Podcasts about Jerusalem church

Delivered by Randy from the Parish of Kristus Raja Andalas in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Corinthians 15: 1-8; Rs psalm 19: 2-3.4-5; John 14: 6-14.TOCOMPLEMENT EACH OTHER Thetitle of our meditation today is: To Complement Each Other. There was a couplewho have just married making a confession of one to another. The husbandacknowledged that his personal strength was a strong conviction he could relyon. Whatever decision he took, he would keep it and not change. However, he hada specific weakness namely his anger and aggressive reaction that he could notcontrol. Forher part, the wife admitted that she always got confused. For example, whendeciding to cook certain types of food for the family, she needed time to askquestions and discuss things. She felt difficult to decide for herself. However,she had a good quality which was a virtue naturally fits to a woman namelyfaithfulness. She was so convinced that her love for her husband was total andsincere. Then they both made a promise to understand and accept who they reallywere and what actually they had. And they assumed together a commitment theymust constantly respect and esteem that they must complement each other. Aharmonious, balance and peaceful life should be founded on the complementarityof individuals and different element of things. The nature of man as a socialbeing determines this basic need, among others, through the divine providencethat already made first man and woman to live and follow this complementarity natureas human beings. In the early Church the two figures of the apostles whosefeast-day we celebrate today also provide us a very clear picture of thedifferences between them. Theapostle James was known as a person who was strong in his conviction and faithfulin his commitment to follow Jesus the Messiah. He proved to be the leader ofthe Jerusalem Church during the time of the early Church. His stance was firmand profound, so he and Saint Peter were the pillars of the Church from thebeginning. Whereas the apostle Philip, as told by the Gospel of today, was aperson who, despite all his time following Christ, was still struggling withhis confusion. He may be considered as part of the slow learners, indifferent,or perhaps belong to the people who naturally are confused. TheLord Jesus indeed calls each one of us with all our shortcomings to form andbuild the Church and His Kingdom. It doesn't matter if we are different but weare happy, willing and determined to live together. We do not hate or evenbeing hostile to differences in each person. Every weakness and negativeelement of each person will be completed by another person's qualities. Godpleases to bless and complete everything, because He had proven in using theapostles James and Philip to build His Church. You and I also can do the same,and because of that God calls us.Let's pray. In thename of the Father ... O Jesus Christ, strengthen us with all the differencesbetween us, so that we become good instruments to strengthen our unity amongbrothers and sisters. Hail Mary full of grace ... In the nameof the Father ...

The Royal Family of Jesus and the Throne of the Jerusalem Church.

The twelve disciples of Jesus each played unique and significant roles in the early Christian movement. Peter, known as the "Rock," was a foundational leader who denied Jesus three times but later became a key figure in the Church. His brother Andrew, one of the first disciples, was notable for bringing others to Jesus and is believed to have been martyred on an X-shaped cross. James (the Greater) was part of Jesus's inner circle and the first apostle to be martyred. John, the "beloved disciple," authored the Gospel of John and lived to an old age. Philip exhibited practical faith and evangelized in Samaria, while Bartholomew (Nathanael) recognized Jesus's divinity and is thought to have preached in India. Matthew, the tax collector, wrote the Gospel bearing his name and is seen as a patron of outcasts, whereas Thomas, known for his doubt, bravely spread the Gospel in India. James (the Less) took on a leadership role in the Jerusalem Church, and Thaddeus (Judas, son of James) asked meaningful questions during the Last Supper, later becoming an evangelist. Simon the Zealot represented the diverse backgrounds of the disciples, and Judas Iscariot is infamously remembered for betraying Jesus, ultimately leading to his tragic end. Each disciple contributed to the spread of Christianity, embodying a range of experiences and teachings that helped shape the faith.

https://pastorsteverhodes.com/2025/01/26/the-jerusalem-church-is-persecuted-acts-121-5/

Enjoying the Show? Drop us line!↓ Support our Podcast! ↓You remember it like it happened yesterday: the whirlwind ministry of your half-brother, Jesus. His crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Then the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, and you witnessed the birth and growth of the fledgling church. That wasn't very long ago. Your journey has been no less incredible; from doubter to believer, you were called to lead the Jerusalem Church.Then the persecution came. Your church family was arrested, imprisoned, killed, or driven out of their homes. How can you encourage them? What can you say to them? How can you keep them focused on living for their Lord and Savior?It is impossible to know every thought that coursed through the mind of James as he penned his letter to his brothers and sisters in the Christian faith undergoing persecution and hardship. However, his incredible letter to the church has given encouragement and guidance to hundreds of millions of Christians throughout the years.Through this Holy Spirit-inspired letter, we catch a glimpse of James' heart for persecuted believers. The letter has also given believers a roadmap to righteous living for the past 20 centuries. The words of James are brief, strong, and sometimes downright sharp, but the love driving this incredible pastor is plainly evident through his deep concern for the eternal state of his audience.For the next few months, we are going to take a journey through this amazing letter. We invite you to join us and be blessed by the words of this incredible pastor of the early church, a man who was brutally martyred for his faith in Jesus: none other than the Lord's half-brother, James.Support the showVisit our Merch Store to support the show!

Today's Scripture passages are Ezekiel 25:12-17 | Ezekiel 27 | Ezekiel 29:1-16 | Acts 11 - Acts 12:5.Read by Ekemini Uwan.Get in The Word with Truth's Table is a production of InterVarsity Press. For 75 years, IVP has published and created thoughtful Christian books for the university, church, and the world. Our Bible reading plan is adapted from Bible Study Together, and the Bible version is the New English Translation, used by permission.SPECIAL OFFER | As a listener of this podcast, use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode at ivpress.com.Additional Credits:Song production: Seaux ChillSong lyrics written by: Seaux Chill, Ekemini Uwan, and Christina EdmondsonPodcast art: Kate LillardPhotography: Shelly EveBible consultant: JM SmithSound engineering: Podastery StudiosCreative producers: Ekemini Uwan and Christina EdmondsonAssistant producer: Christine Pelliccio MeloExecutive producer: Helen LeeDisclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

It's GIVING WEEK at the Bible Brief! Give today at biblelit.org.A critical question envelops the Jerusalem Church as controversy swirls regarding Gentiles, circumcision, and the Law of Moses. Peter speak, Paul and Barnabas support, and James renders a judgment.Read along with the story. Today we're reading Acts 14-15, Galatians 2, Galatians 5.Thank you to our generous patrons who makes this show possible. The Bible Brief is listener-supported and brought to you by the Bible Literacy Foundation, dedicated to helping people like you learn the Bible. Looking for more? Check out our website at biblelit.org.Support the showSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the PRISM Bible App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWebsite: biblelit.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgThis episode primarily uses the ESV Bible translation, but may also use CSB, NASB, and NKJV.Search Tags: bible, beginner, bible verse, god, verse of the day, prayer, jesus, bible study, scripture, learn, bible introduction, introduction, intro to the bible, introduction to the bible, beginner bible, bible overview, how to read the bible, what is the bible about, bible story, bible stories, what is the bible, bible study, walkthrough, bible walk...

Featuring Paul and his mission team reporting to the Jerusalem Church in Acts 21:17-20. Don't forget to check out our website! https://treasurehuntpodcast.wixsite.com/realtreasure

Pr. Matthew Harrison, President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod The Collection: Mercy in Action LCMS Mercy The post 2183. The Apostle Paul's Collection for the Jerusalem Church – Pr. Matt Harrison, 8/5/24 first appeared on Issues, Etc..

A Sermon for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity St. Luke 16:1-9 by William Klock The Pharisees and the legal experts were grumbling.  They'd come to meet with Jesus, but as Luke tells us, the tax-collectors and the sinners were coming close to Jesus and listening to him.  The Pharisees didn't associate with people like that and neither should Jesus, if he really was the Messiah.  You can practically hear their teeth grinding as that one Pharisee spits out with disdain and disgust, “This fellow welcomes sinners!  He even eats with them!”  If the kingdom of God was ever going to come, it certainly wasn't going to come that way! But Jesus, oh so patiently, sat down in response and told them a series of three stories.  We know them well.  He started with a story about a shepherd hunting high and low for a lost sheep.  And then he told a second story about a poor old widow hunting high and low for a precious lost coin.  And he told—you could see the joy on his face as he said it—he told how the shepherd rejoiced when he found his lost sheep and how the widow rejoiced when she found her lost coin.  And he looked at the Pharisees with that look that only Jesus could give and asked, “Wouldn't you rejoice, too, if that were you?  The heavenly court rejoices like that when a sinner repents?  Why can't you?”  And then the third story, the one about the presumptuous ne'er-do-well son who demanded an early inheritance from his father, then went off to live like a reprobate in a foreign, pagan land and only wised up when he squandered his last penny.  The lost son went home to his father, who rejoiced, just like the shepherd and the widow.  What was lost had been found.  But the boy's older brother refused to join in the celebration.  He got angry and raged at his father: “This son of yours squandered your livelihood with his whores, and now you've killed the fattened calf for him!”  Like the Pharisees, he sat out in the darkness grumbling over repentant sinners.  They were the longsuffering faithful ones.  When the Messiah comes, he was supposed to throw a party for them! That third story, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, is supposed to be our Gospel today, but it wasn't always.  Back in the late 1920s the men who revised the Prayer Book—in the US and in Scotland—they changed it.  Before that—and still in Prayer Books in other countries—the Gospel for today is the bit of Luke that comes next, right after the story of the prodigal son.  It was that way for well over a thousand years.  In part they changed the Gospel for today because of the rise of theological liberalism.  They had a watered down doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible and they came to think that some parts of the Bible weren't appropriate for public reading in the church.  But, I think, their main reason is that the traditional Gospel for today is really, really difficult.  Not necessarily difficult in the sense of being especially demanding on those of us who hear it (although it may be), but just plain difficult to understand.  What did Jesus mean?  It's not easy to say.  And so, when the Prayer Book was being revised, the folks in charge of the lectionary took the opportunity to take out a hard passage and to slip in an easy and familiar one.  And I've always preached on that easy and familiar story of the prodigal son, but today—maybe despite my better judgement—I'd like to look at that other Gospel, the one Christians were reading on this day going back maybe as far as fifteen-hundred years. Like I said, Jesus was telling those stories to the grumbling Pharisees in the fifteenth chapter of Luke, but then we turn the page to the sixteenth chapter and Luke said that “Jesus also said to his disciples…”  As Luke tells the story, there's no break.  Maybe we can grant that the Pharisees, offended by Jesus' parables, are walking away and it's now just the disciples.  There's a connection, somehow, between these two scenes.  Jesus was talking to the Pharisees and now he turns to his disciples and he also says: Once there was a rich man [a tycoon] who had a steward, and charges were laid against him that he was squandering his property.  So he called him in and said to him, “What's all this I hear bout you?  Present an account of your stewardship, because you cannot be my manager any longer.” He's fired—and for cause. So he [the now former manager] said to himself, “What am I going to do?  My master is taking my stewardship from me!  I can't do manual labour and I'm ashamed to beg… Ha!  I know what I'll do—so that people will welcome me into their houses after I'm fired from being steward.” So he called his master's debtors to him, one by one.  “How much,” he asked the first, “do you owe my master?” “A hundred measure of olive oil,” he replied “Take your bill,” he said, “sit down quickly, and make it fifty.” “To another he said, “And how much do you owe?” “A hundred measure of wheat,” he replied “Take your bill,” he said, “and make it eighty.” And the master praised the dishonest steward because he had acted wisely.  The children of this world, you see, are wiser than the children of light when it comes to dealing with their own generation. So I tell you this: use unrighteous wealth to make friends for yourselves.  Then when it gives out, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.   So what's going on and what's Jesus getting at.  The first part of that isn't has hard as the second.  This man had a very desirable job.  Some men were known to sell themselves into slavery to be this kind of manger for a rich estate.  Think of Joseph in Egypt managing all of Potiphar's affairs.  It was prestigious and the pay was very good, but it also obviously required a high level of trust.  The manager managed while the rich man was off in the world enjoying his profits.  But in this case something went wrong.  When Jesus talks about this man squandering the business, he uses the same word he used to describe the prodigal son squandering his inheritance.  While the cats away, the mouse gets to playing and suddenly the cheques going out to the rich man are getting smaller.  So the rich man comes home to fire his manager and to find someone who will keep the profits rolling in consistently. But since they didn't keep records the way we do, the rich man demands his manager—as his last duty—provide him with an accounting of the business that he can give to whomever he hires as his new manager.  But when the manager leaves the meeting, he's not thinking about his accounting.  He's desperately thinking how he can maintain the good life he's become accustomed to.  He's not going to go out and dig ditches and he's too proud to beg.  But then that account.  He gets a brilliant idea. He starts calling in the rich man's debtors.  In each of them comes with the receipt for his loan.  The first man owes a hundred measures of oil.  The second one owes a hundred measures of wheat.  These are not small sums.  This is sort of the First Century equivalent of a military contract for feeding the army.  And he says to the first man, “Cross out one hundred and make it fifty.  To the second he says, “Cross out one hundred and make it eighty.”  You can imagine how happy the debtors were when they left those meetings.  They had a new best friend, which was exactly what the manager was going for. But what's he doing?  Because to us, at face value, it looks like he's taking advantage of his master not knowing the business and now he's ripping him off to ingratiate himself with these other men.  He was dishonest in his earlier management, but for what he does here, he gets praise from both the rich man and Jesus—and that doesn't make sense if he's just compounding his dishonestly and driving the business further into a hole.  This is why preachers avoid this parable and Prayer Book revisers drop it from the lectionary. If, however, we dig up the cultural and historical background to a text like this, it clears a lot up.[1]  When we do that we find that even though the torah forbade charging interest, it was still a common practise.  They had ways to keep it off the books.  Maybe the manager would call it his “commission” or they'd pad the receipt. You couldn't loan someone 10 denarii and write them a receipt for 10 denarii that also demanded an additional denarii each month or a penalty for late payment.  That was against the law.  But what you could do is loan someone 10 denarii and write them a receipt for 20.  They only borrowed ten.  You knew and they knew that the other 10 denarii were interest, but since the receipt simply indicated a debt of 20 denarii there was nothing anyone could do about it. So we figure out that on top of squandering the rich man's profits, the manager has also been charging interest or a “commission”.  That's what he writing off when he tells these men to write down their receipts.  Over and over he does this with each of his master's debtors.  Imagine how happy they are to have their debts cut so dramatically. When he left the meeting with his master he was out of work and knew that no one would hire him.  Word would get around about his dishonesty.  But now he's countered that.  He isn't really being honest—he's still motivated by self-preservation—but others might think that he's turned over a new leaf and that he's going to start doing business honestly.  Ultimately his goal is to ingratiate himself into their hospitality.  In verse 4 he thinks to himself that if he does this, these people will “receive” him into their houses.  In Greek he uses this same word when he tells each of his master's debtors to “take”—literally to “receive”—their bills.  He's expecting some quid pro quo, some tit for tat.  As they receive their reduced bills, with any luck he'll receive their gratitude and hospitality. And, as we read, in verse 8, the rich man, when he hears about all this, he commends him. The master praised the dishonest steward because he had acted wisely.   To be clear, Jesus isn't calling him the “dishonest steward” because he wrote off the interest.  That—even if the motive was selfish—that was actually an honest thing to do.  He was dishonest in his management—and, knowing how such people are, he's probably still dishonest—but the point now is that he has acted wisely to preserve himself in a difficult situation. That's the parable itself.  Knowing the background behind first century management and lending practises helps us sort out the difficulties of the story.  But understanding what the manager was up to is only half the reason this parable is so difficult.  We still have to ask what Jesus' point was in telling it. Jesus says to his disciples: The master praised the dishonest steward because he had acted wisely.  The children of this world, you see, are wiser than the children of light when it comes to dealing with their own generation. So I tell you this: use unrighteous wealth to make friends for yourselves.  Then when it gives out, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.   I can't help but think that even though Luke presents this as a parable, that it was probably a real story and that Jesus opened it saying something like, “You remember that guy—the guy who managed that huge estate over in Capernaum—the guy who got fired when he lost a whole year's profit in a shady business scheme and then got fired—remember that guy?”  Just maybe the rich man in the story was one of those grumbling Pharisees.  I say that, because Jesus' point is that people really do these kinds of things to save themselves from trouble.  They lie and they cheat and then when they get caught and trouble comes, like the dishonest manager, they scramble to fix things to stave off disaster.  And Jesus compares these shrewd or prudent “sons of this world” with the “sons of light”.  This is where the story becomes difficult again.  Who are the “sons of light”?  I've read some pretty good commentary that argues that the sons of light are Jesus' followers.  Jesus has been preaching that judgement is coming and here he's saying that they'd better use their worldly goods to find some way to escape it or find a way through it.  The problem is that if the sons of light are Jesus' disciples too many parts of the story don't add up.  It's a good idea, but it comes from a common way of approaching the gospels that ignores the real historical setting in which Jesus was living and preaching and, instead, spiritualises or tries to universalise his message as if he could be preaching to anyone anywhere. But Jesus didn't come to just anyone and he didn't come at some random time or some random place.  Jesus came at a strategic point in history and, more specifically, he came as the culmination and fulfilment of Israel's story.  Israel's mission was to carry the Lord's blessing to the nations, but she failed.  And so Jesus came, not just as the Messiah—not just as the long-expected king in the line of David.  He also came as Daniel's “Son of Man”—he came as Israel's representative.  He took up her mission and where she had failed, he succeeded.  Where the Lord's letter of redemption and restoration of creation had stalled out in Israel's post office, Jesus delivered it to the entire world. So at the core of Jesus' ministry was the proclamation that in him the kingdom had arrived and that in him God is now king.  And for these three years he spent proclaiming that message and travelling throughout Galilee and Judea, what he was really doing was calling Israel—the children of light—to follow him.  He was picking up where she had failed, but she could still take part in his mission if she would only cast aside her wrong ideas about God and his plan and follow Jesus as he manifested his lordship to the world, by seeking out the lost and by conquering sin and death as he died on the cross and rose from the grave. Jesus is preaching to Israel here.  He's giving commentary on her history and calling her to repentance.  And that means that the rich man in the story is the Lord.  He is rich.  He created the cosmos and he created humanity so that he could share his riches of love and grace with us.  And when we rebelled and rejected him, he called Abraham to carry his message of grace to the nations.  Abraham and then Israel, the nation descended from him, were called to be the Lord's managers in this world.  But just as the manager in the parable squandered his master's riches, Israel squandered the Lord's riches of grace.  And now judgement is coming.  The manager in the story saw judgement coming and had the sense to act decisively and to do something even though it meant giving up his riches.  But in contrast, as Israel faced the Lord's judgement for squandering his riches, most of the people were going about their lives as if they had nothing to worry about.  The Sadducees were firm in their denial of any need to change the status quo.  Of all the people in Israel, the Pharisees knew that something had to change and that the people had to turn to God.  But the solution of the Pharisees was to turn the light they had been given into darkness.  Instead of using the law God had given Israel as a means of carrying light into the darkness, the Pharisees kept the light to themselves and condemned everyone left in the dark.  Instead of seeking out the lost, they condemned them.  The law wasn't enough; they had to add to it, making it burdensome, not unlike the dishonest manager who had padded his debtor's bills with heavy interest loads. So in the parable, Jesus is warning Israel.  It's not just that judgement is coming, but to escape judgment, God's people had to act and they had to act now.  They had to repent and they had to repent now.  And that meant letting go and potentially giving up all the things they held dear.  We've seen Jesus pointing this direction throughout his ministry.  A new age and a new kingdom were coming in which blood ties with Abraham wouldn't matter anymore—what will matter is allegiance to Jesus the King.  He is Israel himself and true Israelites, true sons and daughters of Abraham, will be those who find their identity in him.  They also had to let go of the land, because this new kingdom isn't about a place—again, it's about Jesus himself.  And they had to let go of the temple.  In this new kingdom the Lord's presence is no longer found in temples of stone, but in hearts of flesh—in the hearts of those who are in Jesus and filled with the Spirit. Jesus says, “Use unrighteous wealth to make friends for yourselves.  Then when it gives out, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.”  These aren't easy words to translate and it's hard to say exactly what Jesus meant, but it seems that like the manager in the story, they—and we—need to be ready to give up the things of the kingdom that is passing away in order to be welcomed into the kingdom that is being inaugurated by Jesus.  This was Jesus' word of warning to his disciples, to the Pharisees, and to the people of Israel. And again, we need to remember the real history that surrounds and weaves its way through the New Testament.  Jesus wasn't warning the Jews of some far off spiritual day of reckoning; he was warning of imminent destruction coming in a very tangible and earthly way—before this generation passes away, he said.  Interestingly enough, the Jerusalem Church escaped when the judgement Jesus warned about came to Jerusalem.  Josephus in his Jewish War and Eusebius in his History of the Church both tell us that the Christians received a divine warning and fled to Pella, in what it now Jordan.  They took the decisive action Jesus talks about in the parable, they left everything behind, and they were spared when the Romans destroyed the city and the temple. Brothers and sisters, the fulfilment of Jesus' promise of judgement in the First Century serves as a warning to us that his promise of final judgement will also be fulfilled.  And so we now need to ask if we've been good and honest stewards of God's grace.  Have we been good and honest stewards of the Good News?  Have we lived it?  Have we proclaimed it?  Or have we kept it to ourselves?  Have we become self-righteous and used our kingdom status to condemn the lost rather than to seek them out?  Have we added heavy burdens to the Good News?  The heart of the Good News is that Jesus is Lord, but like the dishonest manager, are we trying to get our cut too—lining our pockets or feeding our spiritual pride?  Or are we preaching the unfettered Good News that Jesus is Lord and that at the cross and at the grave he conquered sin and death. And to what do we hold too closely?  Is our priority in life the wealth that Jesus talks about in the story?  Whether rich or poor, we have a powerful tendency to hold on to money and possessions for security.  But brothers and sisters, money and possessions are part of the kingdom that is passing away.  Even the dishonest manager understood that.  All his profit would do him no good when judgement came, and so he let it go that he might find a way to survive in what was for him a new age.  The same goes for us.  Are we clinging to the things of this fading kingdom—to things that will not last or that will be of no value in the kingdom of God—or are we using them as tools to further God's kingdom and God's plans and to ensure that we have a place in his kingdom? Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, we pray, the spirit always to think and do those things that are right; that we who cannot do anything good without you, may in your strength live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen. [1] See J. Duncan M. Derrett, “Fresh Light on St Luke xvi.1. The Parable of the Unjust Steward,” in New Testament Studies 7 (1960-61), pp. 198-219 and Joseph A. Fitzmyer, “The Story of the Dishonest Manager (Lk 16:1-13),” in Theological Studies 25 (1964), pp. 23-42.

Sermon Direct Link 3/3/24 Rev. Clint Smith Personal Plans – Gods Plan (1 Corinthians 16:1-24) Paul exhorted the Corinthian Church to invest in the struggling Jerusalem Church so that unity may abound and the Lord's ... Read More The post Personal Plans – Gods Plan (1 Corinthians 16:1-24) appeared first on Town Creek Baptist Church.

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. — Galatians 2:11 CALL OUT: Call out today to Joey Johnson from Woodbury, MN, who is leading a group using our easy-to-use resource 30 Men Who Lived With Conviction. Antioch is an essential city during Paul's time. Today, this is Antakiya, located in Turkey. However, during the Roman Empire, Antioch was the third largest city in the empire, with about half a million people. It was the capital city of Syria and was known as the "Rome of the East,” furnished with theaters, aqueducts, public baths, a great basilica, and a famous colonnaded main street adorned with marble pavement and vaulted stone roofs. Antioch was also ground zero for Paul and his apostolic ministry to the Gentiles. It played a crucial role in Paul's ministry for several reasons. First, it served as a base for his missionary journeys, launching him into diverse regions with the gospel message. Second, its cosmopolitan nature made it an ideal location for financially supporting the advancement of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles. Third, the Antioch church's early acceptance of Gentile believers affirmed Paul's mission as the apostle to the Gentiles. Fourth, the church is also willing to wrestle with theological issues, leading to the Jerusalem Council's decision affirming salvation by grace through faith. Fifth, Paul's collaborative efforts with Antioch's leaders, such as Barnabas and Silas, strengthened his ministry and provided mutual support. Overall, the Antioch church served as a pivotal "northern hub" for the Gospel to the Roman Empire. Knowing this context, Peter visits Antioch, and we will explore the confrontation here in the coming verses. For now, I would like you to take note of the moment here. Peter, the man identified as a "pillar" of the Jerusalem Church, meets with Paul, the Antioch Church's pillar. The setup here sounds like a weigh-in between two prize fighters coming face-to-face with each other. But remember, these two men don't hate each other; they are brothers challenging one another for the purpose and preservation of the Gospel. When believers love one another, love the Gospel truth, and love Jesus, they know how to do this. They know how to get in each other's faces. They know when to do it, how to do it, and why they do it. Paul does it here because he knows that if it is left unaddressed, it will harm the Gospel. Clearly, it did because Paul had to deal with the issue again by writing this letter. Which leads us to a critical application. If you know a believer doing something wrong and needs to be corrected, why aren't you doing or saying something about it? If you don't, the issue could get so out of hand that it might become irreconcilable. #GospelPreservation #BrotherlyConfrontation #ChurchLeadership #AccountabilityMatters #PaulandPeter ASK THIS: Reflect on a time when you witnessed a fellow believer engaging in behavior contrary to the Gospel. Did you address it, and if not, what held you back? How can you approach similar situations differently in the future? Consider the importance of accountability in your Christian community. How can you cultivate an environment where loving confrontation is embraced for the sake of preserving the truth of the Gospel? DO THIS: Who do you need to confront? PRAY THIS: Lord, grant me the courage and wisdom to lovingly confront my brothers and sisters in Christ when their actions stray from Your truth, knowing that by doing so, we can uphold the integrity of the Gospel and strengthen our bonds as a community. Help me to always prioritize the preservation of Your Word above personal comfort or convenience. Amen. PLAY THIS: God Help Me.

The grace-filled description of the Jerusalem Church in Acts 4:32-37 contains a compelling picture of how the gospel recalibrates the very heart and soul of a local church. The picture we witness is one of authentic Christianity that moves us from living with self and our own agenda at the center, to a new way of living with Christ and his kingdom at the center. While this passage may seem foreign to us in some ways, it is certainly meant to feel like home in others. We will observe our passage under two headings that serve as windows through which we study this church marked with “Great Grace:” 1. Gospel Unity and 2. Gospel Generosity.

We were never meant to live the Christian life on our own. Do you have someone you can go to for spiritual wisdom and counsel? Show Notes: ⁠Episode 302 Subscribe: ⁠My Daily Briefing⁠

Message preached at Grace Family Church, Caymanas Estate, Jamaica, by Joel Bain on January 14, 2024. "The gospel is for everyone and we must embrace everyone to whom God grants repentance."

Paul sets his sights on Jerusalem for a Pentecost visit. But dark clouds gather as persecution heats up in the city of the King. Persecution that culminated in a conspiracy for Paul's murder.Read along with the story. Today we're reading Acts 21-23.Thank you to our generous patrons who makes this show possible. The Bible Brief is listener-supported and brought to you by the Bible Literacy Foundation, dedicated to helping people like you learn the Bible. Looking for more? Check out our website at biblelit.org.Support the showSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Learning Emails: Tap tap tap!Listener Survey: Survey LinkWebsite: biblelit.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgThis episode primarily uses the ESV Bible translation, but may also use CSB, NASB, and NKJV.Search Tags: bible, beginner, bible verse, god, verse of the day, prayer, jesus, bible study, scripture, learn, bible introduction, introduction, intro to the bible, introduction to the bible, beginner bible, bible overview, how to read the bible, what is the bible about, bible story, bible stories, what is the bible, bible study, walkthrough, bible walkthrough, wal...

A critical question envelops the Jerusalem Church as controversy swirls regarding Gentiles, circumcision, and the Law of Moses. Peter speak, Paul and Barnabas support, and James renders a judgment.Read along with the story. Today we're reading Acts 14-15, Galatians 2, Galatians 5.Thank you to our generous patrons who makes this show possible. The Bible Brief is listener-supported and brought to you by the Bible Literacy Foundation, dedicated to helping people like you learn the Bible. Looking for more? Check out our website at biblelit.org.Support the showSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Learning Emails: Tap tap tap!Listener Survey: Survey LinkWebsite: biblelit.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgThis episode primarily uses the ESV Bible translation, but may also use CSB, NASB, and NKJV.Search Tags: bible, beginner, bible verse, god, verse of the day, prayer, jesus, bible study, scripture, learn, bible introduction, introduction, intro to the bible, introduction to the bible, beginner bible, bible overview, how to read the bible, what is the bible about, bible story, bible stories, what is the bible, bible study, walkthrough, bible walkthrough, wal...

Today's Scripture passages are Ezekiel 25:12-17 | Ezekiel 27 | Ezekiel 29:1-16 | Acts 11 - Acts 12:5.Read by Ekemini Uwan.Get in The Word with Truth's Table is a production of InterVarsity Press. For 75 years, IVP has published and created thoughtful Christian books for the university, church, and the world. Our Bible reading plan is adapted from Bible Study Together, and the Bible version is the New English Translation, used by permission.SPECIAL OFFER | Effective Jan. 1st, 2024, all promo codes/opportunities mentioned in this episode are expired. Please use the code IVPOD25 at ivpress.com for 25% off your order.Additional Credits:Song production: Seaux ChillSong lyrics written by: Seaux Chill, Ekemini Uwan, and Christina EdmondsonPodcast art: Kate IrwinPhotography: Shelly EveBible consultant: JM SmithSound engineering: Podastery StudiosCreative producers: Ekemini Uwan and Christina EdmondsonAssistant producer: Paloma LeeExecutive producer: Helen Lee

James 1:13-25 - Speaker: John Moon - The letter of James was written by the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. He certainly had his doubts about Jesus' real identity, but somewhere between Cana and Calvary this skeptical brother saw the light. In Acts 1:14 James is found praying with the disciples, and by Acts 12:17 he is recognized as a key leader in the Jerusalem Church. In his short and practical letter his chief aim in writing is to urge fellow believers to persevere to the end in wholehearted devotion to the Lord. In James 1:12-25 the focus shifts from his introduction about the trials of life in a fallen world to the reality of the temptation to sin. Our trails may provide an occasion for temptation and sin, but the real problem does not lie in our external circumstances but within our hearts. The Double-mindedness that James warns against in 1:6-8 is nowhere more evident than in the struggle between our own sinful desires and the word of God. So, in keeping with his aim to encourage believers to persevere to the end in wholehearted devotion to the Lord, James want them to learn to Hate Deception and Love the Truth. Because when God grants new life the mark of a God-changed heart is an eagerness to hear and obey His Word. May God help us to see his goodness that makes us fall in love with his good Word.

8/6/23. Five Minutes in the Word scriptures for today: Acts 21:23-25. Paul accepts recommendations from the leaders of the Jerusalem Church to appease the Jews. Resources: enduringword.com; biblehub.com; logos.com; Matthew Henry Commentary; and Life Application Study Bible. November 2021 Podchaser list of "60 Best Podcasts to Discover!" Listen, like, follow, share! #MinutesWord; @MinutesWord; #dailydevotional #christianpodcaster Now on Amazon podcasts and Pandora! #prayforukraine #voiceofthemartyrs #prayforTurkey #prayforSyria

Life can be challenging, and finding joy can seem like an impossible task. The good news is that God understands, and in this episode, Rabbi Schneider teaches us how we can experience the joy of the Holy Spirit that causes breakthrough in our lives, even in the midst of the battle.

As we sift through the multilayered narrative of the book of Galatians, we discuss its historical, religious, and cultural implications. Today it's Chapters 1 and 2. We'll grapple with the tension of Gentile inclusion in Abraham's family, the hypocrisy Paul exposes in the Jerusalem Church, and the struggle of being a faithful Jew under Roman oppression.With our teacher Pastor Ryan Brown, we embark on an enlightening journey tracing Paul's experiences and revelations. From his years spent in study, to his journey with Barnabas and Titus, to Jerusalem; each pivotal moment pushing Paul's understanding of the what the Gospel reveals. We also examine the, at the time, radical nature of Paul's message that justification comes not by legalistic observance but by unwavering faith in Christ.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealBibleStoriesNotes: https://sermons.church/archives?church=PalmsBaptistBibleStudy&id=126Website: https://real-bible-stories.square.siteCheck us out on these Streaming Platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1912582/share

June 29: Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles First Century  Solemnity; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saints of the city of Rome Like the sun, Peter and Paul rose in the East but set in the West Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. The Pope is the head of the churches. The invisible, heavenly Church, mystically depicted by the Book of Revelation and described by Saint Paul as “our mother,” is the “Jerusalem above” (Ga 4:26). This perfect, inner, Church of God has theological priority over all earthly churches, which are its shadow. The first Christian congregation, in Jerusalem, anticipated and grew into the universal Church. For a short period, the Jerusalem Church was the universal church. And from this original whole, smaller parts formed, until the one Church became present throughout the world. Unity exists, then spreads. The children do not create the parents. The many dioceses throughout the world are not stitched together into a patchwork quilt called the universal Church. Catholicism is not an international federation of dioceses or the end result of its own geographic stretch. The one Church precedes the many churches. It gives them birth. The progression is from God outward, from spirit to flesh, from ontological to historical, from Jerusalem to Rome, and from Rome to the world. All dioceses are sisters to one another. So Manila, Philippines, is a sister diocese to that of Vilnius, Lithuania; and Lagos, Nigeria, is a sister diocese to that of La Paz, Bolivia. But the universal Church is not herself a diocese. She has no sisters, lest her oneness be compromised by having a mirror church. The universal Church is a mother, not a sister. And the Mother Church was established in Rome by Saints Peter and Paul, whose feast  we celebrate today. This feast also implicitly commemorates Rome's position as head of all the churches. Rome's particular vocation is to preserve the unity of God's Church on earth. This vocation is not an accidental historical addition to the Church's original nature. Unity is intrinsic to the Church's theology, and so there must be a practical force or power, internal to the Church, to preserve her unity. God's Son, after all, has only one bride, with whom he celebrates only one heavenly banquet for only one eternal, mystical wedding.  In Matthew's Gospel, Christ states in unmistakably clear language that He will build His Church on Saint Peter (Mt 16:17–19). This was not a claim from Peter but a statement of fact from Christ. For many centuries, this text has been cited in support of both Roman primacy and papal infallibility. Yet an even more fundamental historical, not biblical, fact originally supported Roman primacy. The great Saint Irenaeus in the late second century clarifies that Rome is “the greatest and most ancient Church, founded by the two glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul.” No other city could claim to be the seat of two martyred Apostles. Not Jerusalem, not Antioch, and not Alexandria. Constantinople, the “New Rome,” could not claim to have been built over the bones of even one Apostle. Rome's headship over all the churches is rooted most deeply in the martyrdoms in the eternal city of Saints Peter and Paul, the Christian counterparts of Rome's twin pagan founders Romulus and Remus. Rome, the two-Apostle city, continues to draw pilgrims. If a plumb line were dropped hundreds of feet from the apex of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, it would come to rest directly over the tomb of the Apostle himself in the necropolis below the Basilica's main altar. A few miles away, under the main altar of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, lies the mortal remains of the great Apostle to the Gentiles. The inscription naming Saint Paul on an ancient marble cover for his tomb leaves no doubt whose bones were placed there. The cover even has small holes through which pilgrims could lower ribbons to touch Saint Paul's bones and thus complete their pilgrimage to Rome with a third class relic. It is a recent phenomenon to go to Rome to see the reigning pope. Traditionally, pilgrims went specifically to pray at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul. Our beautiful Church is a miracle. Theologically perfect but humanly flawed. Mystical and historical. All soul and all body. The Church reflects mankind—capable of so much, yet limited by her imperfections. The Church is founded upon a perfect God and two very different, great, and imperfect men whom God chose—Peter and Paul. Saints Peter and Paul, deepen our filial devotion to our Mother the Church, who gives us life through the sacraments and who preserves our hope of attending the eternal banquet of God in heaven. Protect our Mother from corruption to be a more perfect spouse of Christ.

Today we begin a walk through the book of James. It will take us the next eight Sundays. The book of James was written by the half-brother of Jesus. The letter was written early, sometime between AD 45-62, most likely before 49. This is known because the letter is written solely to Jewish Christians and speaks nothing about Gentiles. Around AD 49 was the Jerusalem Council, which dealt with including the Gentiles in the church. James didn’t believe Jesus to be the Messiah until after the resurrection. It is hard to deny it when your brother comes out of the grave. James became the leader of the Jerusalem Church after Peter left. The Jewish leader also got rid of James in AD 62. The following eight weeks will be filled with wisdom to walk out your faith.

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Saint Peter's Basilica will now host an hour of Eucharistic adoration on its front portico once a month. Beginning March 14, adoration will take place every second Tuesday from 8-9 pm on the parvise in front of the Vatican basilica leading to St. Peter's Square. The March 14 adoration will be led by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti who is the archpriest of Saint Peter's Basilica. The prayer will be offered for Pope Francis in light of his 10th anniversary as pope. Saint Peter's Basilica is typically open every day from 7 am to 6:30 pm in the winter or 7 pm in the summer. The Eucharist is also exposed in Saint Peter's Basilica for adoration in the Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament from approximately 9 am to 4:45 pm Monday through Saturday. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253828/vatican-basilica-to-hold-monthly-eucharistic-adoration-on-portico In a new blow to the Church in Nicaragua, the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega has ordered the legal status of several institutions to be revoked, including that of John Paul II Catholic University. The reason given for the decision was “noncompliance” with the obligations of the universities “according to the laws that regulate them.” The cancellation affects the students and campuses of the John Paul II Catholic University in Managua, Juigalpa Chontales, Matagalpa, and Granada, as well as UCAN and its locations in León, Chinandega, Estelí, Juigalpa Chontales, Masaya, and Matagalpa. The university responded by saying that "the Lord is the master of our history, and that in the most adverse moments He has supported us and will continue to do so." https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253829/dictatorship-in-nicaragua-dissolves-john-paul-ii-catholic-university Daniel Ortega has also dissolved Caritas Nicaragua and Caritas Jinotega, aid organizations of the Catholic Church that assist those most in need in the Central American country. Caritas Jinotega provided food for the country's poorest people, donations of crutches and prostheses, delivered medicines at low cost, among many other charitable works. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253831/ortega-dictatorship-dissolves-caritas-nicaragua-catholic The Vatican held a hearing Thursday to try three climate activists for criminal damage to a famous statue in the Vatican Museums. Guido Viero, 61, and Ester Goffi, 26, were ordered to appear before the Vatican City State's tribunal on March 9. Viero and Goffi superglued their hands to the marble base holding Laocoön and His Sons, an ancient marble sculpture on display in the Vatican Museums, on the morning of August 18, 2022. They are accused of damaging the base of the statue through the use of “particularly tough and corrosive synthetic adhesive.” The three are part of Ultima Generazione (“Last Generation”), an Italian group that encourages nonviolent civil disobedience to “raise the alarm on the climate emergency.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253824/vatican-takes-climate-activists-to-trial-for-damage-to-base-of-famous-statue-in-vatican-museums Today, the Church celebrates Saint Aurea, a young 11th century Spanish woman who lived a life of sacrifice in a convent before dying in her late 20s. The Church also celebrates Saint Sophronius, a courageous leader of the Jerusalem Church during the Islamic conquests of the seventh century, who is more commonly venerated among Eastern Catholics and within the Eastern Orthodox churches. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/calendar/2022-3-11

7 Deacons Of The Jerusalem Church

Text: Acts 8:1-40

NEW PODCAST! Check out the pulpit ministry of Jerusalem Church on various podcast platforms - Jerusalem Church Sermons! PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. Are you thankful for your local church? Have you thanked God recently for your church? Your church is God's gracious gift to you and through it, He cares for you, body and soul. May the Lord increase your gratitude for His provision through your church. Article 28: Belgic Confession of Faith: I apologize. Anchor.fm is not allowing me to paste Article 29. I think it's too long. Please read it HERE. Support: I don't ask for your money. I do ask that you TELL SOMEONE about the podcast and/or READ and pass on my books. This is a great help, and I hope an encouragement to you. Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more. Books: Predestined for Joy; The Heidelberg Catechism Blog: smalltowntheologian.org. Associations: Confessional Podcast Network, Society of Reformed Podcasters, & Christian Podcast Community.

NEW PODCAST! Check out the pulpit ministry of Jerusalem Church on various podcast platforms - Jerusalem Church Sermons! PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. Are you thankful for your local church? Have you thanked God recently for your church? Your church is God's gracious gift to you and through it, He cares for you, body and soul. May the Lord increase your gratitude for His provision through your church. Article 28: Belgic Confession of Faith: I apologize. Anchor.fm is not allowing me to paste Article 29. I think it's too long. Please read it HERE. Support: I don't ask for your money. I do ask that you TELL SOMEONE about the podcast and/or READ and pass on my books. This is a great help, and I hope an encouragement to you. Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more. Books: Predestined for Joy; The Heidelberg Catechism Blog: smalltowntheologian.org. Associations: Confessional Podcast Network, Society of Reformed Podcasters, & Christian Podcast Community.

Paul wraps up his third missionary journey by coming to Jerusalem and delivering the financial gift from the Gentile churches. Four years have passed since Paul's last visit to Jerusalem. Paul should have been celebrated by the Jerusalem Church, but instead he was met with hostility. We pick up the story as Paul and his companions conclude their visit with the Elders of the Ephesian Church in Miletus and continue their journey to Jerusalem.

Today's Scripture passages are Ezekiel 25:12-17 | Ezekiel 27 | Ezekiel 29:1-16 | Acts 11 - Acts 12:5.Read by Ekemini Uwan.Get in The Word with Truth's Table is a production of InterVarsity Press. For 75 years, IVP has published and created thoughtful Christian books for the university, church, and the world. Our Bible reading plan is adapted from Bible Study Together, and the Bible version is the New English Translation, used by permission.SPECIAL OFFER | Listeners of Get in The Word with Truth's Table get 30% off all IVP titles plus free US shipping by using promo code THEWORD at ivpress.com.Additional Credits:Song production: Seaux ChillSong lyrics written by: Seaux Chill, Ekemini Uwan, and Christina EdmondsonPodcast art: Kate IrwinPhotography: Shelly EveBible consultant: JM SmithSound engineering: Podastery StudiosCreative producers: Ekemini Uwan and Christina EdmondsonAssistant producer: Paloma LeeExecutive producer: Helen Lee

Model in organization Model in instruction Model in exaltation Model in unification Model in evangelism

Marks of a Healthy Church Mark One: Expositional Preaching by William Klock We just confessed in the Creed that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.  These are historically known as the “marks” of the Church.  Despite our various differences and schisms, the Church is one.  Whether Anglican or Mennonite or Coptic or Baptist, we're all part of the one Church.  It's holy.  Jesus has called us, set us apart, washed us clean, and filled us with the Spirit.  It's catholic.  It is universal and it is complete in and of itself.  And it's apostolic in that it continues in the teaching, in the gospel, that was given to us by the apostles.  These identifying marks of the Church have served us well since the Fourth Century—and it's not like they were new ideas when they were written into the Nicene Creed back then.  But they are fairly abstract—in the sense that these things describe the Church in the broadest sense.  So how do we identify the church at the local level?  When you look at a local congregation, what sorts of things should define it?  Or we could ask what makes a local church a church as opposed to a social club or a group of do-gooders or even a cult?  Or we might ask what makes for a healthy church?  These issues became of paramount importance at the time of the Protestant Reformation.  If the Church is “broken”—as the Reformers observed—what needs to happen to set it right?  For the Reformers, whether German or Swiss, French or English or Scottish, the identify marks of a true local church, of a church faithful to Jesus and the teaching of the apostles, distilled down to two things: the preaching of God's word and the administration of God's sacraments.  This principle was written, in one way or another, into all of the Protestant confessions of faith, but here's how it comes to us in ours, in Article XIX of our Articles of Religion: The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same. Anglican and Lutherans, Baptists and Presbyterians, we have our differences, but we are united in these two core marks of a church: we preach the word and we administer the sacraments.  Faithfulness to these two things—and whether or not we do these things with deliberate faithfulness to Scripture—is what determines the health of a church.  Not attendance and numbers, not programs, not activities, not vibrant fellowship, but faithfulness to preaching God's word and administering his sacraments.  All those other things can be good—and sometimes they come out of faithfulness to word and sacrament, but it's the word and the sacraments that create this community called the church.  We can build community around all sorts of other things—and churches often do.  We build community around programmes.  We build communities around styles of worship, whether a grand pipe organ and a choir or a rock band and fog machine.  We even build community around celebrity preachers.  But those things should not and do not define a church—let alone a healthy church.  Faithfulness to word and sacrament do.  We visited this topic almost thirteen years ago and it's my plan to revisit it again between now and Advent.  My own views have evolved and refined a bit in the last decade, but I think the key principles I preached back then are still basically the same.  So I want to start these first several weeks with that first mark, faithful preaching of the word.  The first four principles derive from our preaching.  From there we'll move onto the principles that are connected to or derived from our administration of the sacraments. So a faithful church, a healthy church is a word-centred church.  Such church should be characterised by people who take God's word seriously and who understand that it speaks with authority.  We should expect such a church's members to be committed to reading and studying the Bible for themselves.  We should expect that they will probably gather in groups to read and study the Bible together.  But at the centre of all of this should be a pulpit ministry devoted to and centred on the Bible.  Virtually every church includes some kind of sermon in its worship, but not every sermon is Bible-centred.  So we need to be very explicit about this.  The first mark of a faithful and healthy church is not just preaching, but what's usually called expositional or expository preaching.  Now, what is expositional preaching?  Expositional preaching is what I do virtually every Sunday.  Expositional preaching takes a text from the Bible—maybe given by the lectionary or maybe as we work through a book of the Bible verse by verse or chapter by chapter—expositional preaching takes that text, explains what it means, and applies it to the congregation—it tells you what to do about it.  In contrast there's topical preaching.  That's what I almost never do—but I am doing it right now.  In a topical sermon, the preacher preaches not about a Biblical text, but about subject—and hopefully what the Bible has to say about that subject, whether it's prayer or justice or holiness or expositional preaching.  There can be some crossover.  A topical sermon can be expositional as it explains what a certain text has to say about a certain topic.  But a steady diet of topic preaching isn't healthy for a church, because it's not driven by the word.  Topical preaching is driven by the preacher.  And if a congregation only ever hear what their preacher wants to preach about, they'll never grow beyond where their preacher is at.  And he won't grow either, because he's always digging into the Bible to find support for his ideas.  In contrast, expositional preaching is driven by the word.  The Bible's agenda becomes the preacher's agenda—and he's therefore always learning and often surprised by what he finds—and the congregation grows by hearing God's word.  Brother and Sisters, my ideas—no preacher's ideas or pet topics—will not transform you into the people God intends you to be.  Only his word will do that. Expositional preaching also requires and builds a commitment to God's word.  Many of us came from the Anglican Church of Canada.  How did a church go so badly awry, how did it stray so far from orthodoxy, and how did so many people just sit and let it happen?  It happened because the church lost her commitment to the word.  Her pulpit ministry failed.  The great expositional sermons preached in Anglicn pulpits from the Reformation through the 19th Century were replaced by ten or fifteen minute homilies—often topical, but typically paying only lip-service to God's word.  And that created a people with no passion for the word and that, in turn, created a people with little knowledge of the word—people ready to be carried about by every wind of doctrine. Brothers and Sisters, God's word creates God's people.  Many of us have seen what happens when you take it away or water it down.  God's people become lax in faith and lax in discipline.  Instead of conforming to the word, they conform to the culture around them.  And eventually they simply stop being God's people altogether—they apostatise.  And it's not just “liberal” churches.  Evangelicals at large are facing their own crisis, because so many of our churches are failing to preach the word.  Our preachers are preaching pop-psychology or they're preaching topically and preaching their own ideas—and even as they affirm the authority or inerrancy of Scripture, their churches are often looking less and less like the people of God and more like the culture around us.  Dear Friends, our churches must, first and foremost, by centred on God's word and that begins with our pulpit ministry.  If we look at the history of the Church we see a lot of ebb and flow, high points and low points, and one thing we see consistently is that the high points in Church history always align with those times and places where her people and especially her preachers were committed to preaching God's word.  People like to say that the great revivals of history were brought about by prayer.  That's only half the story.  Those periods of great prayer were brought about by periods of great biblical preaching.  Again, God's word creates God's people.  It won't happen any other way. Let's go back to the very beginning of the story.  Genesis 1.  What was God's agent of creation?  “God said…”  He spoke and the cosmos and everything in it came into being.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they were cast from his presence, but the word of the Lord remained.  He spoke, cursing the serpent and giving them hope in a promise of restoration.  When all humanity had lost the knowledge of God, he spoke again, this time calling Abraham out of Ur and leading him to the promised land.  And when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, the word of the Lord came again to Moses, and through him to the whole people—even to Pharaoh.  By his word he brought down a pagan king and created a people for himself.  At Sinai he spoke again, establishing a covenant with his people and giving his life—the means of life in his presence.  God's word creates and gives life. Over and over the Lord spoke to his people.  That phrase “the word of the Lord came” or something similar occurs more than 3,800 times.  By his word he created a people and by his word he sustained them.  By his word he made himself known.  By his word he created faith amongst them.  I was reading an article this week about literacy in ancient Israel.  Hardly anyone in the ancient world knew how to read and write—just a tiny handful of scribes.  But in ancient Israel and Judah the literacy rate may have been as high as fifteen or twenty per cent.[1]  Why?  Because they were a people of the word, particularly as the ancient oral traditions were recorded and became scripture.  They knew that God's word is life. Think of Ezekiel's vivid vision of the valley of dry bones.  This is one of my favourite passages in all of Scripture because it so often gives me hope as a preacher.  The Lord took Ezekiel to a valley full of dead, dry bones.  The Lord asked him how those bones could live again.  Ezekiel had no idea.  It looked hopeless.  Here's Ezekiel 37:4-6: Then [the Lord] said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.   And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”   And look at what happened when Ezekiel began preaching God's Word to those bones: So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.  And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them.  Then he said to me,  “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Ezekiel 37:7-10) The Lord explains to Ezekiel that the bones are Israel—her hope is gone.  But he will not leave his people dry and hopeless.  He promised in verse 14, “I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live.”  What's the Lord's means of giving life—of imparting his Spirit—to his people?  As in the beginning, his word, this time spoken through the prophet.  It's an amazing thing.  As a preacher it gives me hope.  Israel was dead.  Lots of people had lots of ideas about how to bring her back to life.  The nation certainly wasn't interested in listening to Ezekiel.  But preaching was the Lord's solution.  If he could speak into the pre-creation chaos and bring life, he can certainly speak to a lost, sinful, rebellious, and hopeless people and bring them back to life—giving them faith anew.  Brothers and Sisters, that's why the Church exists: a people created by the word and called to preach that word to the world.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Back to Ezekiel.  The Lord promised to speak to Israel and to give her his Spirit.  Through the prophet he promised, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26) And the Lord did just that.  Think of the opening verses of John's Gospel: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)   The word incarnate.  God's creative power, there in the beginning, now incarnate, one of his own people, that he might bring the dry bones to life.  And what did the word incarnate do?  He preached, of course..  His was the ministry of a prophet, the word of the Lord proclaiming the word of the Lord—announcing judgement, but also calling Israel to repentance so that when he died for the sins of his people and rose from the grave, they would understand this fresh and mighty work of God and believe.  And when it was accomplished, what did he do?  He ordained apostles to proclaim this word to Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the whole world.  We cannot know this God, we cannot know this Saviour, we cannot know this gospel apart from the word and without its proclamation.  It was like this for Israel and it is like this for the Church.  There's a reason, again, why Christianity and Christian missions have promoted high literacy rates—why missionaries spend years learning the languages of pre-literate peoples, developing alphabets and grammars for them, so that they can then translate the Bible—the written word—so that those peoples can have it in their own languages.  There are folks today who think that preaching—a monologue by a single man at the front—is passé, but it has been the norm for both Jews and Christians from the beginning, because we are a people committed to the word of God, knowing that it is the only source of true life. We cannot know God apart from his self-revelation of himself.  We see this in Genesis as things go from bad to worse in those first chapters, as fallen humanity loses all knowledge of God.  They grasped for heaven at Babel, but did so in an act of unbelief.  Humanity was utterly lost.  But then, in his grace, the Lord spoke and called Abraham and faith sparked to life in the darkness of the world—because God spoke, because a man heard the word of the Lord, believed, and obeyed.  As St. Paul writes in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word”—and specifically he adds—“the word of Christ.” There are all sorts of philosophies of church growth today.  People argue for building churches around programmes.  People argue that you've got to find your niche and build it around that.  When I was visiting my parents I saw that someone had started the “Cowboy Church” not far from where they live.  When I was first ordained in the REC a friend gave me a manual for traditional Anglican church planting.  It was all about building contacts with anglophiles by getting involved in clubs and societies centred on all things English.  Other people build churches around a worship experience or a youth programme.  It's not that God can't or won't use some of those things, but Brothers and Sisters, a healthy church will always be built around the proclamation of the word of God, modelled in the pulpit and lived by the people.  Nothing else will last.  Someone once asked Martin Luther about his accomplishments.  He answered saying, “I simply taught, preached, wrote God's Word: otherwise I did nothing….The Word did it all.”[2]  That's the mindset the Church needs. But the word does more than create.  The word also sustains and sanctifies.  It is the water that causes us to grow and we will not grow without it.  When he was tempted by the devil Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Or think of the Words of the Psalmist, who wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).  Without the word we will lose our way and starve.  We only have to look at Israel to see this.  Go back to King Josiah's day in 2 Chronicles 34.  After years of neglect, Josiah ordered a renovation of the temple and during that renovation the book of the law was found.  The word of the Lord had been lost—buried in a pile somewhere in the temple and forgotten for generations.  Josiah recognised the significance of that find.  He tore his clothes in grief and repentance and then gathered the priests and the elders of the people.  In their presence, he the King, read out the Lord's word and led the people in a covenant renewal ceremony.  God's word sanctifies his people. Jesus prayed this for us in his high priestly prayer in John 17: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”  And St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:25b-26).  Brothers and Sisters, without immersing ourselves in God's word we will not hear him.  There are no shortcuts.  Only his word gives life and only his word sanctifies.  This is why topical preaching—where the preacher drives the agenda—cannot be our main diet.  Occasionally a topical sermon it's necessary, but it cannot be our staple food.  This is why regular personal reading and study of the Bible is necessary.  We must be confronted by word to know God and to grow into the people he has called us to be.  And, of course, it goes without saying that we don't hear merely to hear or merely to read, but we immerse ourselves in God's word, we hear him speak, so that we can submit to his will and his ways.  And there's the Spirit at work, renewing our hearts and making fertile soil for the word to take root.  A healthy church not only proclaims God's word, but listens and is daily remade and sanctified by it. Timothy was St. Paul's young protégé.  When Paul wrote to him to give him advice as to how to shepherd the flock, it's worth noting that he gave him none of the advice that is common today.  He didn't advise Timothy to start a new program, to buy a fog machine, to hire a paid choir, to take a poll to find out what people want to hear.  He didn't do any of that.  He wrote to Timothy and said emphatically, “Preach the Word!” (2 Timothy 4:2).  Or think of the early Jerusalem Church.  When the apostles were struggling to keep up with the day-to-day tasks of the church, they ordained deacons to carry on that ministry and declared, “We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).  They knew that God's word is life. One day we will see God face to face and know him perfectly, but until that day we live, not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from his mouth.  As a church named “Living Word” my prayer is that we will be a people known in our community for our commitment to the life-giving and sanctifying word of God.  That we will be a people who value and love God's word, who put it at the centre of our ministry and of our lives, and who not only recognise its authority, but who are also seeking to submit to it and to be transformed.  I pray that we will be a people so full of God's word—this water of life—that as in John's vision of the New Jerusalem, it will overflow from us to carry God's life—the good news about Jesus—to the world around us. Let's pray: Heavenly Father, you have sent your word, incarnate in Jesus, to deliver us from our bondage to sin and death, and you have given your word written through the inspiration of your Spirit.  Remind us always that without your word there is no life.  As we go about the work of your kingdom, let us keep your word at the centre, that we might be always shaped by it and declaring it's life-giving power to the world.  We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord, the word incarnate.  Amen. [1] https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78416/more-people-were-literate-ancient-judah-we-knew [2] Luther's Works (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1959), 51:77.

God redeemed the persecution of the Jerusalem Church by bringing salvation, healing and joy to the city and territory of Samaria. God accomplished this through Deacon Philip and then used Philip to spread the Kingdom to Africa!

June 29: Saints Peter and Paul, ApostlesFirst Century Solemnity; Liturgical Color: RedPatron Saints of the city of RomeLike the sun, Peter and Paul rose in the East but set in the WestJesus Christ is the head of the Church. The Pope is the head of the churches. The invisible, heavenly Church, mystically depicted by the Book of Revelation and described by Saint Paul as “our mother,” is the “Jerusalem above” (Ga 4:26). This perfect, inner, Church of God has theological priority over all earthly churches, which are its shadow. The first Christian congregation, in Jerusalem, anticipated and grew into the universal Church. For a short period, the Jerusalem Church was the universal church. And from this original whole, smaller parts formed, until the one Church became present throughout the world. Unity exists, then spreads. The children do not create the parents. The many dioceses throughout the world are not stitched together into a patchwork quilt called the universal Church. Catholicism is not an international federation of dioceses or the end result of its own geographic stretch. The one Church precedes the many churches. It gives them birth. The progression is from God outward, from spirit to flesh, from ontological to historical, from Jerusalem to Rome, and from Rome to the world.All dioceses are sisters to one another. So Manila, Philippines, is a sister diocese to that of Vilnius, Lithuania; and Lagos, Nigeria, is a sister diocese to that of La Paz, Bolivia. But the universal Church is not herself a diocese. She has no sisters, lest her oneness be compromised by having a mirror church. The universal Church is a mother, not a sister. And the Mother Church was established in Rome by Saints Peter and Paul, whose feast we celebrate today. This feast also implicitly commemorates Rome's position as head of all the churches. Rome's particular vocation is to preserve the unity of God's Church on earth. This vocation is not an accidental historical addition to the Church's original nature. Unity is intrinsic to the Church's theology, and so there must be a practical force or power, internal to the Church, to preserve her unity. God's Son, after all, has only one bride, with whom he celebrates only one heavenly banquet for only one eternal, mystical wedding. In Matthew's Gospel, Christ states in unmistakably clear language that He will build His Church on Saint Peter (Mt 16:17–19). This was not a claim from Peter but a statement of fact from Christ. For many centuries, this text has been cited in support of both Roman primacy and papal infallibility. Yet an even more fundamental historical, not biblical, fact originally supported Roman primacy. The great Saint Irenaeus in the late second century clarifies that Rome is “the greatest and most ancient Church, founded by the two glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul.” No other city could claim to be the seat of two martyred Apostles. Not Jerusalem, not Antioch, and not Alexandria. Constantinople, the “New Rome,” could not claim to have been built over the bones of even one Apostle. Rome's headship over all the churches is rooted most deeply in the martyrdoms in the eternal city of Saints Peter and Paul, the Christian counterparts of Rome's twin pagan founders Romulus and Remus.Rome, the two-Apostle city, continues to draw pilgrims. If a plumb line were dropped hundreds of feet from the apex of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, it would come to rest directly over the tomb of the Apostle himself in the necropolis below the Basilica's main altar. A few miles away, under the main altar of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, lies the mortal remains of the great Apostle to the Gentiles. The inscription naming Saint Paul on an ancient marble cover for his tomb leaves no doubt whose bones were placed there. The cover even has small holes through which pilgrims could lower ribbons to touch Saint Paul's bones and thus complete their pilgrimage to Rome with a third class relic. It is a recent phenomenon to go to Rome to see the reigning pope. Traditionally, pilgrims went specifically to pray at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul.Our beautiful Church is a miracle. Theologically perfect but humanly flawed. Mystical and historical. All soul and all body. The Church reflects mankind—capable of so much, yet limited by her imperfections. The Church is founded upon a perfect God and two very different, great, and imperfect men whom God chose—Peter and Paul.Saints Peter and Paul, deepen our filial devotion to our Mother the Church, who gives us life through the sacraments and who preserves our hope of attending the eternal banquet of God in heaven. Protect our Mother from corruption to be a more perfect spouse of Christ.

The Royal Family  of Jesus and the Throne of the Jerusalem Church. 

Custody of Jerusalem church a MAJOR priority for Putin? On today's Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck breaks down Russia's Israel agenda and Putin's BIG demand from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Plus, a Pastor fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine and sharing the Gospel with his fellow soldiers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode is about how Jesus serves you as the Christ, how he serves you as your chief Prophet, only High Priest, and eternal King. Support the show by rating the podcast on Apple Podcasts. High ratings help people find the show. I could really use your help to move from 23 ratings to 50! FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (1) What comfort do you draw from knowing Jesus is serving you as Prophet? (2) What comfort do you draw from knowing Jesus is serving you as Priest? (3) What comfort do you draw from knowing Jesus is serving you as King? (4) In what ways do you see Jesus ministering to you as Prophet, Priest, and King through Jerusalem Church? (5) Are you serving Christ in any ways that distract you from listening to and learning the Word of Christ? Blog: smalltowntheologian.org. Books: The Heidelberg Catechism: True Comfort for Life & Death & Predestined for Joy: Finding Comfort in a Controversial Doctrine Associations: Society of Reformed Podcasters & Christian Podcast Community.

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - A Catholic leader said on Friday that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is “becoming a war primarily against the civilian, peaceful population.” In a video message issued on March 11, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk highlighted the suffering of Ukrainian children on the 16th day of the war. Nearly 600 civilians have been killed in the assault according to official estimates, though the actual number is likely much higher. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250641/russian-invasion-of-ukraine-turning-into-war-against-civilians-says-catholic-leader According to the city council of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a Russian airstrike on March 9 killed at least three people, including a child, and wounded at least 17 doctors, children, and pregnant women. Vatican Cardinal Michael Czerny, whom Pope Francis recently sent to Ukraine, called the attack “unacceptable.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250633/at-ukraine-border-papal-envoy-denounces-hospital-bombing A military aircraft attack on a town in the east of Myanmar caused severe damage to a Catholic convent's roof, ceiling, and windows. Two Myanmar military aircraft hit the Sisters of Reparation convent, which serves as a retirement home and hospital for aging nuns. The convent is in Doungankha village in Demoso township in the eastern state of Kayah, a green and mountainous region which borders Thailand. Since fighting began in May 2021 following a military coup, at least eight Catholic churches in that area have been hit by artillery shelling or airstrikes. Some 16 parishes in the local diocese have been abandoned because of the fighting. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250635/air-strike-damages-catholic-convent-as-myanmar-conflict-continues A Mass was celebrated at a cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland, last week, the first Catholic Mass at the cathedral in nearly 500 years. The last Mass celebrated at St. Pierre Cathedral took place in 1535. After the Reformation, the building was taken over by John Calvin's Reformed Protestant Church, which destroyed the cathedral's statues and paintings, and banned Catholic worship. Around 1,500 people attended the Mass. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250634/first-mass-since-reformation-celebrated-at-swiss-calvinist-cathedral Today, the Church celebrates Saint Aurea, a young 11th century Spanish woman who lived a life of sacrifice in a convent before dying in her late 20s. The Church also celebrates Saint Sophronius, a courageous leader of the Jerusalem Church during the Islamic conquests of the seventh century, who is more commonly venerated among Eastern Catholics and within the Eastern Orthodox churches. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/calendar/2022-3-11

Today's STT SPECIAL is a sermon titled "The Tenth (Part 1): Overcoming Sinful Thoughts & Desires by Grace." It was preached by Rev. Jonathan Shirk at Jerusalem Church in Manheim, PA. Are you discouraged about the sinful desires and cravings deep within your heart? Are you wondering how you will ever overcome them? Today's message is for you. Listen to get a strong dose of the gospel to comfort and assure you that God's marvelous grace is yours in Christ. Look to Christ for the strength to fight the fight of faith. Want to listen to the rest of the Ten Commandments series? Head to Jerusalem Church's website and access the sermon page. STT is a member of the Society of Reformed Podcasters. STT is a member of the Christian Podcast Community.

I love being the pastor of Jerusalem Church in the small town of Manheim, PA. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. My desire is that this podcast serves my local church well. I also want to reach outside the bounds of my church. In my experience, many local churches and the Christians in them have moved away from the historical and ecumenical creeds (Apostles', Nicene, Athanasian) and Reformed confessions/catechisms. This has left the church somewhat confused about what it believes and how it should live. Kevin DeYoung wrote a book titled The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism. It's a book about the Heidelberg Catechism. Many people, including Reformed/Presbyterian Christians, have forgotten the usefulness of the Heidelberg Catechism and the ancient creeds. I would love to be part of a resurgence of these invaluable resources. My hope is that this podcast will encourage and deepen the Word and sacraments ministry of my local church and other local churches.