true transformation.Whether you're dating, engaged, or married, this episode calls you to build a love that lasts by letting God shape every layer of it.--Join our AFTER I DO community for Exclusive Content & community!www.afterido.app--Have a question about relationships? Ask us by clicking the link below!https://patria.church.ai/form/BeyondIdo_BEYOND I DO: MARRIAGE COURSEhttps://beyondido.thinkific.com/courses/beyond-I-do--Connect with Adam & Ashlee Mesahttps://instagram.com/amesa?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA==https://instagram.com/ashleemesa?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA==--Connect with Daniel & Jackie Groveshttps://www.instagram.com/degroves/https://www.instagram.com/jackiengroves/--Don't forget to stay connected with us: Instagram @beyond.idoTik Tok @beyond.ido--We've entered into an exciting new partnership with renowned jeweler Erin Barnett in Los Angeles. This partnership perfectly aligns with our love for relationships and jewelry. Whether you're looking for a special gift, an engagement ring, or a wedding band, Erin has you covered. And as part of the Beyond I Do community, you get exclusive discounts and the opportunity for a private showroom experience. It's time to celebrate your love with exquisite jewelry from our partner, Erin Barnett.How to get the exclusive discount?SEND HIM A DM and tell him you are part of the BEYOND I DO family or mention Adam Mesa. https://www.instagram.com/by.barnett/?hl=enhttps://bybarnett.com

Sign Up Free Mini E-Courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Mini Courses⁠⁠⁠Sign Up for Prayer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Orbis Prayer Ministry Network – Receive prayer for healing, prophecy, inner healing and deliverance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate: ⁠⁠Give - Orbis Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠In this episode, Ken Fish and Grant Pemberton explore one of the most curious and unsettling stories in the Bible: Saul's visit to the medium of Endor, where the prophet Samuel appears from the dead. They discuss whether it was really Samuel, what the spirit world looked like before the resurrection of Jesus, and what this story teaches us about the boundaries of spiritual practice.The second half of the episode shifts into a pastoral conversation about grief. Ken shares insight into how prolonged mourning can open people up to deception, why some people report seeing or hearing from the dead, and the biblical view of familiar spirits. The episode ends with a gentle call for reconciliation, healing, and the importance of processing loss in a healthy way.How to Engage with Orbis:- Check out Ken's book,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ On the Road with the Holy Spirit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://a.co/d/0OVIIA0- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Partner with Orbis Financially⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Give - Orbis Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠- Download the app: ⁠⁠⁠⁠App - Orbis Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠-⁠⁠⁠⁠ Are you interested in learning about Holy Spirit-led ministry? Visit Orbis School of Ministry at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homepage | Orbis School of Ministry⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email our Registrar, Jo McKay, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jo@orbisminstries.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-⁠⁠⁠⁠ Upcoming Orbis Ministries overseas ministry trips are posted on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠orbisministries.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ under the Train tab- Join an International Ministry Trip link behind the registration/login portal.- Do you want to join Ken's private Facebook discussion group, "God is not a Theory?" Please send a Facebook Direct Message to Bryan Orbis and a friend request to be added to it.

Send us a textWhen did strength start sounding like a shout? We open Philippians 4 and discover a better way: a life marked by steady joy and a reputation for gentleness that disarms cynicism and heals conversations. Joy here isn't tied to lucky breaks or perfect outcomes; it's a Spirit-formed conviction that God is worthy of worship in every season. Gentleness isn't weakness either. It's a practiced willingness to yield, to meet people halfway, and to use influence without crushing the bruised reed.We walk through Paul's rapid-fire commands and unpack how joy is birthed in the gospel, grown by the Holy Spirit, nourished by Scripture, and paradoxically deepened in trials. Then we turn to gentleness, a layered word that carries reasonableness, forbearance, and courtesy—exactly what our combative moment lacks. From traffic merges to tense meetings to unwanted sales calls, we trace everyday places where believers can trade point-scoring for peacemaking and show what grace sounds like under pressure.Everything centers on a short phrase with massive weight: the Lord is near. Hope looks forward to Christ's return, and presence steadies us right now. With that anchor, we can rejoice without props and answer discourtesy with calm. Expect practical handles, real stories, and a vision big enough for hard weeks: resolve to be joyful and pursue a reputation for gentleness. If you want to advance the gospel at home, online, and at work, you don't need a stage—you need a posture. Subscribe, share this with a friend who could use some quiet strength today, and leave a review to help others find the show.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Episode Summary: If you think your life is too far gone, or if you’ve made too many mistakes for God to redeem, you’re going to want to listen to today’s conversation: a Sacred Scar Story. Julie knew she could spend the rest of her life in prison if she were caught crossing the border with four pounds of methamphetamine duct-taped to her waist. But life had become so overwhelming, so painful, that she no longer cared if she lived or died. So, she crossed over the border. And with her arrest as a drug smuggler that day, her years of running from responsibility -and from God - came to an end. Through one miraculous event after another, God transformed Julie from drug dealer to Hope Dealer. In her book, All My Hope, Julie wrote “It takes courage to live beyond regrets, but the good news is that God wanted to take my mess and turn it into a miracle.” Join us on the podcast as we talk about Finding Hope After Addiction, Loss, and Imprisonment. Quotables from the episode: I want you to know that nothing you face is impossible with God. NOTHING. The blood of Jesus has never lost its power. God takes our mess and turns it into a message for the world. You see, what looked like a loss was really a game, because when my leg was amputated, it was one thing that did actually send me spiraling further into addiction. In that spiraling, I ended up at the foot of the cross in the arms of Jesus. And it was in that place where I was so done with the pain and the suffering and the dumb decisions and the addiction that I was so desperate, I cried out to God to become the center of my life, or I was going to lose everything. I had lost a leg; you would think that was a lot. But I was on the way to losing my very soul and my very self. You don't realize that you're stepping into a trap of the enemy that is going to consume you and steal your identity and your very soul. Sin is enticing because sin feels good for a moment. My first use of drugs took me on a journey straight to hell on earth. Addiction runs rampant in my family on both sides. And so that first line of meth, it just had me hooked. Addiction took me further than I ever wanted to go and made me someone I never wanted to be because I ended up liking the feeling that I got when I snorted that meth so much that I would do anything. I would tell any lie, I would deceive my parents, I would tiptoe into their bedroom at night and steal $50 bills out of my dad's wallet while he slept, I would do anything for that feeling. And then that feeling doesn't last forever. I would mix it with alcohol and try to get this euphoric feeling and it was like chasing my tail. And meanwhile, I'm slowly like becoming more and more depraved. Addiction made me lose all of any sense of morals that I may have had, even as a non -Christian, even as somebody who wasn't living for Jesus. I felt the presence of God there, and in that moment and I believed in God I knew he was real and I even understood that he could see me and I think it's that little seed of faith right the Bible says that we are all born with a measure of faith and so with that measure of faith I believed in God and he was chasing me and in that moment, I felt like God told me you can't have one foot with me and one foot in the world. Well, I didn't even have one foot with him yet. That voice made me stop and really think, “Okay, I'm living this way, But God is calling me to a life with him.” Nobody ever starts off using a substance thinking, “Oh I want to become an addict.” That's the grip that addiction has. It's like an invisible hand around your throat. There's only one thing that can break the grip of addiction, and that is the love and the power and the blood of Jesus. After I lost my leg to amputation, and I just was getting more and more into a world of darkness and desperation. I took my little boy, and I moved across the country because I thought that if I could get away from the things that or hard and start over in a new place, that everything would change. The only problem was I was still there, and I was my biggest problem, but I didn't know it yet. When you're in addiction, there's all those wrong people and you flock together. I went home from that doctor's appointment in Mexico and I fell on my knees in this home that overlooked the ocean. And it was in that moment of desperation that I see all this time I had thought I was a victim of life and circumstances. I felt sorry for myself and poor me, all this stuff happened to me. And in that moment when I was so broken, it was like the Holy Spirit himself descended into my living room and pulled the blinders off my eyes. I understood in this holy moment that I was not a victim. I was a sinner in need of a savior. I realized in this holy moment that I was not a victim of life, but a sad or addiction. I was a sinner in need of a savior. I fell to my knees after that appointment in my home overlooking the ocean and in my strung-out depraved desperation when I felt the Holy Spirit descend in the living room I cried out to God, and I said “I can't meet you halfway. I can't stop drinking. I can't stop doing drugs. I need you to become the center of my life or I'm going to be lost forever.” Other inmates began to notice that the one-legged lady who passionately loved Jesus was working hard to keep her heart pure. Those inmates came to me and started asking me about this Jesus whom I loved so much. The joy on the inside of me was so infectious that everyone around me wanted some of it. Even the correctional officers started asking me about my experience with Jesus! It takes courage to live beyond regrets, but the good news is that God wanted to take my mess and turn it into a miracle. You will also need to be courageous, because life on earth is hard. You will experience loneliness, loss, temptation, rejection, and attacks. But do not fear, for I will be with you! When we’re determined to not allow our faith and our dreams to be crushed by regret, grief, and sorrow, God will be able to use our grief and sorrow to make us strong and increase our faith in Him. I would leave you listener with the perspective that when you think you are at rock bottom that is the place where Jesus if you cry out to him will come sweeping in because it was in that prison that a prison ministry volunteer walked in and told me that Jesus Christ loved me, died for my sin, and would make me a new creation, and it was in that prison that I put my hope in Jesus and became free on the inside for the very first time in my life. Rock Bottom is the place where Jesus will come rushing in and change everything. Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” 1 Corinthians 13:33 “Bad company corrupts good character.” Recommended Resources: All My Hope: A Prisoner No More by Julie Seals Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner AWSA 2024 Golden Scroll Christian Living Book of the Year and the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Christian Living and Non-Fiction categories YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, AWSA Member of the Year, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Devotional category, the 2023 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1 YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2 Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference Revive & Thrive Summit 2 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2 Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2020 Best Christian Living Book First Place, the first place winner for the Best Christian Living Book, the 2020 Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference Contest winner for nonfiction, and winner of the 2021 Christian Literary Award’s Reader’s Choice Award in all four categories for which it was nominated (Non-Fiction Victorious Living, Christian Living Day By Day, Inspirational Breaking Free and Testimonial Justified by Grace categories.) YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Henri and Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue Social Media Links for Host: Connect with Julie Seals: Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Friends of the Rosary,Today, the Catholic Church in the U.S. celebrates the Memorial of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), a virgin and the first American citizen to be canonized.Born in Lombardy, Italy, to a family of thirteen children, she came to America as a missionary, founding the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart to care for poor children in schools and hospitals.At her death, over five thousand children were receiving care in her charitable institutions. Her community extended to seventy houses in North and South America, France, Spain, and England.After thirty-seven years of heroic charity, she was in Chicago, Illinois, while making dolls for orphans in preparation for a Christmas party. She was canonized by Pius XII in 1946. She lies buried under the altar of the chapel of Mother Cabrini High School in New York City.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠November 13, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

What happens at Jesus' water baptism?  What does it mean that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit?  And what does it mean for Jesus to be the “Lamb of God?”   Taught by Jose Zayas  

Hello Friends! I love to hear from you! Please send me a text message by clicking on this link! Blessings to You!In this episode, Dr. Jori discusses with her listeners Jesus's reminder that, "if we being evil know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"Scripture References: Luke 11:13; Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-5; Luke 1-3; Luke 10:41-42; Luke 11:1-13; Matthew 6-7; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:11; Romans 3:23; Galatians 5:22-23 Scripture translation used is the Legacy Standard Bible.  “Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.comFIND DR. JORI ON OTHER PLATFORMS https://linktr.ee/drjorishafferCHECK OUT THE DWELL AUDIO BIBLE APP:Click this link for my unique referral code.  I use this frequently. Such a wonderful audio bible app. https://dwellapp.io/aff?ref=jorishafferBIBLE STUDY TOOLS DR. JORI USES:Note: These contain  Amazon affiliate links, meaning I get a commission, at no extra cost to you,  if you decide to make a purchase through my links.Here is a link to some of my favorite bible study tools on Amazon:https://geni.us/cHtrfEMr. Pen Bible Journaling Kitshttps://lvnta.com/lv_PTrHSCogbRim4yhEDnhttps://lvnta.com/lv_mkaMOuGe6m4oHR88uqhttps://lvnta.com/lv_dgvsxOc99t663A628z  JOIN DR. JORI IN DEVOTIONAL JOURNALING IN 2025Check out this 9 min YouTube Video outlining her journaling strategy! Don't Forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel! https://youtu.be/lqe9TO7RSz4 BOOKS OF BIBLE COLOR CHARTI made this chart as a helpful tool for grouping the collections of books or letters  in the Holy Bible.  The colors in the different sections are the ones that I use in my journals.  Books of Bible Chart (color) (4).pdf - Google Drive    LOOKING TO RETAIN MORE OF WHAT YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING?              CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S SERMON REFLECTION JOURNALS! Sermon Notes, Reflections and Applications Journal/Notebooks by Dr. Jori. Click the links below to be directed to amazon.com for purchase. Or search “Dr. Jori Shaffer” on Amazon to bring these up.  https://amzn.to/418LfRshttps://amzn.to/41862EyHere is a brief YouTube video that tells about the Journal/Notebooks as well:https://youtu.be/aXpQNYUEzds   Email: awordforthisday@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://awordforthisday.buzzsprout.com  Support the show

ROMANS 8 OVERVIEWRomans 8 is a chapter that focuses on the life of believers who are "in Christ" and led by the Holy Spirit, emphasizing freedom from condemnation, strength over sin, and the assurance of future glory and God's unbreakable love. It highlights that the Holy Spirit provides spiritual life, helps believers overcome sin, and intercedes for them in prayer, solidifying their status as God's children. Romans 8 provides a message of hope and security, assuring believers that nothing can separate them from God's love.FREEDOM“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬ ‭LIFE IN THE SPIRIT“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬ ‭“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬ ‭ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭MORE THAN CONQUERORS“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭37‬ ‭NOTHING CAN SEPARATE“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭

In a season of Stillness, but I'm still here. ❤️‍

Discerning spirits, the nature of God, glorious sociality, the timing of the Second Coming, eternal marriage, and plural marriage. In this pivotal lesson, we jump into the deep end of Restoration doctrine, covering Joseph Smith's most profound teachings on the nature of God, our eternal potential, and the covenants that bind us forever. Summary: This episode explores D&C 129–132, revelations containing foundational and high-level doctrine for the Church. D&C 129: Discerning Spirits. The Lord provides "three grand keys" to distinguish a resurrected being, a righteous spirit, and the devil appearing as an angel of light. This section emphasizes the eternal reality of the body and the importance of discernment. D&C 130: Eternal Knowledge and Timing. Joseph records several "items of instruction," including the promise that "whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection," providing an "advantage in the world to come." He also recounts the Lord's gentle command to "trouble me no more" about the timing of the Second Coming. Crucially, we learn that the "same sociality" we enjoy here, "coupled with eternal glory," will exist in the world to come. D&C 131: The New and Everlasting Covenant. This section reveals that in the celestial glory, a man "must enter into this order of the priesthood [the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]" to obtain the highest degree and have an eternal "increase." D&C 132: Eternal Marriage and Law. This essential revelation lays out the foundational law of eternal marriage, which must be "sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise" and entered into by revelation through the authorized servant. We discuss the stark difference between marriages that "have an end when men are dead" and those that lead to "thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers." We also examine the difficult topic of plural marriage, seeing it as an Abrahamic test given by command to "restore all things." Call-to-Action: What kind of "knowledge and intelligence" are you working to secure for your resurrection? Share your study goals in the comments! If this message helped clarify the path to eternal lives, please like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay "Unshaken" in your faith. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 7:04 Discerning Spirits in an AI World 19:02 Timing of the Second Coming 29:34 Education for Eternity 43:39 Eternal Relationships 1:08:34 Growing into Godhood 1:17:39 Plural Marriage 1:38:09 Abrahamic Tests 2:02:11 One-Liners

Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, the gospel message meets with ears that are asleep in spiritual death. Today, Sinclair Ferguson illustrates God's sovereign grace in awakening us to Jesus Christ and His salvation. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/things-unseen-with-sinclair-ferguson/calling-awake-o-sleeper/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Did Jesus REALLY Claim to Be God? With surveys showing nearly half of evangelicals questioning Jesus's divinity, we're tackling this crucial topic.In this episode of Remnant Radio, we explore Christian theology through a historical lens with Dr. Mikel Del Rosario from Moody Bible Institute. We unpack Dr. Del Rosario's book on Jesus's bold divine claims—examining key scenes in Mark's Gospel, addressing skeptic challenges from scholars like Bart Ehrman, and affirming the historicity of Jesus's divine declarations.Discover how Jesus's miracles, authority, and role as eschatological judge set him apart, incorporating him into Israel's Godhead as Yahweh incarnate.Learn HOW to defend the deity of Christ with courage and compassion!0:00 – Introduction1:38 – Book Overview5:52 – Historical Methodology and Authenticity10:36 – Mark 2: Forgiving Sins as Blasphemy14:11 – Mark 14: Jesus's Trial and Divine Claim19:03 – Why Emphasize Mark Over John24:22 – Implicit vs. Explicit Divine Claims29:21 – Historicity of Jesus's Jewish Examination33:04 – Jesus Distinct from Old Testament Prophets39:31 – Evangelical Confusion on Christ's Deity45:35 – Countering Modern Skeptical Arguments51:06 – Personal Application and ClosingABOUT THE GUEST:

Most bodybuilders are destroying their health because of lies they're told about nutrition. They believe carbs are the only way to build muscle, but what if the real secret to a better physique is hidden in fat? In episode 831 of the Savage Perspective Podcast, your host Robert Sikes sits down with natural bodybuilder to expose the truth. They talk about the myths of mainstream bodybuilding nutrition, the problems with traditional diets, and why so many athletes struggle with their health. Chris also shares his story about training for a competition and how he found success with a different approach. This episode will make you question everything you thought you knew about building a strong and healthy body.Ready to build a powerful physique without the confusion? Get the real truth on nutrition and training in Robert's free Bodybuilding Masterclass. Join the community here: https://www.ketobodybuilding.com/registration-2Get Keto Brick: https://www.ketobrick.com/Subscribe to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/42cjJssghqD01bdWBxRYEg?si=1XYKmPXmR4eKw2O9gGCEuQChapters:0:00 - The Biggest Lie Bodybuilders Believe About Carbs 1:52 - How To Build A Powerful Personal Brand 3:20 - My First Time as a Bodybuilding Promoter 4:42 - Why You Can't Succeed Without a Great Team 5:46 - The Masculine Trait of Compartmentalization 7:36 - Why "Work-Life Balance" Is A Recipe for Mediocrity 9:16 - My Experience Eating 1,000 Calorie Keto Bricks 10:35 - How Mainstream Nutrition Gets Macros Wrong 12:17 - How Traditional "Bro Diets" Led to an Eating Disorder 13:03 - My Hidden Struggle with Bulimia 14:25 - How The Ketogenic Diet Can Fix Disordered Eating 15:51 - The Bodybuilding Wisdom of Mike Mentzer 18:20 - How Fitness Magazines Confused a Generation of Bodybuilders 20:24 - Why Is The Bodybuilding Industry So Confusing? 22:44 - How Keto Is Demystifying Fat as a Fuel Source 23:40 - Why Everyone Should Think Like a Bodybuilder 27:27 - The Pyramid of Success: Health Is The Foundation for Everything 30:53 - The "Download from God" That Changed My Perspective 35:28 - Why It Is Your Moral Obligation To Be Healthy 38:49 - Unconscious Decisions That Are Ruining Your Health 41:37 - Are You Making Excuses for Unhealthy Choices? 42:57 - What It Feels Like To Train to Absolute Failure 44:19 - High-Intensity Training vs. High-Volume Training 48:19 - Why I Switched to Mike Mentzer's "Heavy Duty" Training 51:14 - Is It Possible to Build Muscle After 45? A Longevity Plan 56:40 - What Is The #1 Limiting Factor for Older Lifters? 59:18 - The Harsh Truth About Making Money in Natural Bodybuilding 1:01:11 - My 29-Rep Leg Press Set to Failure 1:05:43 - How to Structure a High-Intensity Training Split 1:08:31 - The Surprising Connection Between Two Bodybuilders 1:13:40 - Is High-Frequency Training Necessary to Build Muscle? 1:14:32 - What Actually Triggers Muscle Growth? Intensity vs. Volume 1:17:08 - How to Prevent Alzheimer's: Is It Type 3 Diabetes? 1:20:15 - How We're All Connected (From Keto to the Holy Spirit) 1:22:14 - The Shocking History of Kellogg's Cereal 1:25:20 - The Dangers of Extreme Training as You Age 1:27:06 - The Secret to Maximizing Every Single Rep 1:28:16 - Why Modern Bodybuilders Have Lost Their Professionalism 1:33:35 - Where to Find Chris Chavanu Online

In this episode of Spirit Connection, we are sharing Doug Addison's heart, as he expresses the needs of the ministry and Scriptures of encouragement. He has received revelation from the Lord which he shares with his Partners—the Lord is releasing warring angels! The angels are here! We're going to release those and ask the Lord to release angels of all types. There's a move of the Holy Spirit coming! We're standing on these promises right now. And the Lord will not only meet our needs, but He'll supply the financial increase and the increase of His love and presence... The post The Warring Angels Are Coming [Episode 415] first appeared on Doug Addison.

Question: How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ? Answer: We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us by his Holy Spirit. Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://gift.ligonier.org/1267/westminster If this podcast has been a blessing to you, try these other podcasts from Ligonier: Renewing Your Mind: https://renewingyourmind.org/ 5 Minutes in Church History: https://www.5minutesinchurchhistory.com/ Ask Ligonier: https://ask.ligonier.org/podcast Open Book: https://openbookpodcast.com/ Simply Put: https://simplyputpodcast.com/

In a season full of noise, negativity, and weariness, what if what you most need isn't more strategy—but a word of encouragement?This episode is a departure from the usual. Mark shares how he felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to scrap the planned topic and speak directly to those feeling worn out, disheartened, and alone. Without Daniel or Liddy knowing where the episode was headed, the conversation turns into a spontaneous moment of ministry—naming six specific forms of discouragement many leaders and believers are facing right now.

Draw Closer To God Today (HE'S WAITING FOR YOU) | Blessed Morning Prayer To Start Your Day With GodSUBSCRIBE to catch all the latest prayers uploaded to the Daily Effective Prayer Podcast!For more powerful daily prayers and to connect with the ministry visit:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org© Copyright DailyEffectivePrayer.com  SUPPORT THE MINISTRY: (We are listener-supported)https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/donate/ DO YOU NEED PRAYER? Send us a prayer request right now:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/prayer-request-online/ CONNECT WITH US:https://www.dailyeffectiveprayer.org/connectYouTube (1M+ SUBSCRIBERS)X / TwitterInstagram ThreadsInstagramFacebook Daily Effective Prayer™

JOHN 10:22-42 - I & THE FATHER ARE ONE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” '? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,' because I said, ‘I am the Son of God'? 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.The Believers Beyond Jordan40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. 41 Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” 42 And many believed in Him there.”To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministryhttps://www.briansumner.net/support/For more on Brianhttp://www.briansumner.nethttps://www.instagram.com/BRIANSUMNER/https://www.facebook.com/BRIANSUMNEROFFICIALTo listen to Brians Podcast, click below.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Purchase Brians Marriage book at https://www.amazon.com/Never-Fails-Da...Brian is a full time "Urban Missionary" both locally and internationally with a focus on MISSIONS - MARRIAGES - MINISTRY. Since coming to faith in 2004 doors continued opening locally and internationally to do more and more ministry with a focus on Evangelism, Outreach Missions, Marriage, Counsel, Schools, Festivals, Conferences and the like.  Everything about this ministry is made possible because of people personally partnering through the non profit. God Bless and thank you. †Support the showSUPPORT THE SHOW

#10MinuteswithJesus ** Put yourself in the presence of God. Try talking to Him. ** 10 minutes are 10 minutes. Even if you can get distracted, reach the end. ** Be constant. The Holy Spirit acts "on low heat" and requires perseverance. 10-Minute audio to help you pray. Daily sparks to ignite prayer: a passage from the gospel, an idea, an anecdote and a priest who speaks with you and the Lord, inviting you to share your intimacy with God. Find your moment, consider you are in His presence and click play.

#10MinuteswithJesus ** Put yourself in the presence of God. Try talking to Him. ** 10 minutes are 10 minutes. Even if you can get distracted, reach the end. ** Be constant. The Holy Spirit acts "on low heat" and requires perseverance. 10-Minute audio to help you pray. Daily sparks to ignite prayer: a passage from the gospel, an idea, an anecdote and a priest who speaks with you and the Lord, inviting you to share your intimacy with God. Find your moment, consider you are in His presence and click play.

In this week's episode, I'm joined by author and teacher Yana Jenay Connor, to get into her new book, Living Beyond Offense!Tune in to hear us unpack what it means to live beyond offense, to forgive without pretending it didn't hurt, and to trust God enough to handle what justice looks like when we experience wrongdoings.Yana shares her heart behind her book, and we have an honest conversation about how grace works when you'd rather guard your heart, what healing may look like after betrayal, and how the Holy Spirit meets us in the tension between mercy and memory.If you've struggled with forgiveness, to move forward when reconciliation feels impossible, I pray this episode will bless you.Listen now, you don't want to miss this!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.