Podcasts about in paul

This Sunday, we continued our Becoming A Praying Church series as Pastor Rob taught from Philippians 1:1–11. In Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, we see a prayer filled with joy, gratitude, and deep affection for God's people. Paul reminds us that joy grows when we recognize God's work in others and faithfully pray for their spiritual growth.We are so glad you've joined New North Church for service today! If this is your first time with us, we are honored to have you and we want to get to know you more personally - please, fill out our digital connection card. http://bit.ly/nncconnectDo you have questions about life or need prayer? We would love to hear from you. Submit a request here: http://bit.ly/nncprayerNew North is financially sustained through your partnership. Thank you for your generosity as you consider giving online. http://bit.ly/nncgiveJoin us in person on Sundays at 8:30am, 10am and 12pm in San Francisco! Plan your visit: https://www.newnorth.church/plan-your...STAY CONNECTED:Website: https://www.newnorth.churchInstagram: http://bit.ly/nncinstagramFacebook: http://bit.ly/nncfacebookSpotify: http://bit.ly/nncpodcast

View this sermon (with video and/or audio recording) on our website: https://www.lordoflords.org/sermons/ministry-is-based-on-mercy/Moses was the newborn son of Hebrew slaves. After he was found floating in a reed basket in the Nile River by Pharaoh's daughter, she adopted him into the royal family. Moses received a noble Egyptian education. But he remained a Hebrew. When he was 40 years old, Moses saw an Egyptian guard beating a Hebrew slave. Moses struck and killed the guard. Then he fled into the Sinai mountains and became a shepherd for 40 years.That's when the Angel of the Lord -- the pre-incarnate Jesus -- appeared to Moses in a burning bush. The Lord didn't see a weak, whining, inadequate shepherd. He saw a man who would speak face-to-face with God as a friend; who would be his chosen servant to speak face-to-face with Pharaoh and say, "Let my people go"; and would lead God's people out of Egyptian slavery and into the Promised Land of Canaan. Jesus -- as the Angel of the Lord -- appeared to Moses to call him into his public ministry.Matthew was a tax collector. As a Jew, he was employed by the hated Roman Empire to collect taxes from his own Jewish people. Tax collectors were notorious for their greed and corruption. When Jesus came upon Matthew's booth, he didn't see a sinner to shun. He saw a soul sick with sin that the Physician of body and soul could save. He saw a man who would no longer take taxes from people. He saw his future disciple, apostle, and evangelist who would give God's Word to the people. Jesus appeared to Matthew to call him into his public ministry.On the road to Damascus, the ascended Lord Jesus appeared to Saul as a bright light. Jesus knocked Saul off his horse and onto his self-righteous butt. In Paul's own words, "Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 1:13-14).The voice of the crucified One spoke from heaven: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me" (Acts 9:4)? And suddenly the shoe was on the other foot. The arrester was arrested. The slayer was slain. Saul was struck down and made blind. But three days later, he was baptized. His sight was given back. His life was given back -- a new life, a difficult life, and with this new life he was given a new name -- no longer would he be known as Saul, but now as Paul. Through Christ's grace and mercy, he was no longer a persecutor, but a preacher. No longer hunting those with Christ's name, but he was now a missionary serving in Christ's name. The ascended Jesus appeared to Paul to call him into his public ministry.Who would want these guys as their pastors? A murderer and run-away scaredy cat. A hated traitor to your culture and suspected cheater. A violent man who hunted your Christian siblings, threw some in jail, and killed others. Yet, these were some of the greatest leaders, apostles, and missionaries in the Bible -- Moses, Matthew, and Paul!God used them for his ministry. God used Moses' leadership, Matthew's wisdom, and Paul's passion. That's what he was looking for in his pastors.The Lord in his mercy called Moses, Matthew, and Paul into his public ministry. He said, "I want you. Leave your old life and follow me in a new life. No longer as a shepherd, but as my chosen leader. No longer as a tax collector, but as an apostle. No longer as a persecutor, but as a missionary." And for countless generations, the Lord has called men so they are no longer a farmer or businessman or builder or soldier or student or whatever, but as a pastor of God's people.What do you look for in a pastor? What are his duties? What is his role in the congregation?The pastor is a leader, yet he is also your servant. He is a shepherd, yet he is also a sinful sheep. He heals, skillfully using the double-edged scalpel of Law and Gospel. He is an evangelist, a teacher, a preacher, a confidant, a counselor, a scholar, an entertainer, and a friend. He visits the sick, marries those in love, comforts the grieving, buries the dead, admonishes those who sin, chases down the wandering, and feeds the faithful.He plans worship services, teaches Bible classes at church and in homes, visits members in the hospital or when they're homebound, goes out for coffee with members and outreach prospects, canvasses homes, organizes events like soccer camp and for WELS Wyoming Youth, does counseling, records podcasts, creates social media content, and more. So, when he posts pictures on Facebook of his hiking exploits, some friend will always ask, "Do you work?"The Scriptures have some demanding qualifications for every man who is called into the public ministry. Here are just a few of God's qualifications: He must be above reproach, self-controlled, respectable, an example for believers in life, in love, in faith and purity, watching his doctrine closely, blameless, upright, holy, and disciplined (1 Timothy 3:2-7; 1 Timothy 4:12,15-16; Titus 1:6-8).Ministry is based on mercy. Christ shows the minister mercy. Then the minister shows Christ's mercy to those to whom he is called to minister.The minister does not do his job to speak to an audience but to preach God's Word to God's people. It's not about gaining glory but about being used by God to gain souls for God's Kingdom to his glory. It's not about receiving prestige or power, but about becoming weak so Christ can be his strength (2 Corinthians 12:10).There is both honor and humility for a pastor when he sees God using men like Moses, Matthew and Paul in his public ministry. If God can use "losers" like these three, well ... then God can use a loser like your pastor, too. If God could convey his message through a staff-turned-snake to stir Pharaoh (Exodus 7:10), and teach a lesson to an unhappy preacher through a vine (Jonah 4:10) or speak to Balaam through a donkey (Numbers 22:28) ... then God can speak through someone like your pastor.It's through Christ's mercy that both pastors and people confess with Pastor Paul: "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:15-16).Do you remember playing dodgeball in grade school? I shared a meme this week that dodgeball felt like being a rebel on the planet Hoth dodging laser bolts from AT-ATs. Most of us weren't good at dodgeball. No arm. Slow. Can't catch. Can't dodge. Just getting pummeled!Paul doesn't sugarcoat it. Satan pummels us with our sins! Don't worship. Don't pray. Don't respect our leaders. Don't evangelize. We curse. Cuss. Gossip. Despair. Cheat. Hate. Retaliate. Lust. We're mean. Lazy. Greedy. Hypocritical. We are the worst of sinners! Chief of sinners, though I be!The surprise for Paul was that God chose him despite whom he had been. The surprise is that God chose a man to be your pastor despite who he is. The surprise is that God chooses you despite whom you had been ... and still are. Understanding that we are the worst, God sent Jesus to display his unlimited patience, to forgive us, give us faith, call us to follow him, and grant eternal life. What a stunning expression of mercy!Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "We hold this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). What a stunning expression of mercy that God continues to convey his treasure of salvation through a cracked pot like your pastor.By his mercy, God uses men like Moses, Matthew, Paul, me and other pastors to preach, teach, absolve, counsel, and administer the sacraments. It is both in humility and with great honor that the pastor is the voice of Christ to speak his Word of forgiveness to sinners and proclaim comfort to the suffering and grieving. He is the man Christ has appointed to exercise his keys -- locking heaven for the unrepentant and unlocking heaven for the repentant.Your pastor may not be the greatest orator, but it is the pen of the Holy Spirit who gives your pastor the words to preach. The pastor may dress up to look classy or dress down to look cool, but that's why your pastor wears a clerical robe. Then you don't focus on the man and his clothing but focus on the message and Christ's righteousness which covers the man like a white robe. The pastor may not be the greatest counselor, but he has compassion for the wounded sheep and hurting lambs in his flock. Your pastor may not be the greatest singer, but as one of my previous organists pointed out, "Pastor, we should write music for the three notes you can sing."At one time you may have a pastor who is fresh from the Seminary, but your sins are still absolved even though the pastor lacks experience, for Christ is speaking through your pastor and Jesus has plenty of experience forgiving sins. Another time you may have a pastor who is older, getting close to retirement age, his cadence may be slow, but Christ's voice is still clearly heard and the gospel still purely preached. You may have a pastor who is no longer as young and energetic as he once was, but God still works through him to grow his kingdom, feed his sheep, and baptize and commune his family. You may have a pastor who grew up working on a farm so working hard is what he expects of himself.Through his mercy, Jesus uses men like Moses, Matthew, Paul, and your pastors to minister to you with Word and Sacraments. Through his mercy, Jesus brings sinners like you into his church. To pray. To praise. To confess. To listen. To sing. To support his church.I visited Bob Albrecht this week as a shut-in visit. We talked about God bringing new families to our church. Bob is one of the founding members of Lord of Lords. I thanked Bob for God using him and others to start this church. Some of you were here when Bob and Doris Miller came to Lord of Lords with their seven children. People were excited to see them because they doubled the size of the church. God may move you away from Casper someday. Then he can use you to start a church out of your home -- much like Lord of Lords was started.In my office is a framed picture of Martin Luther's Sacristy Prayer. It was a gift from the Altar Guild at Water of Life. "Lord God, You have appointed me as a Bishop and Pastor in Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago. Therefore, I call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall teach the people. I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon Your Word. Use me as Your instrument -- but do not forsake me, for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all."Though Moses, Matthew, and Paul were not great to begin with, God made them great and grew his Kingdom through them. Please pray that your pastor may be a leader like Moses, an evangelist like Matthew, and a preacher like Paul. Pray that God may show mercy to your pastor so he may convey God's mercy to you. Pray that God may show mercy as he continues to minister to you through his Church. Amen.

“Summer In Romans: Finding Ourselves in God's Saving Grace”Text: Romans 1:1-7We begin a new summer sermon series on the book of Romans, where we will learn what it is for our faith to be found in Jesus Christ and what He does for us. In Paul's introduction he uses language which indicates that his message…

This week we get to hear from our very own Casey Flitsch, as he closes out our 1 Thessalonians series. We will find out together what it means for CrossView to live a hope-shaped life. In Paul's final words, we discover that the Christian life is not sustained by the next spiritual "bump" of inspiration, but by the faithful God who makes us holy, carries us within the church, and keeps us until Christ comes.

Romans 16 reveals the beauty of God's kingdom at work through ordinary, faithful people. In Paul's final greetings, names like Phoebe, Priscilla, Aquila, Rufus, and many others become a picture of generosity, courage, hospitality, discipleship, and spiritual family. The church is not built by celebrities, but by servants who work hard in the Lord, open their homes, share their resources, and carry the mission of Jesus together. Paul also gives a sober warning to guard against divisive voices and deceptive teaching, calling believers to be “wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” Romans closes with deep confidence in the victory of Christ: the God of peace will soon crush Satan, and the promises of the gospel remain sure for all who are in Him.

In Paul's radically liberated household guidelines, he reveals that God elevates every person in the household ascribing to them dignity, honor and agency as people created in God's image, encouraging them to cooperate with one another in submission to Jesus Christ who is the head over all. Whatever they do should now be done for His glory alone!

In Paul's final and most personal letter, 2 Timothy calls believers to endure faithfully in a confused and shifting culture. This message explores generational faithfulness, biblical motherhood, intentional discipleship, the power of God's Word, and the unshakable faithfulness of Christ in our darkest moments.

In Paul's address to the philosphers at the Areopagus, he famously speaks about 'the Unknown God' and claims that he knows that God and can introduce them to him. Patrick explains the importance of knowing God for us all becuase God loves us and wants us to know Him.

In Paul's charge to the elders, we see the calling of shepherds to watch over the church with care, vigilance, and faithfulness to the Word of God. Christ has purchased His flock with His own blood and entrusts its care to those who lead, protect, and nourish His people in the truth.Time:MorningMinister:Rev. T. R. KernTexts:Acts 20:28–32Series:Acts: The Church on Fire

Daily Dose of Hope April 20, 2026   Scripture: 1 Timothy 2   Prayer:  Holy God, Help us sit and reflect on your presence. Jesus, we need you.  We go through our days distracted, sometimes even forgetting to pray or acknowledge you.  Help us to be aware of your presence, knowing that you walk with us every step of the way, guiding us and leading us in all our words, actions, and decisions.  We belong to you, Lord. Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have been journeying through the letters of Paul chronologically.  We are now in our eleventh letter out of thirteen, the book of 1 Timothy.   Today's reading is 1 Timothy 2. Paul addressed false teachers in chapter one and is addressing issues related to public worship in this chapter, specifically the roles of men and women.   Some of these verses might be the most controversial verses in the New Testament.  We know that Paul's writings were clearly a product of the time and culture during which he wrote.  How could they not be?  So how do we, two thousand years later, distinguish what is specific to Paul and Timothy's very particular situation and culture and what we are to apply to our lives and ministries today?   Most scholars agree that Paul's statement regarding the role of women in worship in this chapter are clearly culture-specific.  All Scripture is useful and applicable BUT this doesn't mean that isn't written in very culture-specific and language-specific ways.  We have to be able to discern this; we have to take each specific situation into account when we read and interpret Scripture.  We also have to look at the full narrative of Scripture.   What does the rest of Scripture, including the rest of Paul's writing, say about the role of women in worship?  First, many of Paul's letters were written to address very particular issues in the churches.  Because of that, we recognize that much of what is commanded, the specific elements, are not to be translated literally and implemented in every other culture around the world.  For instance, Paul tells Timothy to drink wine for his stomach ailments (does that mean we are to use wine regularly for medicinal purposes?), to beware of Alexander the coppersmith (Alexander is surely dead now but should we be wary of other coppersmiths?), to be sure that the only widows who are at least 60 years old and have washed strangers' feet receive resources from the church (I think most of our widows today would balk at washing a stranger's feet). Then there is his command to slaves to obey their masters.  These are all clearly very specific to Paul's time and culture and were NOT intended to be applied universally.   Second, we have to also look at what the rest of Scripture says about gender roles in worship.  In Paul's other writings, he speaks of women as prophets and teachers.  He states that men and women are equal in Jesus in Galatians.  He refers to and praises female leaders in the early churches.  There is definitely a clear body of evidence that, for the most part, Paul valued and included women in the leadership of the early church (probably a lot more than was common in that time and culture).  In so many ways, Paul elevated the social status of women, which was abysmally low at the time.   Are there other passages of Scripture that are difficult for you and/or you struggle to understand? I would encourage you to dig into the culture and context of the text.  What was the author's intention?  What cultural factors were at play?  What was the specific historical context like at the time?  What elements are culture-and language-specific and which elements are clearly meant to be translated into our lives today?  Also, examine the Scripture within the full narrative of Scripture.  What else has been included on that topic in the Bible?  What is the general impression of the various Biblical authors on that topic? Then, pray, pray, and pray some more.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

In Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders, we see a model of faithful ministry marked by humility, perseverance, and a deep concern for the flock. This passage reminds us that Christian ministry is shaped by devotion to God's Word, care for His people, and a willingness to serve with sacrificial love.Time:MorningMinister:Rev. Daniel VenturaTexts:Acts 20:17–27Series:Acts: The Church on Fire

Joy isn't dependent on circumstances — it's rooted in purpose. In Paul's Joy of Advancing The Gospel, this message explores how the Apostle Paul remained joyful even in difficulty because his life was centered on advancing the gospel. Through Scripture-based teaching, the episode highlights how challenges, opposition, and even hardship can serve a greater purpose when viewed through a Kingdom perspective. Listeners are encouraged to shift their focus from personal comfort to God's mission, discovering that true joy is found in living for something greater than themselves. This message is both perspective-shifting and encouraging, reminding believers that when their lives are aligned with God's purpose, even difficult seasons can produce impact, growth, and lasting fruit. Drawing from Scripture, the episode emphasizes the importance of intentional obedience, spiritual discipline, and daily application. Whether it's putting on the character of Christ, walking in truth, or living equipped for spiritual battles, listeners are encouraged to stop holding back and fully commit to the life God has called them to. This message is both practical and challenging, reminding believers that transformation happens when we don't just hear the Word — we put it into action. Putting It All On calls listeners to step into a complete, consistent, and fully engaged walk with God.

In Paul's first recorded sermon, he preaches Christ as the culmination of history, the culmination of prophecy, and the culmination of our personal lives. Pastor David preaches from Acts 13:13–41 in a message titled, "Christ the Culmination."

In this post-Easter season the Apostle Paul encourages us to embrace two fundamental truths: i)live gratefuly, i) stay rooted in Jesus. As we commit ourselves to these two imperatives we will live happy and productive lives. In Paul's language we will 'bear fruit' as we live in the knowledge, hope, and joy of the resurrection.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:  1 Samuel 8–10, 2 Corinthians 10 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Episode Introduction Welcome, dear ones, to the Daily Radio Bible for April 10th! On day 101 of our journey through the scriptures, Speaker A guides us through pivotal moments in 1 Samuel chapters 8–10 and 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Together, we witness Israel's clamor for a king and Saul's unexpected anointing, exploring the tension between outward appearance and the true nature of the heart. In Paul's letter, we hear about God's mighty weapons for overcoming strongholds of human reasoning. The episode closes in prayer and reflection, inviting us to say yes to God's simple, transformative work in our lives. Join us as we seek to live in the abundant joy and identity found in Christ, embracing soul work and the assurance that we are deeply loved. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Saul had the stature of a king, but he didn't feel like it. Not on the inside, not in his heart. Others saw his physical stature, but God was looking at his heart. The people wanted a king, but God wanted a heart. So when the Spirit of God came upon Saul, the Scriptures tell us that that's what God did—he changed his heart. Saul's part was simply to say yes to this gift of life, to begin to see himself for who he now was. He was chosen. He was a leader. He was God's anointed king. But deep down, there were things that kept him from truly embracing who God said he was. He felt like an imposter. He hid in the baggage, fleeing from all of it. Saul couldn't see it. There was a part of him that worked against himself and who he really was. He was tortured with internal contradictions, and his life was marked by anguish. Things were always complicated for Saul, but the life he had been awakened to wasn't complicated. It was simple. It didn't require him to be tortured and anguished. It simply required him to say yes to God. Thank you, God. I invite you to live your life through me today. God, whatever that life may entail—when a person does that, they begin to live like a king. And it simply requires a yes to the new thing that God has done, to the new heart. A heart that would simply trust, a heart that would be free. God is offering all of us something very simple today. Who you really are is hidden with God in Christ. You are who he says you are. You don't need to power up. You don't need to bluster or fake your way through to live up to the expectations of others. You can simply rest in him. You can say yes and thank you. You can choose to believe. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul today. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

In Paul's last letter he gives the answer for living in the last days. Study and apply the Scriptures to your life! Only God's Word can keep you right in a world that has gone wrong. Join our study through Scripture this year. Find resources for every book of the Bible at enjoyingthejourney.org/journey-through-scripture/ Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. Explore now at EnjoyingTheJourney.org. Extend the Work Enjoying the Journey provides every resource for free worldwide. If you would like to help extend this Bible teaching, you may give at enjoyingthejourney.org/donations/

II Timothy Ch 1 In Paul’s second letter to Timothy we’ll examine the threads of remembrance, warning and encouragement Paul delivers to strengthen Timothy to continue in ministry even as Paul readies for his departure from this world into the … Continue reading →

  Host: Dan Panetti   The conversation started with this line, “All you can do is live a good life and hope for the best.” I know many people believe this to be true…but is it? And is this the best we can truly hope for? It seems strange to me that we can know more about what we need to get on our final exam in our freshman English class to secure an A in the class than most people believe they can truly know about where they will spend their eternal destiny.   But, I don't believe that God wants us to live with this insecurity and anxiety, when assurance of our eternal destiny can be known…for sure!   In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, God wants us to know that we are all born with the same spiritual condition: death. We are all separated from God because of sin. But in Ephesians 2:4-7, God tells us how we can have the assurance of our salvation - “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.   Now that's “Good News” - or the Gospel of Jesus Christ - that you can have the assurance of your eternal destiny WITH God made available to you paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross! If you've never accepted this “free gift” (see Romans 6:23), today is the day of salvation and assurance! As Easter approaches, this truth is what Christians worldwide for centuries have been celebrating - that Jesus Christ paid the price to make men alive - transformed by His grace into “new creations” for His glory! T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Ever felt like everyone left you when you needed them most? In Paul's final words in 2 Timothy 4:9–22, we see a man abandoned by friends, hurt by others, and facing death, yet filled with unshakable hope. Why? Because even when people failed him, Christ never did. This sermon walks through the reality of loneliness, betrayal, and suffering, while pointing us to the steady, strengthening presence of Jesus. If you've ever had an “empty bench” moment, this message reminds you: The post 2 Timothy 4:9-22 – Christ's Presence in Dark Times appeared first on Island Pond Baptist Church.

In Paul's letter to the Romans and his first letter to the Corinthian church, he spends a significant amount of time addressing what he calls disputable matters—those behaviors and choices that aren't clearly spelled out in Scripture. These gray areas often create the most tension, confusion, and division in our churches. How do we lead faithfully when Scripture isn't explicit? How do we shepherd people with conviction and grace? In today's episode, we unpack three key questions every leader should ask—and answer—when it comes to navigating disputable matters wisely and biblically.

In this sermon, we see Paul's great description of the GOSPEL which he warns us not to MOVE AWAY from! In Paul's teaching we learn what it is that we need to HOLD ON TO without compromise no matter what, and we learn of the reward that is waiting for those who stand firm to the end! There is a HOPE that is unchanging, unbreakable, unshakable, and we have been given it as a gift through Jesus Christ!

A Place Where God Will Live Ephesians 2:11-22 by William Klock In today's Old Testament lesson we hear King Solomon praying at the dedication of the temple.  The temple was finally completed and Solomon gathered the elders of Israel at the tabernacle, where they offered sacrifices too many to number.  Then with the priests leading them with the ark of the covenant, they processed up the mountain to the temple.  When they'd placed it in the holy of holies, the presence of the Lord, the shekinah, the cloud of his glory descended to fill the temple as it once had the tabernacle.  And Solomon prayed.  He prayed for the new temple and he prayed for his people.  He prayed that they would be faithful.  And then, our lesson today, he prayed for the foreigners, for the gentiles who might come to the Lord's temple having heard of his great name, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm—that coming to the temple, they would know his glory.  Solomon's kingdom was, however imperfectly, a fulfilment of the Lord's promise to Abraham to make Israel a light to the nations.  And the nations came to Israel and to Solomon, because they saw and because they heard of the Lord's reputation.  Not only had he blessed his people, but in him they saw a god unlike their own.  And so they came, and they saw for themselves the goodness of the Lord, the God of Israel.  And Solomon knew, too, that they would come to the temple that he'd built.  So he prayed that when these foreigners came and prayed, that the Lord would answer them, that he would make himself known to them, so that “all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel.”  Again, this wasn't some one-off prayer that Solomon came up with.  Solomon's prayer is rooted in the promises of God and in the story of his people.  Solomon knew that the world is not as it should be; Solomon knew the Lord's promises to set it to rights; and Solomon knew that God had given an integral role to his people to bring the fulfilment of those promises.  And Solomon great desire was for his people to be faithful to that calling, to that vocation—faithful to be a temple people. Now, this imagery and idea of the temple wasn't new with Israel; it goes all the way back to the beginning of the story.  The garden was God's first temple.  And the man and woman he created—he created them—us—to bear his image.  That means to be his representatives in the temple, to serve him, and steward his goodness to the rest of creation.  We rejected that vocation and the story ever since has been about God restoring his temple and his people.  Two weeks ago, when we looked at Ephesians 2:1-10, we saw how Jesus—the one in whom God and humanity have come together—represents God's work to restore his temple, but we also saw there that, as Paul stresses so much, what is true of Jesus is also true of those who are in him.  One day his people will be raised to be like him—heaven and earth people—but in the meantime, God has filled his church—filled us—with his Spirit as a foretaste and a down payment of that hope.  Brothers and Sisters, that means that we, purified by the blood of Jesus and filled with God's Spirit, we're now the temple—not a temple of bricks and mortar, but a temple of people filled with God's presence. Just as Solomon prayed that the nations would know the glorious reputation of the God of Israel through his people and come to meet him at his temple, our prayer, our desire, our commitment ought to be that the world will know God's glorious reputation through us and come to meet him here.  What God promised to Adam and Eve, to Abraham, to Moses, to the people through the Prophets is now reality in us.  The promise isn't completely fulfilled.  One day the knowledge of the glory of God will fill the earth.  On that day the new creation that began when Jesus rose from the dead will come to full fruit.  Creation and us with it will be made fully new.  God will wipe every last remaining bit of evil from the world and sin and death will be no more.  But, Brothers and Sisters, here's the really important thing here: The church—you and I and everyone else who is in Jesus the Messiah—we are God's vehicle to get the world to that point.  The church is God's means of making his glory known until it fills the earth.  And that ought to get us reflecting on how faithful we are to our mission.  When the world looks at the Church, when it looks at Christians, does what we say and do and live declare the glory of God: his great name, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm?  (To put it as Solomon did.)  Does what we say and do and live give the world a desire to come to the church to meet God?  Do we at least make the world constructively curious?  If not, we need to reflect on our priorities and on what we're doing. And this is true of everyone who is in Jesus the Messiah, but Paul, writing to the Ephesians who were mostly gentile believers, wants to stress to them just how significant it is that through Jesus and the Spirit they have been made a part of this temple people.  Brothers and Sisters, this is something that we don't spend enough time talking about and reflecting on.  For Paul, the unification of Jews and gentiles in the Messiah was at the heart of the gospel.  It was the proof that God was fulfilling his promises.  This church, made up of Jews and gentiles, men and women, rich and poor, slave and free, all together, unified, one body was a testimony to the glory of God.  In fact, for Paul, it was the testimony of the gospel's power. And I don't think it's even on the radar for many of us today, because we've become so used to and even so complacent about divisions within the church.  Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Mennonites, Romans, and Eastern Orthodox—and those are just some older divisions amongst us before we got really split-happy in the last century or two.  And it's not just theology and polity.  I suspect Paul might have at least a little sympathy for those sorts of divisions, especially over serious, gospel-compromising theological matters.  But Paul would be furious to see how we divide over things like language and ethnicity.  The English are here and the Germans are at that Lutheran church and the Swedes at that other Lutheran church and the Italians and Spanish and Filipinos are at the Roman church and the Greeks at the Greek Orthodox, the Russians at the Russian Orthodox, the Ukrainians at the Ukrainian Orthodox, the Syrians at the Syrian Orthodox.  The Dutch are in their Reformed church and the Scots are in their Reformed church.  And there's a church just for Chinese-speakers and another for Afrikaans and so on and on.  And you've got Messianic Jews forming their own synagogues.  And Paul would be shouting at us and asking, “Haven't you read a single thing I've written to you?  Your divisions are undermining the very gospel you claim to preach!” Paul did not want this to happen in the Ephesian churches, but even more than that, he wanted the people in those churches, especially he wanted them to appreciate just what God had done for them in Jesus and the Spirit, because if we understand what God has done to make us one, we'll hopefully be far less likely to let it be undone.  So, Paul writes in Ephesians 2:11-12 and reminds them of what they used to be: “Therefore, remember this: In human terms—that is, in your ‘flesh'—you are ‘gentiles'.  You are the people whom the so-called circumcision refer to as the so-called uncircumcision—circumcision, of course, being something done by human hands to human flesh.  Well, once upon a time you were separated from the Messiah.  You were alienated from the community of Israel.  You were foreigners to the covenants of promise.  There you were in the world, with no hope and no God.” You were gentiles.  Of course, Gentiles didn't think of themselves that way.  They were just regular people; it was the Jews who were weird.  But the fact that Paul can say this to them, “You were gentiles” means that they've now been brought into the family of Israel.  And just in case they might have forgotten the significance of that, he describes them as having been outsiders with this string of descriptors that work up to a crescendo of alienation. First, they were separated from the Messiah—from the rightful King.  The Messiah was some weird thing the Jews were into.  What would Greeks or Romans—who were oh, so superior—want to have to do with him?  And even if they did, the Messiah wasn't part of their story.  Then second, Paul says that they were alienated from the community—the commonwealth as the King James puts it—of Israel.  They were foreigners.  Israel was not their nation and Israel's God was not their God.  Even if they did see something attractive in Israel and went to the temple in Jerusalem—think of Solomon's prayer for the foreign visitors who would come—there was a wall between the court of the gentiles and the court of the women.  In Paul's day there was an inscription on that wall warning that foreigners passed it on pain of death.  Gentiles could look from a distance, but they were cut off from the living God.  And third, they were foreigners to the covenants of promise.  Most of them had never heard of Abraham or Moses, but if they had, that simply wasn't their story and it certainly wasn't their family.  They didn't belong there.  Whatever promises the God of Israel had made, those promises were not for the gentiles.  And Paul then sums it all up and says: You were in the world without God and without hope. I think Paul intends a bit of irony there.  When he says they were without God he uses a word that essentially means they were atheists.  And “atheist” is exactly what the gentiles called Jews and the first Christians.  Because Jews and Christians worshipped only one God and one God might as well have been no god to them with their vast pantheons.  And Jews and Christians refused to take part in the pagan worship and festivals that ran all through gentile life and society.  And so Paul flips it around.  “No, it was you gentiles, separated from the Messiah, alienated from Israel, foreigners to the covenant promises—it was you who were the atheists.  You were the ones without God.  And because of that you had no hope.  And if being called atheists didn't make an impact, I have to think this would have.  Because it's not that the Greeks and Romans didn't understand the idea of hope; it's that they had no reason, no grounds to live with hope.  No one in their world believed in progress the way people do today.  That idea is rooted in our biblical heritage.  They thought things just went round and round in cycles—forever stuck.  And while their philosophers might talk about life after death, it was all very vague and not hopeful at all.  Hesiod imprisoned hope in the bottom of Pandora's box, lost forever.  Aristotle and others wrote about hope as fickle and treacherous—a foolish thing to trust in.  Things could go wrong just as easily as they could go right.  Hope just wasn't a big deal for the Greeks.  But in stark contrast, hope was at the centre of the whole Jewish and early Christian worldview.  As I said last time, no one in the pagan world would have ever dreamed that the gods loved them or even really cared about them, so why would anyone in the pagan world have reason to hope?  So Paul sums it all up: Without God and without hope, the gentiles were alone and lost in the world.  Paul reminds them just how bleak things were for them before they were captured by the gospel.  I think it's a good thing for us to reflect on this ourselves and if we did, I think we would have a greater appreciation for what God has done for us and for what he has made his church. So after painting this bleak and pitiful picture of where these people were before Jesus, Paul cuts through the hopelessness and despair.  Like he did with that great, “But God!” in verse 3, now in verse 13 he practically shouts out, “But now!” “But now, in Messiah Jesus, you who used to be far away have been brough near by the Messiah's blood.  He is our peace, you see.  He has made the two to be one.  He has pulled down the barrier, the dividing wall, that turns us into enemies of each other.  He has done this in his flesh, by abolishing the law with its commands and instructions.” Paul wrote about the Messiah's blood back in Chapter 1.  Jesus' blood is the means through which God has accomplished redemption and forgiveness.  This was the great, once-and-for-all-time sacrifice that the Old Testament sacrificial system was pointing to all along.  In the Old Testament, sacrificial blood was like a disinfectant.  It cleansed the tabernacle and later the temple; and it cleansed the people of Israel so that the holy God could come to his people and dwell with them.  Pagan sacrifices were all about killing valuable animals to placate the gods.  In Israel, the sacrifices were all about the blood—a symbol of God-given life—and that blood was shed to wash away the stain of sin and death so that God could come and dwell and fellowship with his people.  Brothers and Sisters, the blood of Jesus, shed at the cross, has fully accomplished once and for all and for everyone what the Old Testament sacrifices did partially and temporarily.  And in doing that, God has abolished the law. You see, the law was the thing that set Israel apart from the rest of the world and Paul saw that wall in the court of the gentiles as symbolic of it.  The law, like that wall, kept the gentiles out of God's people, out of his covenant, and out of his promises.  The law marked out the gentiles as idolaters and as unclean—unworthy of God's presence.  But Jesus' blood has washed us clean—Jew and gentile alike—making both the law and the wall that kept the gentiles out irrelevant.  In Jesus, God had brought these Greek believers into the family—fully and no longer aliens and foreigners.  And why?  Paul goes on in the second half of verse 15: “The point of doing all this was to create, in him, one new humanity out of the two, so making peace.  God was reconciling  both of us to himself in a single body, through the cross, by killing the enmity in him.” Do you remember the first thing the risen Jesus said to his disciples when he entered that locked-up house where they were hiding after he'd been crucified?  It was “Peace”.  Shalom.  Peace is what the world looks like set to rights.  And so it makes perfect sense that “Peace” would be the first thing Jesus would say to his disciples after rising from death and inaugurating God's new creation.  He'd just begun the work of setting the world to rights.  And for Paul, this new humanity—Jews and gentiles, once divided by the law, but now brought together—this new humanity, the church, is the first sign of God's peace breaking out into the world.  The church is the sign of the new age.  As I've said before, we are God's working model of his new creation.  Jesus has killed the enmity that was once between us and he has reconciled both to God and, through that, to each other.  Jesus' blood as washed us clean and Paul stresses regularly to his fellow Jews, this means there's no longer any reason to consider gentile believers in Jesus to be unclean.  We gentiles, with hearts renewed by the Holy Spirit, have turned away from our idols to serve the living God and by the blood of Jesus he has washed us clean.  And if there's any doubt, Paul would point to the fact that the same Spirit has come to fill the gentile believers who first filled the Jewish believers.  So he goes on in verse 17: “So the [he Messiah] came and proclaimed peace, to you who were far off and to those who were near.  Through him we both have access to the Father in one Spirit.”  Again, it's all the fulfilment of God's promises.  In Isaiah 57 God had promised that he would heal the broken and humble in spirit and give peace: peace for those far off and peace for those who are near.  He's now done that in Jesus and the unity of the church—these people who were once separated, these people who once hated each other—their unity in the Messiah as one people is the proof, the testimony, the witness of God's faithfulness and the power of the gospel. And Paul, again, wants to drive this home.  Look at verses 19 to 22: “So then [—this is the result—] you are no longer foreigners and aliens.  No, you are fellow citizens with God's holy people.  You are members of God's household.  You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Messiah Jesus himself as the cornerstone.  In him the whole building is fitted together, and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  You, too, are being built up together, in him, into a place where God will live by the Spirit.” The point of all this is that through Jesus and the Spirit, the living God has welcomed us into this amazing story.  We've been adopted into a family that was not ours.  We were poor, dirty refugees without hope, but God has washed us clean in the blood of Jesus, he has made us welcome members of his family, and most importantly, he has come to dwell with us.  He has filled us—aliens, foreigners, strangers, gentiles—with his Spirit—the presence that he had promised to his own people and in doing that he has made us holy.  And just just because.  God has a purpose for us.  He always has. And this is where Paul stops hinting at things with temple language and imagery and comes out and says it: God has done this in order to establish a new temple.  For centuries the Jews had been waiting for God's presence to return to the temple, not that unlike the way so many Jews today go to the Western Wall and pray for a new temple and God's return.  Brother and Sisters, Paul's stressing that God has, in fact, returned, that he has built a new temple, and that he now dwells with his people.  But not in a stone building on the mountain above Jerusalem.  He has built is new temple and returned to live with his people through Jesus and the Spirit. And, again, that means that we—the church—are God's ongoing means of fulfilling his promises to set creation to rights.  God's presence with us is the sign that one day his presence will fill all of creation.  We are the temple, the working model of new creation.  As we proclaim the gospel, we proclaim the glories of God to the world.  As we live the gospel, we put on display the glories of God to the world.  And our unity in Jesus and the Spirit—something we've often forgotten—is one of the most important ways we ought to be living out the gospel.  Just as there was one temple in Israel, there is only one church.  By our divisions and schism and arguments, by our elevating language and race and nation over the gospel, we've often obscured this reality, but Brothers and Sisters, there is but one church and the unity of that one church across our natural divisions of language and race—and class, and status, and every other way the world divides and separates us—that unity is meant to be a witness.  A witness to the power of the gospel.  A witness to the power of Jesus and the cleansing power of his blood.  A witness to the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer.  And most of all, witness to the faithfulness of God, who has been true to his promises.  And through that, our unity becomes a witness to a bleak and hopeless world of God's coming new creation—not just of the world set to rights, but of humanity set to rights within it: one people, renewed and purified, in fellowship forever with the living God. Let's pray: Gracious Father, you have purified us by the blood of your Son and filled us with your Spirit to make us your temple.  Pour out your grace that we might be faithful stewards of the gifts you have given us.  Teach us to guard the unity of your church, so that the nations will see in us a witness to your mighty hand, your outstretched arm, and your great name.  And when they draw near, hear their prayers, we ask, that they might know your great name as we have, through your Son and through your Spirit.  Amen.

In Paul's defense before the Sanhedrin, he says he is on trial because of the resurrection. Why does Paul bring up the resurrection? Let's find out together as we read Acts 23:1-11 and Isaiah 26:7-21.#WhyTheResurrection #Acts23 #Isaiah26 #PaulDefense #SanhedrinTrial #ResurrectionDefense #Acts231 #Isaiah267 #PaulOnTrial #ResurrectionTruth #LetsFindOutTogether #DailyDevotional #BibleStudy #BookOfActs #ActsOfTheApostles #PaulTheMissionary #ResurrectionOfDead #BiblicalResurrection

Inside our theme of love this month, this week we have been talking about intimacy and how important it is to experience this dynamic with God, in relationships, and inside a community. Today, we will look at a different type of intimacy, in fact, the deepest intimacy possible.In Paul's teaching to the church at Corinth, he tied an Old Testament reality to the new reality Jesus provided. The temple was once a physical structure where only designated priests could enter. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, along with the presence of the Holy Spirit, allows His to be brought into our own hearts through faith in Christ.Listen to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 …Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NLT)Do you see it? As followers of Christ, we literally become His temple. This brings an incredible new type of intimacy and closeness … God with us and God in us. We, of course, do not become God, but He now lives inside our lives.Let's read this passage again in The Message Bible.Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.As I have asked you a number of times on other days in Sound Mind Set, was there any line or phrase that stood you to you? What was it? … Why do you think it stood out to you? What might God be saying by highlighting that for you?For the believer, the crucial focus here is that our bodies no longer belong to us. The temple of God is no longer a building or a place only priests can visit. Christ's death and resurrection, along with the introduction of the Holy Spirit, makes us His temple. Shouldn't that bring an entirely new focus and meaning to our lives? What we choose to do and not do with His temple? Let's pray together: “Heavenly Father, seeing myself as Your temple is a tough concept to grasp. But I didn't say that about me, You did. So help me to believe it, accept it as truth, and live it out. I need to simply believe what You tell me, about me. As above, so below.”

In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he prays that “God will fill them with the knowledge of his will.”  Does this mean we can know God's will??  Yes … and no. Stay tuned to learn the difference! 

Episode Synopsis:After completing the first 9 chapters of the letter we know as 2 Corinthians, and even as he was preparing to leave Macedonia and head south to Corinth, Paul received word from Corinth that a group of men whom he describes as false teachers and false apostles were wreaking havoc in the church.  Not good news, and certainly a cause for immediate action.  In Paul's estimation, these men were the agents of Satan who deceitfully disguises himself as an angel of light.  As his agents, these men were able to do their master's bidding, disguising themselves as servants of righteousness, taking credit for the work done by Paul, and all the while undermining his efforts and seeking to divide Paul from the church he had founded through the proclamation of the apostolic gospel of Christ crucified.Although criticizing Paul's speaking abilities and less than imposing presence, their real crime was introducing a false gospel, another Jesus, and another Holy Spirit–a heretical departure from what Paul had proclaimed.  The true gospel (which had been revealed to Paul by the Lord himself), the true Jesus (who had appeared to Paul and commissioned him to his apostolic office as the apostle to the Gentiles), and the true Holy Spirit (who gave life to Paul's preaching of Christ and him crucified) were replaced by counterfeits.  The goal of the false teachers was to undermine Paul's office and authority so that they would have a free hand to teach their distorted gospel, false Jesus, and false Holy Spirit while displacing Paul's role in Corinth.  These men and their names, as well as the specifics of their false gospel have been lost to history, but Paul's warnings to the Corinthians and rebuke of these false teachers stands across time.Satan never seems to weary of distorting the gospel and creating false doctrine just as he did in Corinth.  He was a liar from the beginning and remains so to this day.  In warning the Corinthians of his efforts, Paul is warning us.  By identifying a false gospel, a false Jesus, and a false Holy Spirit, Paul is warning Christians of the methods used by Satan and his minions to disguise his intentions and his agents.  No doubt these men were refined orators, addressed the issues of life in a way which appealed to Greco-Roman pagans, and they had been welcomed in the congregation.  But Paul exposes their master, their false teaching, and their methods.  How could the Corinthians allow themselves to be taken in by such men?For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Daily Dose of Hope February 20, 2026   Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5   Prayer:  Almighty God, As we move into our Friday, we pray that today will be a day that we see glimpses of your glory.  We need you, we yearn for you.  Lord, help us set aside our distractions and settle our scattered thoughts so we can focus on you and you alone.  In the next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers... In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We have been journeying through Paul's New Testament letters.  I don't know about you, but its been great to learn more about Paul's relationship with his churches.  There is so much substance here.  Currently, we are in 2 Corinthians.   Today's reading is 2 Corinthians 5.  In the first ten verses of the chapter, Paul is tackling the difficult topic of what happens to us when we die. In Paul's culture (as in ours), there was fascination but also fear regarding the end of physical life. This piece of Scripture discusses the future resurrection and transformation of believers and the certainty of being with Jesus after death. We can be assured of this based on God placing the Spirit within us (Paul calls it a deposit). The Holy Spirit offers us assurance of salvation and that this earthly life is not the end.   Now, let's take a moment and talk about verse 17, one of my favorite verses of Scripture. Paul starts with the statement, "Therefore..." because the previous statement pointed out that Christ is no longer viewed from a human perspective, as he is God. Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and his life, death, and resurrection form this radical, fundamental breakthrough for all creation. Because of this, things are different. God's Kingdom has been inaugurated and a new way of doing life is here. So, if someone is in Christ, meaning they have accepted Jesus and are united with a life-giving Savior, then this new way of living and being has started. They are no longer the same person. They are being transformed from the inside out by the power of the Spirit of God. The old person, the "pre-Jesus" life, is in the past. They now do life differently - new attitudes, new behaviors, new ways of thinking-focused on the ways of Jesus rather than the ways of the world   I want to add that becoming a new person is a choice. Others call it a process. It's both really. Becoming the person that God created us to be in Jesus Christ is not going to simply happen by accident. We participate in the process. The Holy Spirit works in us and we cooperate with God in the transformation. What has your "becoming a new creation" process looked like? None of us have arrived either. What are the places in your life in which God may be still calling you to change to look more like Jesus?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Homily: The Prodigal Son, The Lost Sheep, and the RavenFr. Marc BoulosSunday, February 8, 2026In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.Today's Gospel (Luke 15:11-32) forms a diptych with the parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7), which unfortunately is used systematically by the followers of Epstein, or, more accurately, by those captivated by the mentality of Epstein ecclesiology: the business model of church growth that treats the neighbor as a commodity.Which is everyone.Because if you are an American, or a European, or anyone who subscribes to the ideology of the elite class, the success ideology, the growth ideology, the manifestation ideology, you ultimately view your neighbor as property, as lesser, as acquisition. Or, as Satan has taught the Church in the West to say, you refer to your neighbor as a “giving unit.” It is a disgusting phrase.No less ugly than what they used to say when I was a child. They claimed to count souls, but they were counting giving units.Now, the key to hearing the parable of the Lost Sheep is to hear the accusation of the Pharisees and the scribes that prompted the parable, and to hear it in the context of Noah, which governs Luke. Jesus gives the parable of the Lost Sheep because he is accused of receiving:“This man receives sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:2)That is the key. He is accused of receiving sinners. What is returned to him from the wilderness is what is received.The prodigal, as you should know by now, is not praised for coming back. He simply returns. The parable of the Lost Sheep is about instruction, about remaining under command whether inside the fold or outside it. This is what is at stake when the follower says “No.”It is also what is at stake with the two birds in the account of the flood. You have a raven (Genesis 8:7) and you have a dove (Genesis 8:8-12).For those of you who study what I teach, you know the significance of the raven. For those who do not, the work is here. The rest is between you and God.In Hebrew, the word often associated with the raven is derived from three consonants, ʿayin, resh, bet. It refers to a migratory, nomadic bird, associated with the locality of the ʿArabah, the Syro-Arabian wilderness known to you as Mesopotamia, encompassing Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq. The raven is nomadic in a very specific biblical sense. It pertains to peoples who mix among tribes and who come out at night. These are the tribes that fed Elijah. That is the raven Noah sends out.The word used is “release.” It corresponds to the same verb Jesus uses when he sends out the Twelve to proclaim the judgment of the Kingdom in Luke chapter 9, verse 2. He releases them under instruction.What is interesting is that this corresponds to the usage of the word “Bedouin” in the Qur'an. You have heard me speak about Bedouins, and many of you assume I am speaking about Arab culture. I could not care less about culture. I am speaking about Scripture.The Bedouins appear in the Bible and in the Qur'an, and they have a function. In Genesis 8:6-12, Noah sends out the raven before the Lord breaks his silence. The Lord had not spoken since the flood began, when he shut the ark with his own hand behind Noah (Genesis 7:16). He does not speak again until Genesis 8:15. There is release from Noah, but there is no command from God. The raven goes out into a world not yet ordered by divine speech. Noah releases the raven into disorder in anticipation of God's instruction, which alone can establish order. The same is true of the dove. Both are sent out, released in hope that they might return. It is not demanded. It is a free gesture. That is how it works.In this absence, the dove's return unfolds within divine silence, not compelled by a new command but moving in anticipation of the word by which God alone restores order. The decisive reality is the command of God, not human initiative.The prodigal, sitting on the dung heap, cannot boast, “I came back.” He came back because he was hungry. In the house of the Father, every voice is silenced before the obedience of Jesus (Philippians 2:6-11).In the Qur'an, the striking thing about the Bedouins is their obstinacy. (Rise, Andalus, p. 53; Sūrat al-Tawbah, “The Repentance, The Return” 9:97) They exist on the edge. That is why this question of sinners among the peoples on the boundaries, in the night watches, matters. Those are the ones Jesus receives. That is what angers the Pharisees and the scribes in Luke. Those whom they despise, the ravens, exist on the edge, beyond the proclamation of what is read aloud. And now they are stepping within range of that proclamation.The word Qur'an means “what is read aloud,” the proclamation of the word of God. It is rooted in Arabic, a Semitic tongue like Hebrew. Those on the margins live beyond the reach of that proclamation. The lost are released, sometimes under instruction, sometimes in hope of the instruction that alone can call them back.So for Jesus, the concern is whether the sinners and the tax collectors are within reach of the proclamation. What is truly problematic is that the scribes and Pharisees complain when the prodigals return from the edges to hear what Jesus is announcing.That is the issue.But the problem with the Epstein business model of church growth is that it does not care what Jesus is saying. In that model, the neighbor is a giving unit. So it cannot let the prodigal go.In the parable of The Prodigal (Luke 15:11-32), the father never compels the son to return. In Paul's teaching, you are never permitted to force someone to remain married to you (1 Corinthians 7:15). It is forbidden. This teaching carries over into the Qur'an as well: you are not allowed to compel anyone (Sūrat al-Baqarah 2:256; see also 4:19; 2:231).But in the Epstein model of church growth, it does not work that way. In that model, it is the opposite of what we heard today, namely, that your body does not belong to you:“You are not your own.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)The body to which Paul refers is the body politic of Jesus Christ. You are not permitted to sin against it for profit. You may not exploit any living soul for gain, least of all your own. Not according to the parable of the Lost Sheep.According to that same instruction, a sheep may be sent away and allowed to go until it heeds the call and returns, and is then received with joy according to the command, but never chased or coerced. Some sheep may even be handed over to Satan for a time, unto destruction, if they jeopardize the fold (1 Corinthians 5:5;1 Timothy 1:20). But not in the Epstein model of church growth, which cares only about security, growth, and success.God does not care about buildings, institutions, or church growth. He does not care about constitutions, or borders, or nations, or tribes. He cares about your living, breathing, precious soul.“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37)I am not God. But I am responsible to teach what God has commanded us to teach.May we submit to God's instruction like the dove, returning in hope of the word by which God alone establishes order.To him alone be the glory, the dominion, and the majesty, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen....

False teachers deceived some in the Thessalonian church and led some to believe they had missed Christ's return. In Paul's correction, he mentions two events that will take place before Christ gathers his church: a rebellion and the revealing of the Man of Lawlessness. What does this word rebellion mean, and how does it help us understand what we will see in the end?

To Know the Surpassing Greatness of his Power Ephesians 1:15-23 by William Klock Do you ever wonder how I pray for you as your pastor?  You know I pray about the needs and concerns each of you shares with me, but I'm talking more generally about how I pray for you all as Living Word Church.  It occurred to me this week that in all my years in ministry no one has ever asked me that.  But I do pray for you and our text today from Ephesians—it's 1:15-23 if you want to follow along—this text is one of my favourite prayers.  For you.  In fact, I have this printed sheet taped inside my prayer book.  And what's on it is five prayers, all taken from Paul's letters; prayers he prayed for the churches he cared for.  Prayers inspired by the Holy Spirit.  About fifteen years ago it struck me that I should pray these Spirit-inspired pastoral prayers for you.  And so I typed them up, tweaked the wording a bit to fit the form of a collect, printed them out, and stuck them inside the back cover of my prayer book.  And each day at Morning Prayer, I pray one of these prayers for you.  And this one is, I think, maybe the most important. This prayer is still part of Paul's introduction to his letter to the Ephesians.  Last week we read that long run-on sentence that's all about the Father fulfilling his promises to Israel in Jesus; how we as Jesus' people share in the inheritance that was promised to Abraham, to Jacob, and to David; and how God's indwelling Spirit is the downpayment and guarantee of that inheritance.  And we heard that this inheritance is God's new creation.  That long run-on sentence was sort of Paul's opening shout of praise to God for what he's done. Starting with Chapter 2, Paul's going to use the rest of the letter to unpack this great shout of praise, to preach it, and to explain how it applies to us—how it shapes the church.  But first, there's this prayer.  Paul prays that his brothers and sisters in Ephesus will really and truly hear this message, that they'll take it to heart, and that they will be transformed by it.  In short: Paul's told them about the promised inheritance they have as the Messiah's people, now he prays that the knowledge of that inheritance will transform them. Before we get into Paul's prayer, there are three Old Testament passages we need to be familiar with, because they're what give shape to Paul's vision of the Messiah and the church.  The first is Psalm 110.  Psalm 110 is one of those Old Testament passages it's worth getting into your memory, because it echoes so powerfully throughout the whole New Testament.  It is, far and away, the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New.  This is the psalm, written by King David, that begins with the words, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”  When the first Christians wanted to stress that Jesus isn't just Saviour, but that he's even more importantly Lord of all, the King of kings, this was their favourite Old Testament passage. And then there's Psalm 8.  It's a close second behind Psalm 110.  It's the psalm that begins, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”  For Paul writing to the Ephesians, the really important part begins in verse 4, where David praises God for what he has made us as human beings.  David sings, “What is man that you are mindful of him?…You have made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honour.  You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet…O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”  The psalm echoes Genesis and God's creation of human beings as his image bearers.  That means to be the priests and stewards of his garden-temple.  That's what we were created to be and it's the vocation we rejected when we, instead, chose sin—to try to be gods ourselves.  In Paul's day many of the Jews saw not only the human vocation in Psalm 8, but they saw it as a prophecy of the Messiah who would be the truly human one—a new Adam who will get it right this time; a Messiah whom, according to Psalm 110, God would raise to his right hand to reign until he's put all his enemies under his feet. And then, what does the Messiah's victory look like?  Isaiah, especially chapter 11, was a favourite of the early Christians.  “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”  So Isaiah is talking about the king who will arise from the line of David.  “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”  That's the Messiah.  And his kingdom?  It should sound familiar: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat…the lion shall eat straw like an ox…and a little child shall lead them.” This was the new world that Israel expected the Messiah, the great King from the line of David, this is what they expected him to usher in.  God's Spirit would rest on him—That sounds like what happened at Jesus' baptism, doesn't it?—and through his wisdom and understanding, his counsel and power, his knowledge and the fear of the Lord, he will set this broken world to rights.  He will bring God's justice to warring nations and hurting people.  Peace will reign and the knowledge of God's glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.  This was an incredibly important passage for Paul, because when Paul looked at the little churches that were popping up all over the Greco-Roman world, in pagan cities, right under Caesar's nose, challenging the old gods, and most importantly bringing Jews and gentiles together in one family in the Messiah, Paul saw with absolute clarity the beginnings of the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy.  Through the Messiah, in these churches where Jews and gentiles were becoming one, where they were worshipping together the God of Israel across their social, cultural, and ethnic boundaries, the wolf and the lamb were lying down together at peace.  In them, Paul saw a foretaste of what's to come. Putting all these layers together, we can sum up what the Messiah was to be and do in four points.  Israel expected the Messiah (1) to be the King who would defeat the powers of evil; (2) the King who would rescue God's people from their bondage to those evil powers; (3) the King who would build a temple for God to dwell in; and (4) the King who would bring God's justice or righteousness and his peace to the whole world.  That's the Messiah.  And in doing those things, Jesus inaugurates the new creation. But Paul also recognised that the Church, that we who are united with the Messiah by faith share in that messianic ministry begun by Jesus.  Filled with God's Spirit, we are the temple Jesus built.  And we confront the powers with his victory and proclaim the liberating gospel to those in bondage.  We live out God's justice and peace.  And most importantly in this passage here: As a people full of the knowledge of God and his purposes for creation, we anticipate that day when the whole earth will be full of “knowing-God” as the waters cover the sea.  The church is the beginning of God's new creation in the midst of the old. So now we're ready to understand Paul's prayer.  It begins at verse 15: “Because of all this and because having heard of your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus, and that you show love to all God's saints, I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Now, they weren't perfect Christians.  No one ever is.  They weren't a perfect church.  No such thing exists this side of eternity.  But Paul had lived with these people.  He'd got to know them.  When he was away from them, he heard what other visitors had to say about them.  And he knew that, however imperfectly, they were faithful to the Lord Jesus.  Faithful.  What does that mean?  It means not just believing the right things about Jesus, but more importantly, committing yourself to him.  That's probably why Paul calls him “Lord Jesus” here.  You can believe all the true things about Jesus you want, but what makes a Christian is when you give your loyalty, your allegiance to Jesus as creation's true Lord.  When we repent and turn away from our sins and from our selfishness, when we stop trying to play at being gods and to write our stories for ourselves, and instead choose to live for him and to live in hope of his kingdom, his new creation, and not just as some thing in the distant future, but something we are beginning to live out here and now, Brothers and Sisters, that's what a Christian is.  Paul saw these men and women doing that.  He saw how much it cost them.  They were shunned by their families because they'd stopped worshipping the old gods; losing their jobs, because their guilds kicked them out for the same reason; their fellow citizens considered them disloyal for not taking part in the civil religion of Ephesus and of Caesar; just waiting to take the blame for bringing down the wrath of the gods on the city should some natural disaster strike.  Faith in Jesus cost them something.  It cost a lot.  And Paul saw that they were willing to count that cost.  And, too, he saw their love for each other and for their brothers and sisters struggling in other places.  Poor as they were, they sent money to the even poorer Christians in Jerusalem.  They supported and cared for each other like family.  However imperfect their faith may have been, in them Paul saw clear evidence of the gospel's power at work.  And he prayed for that power to continue to work in them So he goes on in verse 16.  Here are the specifics of that prayer: “I pray that the God of Messiah Jesus our Lord, the Father of glory, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened.  Then you will know what the hope is that goes with God's call; you will know the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; and you will know the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who are faithful, according to the working of his strength and power.” Paul longs for them to be enlightened by the Spirit.  Wisdom and revelation.  Here's what Paul means.  Wisdom and revelation are two facets of the same thing.  When you hear “wisdom” think of the book of Proverbs.  Wisdom is what you need if you want to truly live as a human being according to God's design.  But thanks to King Solomon as the paragon of wisdom in Israel, wisdom is also a royal thing associated with kings.  Now remember Isaiah 11.  This is why Isaiah described the coming messianic king, the one who is truly human, the new Adam, Isaiah describes him as perfectly wise.  And Paul knows that the people who are in the Messiah, share in that wisdom, that “revelation”.  Think of “revelation” as “insight” into God's design for living.  This broken world sorely lacks that wisdom and that insight, but it is ours in Jesus the Messiah.  In him we have the knowledge of God that the world lacks, the knowledge that will one day fill the earth.  The knowledge that, as the church lives it out in daily life, acts as the salt of the earth, as light in the darkness, that gives everyone around a anticipatory glimpse of creation set to rights.  Paul prays that their hearts will be opened to this knowledge.  He saw it happening already in their faith and in their love for each other, but he prayed that the Spirit would open their hearts more and more to the knowledge of God.  That the Spirit would clear away the fog that surrounds us.  Our world has its own ideas about wisdom—and they're often wrong.  Think of how the world tells us to think about ourselves, our relationships, about work and vocation, about sex and money and power, about God.  All very different from what God, in his wisdom, says about all those things.  As Jesus' people we need to take our cues and to glean our wisdom from God and from the scriptures, not the world, not worldly philosophies, not TV or movies, not social media, not motivational speakers, but from God.  As C. S. Lewis astutely pointed out in The Screwtape Letters, the devil doesn't need to put wrong ideas into people's heads; he just needs to keep the true ones out.  Brothers and Sisters, we need the eyes of our hearts opened to know God. And Paul says here that this knowledge primarily consists of three things.  These all come from that picture of the Messiah in Isaiah 11.  Paul wants us to know the hope, the inheritance, and the power.  The hope is for Jesus' victory at the cross and the empty tomb to change the whole world, bit by bit, here and there, wherever it's needed, to bring creation under the rule of the Messiah.  The inheritance is the promise that the Messiah will inherit and will rule the nations—every square inch of creation.  And I think we often forget, but this shapes the mission of the church.  This is our vocation.  This is our way today of being fruitful and multiplying and filling the earth and wherever we go we bring the power of the gospel, the reign of the Messiah, and the reconciling peace of his kingdom. And the power.  Brothers and Sisters, we forget the power of the gospel.  Verses 19 and 20 are a little difficult to translate into English because of the way Paul heaps up the words for power.  He literally says something like, “that you may know what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe according to the energy of the might of his strength, which he worked out in the Messiah.”  Greatness, power, energy, might, strength.  Rooted in the resurrection of Jesus.  The living God raised Jesus from the dead.  The greatest display of his power in history.  It went out like a shockwave, pushing away the great stone from the tomb, and reverberating through creation.  New creation bursting into the old.  And, Brothers and Sisters, the church—we—are the working model of that new creation, of that power that is transforming the world as the good news of Jesus goes out and continues to reverberate through creation. But there's more to it than just Jesus' resurrection.  Remember that “Messiah” means the “anointed King”.  Jesus is Lord.  That's a big part of this picture too.  So Paul goes on in verse 20: “This is the power at work in the Messiah when God raised him from the dead and sat him at his right hand in the heavenlies, above all rule and authority and power and lordship, and above every name that is invoked, both in the present age and also in the age to come.  Yes, God has ‘put all things under his feet,' and has given him to the church as the head over all.  The church is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all in all.” Don't forget Psalm 110.  There's an echo here of Daniel 7, too.  The Messiah has been raised to sit at God's right hand—to his throne as creation's true Lord.  And the practical thing that means for the church is that no matter how things may look from our perspective here, Jesus sits above every authority, every CEO, every billionaire, every ruler, every king.  There is no name on earth that anyone can invoke that will trump the name of Jesus.  This was a jab at Caesar, whose cult was especially prominent in Ephesus, but it applies just as much to the kings and power-brokers of our own day.  Think of the names in the news.  Think of all the rivalries in business or in politics or in culture.  Brothers and Sisters, Jesus outranks them all.  And in this lies our vocation as the people of the Messiah.  A people, Paul says here, who is Jesus' own body.  This sovereign power—a power rooted on the one hand in God's power and glory and in the other in the love, mercy, and humility Jesus puts on display at the cross—this sovereign power is our vocation.  God created Adam and Eve to bear his image—to be good and wise stewards of his creation.  Remember we saw that in Psalm 8.  Paul's prayer here is that we would recognise that Jesus is that truly good and wise human, now enthroned at God's right hand and that through the gospel he is creating a people—you and me—to learn that godly wisdom, to learn that godly knowledge, and to share in his godly rule.  God has made Jesus the head of the church so that the church can now act, now live out that delegated authority as his body.  We're called to be a community that embodies Psalm 110 and Psalm 8 and Isaiah 11.  Brothers and Sisters, the church is the fullness of the one who fills all in all.  We are God's new creation, however small, however imperfect, however incomplete at the present, but still God's new creation in the midst of the old, full of light and life and gospel power and authority, proclaiming the Lord Jesus and his kingdom and causing that Easter shockwave to continue to reverberate through creation until the knowledge of God's glory fills the earth as the waters cover the sea. And if that seems impossible, if it seems ridiculous, if it seems overwhelming, if makes you afraid, think how it must have seemed to the people in those little churches around Ephesus in a.d. 50.  A handful of churches, each with ten or fifteen or maybe thirty people.  Mostly poor, more women than men, more slaves than freemen.  They lived for Jesus in the midst of a hostile world permeated through and through with paganism.  Everyone thought they were weird and crazy, impious and disloyal.  In not too many years some of them would be rounded up, arrested, tortured, sent to the arena to be eaten by lions because of their faith in Jesus.  The emperor would burn others alive as human torches to light his garden parties.  These little churches had no programmes.  No Sunday school or youth group.  No bands or fog machines.  No ad campaigns.  They didn't even have their own buildings.  They just studied and preached God's word, they loved and cared for each other, and they taught the world what grace and mercy and true holiness looks like.  They had the good news about Jesus, crucified and risen, and in that was a power that outshone everything.  Imagine how ridiculous and impossible it might have seemed to them: this idea that Jesus is Lord and that the knowledge of God will one day fill the earth.  And then drop them into a modern-day city.  I found myself thinking of the view we had from the US Consulate in Montreal, up on the twentieth floor of a skyscraper, looking out over the city and the steeples every few blocks—more than I could count, as far as the eye could see.  Even in little woefully unchurched Courtenay, you don't have to walk very far in any direction to find a church.  Brothers and Sisters, the power of the gospel is real.  Even though there's so much more work to do, just look at how the gospel has transformed the world since the days Paul wrote to those little churches in Ephesus.  Jesus really is Lord and the fact that you and I are here today to worship the God of Israel instead of worshipping whatever pagan God's our ancestors worshipped is proof of that power.  When someone tells me, “I'm leaving, this church is too small,” I pray Paul's prayer here all the more for them and I pray it for all of you and for myself: that we would be full of the knowledge of God and the power of the gospel and that we would trust it and have faith in what God has promised it will accomplish through us.  The proof of Jesus' reign and the power of the gospel is all around us.  May he open the eyes of our hearts to see it. Let's pray: Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, open the eyes of our hearts to the power of the knowledge of you.  Remind us of our calling in Jesus and the hope and inheritance we have in him.  Give us the faith and courage to be the people you have made us, to be the vanguard of your new creation as we live and proclaim your good news.  Give us a passion to see the knowledge of your glory covering the earth as the waters cover the sea.  Make us faithful stewards, we ask through Jesus our Lord we pray.  Amen.

Today we continue in Ephesianschapter 6, looking at verses 5 through 8, where the Apostle Paul turns hisattention from the home to the workplace. The word "servants," or inthis translation, “bondservants”, undoubtedly refers to Christian slaves, butwe may certainly apply these words to the Christian employee today. There wereprobably 6 million slaves in the Roman Empire in that day, and slavery was anaccepted institution. While the New Testament does not launch a politicalattack against slavery, the Gospel itself undermines it from the inside. Paul'smission was not to overthrow governments, but to transform lives throughChrist. History shows us that when hearts are changed by the Gospel, societieseventually change as well.The principles Paul gives hereapply directly to us today as Christian employees and workers. The workplaceis one of the most important mission fields God has given us. Paul givesseveral reasons why Christian servants—and Christian workers today—are to beobedient and faithful in their work.  First, we are reallyserving Christ. Paul reminds these servants that although they have“masters according to the flesh,” their true Master is the Lord. When aChristian goes to work, he does not leave his faith at the door. He carriesChrist with him into the office, the factory, the classroom, or the job site. Beinga Christian employee means showing respect, diligence, and integrity. The factthat an employer and employee may both be Christians is never an excuse to doless work. Instead, it is a reason to be even more faithful. The Christianworker should give full attention and energy to the task at hand, working withwhat Paul calls “singleness of heart.” Paul specifically warns against “eyeservice”—workingonly when the boss is watching, or trying to impress people rather than beinggenuinely faithful. The best testimony on the job is not just what we say, buthow we work. A good day's work done with integrity speaks volumes for Christ. Second, doing a good job isthe will of God. Paul says we are to be “doing the will of God from theheart.” Christianity makes no distinction between sacred and secular work.Any honest job can be an act of worship when it is done for the Lord. Some ofthese servants were assigned tasks they disliked or found difficult. Yet Paultells them to do their work wholeheartedly, as long as it did not requiredisobedience to God. The key issue is the heart attitude. When we work “fromthe heart,” we are acknowledging that our labor ultimately belongs to the Lord. A Christian does not workmerely for a paycheck or for human approval. He works to glorify God. WhenChrist is our true Master, even ordinary tasks take on eternal significance. Itis also good to remember that our vocation or job is God's means of supporting theministry God has called us to. Our first ministry is our family and after thatis our church and other believers. It also gives us the opportunity to support ourresponsibility to fulfill the Great Commission of reaching the lost people withthe Gospel of Jesus Christ. To bear fruit that glorifies God (John 15:8 &16) “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit" Third, we will be rewardedby the Lord. In Paul's day, slaves were often treated as property,regardless of their abilities or character. A Christian slave might even sufferunjust treatment because of his faith. Yet Paul assures them—and us—that no actof faithful service goes unnoticed by God. God is no respecter of persons. Earthly status does not determine heavenlyreward. We serve Christ, not men, and our ultimate reward comes from Him. Thistruth is especially comforting when our work is unappreciated, misunderstood,or unfairly criticized. God sees. God remembers. God rewards. In summary, the Christianworkplace ethic is built on three great truths: We work for Christ, wework according to the will of God, and we work with the assurance ofeternal reward.

Today we continue in Ephesians chapter 6, looking at verse 4, where the ApostlePaul speaks directly to fathers about their God-given responsibilities in thehome. In this one verse, God gives us both a warning and a calling.If left to themselves, children will naturally go their own way. Scripture andexperience both confirm this. That is why God places the responsibility oftraining children squarely on the parents—especially the father. The Biblerecords tragic consequences when parents neglect this calling. David pamperedAbsalom, and it ended in rebellion and heartbreak. Eli failed to discipline hissons, and it brought disgrace to his family and defeat to Israel. Favoritism inIsaac's and Jacob's homes produced division and sorrow. God gives us theseaccounts as warnings, not merely history lessons.In this one verse Pauloutlines several responsibilities for fathers. First, a father must notprovoke his children. In Paul's day, fathers held tremendous authority. InRoman culture, a father even had the legal right to accept or reject a newbornchild. Paul confronts that abuse of power directly and says, in effect, “Do notuse your authority to crush your children, but to build them up.” In Colossians3:21, Paul added, “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they bediscouraged.” The opposite of provoking is encouraging. Fathersprovoke their children when they say one thing and do another, when theycriticize but rarely praise, when discipline is harsh one day and ignored thenext, when favoritism exists in the home, or when promises are made but notkept. Children can also be provoked when parents dismiss problems that are veryreal and painful to them. Christian parents need the fullness of the HolySpirit to respond with wisdom, patience, and sensitivity to their children'sneeds.Second,a father must nurture his children. Paul says, “Bring them up”—aphrase that means to nourish or cherish. It is the same word used earlier whenhusbands are told to nourish their wives. Fathers are called to nourish theirchildren not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Providing food,clothing, and shelter is important—but it is not enough. Children also needlove, encouragement, affirmation, and spiritual guidance. Jesus gives us the pattern: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” That is balanced growth—mental, physical, spiritual, and social. Nowhere in Scripture does God assign the spiritual training of childrento institutions outside the home. Churches and schools can assist, but theresponsibility belongs to the parents.Third,a father must discipline his children. The word translated “training”carries the idea of discipline and correction. Scripture consistently teachesthat discipline is an expression of love. “Whom the Lord loves, Hedisciplines.” A lack of discipline does not show kindness—it shows neglect.However, discipline must be done in the right way. It must never beadministered in anger. A parent who loses control cannot teach self-control.Discipline must also be fair and consistent. Children need to know where theboundaries are. Loving discipline provides security. Even when childrendisagree, they understand that someone cares enough to guide them. Many adultstoday admit they never knew where the limits were growing up because no onecared enough to discipline them. That uncertainty often leads to insecurity andpoor choices later in life.Fourth,a father must instruct and encourage his children. Paul uses the word “admonition,”which refers to verbal instruction and counsel. Parenting is not only aboutactions—it is also about words. The book of Proverbs is filled with a fatherlovingly instructing his son in the ways of wisdom. Children may not alwaysappreciate instruction at the moment, but that does not remove theresponsibility to teach. Our counsel must always be rooted in the Word of God,which equips us to guide our children wisely.

To the Praise of his Glory Ephesians 1:3-14 by William Klock We'll be looking this morning at Ephesians 1:3-14.  It never ceases to amaze me the riches that come from simply slowing down as I read the Bible.  Over the last several months I've taken multiple occasions to just sit down with Ephesians, to read it slowly, to pay attention, and to be immersed in it.  To pay specific attention to Paul's choice of words and his grammar.  To notice how his choices of words and phrases bring echoes of the Old Testament into his letter and to meditate on how what Paul says here fits into the great biblical story of Israel's God and his people.  As I said last week, in Ephesians Paul gives us the view from the mountaintop.  He shows the whole panorama of the great story of redemption. Verses 3-14 are an invitation into that story.  I think a lot of us—especially if you're a theology nerd—a lot of us reading these verses easily lose the forest for the trees.  We see words like “election” and “predestined” and they stir up modern controversies over whether or not God chooses us or we choose him; over whether God elects specific people for eternal life or if he also positive elects others for damnation.  This is the fuel for heated arguments.  And, I suspect, were Paul to hear these arguments he'd ask something like, “Wait?  That's what you got from what I wrote?”  Because I think the thing that Paul wants us to notice here, what he wants to centre us on, is the praise of God in light of that great story.  In fact, I'd never noticed before, but in Paul's Greek, this whole section is one long sentence proclaiming the mighty and saving deeds of God.  It's like Paul wanted us to hear one, beautiful, heart-stirring musical chord, or get a single amazing impression from a beautifully painted image, but since words and language don't work like that, since you have to express them one at a time, Paul composed this as one, single rush of words meant to move us to praise.  Consider how be begins in verse 3, “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.”  Blessed be God.  It's not meant to just be a factual statement that God is blessed.  To really get the sense of it in English it might be better to say, “Let us bless God.”  Because, Brothers and Sisters, that's Paul's real point here. Pagans praised their gods.  But Jews did something more: they blessed the God of Israel.  In fact, the word that Paul uses is one that for the Greeks simply meant to speak good of someone, but the Jews gave it a much fuller and deeper meaning to translate their Hebrew words for bless and blessing.  To understand this takes us all the way back to the beginning of the story.  When God created the world and filled it with life, he blessed that life that it might be fruitful, that it might multiply, and that it might fill the earth.  The fish, the birds, and eventually the man and the woman.  God blessed them.  And in the Hebrew worldview, it was God's blessing that brought human flourishing and that provided all that is good in creation.  And so, in return, the Jews blessed God.  Obviously, human beings don't have the ability to grant the goodness and flourishing with our blessings that God can with his, and so to bless God took the form of praise and thanksgiving for his goodness, for his faithfulness, and most of all for his mighty and saving deeds in history.  And all that is summed up in those words, “blessed be God”.  To this day, Jewish prayer begins with the words Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-Olam, Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe.  But then when we unpack it, what we find is that at the heart of blessing God is telling his story, not just to rehearse for ourselves his greatness, but to proclaim it to everyone else.  Read through the Old Testament and you see God's people praising him first and foremost by telling the story of his mighty deeds: sometimes what he'd done for the person giving the praise, but more often for his creation and his providence, and most of all for his recuse of Israel from their Egyptian slavery.  The Exodus was the great act of God in history that showed his blessing and for which his people blessed him in return. When the people of Israel gathered together, they rehearsed what God had done, whether it was Israelites in the days of David, sitting around campfires and hearing those stories faithfully passed down from generation to generation, or the people of Paul's day reading the scriptures in the synagogue, they told the mighty deeds of God as an act of praise.  Brothers and Sisters, the same goes for us.  I suspect a lot of us hardly ever think of it this way.  We read the Bible for knowledge.  We read the Bible to win arguments.  We read the Bible because we know it's a good thing to do or because we hope God will speak to us.  But, first and foremost, we read the Bible—in public worship and in private worship—to rehearse the mighty and saving deeds of God as an act of praise and as a call to praise.  Just read the psalms and see how they proclaim the great story as an act of praise and a means of blessing God.  The modern trend in worship, I think, gets this precisely backward.  We begin our services with praise—I often hear people say it's to get us in the right frame of mind—and then we hear scripture, then we receive the Lord's Supper.  The biblical model is the other way round: To read and to hear scripture is the first act of praise, everything else follows in response.  Thomas Cranmer, the architect of our liturgy, understood this.  In Morning and Evening Prayer, we first hear the scriptures, and then we sing the canticles (which are themselves mostly scripture).  At the Communion, we hear the scriptures, we receive the Lord's Supper, and after all that, we sing the Gloria in praise and thanksgiving.  So this is what Paul's getting at in verse 3: “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah! He has blessed us in the Messiah with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.” But why?  Because, in Jesus, God has already blessed us.  With what?  With every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.  That means, with the life of the Spirit, that foretaste of the age to come and the day when we, ourselves, will be resurrected to life with God just as Jesus has been.  Because, in Jesus and the Spirit, God has blessed us by making us heaven-on-earth people.  Through Jesus and the Spirit, God has begun the work of bringing heaven and earth, God and man, separated by sin, back together—in us. But Paul doesn't just leave it at that.  He tells the Jesus story, the church story, but he does it in a way that echoes the bigger story all the way back to creation.  He never mentions Adam or Abraham, the Exodus or the Exile.  Instead, he describes what God has done for us in the Messiah using the words and phrases that Israel typically used to tell those stories. Now, because this whole passage is one long sentence and because it's clear Paul wants us to hear it sort of like a music chord, let me read through the whole thing in one go starting with verse 4.  Here's what he writes: “He chose us in him before the world was made, so as to be holy and without blemish before him.  In love, he foreordained us for himself, to be adopted as sons [and daughters] through Jesus the Messiah, according to the purpose of his will.  So that the glory of his grace, the grace he poured out on us in his beloved one, might receive its due praise.  In [the Messiah], through his blood, we have deliverance—the forgiveness of sins, through the riches of his grace, which he has lavished on us.  With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his purpose, just he wanted it to be and set it forward in him as a blueprint for when the time was ripe.  His plan was to sum up the whole cosmos in the Messiah, everything in heaven and on earth in him.  In him we have received the inheritance.  We were foreordained to this, according to the intention of the one who does all things in accordance with the counsel of his purpose.  This was so that we, we who first hoped in the Messiah, might live for the praise of his glory.  In him you too, who heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and believed it—in him you were marked out with the Spirit of promise, the Holy One.  The Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the time when the people who are God's special possession are finally reclaimed and freed.  This, too, is for the praise of his glory.” So Paul begins with the language of having been chosen.  It's almost like he's rehearsing the Passover story.  Being chosen resonated with the Jews.  Their father, Abraha, had been chosen and called from the paganism of Ur.  In the Exodus, the Lord had declared Israel to be his chosen.  Paul wants that mighty act of God's goodness and mercy to echo into our story—to hear the Lord declare to Pharaoh that Israel was his beloved, his firstborn son.  Paul writes in verse 5 that we've been marked out as sons and daughters of the Father because of his love for us—love poured out in Jesus, love poured out at the cross as he shed his blood—blood that has marked us out as holy and washed us clean of sin.  Blood that has united us with Jesus, his son, and made us his children by adoption. And the language of deliverance and redemption in verse 7.  This is what Paul's getting at.  Again, his choice of words is important.  The word he uses is the one used most often in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to refer to the deliverance, the redemption of his people from Egypt.  It's a word that often carries the idea of buying a slave so that he can be set free and in the Bible it very often and more specifically recalls the image of Israel being redeemed from Pharaoh's slave market and being set free by God—a freedom through which Israel was meant to proclaim and to live out God's amazing and redeeming grace.  But there's also an echo of Israel's long-hoped for deliverance from exile—an exile the people were still living out when Jesus was born.  And, unlike the Exodus, the exile was the result of Israel's sins.  And so the prophets, like Isaiah, had spoken of a new exodus, a deliverance from exile, but this time round it would be an exodus that had to address, that had to deal with Israel's sins. And that's why Paul writes of blood.  The blood of the Passover lamb was for the purification of the people.  Somehow blood would have to be shed to purify Israel and to and the long exile, so they could once again live in his holy presence and so that they could once again be fit to serve his purpose as priests and stewards of his temple.  This is why Jesus so often did things that echoed the Passover theme.  He was calling to mind this doubled tradition: The first exodus, deliverance from slavery, but also the promised and hoped-for second exodus in which God would somehow redeem his people from their sins and from the effects of that sin.  So when Paul, in verses 7 and 8, writes of the blood through which we have deliverance and the forgiveness of sins, when he writes of the riches of God's grace and how it's been lavished so richly on us, he wants us to see these layers of the great story: of creation, of exodus, of exile, of forgiveness, of redemption.  He wants us to see the glorious cross of Jesus, but he also wants us to see how the whole story has been one act after another, one great drama unfolding through history that shows us who God is, that reveals his grace and mercy, his goodness and faithfulness that then find their full fruit, that explode in one great act of glory in the events of the new exodus.  All these notes coming together a beautiful, harmonious chord. Why?  Because Paul knew that without this, we're prone to forgetting our vocation, just as Israel had.  That's why Paul goes on to talk about God making known the secret of his purpose—the great mystery—with all wisdom and insight.  In Paul's day the Jews—many of them at any rate—associated the idea of torah—of Gods' law—with the idea of God's divine wisdom.  This fusion of torah and wisdom was God's great design for life and for flourishing and not just that, but for life and flourishing that would cause his people to give him glory.  Brothers and Sisters, the gospel isn't just the good news that we've been forgiven and promised eternal life.  The gospel is also about vocation—a vocation that goes all the way back to Israel—even to Adam and Eve.  It's about being freed from our bondage to sin and death so that we might live to the glory of God as heaven-on-earth people, as the firstfruits of his new creation, as pockets of the age to come in the here and now. And Paul reminds us in verse 10 that this was God's plan, his blueprint all along, one that would be fulfilled in the “fullness of time”—when the time was right.  None of it was an accident.  What we so often take in as disconnected Bible stories, was all along one great drama, setting the scene, establishing the plot, so that at the cross and the empty tomb, God could reveal his glory by leading his people in a new exodus.  As Paul puts it here, the plan was to sum up the whole cosmos in the Messiah—everything in heaven and on earth in him.  Restoring the creation we see in Genesis, where heaven and earth and God and man were one.  Bringing to fruition the image evoked by the tabernacle at the end of Exodus: of God once gain dwelling in the midst of his redeemed people.  That image at the end of Exodus in which the people complete the construction of the tabernacle and the shekinah, the great cloud of God's glory, descends to fill it is one of the  most powerful images in all of scripture—looking back to how things are supposed to be and looking forward to a day when human beings really are fully restored to live in God's presence—no veil, no sacrifices, just life in his awesome presence.  This is what Paul describes as an act of praise, the climax of the great story, a new exodus, a Jesus-shaped Passover—all now to be at the heart of Christian praise. But God's presence entering the tabernacle wasn't the end of the story.  Remember, once God had set apart his people and made them holy and taken up his presence in their midst, they were ready for him to lead them into the promised land—to receive the inheritance that he had promised to Abraham.  And in verses 11-14 Paul shows us how life in Jesus and the Spirit is the realisation of what that was pointing to all along.  Psalm 2, for example, was pointing this way all along.  That's the psalm where God says, “You are my son and today I have begotten you.  Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your inheritance.”  The promise land and the promise of it was always pointing to something greater—to God's claim on all of creation, on all the nations, on all the peoples.  The story proclaims: someday the entire earth will be God's holy land. And here in Ephesians, Paul is saying that in Jesus and the Spirit, God has now given us—given those who are in the Messiah—this inheritance.  “Everything belongs to you,” he says in First Corinthians.  And here he says that the gift of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling, the tabernacling presence of God in us is the earnest, the down payment, the guarantee of the full promised inheritance.  Sometimes it seems like we think of the Holy Spirit in every way except for the very thing Paul tells us over and over that he represents.  Brothers and Sisters, the gift of the Spirit is the guarantee that what Jesus began when he rose from the grave, he will surely one day finish.  It's the guarantee that God's work of renewal and new creation in Jesus will, without a doubt, put a final end to sin, to sorrow, to corruption, to decay, and even to death itself.  It is the guarantee that the reunion of God and man that began when God took up his residence in the tabernacle, and that went a step further at Pentecost when he took up his residence in his people, will be fulfilled in the ultimate tabernacle of a new heaven and earth.  It's the guarantee that that the fellowship between God and human beings in the garden at the very beginning of the story will also be the end. It's easy to forget.  As Paul writes in Romans, the whole world is groaning under the weight of our mismanagement.  We still live with the effects of sin and corruption, of decay and death.  Like the Israelites when the spies returned from Canaan and warned that there were giants in the land and heavily fortified cities.  They gave up.  They became overwhelmed.  They forgot the promise.  They begged Moses to take them back to Egypt.  The things they feared were no joke.  But they forgot that the God who was with them is the God will one day dill the whole earth with his glory.  The tabernacle—God's presence with them—was meant to remind them of that truth and that inheritance.  And, Brothers and Sisters, the Spirit in us serves the same function.  In him we have the full title deed, even if we don't yet have the whole earth.  But that title deed, that earnest, that guarantee has been given to us by the Father to empower us to go out as his gospel people—to be heaven on earth, to bring his presence into the darkness, to challenge the corrupted principalities and powers of the old age, and to bring the light and life of new creation into the old.  And all, Paul finishes, the final notes in the chord, “is for the praise of his glory”. Brothers and Sisters, to live in assurance and hope of God's promise of life is to live a life of praise.  It's to live a life that blesses God and that makes his glory known in the earth.  That means that if we want to know what the life of the Christian and what he life of the church should look like, maybe we should work backward from that goal.  We should be asking ourselves what it is that we can do that makes God's glory known.  Asking ourselves what we can do that shows the world our sure and certain hope in the inheritance—the new creation—in which we live.  Not running back to Egypt in fear, but ready to march around Jericho and to blow our gospel trumpets and trust God to do what he's promised.  I think if we work backwards from the goal of filling the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God, it becomes a lot easier to ask whether what we do, what we value, what we invest in, how we treat others displays our hope in God's kingdom to the world around us.  So, Brothers and Sisters, let us bless God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.  Let our lives be one great shout of praise.  Rehearse and proclaim the great story of redemption that proclaims his glory.  And let this Passover-shaped, this cross-shaped, story of redemption and renewal transform you so that you—that we all—might live for the purpose of filling the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God—to the praise of his glory. Let's pray: Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, through whose blood you have forgiven our sins, made us sons and daughters by adoption, and brought us into the great drama of your people, shape us, we pray, with your story.  Fill us with faith and assurance in the knowledge that, having plunged us into your Spirit, you have given us assurance of the promised inheritance that we might live faithfully in hope and to the praise of your glory.  Amen.

Pastor Eric Zellner continues teaching through this rich New Testament letter. In Paul's thesis statement for the whole book, we see: You must rest in God's righteousness.

In Paul's letter to the Colossians (⁠Colossians 1:15-23)⁠ he presents Jesus as so attractive as to be utterly compelling. We're called to do something similar, in our similarly pluralistic context of Los Angeles: to present Jesus as he is--unapologetically the center of the universe. Jesus is the one everyone is looking for: he's the only one who fully satisfies us, the only one who is supreme over us, and the only one who continues to sustain us. In a world that is so obviously broken and in pain, let us invite everyone we know to meet him; the one who makes us whole. He's fantastic. By Ed Flint

In Paul's list of elder qualifications, does “husband of one wife” mean “never remarried” — and does “his children are faithful” mean they must be Christians?

Judging by the movies we watch, we're drawn to big cities. More than a thousand movies have been filmed in New York alone. In Paul's day, Ephesus was a big city, with a third of a million people. And it drew him—not only to visit but to linger. It was one of the cities where he honed his strategy for reaching people with the gospel. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29?v=20251111

A Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent Isaiah 35:1-10, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, St. Matthew 11:2-10 by William Klock Many years ago, as we were driving home from church on a Sunday morning, a very young Alexandra asked, “Dad, can Episcopalians cry?”  I thought, “What?  Of course we can. What makes you ask that?”  And she said something to the effect of, “The song said the Baptists cried”  “Ah!  ‘On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry…' and I found myself trying to figure out how to explain plurals and possessives and punctuation to a pre-schooler who couldn't read yet, and in the end I said something like—“No, the song is about John the Baptist, not Baptists, and he wasn't crying because he was sad, he was crying—like yelling out—to the crowds about how, in Jesus, God had come to save his people like he'd promised, so they'd better get ready by getting rid of their sins.” That hymn was written by Charles Coffin in 1736 for the Paris Breviary and was a hymn to be sung at Lauds—more or less what we call Morning Prayer—during Advent.  And it wonderfully blends the account of John the Baptist that we have in the Gospels with Isaiah's prophecies of the coming Messiah, his call to make straight the way of the Lord, and his promises of forgiveness and reconciliation, of healing and new creation.  Maybe it's because we reference the hymn by its first line, but somehow that first line—little Alexandra wasn't the only one—lots of people hear that first line and imagine poor John sobbing on the banks of the Jordan river, when what we're singing about is John, proclaiming with an urgent joy the coming of the Messiah and the fulfilment of Israel's hopes and longings. For thou art our salvation Lord, Our refuge and our great reward: Without thy grace we waste away Like flowers that wither and decay.   To heal the sick stretch out thine hand, And bid the fallen sinner stand; Shine forth, and let thy light restore Earth's own true loveliness once more.   It's certainly an appropriate image for this season of Advent as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus and are reminded about the vocation he's given us to prepare ourselves and his creation for the day when he returns.  But I still wrestle with this passage and with today's Epistle from 1 Corinthians 11, every time the Third Sunday in Advent rolls around.  Last week's lessons are some of my favourites.  They remind us how important it is that we know and root ourselves in the story of God and his people.  But I always find today's lessons hard.  First we hear Paul rebuking the Corinthian Christians.  They'd rejected his authority and he writes them to say, “Hey, that's not the way I should be treated.  You need to regard me a servant of the Messiah and steward of God's mysteries.  Who are you to judge me?”  If we didn't know better we might think Paul's head was a little swollen.  And then in the Gospel we've got Jesus defending John the Baptist and his calling and ministry. And I know that the reason these lessons were appointed for the Third Sunday in Advent is because this is an ember week, one of those weeks that most people have forgotten about, that come around four times a year—the times when ordinations traditionally took place.  And so the lessons were chosen to remind us of the importance of those who serve as ministers in the church.  We prayed in the Collect, “Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may so prepare and make ready your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in your sight.”  That's a good thing to pray.  I hope that you pray for me and that you pray for our bishops and for those who lead and teach in our church—and all the churches.  But I get kind of uncomfortable standing at the pulpit and suggesting that I—or any other clergyman, by he a presbyter or a bishop—can talk that way about my ministry the way Paul could speak about his apostolic ministry and authority.  That was a unique authority given to Paul and the other apostles and to no one since.  Our duty—both mine and yours—is simply to faithfully proclaim the faith given to us by those uniquely authoritative apostles.  Ditto for Jesus' defense of John the Baptist.  I hope with all my heart that if a crowd of people were doubting my faithfulness, that Jesus was come to my defense.  But I can't presume to talk as if Jesus' words in today's Gospel mean that you all should see and respect me as a modern-day John the Baptist.  Every year when this set of lessons comes around, I can' help but think of the words of our Declaration of Principles, where it says that “this church condemns and rejects the following erroneous and strange doctrines as contrary to God's word...” And the second of those erroneous and strange doctrines is “That Christian ministers are ‘priests' in another sense than that in which all believers are a ‘royal priesthood'.” Brother and Sisters, together we are the body of Jesus the Messiah.  Some of us are ears or eyes, some hands or feet, some hearts or brains.  I may have pastoral training and authority granted by the church to teach and to administer the sacraments, but that doesn't make me more important.  The church, to be the church, needs all of us.  And the really important thing that we really need—all of us—to do is not to treat our pastors or our bishops as if they carry Paul's apostolic authority.  What we need to do is to see ourselves—all of us—in the same place as the Corinthians and submit ourselves to that apostolic teaching handed down by Paul and Peter and John and the rest of the apostles. Because our witness depends on it.  God's kingdom depends on it.  We are the stewards of the good news and we're stewards of God's Spirit.  We are the stewards of his kingdom and his new creation.  And as Paul writes, “it's required of stewards that they be found trustworthy”.  When Paul writes “steward” he's describing the manager of a household or an estate.  Think of Joseph, Potiphar's steward, put in charge of everything he owned, responsible for how it was all managed, responsible for the profits and losses, responsible for making sure all of Potiphar's assets were put to good and efficient use and not wasted, squandered, or damaged.  That's what Paul saw himself as when it came to the mysteries of God.  And not some highfalutin executive, but as a humble slave, graciously chosen by God to steward the gospel. And because you and I have been entrusted with that same gospel—handed down by Paul and Peter and John and the other apostles—we've become stewards too.  Not with the apostolic authority that Paul had and the ability to announce “Thus saith the Lord.”  But still a people called to work in the Lord's household or in his vineyard, entrusted with his mysteries—with the gospel, with his grace, with his Spirit—and called, each of us in our own way, to steward the Lord's good things faithfully. When we look at First and Second Corinthians, the folks in that church weren't doing a very good job.  Picture them.  A small church—probably a few dozen people at most.  Most of the people in it were converts from paganism.  They used to worship false gods who represented things like sex, knowledge, money, war, power, government.  The Corinthians all had their favourite sins: lying, cheating, anger, pornography, drunkenness, drugs, adultery.  You name it, they'd done it—often as part of their worship.  But then this funny Jewish man showed up preaching a bizarre message about the God of Israel and his son, the Messiah—the anointed king—who had been crucified and then raised from death.  And this man, Paul, he'd been abused, beaten, stoned, left for dead so many times for the sake of this message, this “good news” he was so earnest about.  He was a little frightening to look at, because he literally bore the marks of this gospel, the marks of Jesus on his own body.  But this good news was unlike any news they'd ever heard before.  This God, this Jesus, was unlike any god they'd ever worshiped.  He brought love, mercy, grace, and hope into a world of darkness, greed, selfishness, and brutality.  In Paul they saw and in hearing the good news he announced, they met God's new world and they were won over.  They were baptised into this God who is Father, Son, and Spirit and the new creation begun by Jesus was born in them.  Paul stayed and he taught them and they grew in Jesus and the Spirit.  And they lived as a little pocket of God's new age right there in the midst of brutal, wicked, dark, pagan Corinth.  And then Paul moved on.  And they started to struggle.  The temptations of their old pagan ways came back—as so often happens.  The new life of Jesus and the Spirit—so thrilling at first—became hum-drum and they started seeking after new experiences and new excitements.  That resulted in factions in the church: this group became a fan of that preacher and that group became fans of this preacher.  In the name of Christian liberty they became tolerant of sin—even some that were unspeakable to the pagans.  And that led to further divisions.  They began to use the gifts the Spirit had given them, not to build up the church, but to build up themselves.  Their worship became chaotic and dishonouring to God.  And when Paul heard what was happening and wrote to them.  Think of Advent.  He wrote to them: “Hey, you're living like you're still part of the old evil age, subject to the old false gods and the principalities and powers that Jesus defeated at the cross.  You're supposed to be living as heralds of God's new creation!  You're supposed to be a church full of John the Baptists, crying out, announcing that the Lord is night!”  And they wrote back a nasty letter telling him they were done with him—they didn't want to hear his “correction” anymore.  They had grown beyond his teaching and they were doing well on their own, thank you very much! And I think we tend to read about the Corinthians think, “Wow, what horrible Christians!”  And yet, I don't know that the modern church is all that different.  It's full of quarrelling and divisions.  We're jealous of other pastor's or other church's successes.  We use the gifts God has given to benefit ourselves rather than the body.  We lack holiness.  We're worldly.  We lie, we cheat, we steal, and we exploit in our business.  Our families are often a mess.  Unrepentant divorce is rampant.  Sexual immorality, pornography, drugs and drunkenness, abortion are nearly as prevalent in the church as they are in the world.  Bishops and presbyters abuse and lie and plagiarise and get drunk and engage in sexual immorality.  We say we've given our allegiance to Jesus, but we sell ourselves out to the materialistic and consumeristic and individualistic and political spirits of the age.  We take our cues from advertising and become dissatisfied with what God has given us and where he's placed us.  We take our cues from politicians instead of the Bible.  We see evil in the world, we see injustice in the world and instead of speaking out or doing something about it, we look the other way and refuse to act. Our worship is too often chaotic and man-centred rather than God- and gospel-centred.  We preach self-help instead of sin and grace, the cross and new creation.  Brothers and Sisters, the church is supposed to be the advance guard of God's new creation.  It's supposed to be his temple, the place where God and man, where heaven and earth meet.  We've been entrusted with the mysteries of God.  But we're too much like the old creation.  Our allegiance is half-hearted.  We are unfaithful stewards, squandering the gifts of God.  The principalities and powers of the old age often rule and govern the church more than Jesus and the Spirit do.  I don't think it's any wonder that—to use the analogy of John's vision in Revelation—I don't think it's any great wonder that Jesus seems to be taking away our lampstand here in the post-Christian West. And I know there's little if anything you and I can do about the church on a large scale, but we've been entrusted with our little corner of the church and we can do something about that.  Advent reminds us that as Israel was to listen to men like John the Baptist and prepare for Jesus first coming, the church now needs to listen to the scriptures—to the prophets and apostles—and prepare for Jesus' return.  As Paul warned the Corinthians that they needed to heed his apostolic authority, he might as well be warning us, too.  Hear the apostles and hear the prophets—and don't just hear; do.  Hear the words of Isaiah we read today: “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.  The glory of the Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.  They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.” Maybe that doesn't mean much to us today, but for people who lived in the desert, those were words of hope.  New creation was coming.  God has promised to come and set the world to rights.  To bring his people back to the garden to live in his presence.  And so Isaiah tells them, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not!  Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God.  He will come and save you.” Don't be discouraged.  Don't lose hope.  Don't forget his promises.  Don't forget to whom you belong.  Don't give up on your holy vocation.  Don't forget that you are stewards of the good things of God for the sake of the world.  What he has promised he will do.  He will not let you thirst in the desert forever.  “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.  For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.  And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it.  It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.  No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.  And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” John the Baptist saw that in Jesus God was beginning to fulfil this promise.  In fact, what John saw in Jesus—preaching good news, healing the sick, casting out demons—looked so much like the fulfilment of God's promises made through Isaiah and the other prophets, that he had confidence to announce to Israel that the kingdom was at hand. It gave him the confidence to preach, not just the joyful part of Isaiah's message, but to also declare the part about God's judgement coming and to call the people to repentance in preparation.  He was confident enough that he even called out King Herod's personal sins.  And that landed him in Herod's dungeon.  But when Jesus didn't break him out, he started to wonder.  I don't know that he really doubted the message, but it seems like he began to wonder and so he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one or should we look for someone else?”  And Jesus reminded them of all the Messiah things he'd been doing.  The blind received their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, even the dead are raised, and the poor are hearing good news for the first time.  And in case the crowds were doubting, Jesus reminded them of the absolute certainty John had shown.  “What did you go out to the wilderness to see?” he asked them.  Not a reed flapping in the wind.  Not some fop dressed in fine clothes.  You can find that in Herod's palace.  No, you went out to see a prophet—to see a man who knows God's faithfulness and wasn't afraid to proclaim both the joy of salvation and the sternness of judgement.  You went out because he was calling you to repentance in preparation for God's coming.  Yes, you went out to hear the one of whom it was written: “Behold, I send my messenger…who will prepare the way before you.”  In other words, Jeus says to them, “You saw what God is doing through me and so you went out to meet John, to listen to his message, to be baptised in the Jordan, because you knew that you need to be prepared for God's coming. And, Brothers and Sisters, we need to hear the same thing.  We've seen the goodness of God, we've seen his faithfulness in Jesus.  We've know the joy of being forgiven our sins and restored to fellowship with God.  We've received his Spirit and have known the beginning of new creation.  We've experienced the fellowship of this redeemed community.  We should be as certain as John was that in Jesus God's salvation has come, that in Jesus new creation has begun.  And we should be as certain as John was of the need to make straight the way of the Lord, to shout to the world with joy and also with earnestness: Repent, because the kingdom of God is here.  But I think we've lost that—or at least a good bit of it.  The joy has faded and we've become complacent. And so Advent is a call to remember the faithfulness of God that we have known, to remember the joy and love and hope we once knew, and to renew our allegiance to King Jesus and to his kingdom…and then to repent in dust and ashes for our sins and failures and betrayals and to commit ourselves as the church, as his temple to truly be the place where heaven and earth meet, the place that confronts the kingdoms of men with the kingdom of God, that confronts the principalities and powers with the victory of the cross, to be the people who know the redemption of sins and who go out into the world to make straight the way of the Lord.  Brothers and Sisters, let Advent remind you of the joy of your salvation; let Advent remind you of the kingdom vocation you've been given; let Advent be a time recommitment as you lay aside everything else and once again give your full attention and your full allegiance and your full self to the coming King. Let's pray: O Lord Jesus, Messiah, who at your first coming sent your messenger to prepare your way before you: grant that we being faithful ministers and stewards of your mysteries, might so prepare and make ready your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in your sight; who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Thank you for joining us for today's worship service! Reading from the second chapter of the book of Colossians, Pastor Chris identifies for us four competing versions of "truth" that sow confusion in our society, detracting from the real truth of the Gospel. In Paul's letter, he identifies the distractions created through misplaced human philosophy, through confusion regarding Jewish law, through false spirituality practices, and through adding legalism to Christian beliefs. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 teaches us how to counter this confusion: "Test everything; hold on to the good." If you prayed to make Jesus your Lord today, we want to rejoice with you! If you would want someone to pray with you, we are eager to do so! If you would like more information about our church, we're want to share. Please text the word "NEXT" to 407-77 so we can engage with you. For more information about our in-person Sunday morning services, visit https://horizonwestchurch.com. You can also learn more about our midweek events at https://horizonwestchurch.com/events.

Episode Synopsis:I am reluctant to say that one portion of Scripture is more important than others.  But there are biblical passages packed with theological content and which have stirred much debate among the people of God across time, as does our text for this episode, 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2.  In this section, Paul lays out what might just be the big picture thesis statement for Paul's Gentile mission–and perhaps even for the entire New Testament–1 Corinthians 5:19- “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”  Christ's redemptive mission is made clear–he came to save sinners, not help us become better people nor transform culture.  He also gave to the church our marching orders–preach the message of reconciliation, the basis for all Christian hope–the knowledge that God is no longer angry with us.Reconciliation is an important matter for Paul.  The term refers to removing the ground of hostility between two parties so that they might be reconciled.  In this case, the human race, fallen in Adam, is estranged from the holy God because of the guilt of our sins.  But Paul's emphasis falls upon the fact that we have been reconciled to God through the saving work of Christ.  This raises questions about the nature and extent of the atonement–a major point of contention between Calvinists and those who hold to some version of a universal atonement.  How can Calvinists affirm that Christ died for the elect only when Paul says Jesus died for the world?  But then how can those holding to a universal atonement (as do Arminians) affirm that Christ's death does not avail for all those for whom he died?  People can and do perish eternally (on this view), after Christ has died for them.  We'll discuss the debate over the nature and extent of the atonement in this episode because our text raises these important questions.A second issue raised by Paul is eschatology.  His “two Adams” doctrine (cf. Romans 5:12-21) and his eschatology of new creation culminating in a day of final judgment is set out in these verses.  In Paul's federal or representative categories, Adam represents the entirety of the human race (all), while Christ represents those truly in the new covenant (for our sake).  Paul ties the new creation to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (v. 17) and sees it as a present reality to be fully realized on the day of salvation, when our Lord Jesus returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and usher in the fullness of new creation–a new heaven and earth.  This leaves no room for a future millennial age as many assume.When Paul speaks of a favorable time before the day of salvation, he's referring to the mission of the church as assigned here.  Christians are ambassadors for God, and are given the assignment of taking the message of reconciliation (the cross of Christ) to the ends of the earth.  Paul's instructions not only define the church's mission and evangelistic endeavors, but he also defines the church's message– “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself.”  Any message proclaimed by the church other than that specifically assigned by Paul will inevitably reflect pagan influences such as those against which the Corinthians found themselves struggling.  We are not to be gospel-peddlers, but preachers of Christ and him crucified!For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

In Paul's writings to the church at Ephesus, he deals with relationships of all kinds. In chapter 6, he points the believer to God's relationship to man. Paul encourages every believer to recognize God's care and plan even in the mundane things. Thought obedience to God, service to others, and leadership, God longs for us to not only be good stewards, but also to love like Jesus!

In Paul's second letter to the church at Thessalonica, he greets them as in 1 Thessalonians except for one change. In this letter, he begins by reminding them who they are and what they have in Christ. 

In Paul's letter to the Philippians, he writes that Jesus is the most worthy of honor and worship. Therefore, He is worthy of all our devotion - our love, commitment, and passion. So, how can we give Him all the devotion He is deserving of while still having other things we love, are committed to, and are passionate about?

The gospel doesn't just change hearts — it rewrites stories. In Paul's letter to Philemon, we see grace that costs something, love that restores what's broken, and forgiveness that feels impossible but isn't. Because with Jesus, even the most fractured stories can be made whole again.To support this ministry and help us continue our God given mission, click here: http://bit.ly/2NZkdrC Support the show

In Paul's letter to the Colossians, what is Paul worried about? And how does his answer help remind Christians what our faith is all about?

Everybody likes servants as long as they don't have to be servants. In Paul's trials, his triumphs, and his testimony, he mirrored Jesus' servanthood. In this message from 2 Corinthians 6, Pastor Lutzer considers what made Paul credible in his ministry. Ready for a paradigm shift? This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://offerrtw.com or call us at 1-800-215-5001.  Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Running To Win," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives.  Erwin W. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church in Chicago, where he served as Senior Pastor for 36 years. He is a prolific author of over seventy books. A clear expositor of the Bible, he is the featured speaker on "Running To Win" and "Songs In The Night," with programs broadcasting on over a thousand outlets in the U.S. and across more than fifty countries in seven languages. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Chicago area. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.    SUPPORT:  Tax Deductible Support: https://www.moodymedia.org/donate/  Become an Endurance Partner: https://endurancepartners.org/    SUBSCRIBE:   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MoodyChurchMedia  Weekly Digest: https://www.moodymedia.org/newsletters/subscription/ 

Today we have David. He is 51 years old, lives in Pinson, TN and took his last drink of alcohol on December 23rd, 2024.   This episode brought to you by: Better Help – 10% off of your first month #sponsored Exact Nature – 20% off your order with code RE20   We have a great lineup of events and courses coming to Recovery Elevator. A mindfulness course is coming up in October, then Dry January as well as a beginner ukelele course are happening in January. In February we have our first AF Songwriting course and later in the month our weeklong sober travel trip to Costa Rica.   [03:11] Thoughts from Paul:   In today's intro Paul shares with us some statements he heard from Steven Glover (aka Steve-O from Jackass) who celebrates 17 years in recovery this year. Steve-O said that alcoholics are in a sense lucky because unlike other diseases where the best one can hope for is to return to a pre-illness state, when addicts and alcoholics treat their disease, they have the potential to become better versions of themselves.   In Paul's upcoming book Dolce Vita, he makes the point that addiction is almost a biological mechanism to help wake us up as humans. On the other side of the addiction, if we are to heal, then we have to build a life that is more oriented towards helping others, where we are to be more authentic and where we are to admit when we are wrong in life.   One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they quit drinking is they just quit drinking. Although this is a huge step in the right direction, if this is all you do it leads to the concept of being a dry drunk. You need to address the reasons you drank to excess in the first place.   By listening to a sobriety podcast, you are doing the work. You're investing in your recovery, and you are not a dry drunk. Your potential of becoming better than before is becoming a reality. And what wonderful timing you have as the world needs your honesty, your authenticity, your smile and your service more than ever.   [08:16] Paul introduces David:   David is 51 years old and was born and raised in West Tennessee. He has three adult children with his wife of 31 years. For work, he manages a manufacturing facility and for fun he is a lifelong musician and also enjoys genealogy and cemetery preservation.   David is the youngest of four children. He says his mother was a teetotaler and his father had a drinking problem, but it had tapered down a lot by the time David came along. David says he was raised in the country and had a small group of friends that his mother would say weren't the best influences, and David was more of a follower than a leader and he and his friends would experiment with alcohol when he was younger.   When David was 18, he met his wife. They got married in David's early twenties and began having kids. At this point, David didn't drink often, and his wife didn't drink at all. It wasn't until their thirties that they would start having the occasional bottle of wine in the house.   In his late thirties, the drinking began ramping up. David began to have a regular music gig that was 45 minutes from home. He began going to have dinner and beers before the gig and over time started going out again after the gigs as well. He began drinking more on the weekends and that eventually crept into every day while isolating.   After some negative health reports in 2019, David began to try and address his drinking and says it was like a hamster wheel. By 2021, he knew he wanted to pursue an alcohol-free life and shared this with his wife, who has been very supportive of him.   Since his last drink in 2024, David says all of his relationships have improved, his bass playing has improved, and he started college last year and will be graduating soon. David is looking forward to continuing his personal growth, learning to meditate and travel.   Recovery Elevator You took the elevator down, you gotta take the stairs back up. We can do this.       RE on Instagram Recovery Elevator YouTube Sobriety Tracker iTunes  Café RE    

In Paul's absence, the Corinthian church had begun to follow new teachers who had positioned themselves as superior in numerous ways, all of which were worldly and pompous. They wanted Paul to be like them, bold, arrogant, provocative, and brash. Paul defends the authority he has over the Corinthian church as a true apostle and sarcastically boasts to compare himself to the ones he calls “Super-apostles.” These men were well-spoken, came with letters, and requested payment for their teaching, whereas Paul was humble, loyal, and worked without burdening the church financially. As he concludes, Paul assures them that when he comes, he will not be lenient, but rather he will come with boldness in order to build up the body.2 Corinthians 10 - 1:13 . 2 Corinthians 11 - 4:29 . 2 Corinthians 12 - 11:06 . 2 Corinthians 13 - 15:49 . Isaiah 14 - 18:41 .  :::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

Paul Kupiec is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. In Paul's first appearance on the show, he discusses life at a think tank, the insolvency of the Fed, theories on how to fix the Fed's balance sheet, Ted Cruz's call to end interest on reserves, and much more.  Check out the transcript for this week's episode, now with links. Recorded on June 24th, 2025 Subscribe to David's Substack: Macroeconomic Policy Nexus Follow David Beckworth on X: @DavidBeckworth Follow the show on X: @Macro_Musings Check out our Macro Musings merch! Subscribe to David's new BTS YouTube Channel  Timestamps 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:14 - Paul's Career 00:08:12 - Think Tanks 00:10:42 - Current State of the Fed's Balance Sheet 00:20:22 - The Federal Reserve and Gold 00:23:04 - The Fed's Unique Accounting 00:39:28 - Ending Interest on Reserve Payments to Banks 00:50:08 - Outro

Shakespeare wrote that “parting is such sweet sorrow.” In Paul's final farewell to the Ephesians, we witness this sentiment in action. Explore Paul's departing speech, and learn what weighed foremost on his heart. Listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg. ----------------------------------------- • Click here and look for "FROM THE SERMON" to stream or read the full message. • This program is part of the series ‘For the Sake of the Gospel, Volume 1' • Learn more about our current resource, request your copy with a donation of any amount. Helpful Resources - Learn about God's salvation plan - Read our most recent articles - Subscribe to our daily devotional Follow Us YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter This listener-funded program features the clear, relevant Bible teaching of Alistair Begg. Today's program and nearly 3,000 messages can be streamed and shared for free at tfl.org thanks to the generous giving from monthly donors called Truthpartners. Learn more about this Gospel-sharing team or become one today. Thanks for listening to Truth For Life!