Podcast appearances and mentions of jesus about

When you get right down to it, the only thing that really matters in the Christmas story in 2023 is Jesus. No Santa, gifts, or Bing Crosby. Just Jesus. Here's the original story as recorded in Luke's Gospel, just as it happened. I am reading from The Message, by Eugene Peterson. Luke 2: 1-20 The Birth of Jesus  About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.  While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.  An Event for Everyone  There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”  At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:  Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.  As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the shepherds talked it over. “Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed.  Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The shepherds returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told! ____________ Merry Christmas 2023, everyone. Other episodes or resources related to today's shows 208: Christmas - A Time to Reflect     207: How to Help the People We Love at Christmas Blog post: The Joy of Christmas Past Our Sponsor You Were Made for This is sponsored by Caring for Others, a missionary care ministry. The generosity of people like you supports our ministry. It enables us to continue this weekly podcast and other services we provide to missionaries around the world.

Are you in complete service to God as Kanye West now describes himself?  If #JesusIsKing we should surely be his obedient subjects.  Or do you effectively see God as your servant to meet your needs? Sometimes a new Christian cuts right through the Christian jargon, and our over familiarity with the truth. When was the last time you heard a believer talk about serving Jesus? About obeying him?  Read the article or watch the video here: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/adrianwarnock/2019/10/jesus-is-king-so-serve-him   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/adrian-warnock/message

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:39; John 10:14-18; John 15:1-5; Psalm 46:10-11If the miracle of Easter is the discovery that death is powerless over the kind of life Jesus brings, what can we learn from the way Jesus lives his life about how to best imitate him? Put more simply: how can we live...like Jesus? The answer, according to Jesus himself, is that we live wholly when we surrender completely. This week, we want to explore the apparent paradox of what Jesus says about surrender and do our best to uncover what a “life of surrender” might look like for us. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:Why do you think Jesus’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is included in the Gospel stories about his arrest? What does it show us about him?How do you feel about the concept of “surrender”? What is appealing about it? What makes you nervous? Talk through the metaphor Jesus uses in John 10 about being the “good shepherd.” What does this metaphor teach us about Jesus? About ourselves? Why is “laying down [your] life” an important part of “shepherding”? How does the metaphor of the “vine and branches” in John 15 connect to this idea of surrender? What does it mean to “be a good branch”? How can we do this well? The Bible repeatedly insists that wholeness isn’t something we can create; instead, it’s a gift God gives. What does this teach us about God? Read Psalm 46:10-11. Where are you being challenged to “be still” in your life? What do you think it means to “know” that God is God?

SCRIPTURE: Acts 6-8:3 (Acts 7:51-8:3)As the early church grows in numbers and influence, the Jewish leaders in the Sanhedrin continue looking for ways to suppress the movement. These efforts come to a head in the trial and execution of Stephen, a Hellenistic Jew and the church’s first “martyr.” Stephen is accused of proclaiming that Jesus intends to destroy the temple and change the Mosaic Law. In response, Stephen reminds his judges of the full scope of God’s story with Israel, focusing on the ways the Jewish people have repeatedly underestimated the scope of God’s plans for his creation in favor of exclusive dogma, arrogance, and pride. As we have seen in the previous chapters, Stephen implies that Jesus’s Kingdom isn’t a diversion from God’s story as revealed to the Jews but a culmination of it. This week, we want to investigate the danger that “thinking small” still presents for us and to be reminded of the unstoppable mission God has been on for millenia. How can we know what part we have to play? And how can we act in both confidence and humility?DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:At the beginning of Chapter 6, a dispute arises about the pastoral care of the community, and the original disciples ask the body of the church to “choose seven from among you who are full of the Spirit and wisdom” so they can turn the issue over to them. Why do you think the disciples hand this job over to others? Why are these two criteria the ones the disciples choose? And what are the implications of this story for our own church? At first, Stephen’s “begin at the beginning” approach to his defense can feel overwhelming or even excessive. But what does his decision to retell so much of Israel’s story tell us about him and how he is trying to defend himself? What does it tell us about the foundations of his faith? About his view of Jesus? About his fears for the current leaders of the Temple? Why do you think Stephen tells the members of the Sanhedrin that they are a “stiff-necked people”? What is he accusing them of? Why? Have you ever been “stiff-necked” in your own life? How did God challenge this behavior in you? What values can you develop in your life to resist this temptation in the future?How would you define the word “martyr”? How does it apply to Stephen? What impact do you think Stephen’s death might have had on the average members of the early church? What are some ways that you fall victim to “thinking small” when it comes to God’s mission? How do churches sometimes do this? What can we do about it?

Country Oaks Baptist Church Sermon – April 20, 2014 COBC Podcast Episode 2014-16 Preacher: Pastor Brent Whitney Text: Easter Sunday Title: What is the Death and Resurrection of Jesus About? The post April 20, 2014 first appeared on Country Oaks Baptist Church.

Country Oaks Baptist Church Sermon – April 20, 2014 COBC Podcast Episode 2014-16 Preacher: Pastor Brent Whitney Text: Easter Sunday Title: What is the Death and Resurrection of Jesus About? The post April 20, 2014 first appeared on Country Oaks Baptist Church.