Podcasts about indeed god

WORDS OF HOPEOne of the moving elements of a memorial service is the video montage of the person who has joined the Great Cloud of Witnesses. As images emerge, one after another, you think, “There's that smile, that casual slouch, that goofiness or that serious gaze, those hands of service.” And it tugs at your heart that this special person won't be a part of your life anymore. Not in the same way. A group of us from Coat of Colours has been inspired while working to honor the life of Rep. John Lewis for Black History Month. As we scoured the internet for material, I was captured by the images of his life and justice-seeking service, some of which are etched in our national consciousness. So, this morning I highlight a few images.  ·      The children's book Preaching to the Chickens by Jabari Asim and beautifully illustrated by EB Lewis. Based on Lewis' early life on his family's working farm in southern Alabama, the story and pictures show Lewis' penchant for sharing the good news with his creature kin. One image, where John is scattering corn before the flock, recalls the parable of the sower and the seed.  Indeed God's expansive love and justice are embodied in this civil rights hero. https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/12/05/preaching-to-the-chickens-john-lewis/ ·      The depiction of the Bloody Sunday beating March 7, 1965. The body of John Lewis crumpled on the ground, hands trying to shield his head after a brutal beating by an Alabama State trooper during the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery is iconic in its hold on our historic memory. Lewis said that he thought he would die during that assault, but he deferred going to the hospital long enough to make an appeal to President Lyndon B. Johnson to send the National Guard to protect the marchers. These images turned the tide of the civil rights movement, paving the way for the Voting Rights Act. Commemorative marches across the Edmund Pettis Bridge have been held through the years under both Republican and Democratic presidents. After Lewis' death a horse-drawn carriage ferried his body across in solemn dignity.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XST4lV7HnO8  Lewis' activism was extensive. He advocated and protested not only for Voting Rights, but for immigration rights, expanded health care and LGBTQAI+ issues, seeing in the arguments against us the same kind of fear-mongering used in discriminating against people of color. He was arrested 45 times. In addition, late in his career, he participated in a sit in on the floor of the House when Republican leadership blocked bringing common sense gun rights legislation to a vote.  ·      Two moving and poignant images feature former President Obama. One shows the Medal of Freedom being conferred on the “conscience of the Congress” in 2011. The other depicts the embrace of the two men. Lewis was deeply moved that America had finally elected an African American of Obama's stature as president. Obama credited Lewis' unwavering dedication to justice with opening the gates for his election. “It was because of you, John,” he said.  In his final opinion piece, published shortly before his death, John Lewis lauds the work of the Black Lives Matter movement and urges us to continue carrying the torch for justice and to reclaim the soul of America.  If you too are inspired by the life of this courageous saint, join Coat of Colours on zoom for a discussion of “Good Trouble” Saturday, February 10 from 3-5 CT. (Instructions for registering to see the documentary free are here:  Support the show

David had just said, “It's been useless—all my watching over this fellow's property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!” When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. She fell at his feet and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent.  And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. (1 Samuel 25:21-26) In between yesterday's text and this one comes one of David's chances to kill Saul.  God gives Saul into David's hands, but David chooses not to lift his hand against Saul, who was the Lord's anointed king.  David shows a wise, mature restraint in that moment.  He chooses to trust the God who has promised him the kingship to make good on his plans rather than David securing the throne for himself through murder.  David will wait on the Lord as Jonathan helped him to do. But now a new challenge arises in the desert.  A new temptation.  While hiding in the desert, David has voluntarily done good to this man named Nabal—protecting his flocks and herdsman from raiders and wild animals.  Having done so, David believes that this man now owes him something, even though the man never asked for David's help. Nabal refuses to give David anything.  David's response?  He orders his men to strap on their swords.  David will not resort to murder to get the kingship.  But to salve his wounded pride and bring home some bacon for his men and their families?  David will kill for that.   Nabal's name means fool—a godless sort of fool who has no fear of the Lord.  But one wonders if David isn't actually acting out as the foolish, godless one here.  Indeed: God does not listen to, nor honour David's curse of “may God deal with me if I don't kill these people.”  Instead, God intervenes to bring life through Abigail, a woman who personifies wisdom, intelligence, beauty, and understanding. David was halfway down the path of Saul—the godless fool—as he resorted to his own sword and skill at dealing death to get what he thought ought be coming to him.  But God gives yet another gift.  Last time it was Jonathan that kept David from fear.  Now it is Abigail that keeps David from godless folly.  Both times, David listens and is saved. It is not for David to secure God's promises for himself, nor to secure his daily provision for himself, nor vengeance, nor whatever else he thinks he may be owed.  Indeed, David is owed nothing for doing what is right.  This is simply what is expected of the Lord's servant.   David must learn the wisdom of trust in the Lord, that all things needful will come as God's gift in God's time.  David need only concern himself with continuing to do what is right and good. We can act in similarly foolish, two-faced ways.  We might act with the highest Christian ideals and principles when we are aware of God's presence—as David acted with Saul—but then turn around in our financial, work, or family dealings and be arrogant, greedy, and deceitful. The invitation of lady wisdom is to trust in the Lord in all of our lives, not just in the “important stuff” when we think God might be watching.  Let us not be fools therefore, but rather grow up to maturity as those who do what is good and right even to our own disadvantage—as Jesus did—trusting that God will provide what's needful.  

Poor Jeff, Big Bird and the collapse of society

The Bible describes Jesus as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." God asked Job if he can hunt the prey for the lion, suggesting that it is God Himself who does the "hunting." And in the Gospels, Jesus calls His disciples to "come" as He will teach them to be "fishers of men."  Our God is a Hunter and a Fisherman. C.S. Lewis described Jesus as the "Hound of Heaven" who unrelentingly came after the skeptical literary scholar over the course of many years.  And in Lewis' beloved classic The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis created the character of Aslan the Lion, a "suppositional" representation of Jesus in another world. In Narnia, the Beavers tell the children that Aslan isn't "safe but he's good."  Indeed God does not guarantee our personal and physical safety in this world, but He is good and bids us to trust Him no matter our circumstances.  Both Jesus and His creation are in many ways "not safe" but they are good; good beyond what we can finally comprehend. As Joseph says to his brothers maltreatment of him that eventually enigmatically lead to Joseph being second in command over the Egyptian empire, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."  On the next three episodes of Good Heavens! Dan speaks with Christian and astrophysicist Dr. Leslie Wickman about her faith and how she sees God in the finely-tuned details of God's universe.  It is our aim at Good Heavens! to find common ground among all believers in relation to our faith in Christ and what contemporary science tells us about creation. We believe there are things to learn from a wide variety of different perspectives. We try to present thoughtful and faithful believers presenting their different points of view that will hopefully encourage you to seek out these issues more deeply for yourself.   From Leslie's page at Azusa Pacific:   Leslie Wickman is a research scientist, engineering consultant, author, and inspirational speaker. For more than a decade, Wickman was an engineer for Lockheed Martin, where she worked on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station Programs, receiving commendations from NASA for her contributions and being designated as Lockheed's Corporate Astronaut Leslie's Book God of the Big Bang  Leslie's original article featured on CNN.   Watchman Fellowship's Atheist and Christian Book Club. Join us this coming October as we further discuss God of the Big Bang with Leslie live!   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

I love the words of the chorus of a song called "Take Courage" - Take courage my heart,stay steadfast my soul, He's in the waiting. Indeed God is in the waiting room with you today. Be encouraged and be steadfast.

In this season of the Dreams Unloaded podcast, we'll be diving into dream conversations with believers who have developed a beautiful history with the Lord in dreams and are very grounded in the Word!   We are kicking off the season with Louris Gonzalez, a now intercessor and creative whose journey with dreaming began before she was ever churched or had anyone to process what she was seeing with.  Louris shares how her scary end-time dreams led her to a deeper relationship with Jesus because HE became her Teacher, Best Friend, Confidante, and Guide.  Louris experienced the epitome of Job 33:14-16: "Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it.  In a dream, a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people, while they slumber in their beds, then He opens the ears of people, and horrifies them with warnings, so that He may turn a person away from bad conduct." Have you had dreams that involve war, fights, police, the military, martial arts?  Could the Lord be calling you to intercession?  Listen to the entire episode for some amazing insight straight from the heart of the Father! Andddd....there's a big announcement for our dream community!

TODAY'S HOMILY IN BRIEF. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all" ( Psalm 43:19). Indeed God is ever faithful and very much with the upright to save them from all their afflictions. Persevere in righteousness come what may. Kindly listen to today's episode of my podcast for details of today's homily. Please follow, subscribe to, like, share and comment on our YouTube channel and Facebook page @ Eternal Word of Life Ministry-#FadaPeterBenson, our Facebook, Instagram, Blog and Twitter @ FadaPeterBenson and our website @ https://ewlm.org. Please key into our NINE-DAY-BEGINNING OF THE MONTH INTENSIVE PRAYERS AND NOVENA by praying with Isaiah 61:5-11; Isaiah 65:15-26 and Psalm 18 from April 1st to April 9th, presenting all your prayer requests to God and our God who is ever faithful will grant your requests. Be assured of my prayers and blessings always. @FadaPeterBenson.

Moses reminds the children of Israel that God is the source of all their blessings! Indeed God is the source of all of all blessings today!

“saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.'” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭27:24‬

TODAY'S HOMILY IN BRIEF. Indeed God cares for us, ever benevolent and compassionate towards us. We must however avail ourselves of His benevolence to fully benefit from His love and care for us. God is ever with us no matter what we go through in life. If we in faith call upon Him in our needs and invite Him into the boat of our life, He will come in to rescue us and bless us. May God meet you at your points of needs through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Please kindly key into our NINE-DAY-BEGINNING OF THE MONTH INTENSIVE PRAYERS AND NOVENA (August 1st-9th) by praying with Psalms 85, 94; Joshua 1:2-5; Deuteronomy 1:6-8; Daniel 10:1-13; Matthew 16:2 and John 13:31. Kindly feel free to send your prayer requests through my WhatsApp contact (+238054858787). Be assured of my prayers and blessings always. @FadaPeterBenson.

Pushed to Favour Hi, my name is Leah; I am my father's oldest daughter. They describe me by my eyes; tender, pleasant, delicate, lovely are few of the words used by many to label them. At first, it did not bother me, after all, I came first, and certain privileges come with the position. I enjoyed my father's undivided attention until my baby sister came. She was stunningly beautiful, pitched side-by-side I did not stand a chance. Life now demanded that I prove myself. Beyond my eyes, I had to have something else. My circumstances made me insecure, always needing to prove that I exist and I matter. I have a lovely heart, and I love my God, I mean the God of my fathers; the idols of the land did not interest me. My sister and I got on reasonably ok; there were only us two after all until this guy showed up. Rachael had gone to water the flocks this fateful afternoon; she returned with news of some cousin from far away land. The guy was handsome, some dude. He already struck a relationship with my sister, and they looked good together. It's just that somewhere in my heart I find that I am also attracted to him. Time passed, and we gather that Dad had struck some kind of deal with him. He had expressed interest in Rachel and Dad had asked the dowry to be seven years of shepherding. They did not consult me, so I had no say, just some secret desires. When will my chance come? This guy did not hide the fact that he was in love with my sister, and I could not bear the fact that I liked him. When dad informed me he was going to switch me for my sister, I welcomed the idea. I mean I had been secretly hoping that by some miracle, this guy would be mine and here was my chance. So I grabbed it with all I had. The night came, and I was packaged and sent off to him. That night was sweet, but the morning was bitter. He woke up and there I was. I saw his disappointment. I was not the desired, and my heart broke in many pieces. He could not divorce me because he already had me, so he was stuck. I knew he did not like the situation at all. He chose to serve another seven years so he could have my sister, the love of his heart. I confess I did not like the feeling of being the unwanted one, so I set out to woo him, I resolved to make him see that my beauty was inner and I was God's answer to his quest. When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” (Genesis 29:31-32) Rachael was still preferred even though she could not bear children. I got pregnant immediately I weaned Reuben. I hoped, at that point, Jacob would look my way in the day. He only showed any affection when he wanted sex. That did not feel good at all, but what could I do, at least he showed something even though it was only in the dark. When Simeon showed up, he was reason to believe that someone had mentioned to God that I was hated. God hears the heart, you know! Then I had my third son, still at the attention-seeking stage. I believed by now; he would be joined to me; I had three sons after all. I hoped in vain. Levi's arrival did not do the trick. I went again, by that time, I was already getting tired of throwing myself at him, so I chose to look up to God. I decided to praise. Judah arrived, and I had another object of my attention. God was now going to be my stay. I would face God; I got myself to believe He must have a plan in his heart for me. Indeed God had, but I was too consumed with chasing shadows to notice. Even though I was the unloved one, I was still the envy of my little sister; she was barren. She resorted to competition and decided to give her maid to our husband. I chose to do the same, you see, I did not want to lose grounds. Now we were producing children through maids so that we could each secure our positions. ...

Here the focus of David is on forgiveness, indeed blessed is the one whose transgression, iniquity, and rebellion is forgiven. Indeed God is a “hiding place”, a safe place in a troubled world.  

There is much scholarly discussion about this chapter and the one before it, The One Wrapped in Garments.  This is a fifty-six verse chapter that begins by addressing Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, directly and goes on to remind the disbelievers of the consequences of their lack of faith.  The first seven verses are generally accepted to have been revealed in the very early period of revelation in Mecca, whilst the rest of the chapter was revealed after Prophet Muhammad began to spread the message from God. Scholars differ as to the exact circumstances surrounding how the revelation of this chapter began.  Some say that after Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation in the cave at Hira, he hurried home to his beloved wife Khadijah; he was trembling and overwhelmed and asked her to cover him in his cloak.  Other scholars say that after the events in the cave, the revelations did not begin again for some time.   One day Prophet Muhammad saw the angel who had visited him in the cave sitting on a throne between heaven and earth.  The sight terrified him, and he ran home quickly asking to be covered up securely.Verses 1 – 7 Wrapped in his cloakProphet Muhammad is addressed from on high.  Oh you enfolded in your cloak, the time has come for you to arise, stand up and begin to warn the people.  Warn them of the consequences if they remain in disbelief.  Having given the instruction to warn others, God gives Prophet Muhammad some instructions to observe in his own life.   The first of these is to proclaim God's greatness.  God is the greatest, and only He deserves to be glorified. Prophet Muhammad is then directed to maintain cleanliness and physical purity.  In Arabic the expression, to clean one's garments, means maintaining purity of heart and high moral values.  Hence it carries this meaning as well.  The one who delivers the message needs to be perfectly clean so that he can save those who are tainted while allowing nothing to taint him. Next, he is directed to stay away from all filth, which refers to polytheism or idolatry, and everything that exposes one to God's punishment.  And Prophet Muhammad is told that whatever favor he does it should be for the sake of God and without any selfish motive, that is, not to expect some worldly benefit in return.  Finally, he is advised to be patient and steadfast because the task he is being entrusted with is difficult and requires sacrifice. Verses 8 – 31 The obstinate disbelievers should take heedGod makes reference to an opponent of the Quran, a man He refers to as created alone.  He is not named but is generally accepted to be al-Waleed ibn al-Mugherah, who after inclining toward the Quran denied it publicly in order to gain the approval of the Meccan leaders. He was given abundant resources, wealth, and sons, and a life of comfort and ease.  Yet he hoped for more.   God says that will not happen because he persistently denied the revelations.  Instead of what he desires he will face arduous calamities.  Indeed God knew what he thought and deliberated about regarding how he could discredit Prophet Muhammad.  He plotted devilishly and ferociously.  He behaved arrogantly and turned his back on the truth saying this Quran is just sorcery from long ago and is merely the word of a man. Because of his behavior God will drive him into Hell, and He asks what will make you understand exactly what Hell is.  God explains.  It is a place that allows nothing to remain and leaves nothing unburned.  It shrivels human flesh, and there are nineteen angels guarding it.Verses 32 – 56 The disbeliever's foolish attitudeGod swears by the moon, the departing night, and the shining dawn that indeed the Hellfire is one of the mightiest scourges and a warning to humankind; and a warning to those who choose to go ahead or to lag behind.  Every soul will be responsible for what it has earned.  Those who receive their record in their right hand will be in the gardens of Paradise, and they will question the guilty.  "What brought you into Hell?" The guilty will answer, "We did not pray or feed the poor.  We wasted time in vain talk and denied the Day of Judgment until death overtook us." The guilty will have no intercessors that can help them in any way. God questions why the disbelievers would turn away from the reminder.  They flee from it like frightened donkeys running from a lion.  Each one of them expects a scripture to be sent down to them personally and unrolled before his very eyes! But no! The fact is that they do not fear the Hereafter.  This Quran is an admonition and a reminder, so whoever wishes to take heed must do so.  It is He alone Who should be feared, and it is He alone Who is able to forgive sins._______________________________________By Aisha Stacey (© 2019 IslamReligion.com)Copyright © 2006 - 2021 IslamReligion.com. All rights reserved.Used with permission.The source of this article is: www.IslamReligion.com

Title: Refresh 2021 Text: Various FCF: We need to be reminded about our goals at CBC Prop: Because this is Christ’s church, we must look to Him for direction and purpose. Sermon Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 2. I am very anxious to finish up I Timothy and I realize that that last two Sundays we haven’t had a real exegesis or expository dive into a text of scripture. But today I could not pass up the chance for us to refocus and refresh ourselves on the vision, mission, and purpose of Columbus Baptist Church. For some of you, you may have never heard us speak of this. Others may remember it from their membership class. Still others may be very familiar. But regardless of where you are – it is good for us to occasionally remind ourselves where we are going so we can assess how we are doing. And what better time to have such a conversation, than the first Sunday of the year. Everyone is making resolutions… why not remind ourselves who we are, why we are here, and what we are to be doing? In my first year here, and even before I officially became the pastor, the church leadership were discussing who CBC was. Just a bit of history. At the time two pastors had resigned. One a long-time pastor here and the other his associate. They were leading the church down a path that certainly was with good motives but was really not an appropriate focus of the church. So in the wake of all of that – the church leaders sat down and began wondering… why are we here? Who are we? What is important? What isn’t’? That conversation affected what kind of men they were looking for in a pastor. And after I became your pastor that conversation continued. Through the Spirit’s direction we were pressed to find answers to these questions. What is the vision of CBC? What is the mission of CBC? And what is the purpose of CBC? And in that first year, gathered around a conference table at the Holiday Inn Express in Port Huron, we sought the Lord. And the Lord showed up. Truly He had been showing us His answers even before that day in that conference room. But that day we put things down on paper. Through the next 4 years we continued to hone and refine these things, but for the most part, they are the same now as they were then. Transition: So let’s remind ourselves. I.) What is the Vision of CBC? a. [Slide 2] What is a vision? i. Vision answers the question, “What is the ultimate goal?” ii. Who are we? What is our identity? b. Is a Vision biblical? i. God spends much of the New Testament painting the vision for the church. ii. Paul in I Timothy described the church as the Pillar and Bedrock of the truth. iii. They are the bride of Christ. iv. They are a group of people devoted to Christ and His Kingdom. v. They are devoted to one another – being a community. vi. They are devoted to God – in that they are being made to be Christ-Like. vii. And they are to go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them and teaching them to obey all the things Christ has commanded. viii. In this way the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. They are armed with the gospel, the life-changing truth of grace, that can change men, one soul at a time. c. [Slide 3] What is CBC’s vision? What is our ultimate goal? “To be a devoted community of Christ-Like disciple makers. d. We see this on display in Acts 2:42-47 i. What do we see here? ii. We see a church devoted to doctrine, fellowship, communion and prayer. iii. They lived in awe and wonder as the Lord demonstrated His power among and through them. iv. They were devoted to love, unity, and support of one another. v. They were devoted to humility and gratitude. vi. And what did God do? He added to their numbers daily. vii. It is important to note that we do not see this necessarily as prescriptive, but rather, descriptive. 1. We would not say that unless we meet in houses daily, we are failing. 2. We would not say that we must pool our resources together and redistribute it to one another, or we are failing. 3. We would not say that we must be exactly like this 1st century church in the details. 4. But we would say that when it comes to faith and practice – we ought to be exactly like them. 5. Their devotions ought to be our devotions. a. Doctrine b. Fellowship c. Communion d. Prayer e. Worship f. Love g. Unity h. Financial Support i. Humility j. Gratitude 6. These are all devotions of God’s church. And each of them are listed as necessary components of His church throughout the New Testament. 7. Indeed, if a church lacks any one of these – it is failing the goal of the church. To be a devoted community of Christ-Like Disciple Makers. e. [Slide 4] How are we doing? i. If I can be so bold – I think that we are doing quite well in pursuing the vision of our church. ii. I believe that the devotions required of all of Christ’s church are devotions you would find here. iii. I don’t look at any of this list and find any glaring holes. Surely there are things we could improve – but nothing we are missing. iv. Our Fellowship took a hit this year – but of all of them, I think this one we see as extremely important coming out of 2020. v. Communion, and partaking of Christ together is central to some of the most recent things we’ve been learning and putting into practice. vi. Worship seems to be coming along nicely. I recently did a study on all the elements of worship listed in the bible. And we have all of them in almost every service we have together. vii. Love – There is no question we love one another. But not love like the world. Instead a love that teaches, edifies, rebukes, instructs, cares and comforts each other. This is the love we have for one another. viii. Unity – primarily in truth, but even in direction. We are all headed the same way. f. [Slide 5] How could we do better? i. Our Doctrine must always be refined. Indeed, from our “state of theology” quiz that we sent out earlier this year – it was clear that there are still some doctrines we wrestle with. ii. Prayer is a weak point I think. At least for me. I do not pray as I should. I hope and trust that you are lifting up your voice not just for physical needs or pains but for God’s Kingdom to come. iii. It is hard to imagine a church that doesn’t need to grow more humble. Certainly we should leave that on the “could do better” list. iv. Gratitude – My oh my we are often complainers are we not? Deepen our thanksgiving Lord! II.) What is the Mission of CBC? a. [Slide 6] What is a Mission? i. A Mission answers the question “How do we accomplish the vision?” ii. How do we reach our goal? What makes us who we are? b. Is having a Mission biblical? i. Missions typically change based on the current situation. ii. The church in Ephesus’ vision may have been the same as ours, but the mission of the 1st Century Ephesus church would be somewhat different than our mission today in 21st Century America. iii. The church in Acts 2 met in homes and at the synagogue daily and pooled their resources to take care of needs. But not all that is required of us. iv. So what about us, in our current place, time, and culture, how can we accomplish the vision to be a devoted community of Christ-Like Disciple Makers? c. [Slide 7] We have seen three aspects that differentiate us from other ministries in different situations. i. Expository Preaching – In some sense this is certainly not something that can be absent from any church. Unfortunately, it sets us apart from many other churches in our area and nation. We approach scriptures as God’s message to us – mostly to correct our view of the world to His view. It is His inspired Word that we must come to and be nourished by. It is not something to validate our own opinions. Instead, it is something that helps to form our worldview around God. ii. An Enduring Community – Even now we see the writing on the wall. 50-100 years ago, such a component for a mission in a church in America would not have been necessary. But for us, living in the time we do, it is only a matter of time before true persecution starts. Before the worship of Christ alone as King is torn down and we will be forced to choose between bowing to Christ or to some other false god. So part of our mission is to begin building our ministry to survive, even when it is illegal to worship. iii. Fathers and Family – as a related component of being an enduring community, we see it as absolutely essential that Fathers take their God-given role as Spiritual leaders of their home. Becoming pastors of their family. When this is true of every home – and when male leadership of every kind is strengthened – we will be able to withstand true persecution. As each family unit grows under the leadership of the fathers, grandfathers, or male leaders – so the body of Christ is strengthened. d. [Slide 8] How are we doing? i. Expositorily I believe my preaching is just that. Not saying that in a braggy way, but I think we do an ok job across the board in sifting and digging to find what God has said and what He has meant by what He has said. ii. Enduring Community – I believe this year we were pushed to see what a church truly is. That made it abundantly clear that the way we do church now – may not be tenable in the near future. We have been given all the more reason to push our ministry even further toward an enduring ministry. e. [Slide 9] How could we do better? i. My preaching could be better in regard to application. I think I don’t always go deep enough in applying the text to our current situation. If you feel the same, I strongly encourage you to attend Wednesday Night Bible Study. There we end up going deeper than the time on Sunday Allows. And I think we do a good job answering the tough questions of putting the rubber of the scripture down on the road of our lives. ii. There is still much to be done to further secure our church in the event of a sudden persecution. Some of this will come with converting to an Elder Led church. But overall we still have a ways to go before we are ready. iii. Finally, I think we could be doing a lot better encouraging fathers to be the pastors of their families. I confess, that I am not sure how to do that. I can teach father’s the scriptures, but without going home with you and showing you how to engage your children and spouses with spiritual leadership and direction, I am unsure how to do that. Perhaps Fathers, grandfathers, and male leaders in the family can meet the leadership and I halfway? III.) What is the Purpose of CBC? a. [Slide 10] What is Purpose? i. Purpose answers the question “Why must we complete our mission and vision?” ii. Why are we the way that we are? Why must we do the things we do? Why do we exist in this state? b. Is it biblical? i. Indeed God gives the purpose of all mankind, let alone His church. ii. Certainly the church would be part of that purpose. iii. So what is the purpose of all mankind? iv. To glorify God. Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. v. Isaiah 43:7 – Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. c. [Slide 11] We exist to glorify God. How? i. To know Him – in the devotions from our vision, in the passions of our mission, through His word, doctrine, fellowship, prayer, love, unity and all else. We strive to know Him and to be like Him. ii. To make Him known – We declare His fame among the nations. We make much of His Glorious decrees. He is the exalted one and we the inheritors of a gift we could never earn. iii. In praise and devotion, in worship and witness – we glorify God. d. [Slide 12] How are we doing? i. I do think we have a genuine thirst to know God and to be like Him in this church ii. More so than many churches I’ve seen, this church desires to be what God wants them to be, and to know God. e. [Slide 13] How can we do better? i. I do feel that we could be doing a better job making Him known. But when I look for evidence of that, I’m not sure exactly how to quantify it. ii. I just have to look at my life. What am I doing to make Christ and His Kingdom known among the nations? I know I could be doing better. I’d wager you could too. iii. Since I have been your pastor there really haven’t been any professions of faith and only 1 baptism. As I mentioned in the fire-side-chat last week – much of this we have no control over. Perhaps God has us as seed casters and waterers… maybe we are tree pruners and fruit cultivators? And maybe the increase, we will never see. iv. Still – My prayer is that God would allow us to be part of His work of regeneration in the hearts of people in this area, and even in this church. v. The Lord knows that we have many young people in the church who have not made professions of faith. Perhaps they are our primary ministry for now? vi. But please be praying with me that we are being ambassadors. Making His Kingdom known in the earth. Conclusion: [Slide 14(end)] Overall, I think we are doing ok as a church – but we also have plenty of room for growth and improvement. May God stretch us this year. May He give us grace to be more like His Son. May God allow us to see people come to Christ! May God allow us to be humble and bold witnesses in our world.

My guest today is Keith Alexander, Keith was born in Chicago , USA to two very loving parents. At the age of only 9 Keith's mother passed away. His father remarried however, Keith's step mother wasn't very nice to him. He moved around from one family member to another. This is when Keith's life would change for the worst and spiral out of control. As you listen to Keith's testimony of how God's hand was on his life during those dark days, you can gain hope knowing that there is no hole too deep that God cannot pull you from. Indeed God took Keith's mess and gave him a message that he is sharing in Canada. Keith has turned from a victim into a victor and praise God he is living for Jesus Christ today. If you or anyone you know is struggling with any type of addiction know that you can over come it with the help of Jesus Christ. Yes, treatment centers can support you but only Jesus can heal your wounded heart. Why don't you call upon his name ,He will hear you.

Indeed God's word does change things. It is written... Reading and speaking God's word is powerful and nourishing to our spirit and soul. Some call it like medicine, I prefer to say it's an extra Double dose of special spiritual vitamins, necessary for our growth, provisions and restoration.

Indeed God never disappoints! He is always faithful to His word. His promises never fail and whenever we are at our lowest points, if we can hold on to his words and believe without doubting, He would always come through for us.

The book of Jonah is often considered a story for children, yet it communicates to us some very important and challenging messages.  Jonah reminds us that God's care and concern extends far beyond our own lives and the lives of those like us. Indeed God cares even for those we might consider enemies. Like Jonah, we often find it difficult to accept this truth and let it shape the living of our lives.

St. Macarius the Great On the 25th day of the Coptic month of Baramhat we celebrate the life of St Macarius the Great.Macarius was born in the Egyptian city of Shabsheer-Menuf to good and righteous parents. His father's name was Abraham and his mother's name was Sarah and, like the Biblical references, they too had no son. In a vision at night Abraham saw the angel of the Lord and told him that God was about to give him a son, that his name will be known all over the earth, and he will have a multitude of spiritual sons. Shortly after, Macarius (which means "Blessed”) was born.He was obedient to his parents, and the grace of God was upon him from a young age. When he grew up his father forced him to get married against his will, so he pretended that he was sick for several days, avoiding his new wife. Then he asked his father if he might go to the wilderness to relax to help him recover from his illness faster. He went to the wilderness and prayed to the Lord Christ to direct him to do what is pleasing to the Lord. While he was in the wilderness he saw a vision. A Cherubim took his hands, ascended up to the top of a mountain, and showed him all the desert in all directions. The Cherub told him: "God has given this desert to you and your sons for an inheritance." When he returned from the wilderness he found that God had received his virgin wife. Shortly after, his parents also departed. Macarius gave all that he had inherited to the poor and needy. When the people of Shabsheer saw his chastity and purity, they took him to the bishop of Ashmoun who ordained him a priest for them. They built a place for him outside the city. They went to him to confess and to partake from the Holy Mysteries. They also appointed a servant to take care of his needs and to sell for him the work of his hands.When Satan saw Macarius grow in virtues, he brought on him a severe temptation. He inspired a girl that had defiled herself with a man to claim that Macarius was the defiler. Her family went to him, insulted and beat him severely, inflicting much pain. Macarius endured silently, saying to himself, "O Macarius now you have a wife and a child, and it is meet for you to work day and night for your own food and for that of your child and your wife." He worked continually at weaving mats and baskets, giving them to his servant to sell, then giving the money to the woman. When the day of her delivery drew near her labor was exceedingly difficult. She suffered for four days and did not deliver until she confessed her false accusation and named the man that defiled her.Her family wanted to beg for forgiveness, but Macarius, having heard of her confession, fled from them for fear of vanity.At that time he was 30 years old, and the angel of the Lord appeared to him and walked with him for two days until they came to Wadi El-Natroun and Macarius asked the angel: "Appoint for me O master a place to live in." The angel replied: "I have not marked out a place for you to live, lest you leave it in the future and transgress the commandment of God. Behold, all the wilderness is yours, so wheresoever you wish, live there."Macarius dwelt in the Inner Desert, in the place of the monastery of Sts. Maximus and Domadius which is known now by the monastery of El-Baramous. He went to visit St. Antonios, who said about Macarius, when he saw him, "This is an Israelite in whom there is no guile."St. Antonios put on him the Holy Eskeem, then Macarius returned to his place. When the number of monks increased around him he built a church for them. His fame was known all over the country and many kings and Emperors heard about the miracles that God performed through his hands. He healed the daughter of the king of Antioch that was possessed by an unclean spirit. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and took him to a place and told him to make this place his abode, for many people will come to him in that place. He built a cell for himself and a church.He thought one day that the world had no more righteous people, so a voice came to him from heaven saying: "In the city of Alexandria there are two women who fear God." He took his staff, his provisions, and went to Alexandria and asked around until he reached their house. When he entered, they welcomed him, washed his feet with warm water, and when he asked them about their life, one of them told him thus, "There is no kinship between us and when we married these two brothers we asked them to leave us to be nuns but they refused. So we committed ourselves to spend our life fasting and prayers till evening. Each of us had a son, when one of them cried, any one of us would carry and nurse him even if he was not her own son. We are in one living arrangement. The unity in opinion is our model, and our husbands work is shepherding sheep. We are poor and only have our daily bread and what is left over we give it to the poor and needy."When Macarius heard these words he cried saying: "Indeed God looks to the readiness of the heart and grants the grace of His Holy Spirit for all those who wish to worship him." He bade them farewell and left returning to the wilderness.On the day of his departure, he saw Sts. Antonios and Pachomius, with a company of saints, and he delivered up his soul. He was ninety-seven years old.Lessons from this storyWalking the thin road of salvation is very difficult. In Theophan the Recluse’s book “Unseen Warfare”, the writer warns of this danger. As you struggle to shake off the dirt of this world and begin to attain purity before the Lord, you begin to rise. Like a balloon rising ever more to the heavens. But take care, for at this state the slightest wind can change your course. A beautiful analogy on the struggles these saints go through.Here we have a humbled soul that even when falsely accused did not defend himself. Like Saint Marina the Ascetic, Saint Macarius took this charge against him without defense. Yet when the truth was revealed and someone was seeking forgiveness from this saint - he fled. But then later, he fell into judgement of the world, thinking there were no more righteous people in the world. And God showed him but one example of others who sacrifice themselves to God. Theophan the Recluse’s point is well taken, that if you aspire to achieve purity before the Lord, you can quickly fall victim to a single breeze of vanity.Consider this, the two women God directed the saint to visit are without names. They may never be listed in the Synxar or celebrated in a feast. But God knows them purposefully. As we read the life of one saint, know there are probably hundreds more that go unnoticed by us - but never by God the Father, Creator of all.PrayerThank you God for these lives lived in the Glory of Your name. Help us to learn from their examples that we too may achieve purity in Your eyes - whether noticed or unnoticed. For in truth, we must know that when we are known the devil is tempted to attack us. Give us strength to live in purity and chastity for an example to You alone. May the prayers and intercessions of Saint Macarius the Great be with us always, amen.

148 Disciple Up Hope Against Hope By Louie Marsh, 2-26-2020   Recent events have caused this phrase to echo through my mind quite often lately.   I hope against hope that a few meager words spoken on a Sunday morning will heal a marriage, mend a troubled mind or motivate someone to respond to the Word of God.   I hope against hope that an hour's counsel will help someone begin to overcome a life time of running and hiding from their inner monsters.   I hope against hope that this new class or that new program or this new book will finally cause the hearts of the people in my church to catch fire for Christ.   Hope against hope.   In a way I guess you could say this describes what we Ministers do for a living. We are called and paid to hope against hope – and to never stop doing so!   After hearing this echoing around in my mind, I checked and found out some interesting info on what this means and where it comes from on Dictionary.com.   hope against hope   Hope or wish for with little reason or justification, as in I'm hoping against hope that someone will return my wallet. This expression, based on the biblical "Who against hope believed in hope" (Romans 4:18), was first recorded in 1813.   Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.   Here's verse in the NIV - Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Romans 4:18 (NIV)   The story of Abraham and Sarah is one of the great examples of faith in the Bible, and is often presented that way as it should be. But I want to point out to you that It's also a prime example of hope as well.   Hope against hope – hope that God will work in spite of most of the evidence pointing to the contrary. Hope that with God's help tomorrow can be better, a marriage can grow and heal and thrive. Hope that a child can learn and turn from sin back to God.   Hope, hope, hope – and hope is almost always pitted against itself. We hope against hope. God calls us to, in the words of the late, great Mark Heard, “withstand the winds of time,” and the winds of culture, opinion and the devil as well!   And of course we have to hope against the evidence of our eyes as well. Just because things look hopeless doesn't mean they are! Indeed God “…is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) I love how Peterson paraphrased this verse in the Message. Read it, and then read it again, letting it sink into your heart.   20  God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:20 (MSG)   When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!" Romans 4:18 (MSG)   That's hope against hope all right!   It's deciding not to live on the basis of what I quite correctly know I can't do – and instead live life based on what God has said He will do!   Wow – what a liberating thought!   Or as we call it in Celebrate Recovery – Principles One & Two   Principle One: Realize I'm not God. I admit I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.   Principle Two: Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.   So, go ahead, hope against hope today!   May I live today on the basis of what God has said He'll do – not on the basis of my helplessness!   During his time in a Nazi prison, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote to his friend Eberhard Bethge that he was neither a pessimist (expecting things to get worse) nor an optimist (expecting things to get better). He said that he was living by hope. Hope! One of three foundational forces—faith, hope, and love—that St. Paul said "remains" when everything else goes belly-up.   I find Bonhoeffer's allusion to hope as an alternative to optimism or pessimism to be insightful and inspirational. He has identified a biblical idea that I think sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.     SESSION ONE: Know the Power of Hope.   3 Graces to  MOTIVATE ME.   1) FAITH We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith… 1 Thes. 1:3a Work = a job or task Faith BRINGS US INTO SALVATION. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--- Eph. 2:8a   Faith LOOKS BACK. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20   Faith always PRODUCES ACTION. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:26   2) LOVE … your labor prompted by love… I Thess. 1:3b   labor = to cut, beat and used of working bread dough   Love is my response TO GOD'S LOVE FOR ME! We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19   Love LOOKS AT THE NOW.   If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 1 John 3:17   Love keeps me going THROUGH THE TOUGH TASKS.   Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18   3) HOPE   and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thes. 1:3c   Hope keeps me from GIVING UP.   For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4   Hope LOOKS AHEAD.   For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:24-25   Hope is JUST AS IMPORTANT as faith & Love.   And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Galatians 5:5-6 (NIV) because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel  Colossians 1:4-5 (NIV) let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:22-24 (NIV) But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NIV) How To REMAIN HOPEFUL.   Renew your relationship with God daily   my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar. Psalm 42:6 (NIV) Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you so restless? Put your hope in God, because I will still praise him. He is my savior and my God. Psalm 42:5 (GW) We encourage you, brothers and sisters, to instruct those who are not living right, cheer up those who are discouraged, help the weak, and be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (GW) David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. 1 Chronicles 28:20 (NIV) Maintain Fellowship with Believers But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 2 Corinthians 7:6 (NIV) for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:19-21 (NIV)  

God still intervenes in situations, work miracles, and gives special favor. If you have ever felt passed over or unsure of His plan for your life, this word will encourage you to know without a doubt that the extraordinary things You have heard about and seen God do in the lives of others, indeed, He will do it for you! Visit Dianna's ministry at EmpoweringEverydayWomen.org.

In today's podcast we will look into the reality of acquiring Sabr. Being creations of two dimensions – physical and spiritual – we are constantly concerned with our physical health, but do we pay the same concern to our spiritual well-being? Living in an era of instant gratification, how should we understand the sacred trait of sabr ­– patience and fortitude, how can we use this trait in our daily lives and what are the benefits of maintaining a life of fortitude? Learn more about our podcast series here: https://www.world-federation.org/news/become-husayni-1441

Rev. Matt Miller (Genesis 37:1-11) Bible students often think of Joseph as one of the hero’s of Scripture. Indeed God used him in a powerful way to preserve and protect God’s people and many others. But when he was young he wasn’t the greatest of brothers. In this message, we are introduced to Joseph’s story and we begin to see how God uses suffering and difficulty in his life (and ours) to bring about transformation. We are also given hope as God reveals that he is sovereign not only over our relationship but over all of creation. 

May 18 & 19, 2019 - All throughout the Bible, from cover to cover, God tell us to remember Who He is and what He is has done for us. Indeed God also tells us that He will never forget His promises to us. And yet, throughout the Bible and to this day, we do forget God’s promises, Who God is and all He has already done for us. This forgetting is a great source of our sorrow, discontentment and brokenness. This week we learn not only why we forget, but more importantly, how we can always remember.

Michael Easley teaches from 2 Peter 1:19-21.

God's Word is Reliable, Practical, and, indeed, from God. Michael teaches from 2 Peter 1:19-21.

Amazing prayer and communion time as we crowned our season of 21 days fasting and prayer. Indeed God has been so good to us. Don't just listen, participate and be blessed!

Indeed God has called us to share His gospel, but are we able to do it consistently with a willing heart? On the flip side, it is in times of inability to preach willingly, that our experiences amplify God's power and grace more.

Indeed God has called us to share His gospel, but are we able to do it consistently with a willing heart? On the flip side, it is in times of inability to preach willingly, that our experiences amplify God's power and grace more.

Indeed God has called us to share His gospel, but are we able to do it consistently with a willing heart? On the flip side, it is in times of inability to preach willingly, that our experiences amplify God's power and grace more.

Indeed God has called us to share His gospel, but are we able to do it consistently with a willing heart? On the flip side, it is in times of inability to preach willingly, that our experiences amplify God's power and grace more.

Indeed God has called us to share His gospel, but are we able to do it consistently with a willing heart? On the flip side, it is in times of inability to preach willingly, that our experiences amplify God's power and grace more.

Indeed God has called us to share His gospel, but are we able to do it consistently with a willing heart? On the flip side, it is in times of inability to preach willingly, that our experiences amplify God's power and grace more.