Podcasts about jesus christ phil

We now come to the passage in the Bible that some of you have heard so much about. For some of you, you are already familiar with the story of how God miraculously healed me, so I will not spend much time retelling it. However, there is something I have not talked much about, and it has to do with my response to this passage in Revelation 7:9-17. When I was serving as the senior pastor at Northwest Baptist Church, the pressure of ministry began to affect me in ways I did not expect. The church was in a difficult season, and I was carrying a lot. Anxiety began to take a toll on my health. Because of my family history, my doctor sent me to a cardiologist, who ordered a CT scan in 2007. The results were sobering. The scan showed seven areas of calcified plaque in my left coronary artery, and my calcium score was higher than ninety percent of men my age. I was only thirty-two years old, and because my dad died when he was forty-seven, you can imagine where my mind went. Suddenly, I was scheduled for a cardiac catheterization, wondering whether I was going to die young like my father. That Friday morning, before a Converge Rocky Mountain regional gathering, I prayed a simple prayer: Lord, would You encourage me from Your Word? Then I opened my Bible, and it opened to Revelation 7:912. I read about the great multitude no one could number, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and the Lamb, crying out, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Honestly, nothing happened. I read it, closed my Bible, and went on with my day. I believed Revelation was the Word of God, but I had mostly learned to read it as a book about future events, so I did not yet grasp the pastoral comfort God had placed in this vision. The next morning, as we sang How Great Is Our God, the imagery of Revelation 7 rushed back to me. It was as though the Lord gently pressed a question into my heart: Keith, do you understand what awaits you if you die? That was the question I had missed. I had read Revelation 7 as a future scene, but I had not yet learned to receive it as comfort for the present. In that moment, the fear began to liftnot because I knew what would happen during the catheterization, but because the Lord reminded me of where I was going if I belonged to the Lamb. If I lived, I belonged to Christ. If I died, I would be with Christ. Either way, my future was secure. The following week, during the cardiac catheterization, the cardiologist paused and said, Keith, theres nothing there. The plaque that had appeared on the CT scan was gone. I cannot explain it medically, but I believe God, in His mercy, protected me. Yet the gift God gave me in that season was not only more years. He also began to open my eyes to this books purpose. Revelation is not merely a book for charting future events. It is given to strengthen the church by showing us Jesus Christ. It is for suffering, anxious, grieving, persecuted, and weary saints who need to be reminded that the Lamb is on the throne. Revelation 7:917 shows us where every person who belongs to the Lamb is headed. The people of the Lamb will stand before the throne. They will be clothed in white. They will worship. They will be sheltered by God. They will hunger no more. They will thirst no more. The Lamb will be their Shepherd. God Himself will wipe away every tear from their eyes. What I did not understand then is that this passage not only gives us a glimpse of heaven; it also comforts every Christian from every generation. This passage is for me, and it is for you. God is the Keeper of Salvation (vv. 9-12) As we saw last week, John hears the number of Gods sealed people described as 144,000 from the tribes of Israel (Rev. 7:48), but when he looks, he sees a great multitude no one can number from every nation, tribe, people, and language (v. 9). These are not two separate peoples of God; they are Jews and Gentiles gathered into one redeemed people through Israels Messiah. The promise God gave to Abrahamthat all the families of the earth would be blessed through him (Gen. 12:3)has come to full bloom through Christ, the Lamb who purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:910). Now, in Revelation 7, that redeemed people stands before the throne and the Lamb, where no one in Revelation 6 could stand (Rev. 6:17; 7:9). After God mercifully spared me and the doctors found my left coronary artery clear, one of the first people I told was Ed Hardesty. He said, Remember, son, just as quickly as God removed that plaque from your arteries, He can put it right back again. That was a word I needed to hear. God had not healed me so that I could go on living as though my life belonged to me. He had healed me for a purpose, and that purpose is centered around His mission. But there was another lesson for me right there in Revelation 7. Why does John first hear the people of God described as 144,000 sons of Israel before he sees them as a multitude from the nations? The list has the feel of a census, and more specifically, a military census. In Numbers 1, Israel was counted by tribe according to the number of men able to go to war (Num. 1:23), and that census begins with Reuben, Jacobs firstborn. But Revelation 7 begins with Judah, because from Judah came the Lion who is also the Lamb (Rev. 5:5). In other words, Revelation is not merely giving us a headcount of redeemed Jewish men; it is giving us a Christ-centered picture of the people of God gathered and ordered around the conquering Lamb. Scripture also connects wartime readiness with consecration. When David and his men needed bread, Ahimelech asked whether the young men had kept themselves from women, and David answered that they had, because they were on a holy mission (1 Sam. 21:45). Later, when David tried to cover up his sin with Bathsheba, Uriah refused to go home to his wife while Israels army was in the field. He said, The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? (2 Sam. 11:11). Uriah understood something David had forgotten: a soldier at war does not live as though the war does not exist. That background also helps us when we come to Revelation 14, where the 144,000 are described in the ESV and NIV as those who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins (Rev. 14:4). That wording can be misleading if we assume John is referring only to literal unmarried men. The Greek word translated virgins isparthenoi, fromparthenos, which can refer to virginity but can also carry the idea of chastity or purity. This is why the NASB2020 translates Revelation 14:4, These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are celibate. The point is not that only unmarried men belong to the Lamb, or that these men are a specific group of virgin men who will be saved in the future. The point is symbolic. Revelation portrays the 144,000 as a consecrated people whose allegiance to the Lamb is marked by purity, devotion, and wartime faithfulness. They have not given themselves over to spiritual adultery with Babylon; they belong wholly to the Lamb. This is what I missed for so many years. The census of the 144,000 sons of Israel represents the great multitude redeemed from the nations, and their devotion to the Lamb includes a wartime ethic. Paul says, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:1112). This ethic runs throughout Revelation. Jesus told the church in Smyrna, Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life (2:10). The martyrs under the altar had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne (6:9). Revelation 12 says the people of God conquered the dragon by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, because they loved not their lives even unto death (12:11). Revelation 14 describes the 144,000 as those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes (14:4). Revelation 18 calls Gods people to come out of her... lest you take part in her sins (18:4). How is the Christian able to remain faithful with a wartime ethic? They are able to resist because they have the seal of God upon them. It is the One on the throne who is keeping those who belong to Him (John 10:27-30), and it is He who promises to complete the work He is doing in and through them, for Paul wrote of this very thing: And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). Listen, salvation in the Bible is not only the forgiveness of sins and pardon from the wrath of God; it also includes the promise that those sealed by the Spirit belong to God and will be kept until the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:5). This is why the redeemed multitude of both Jews and Gentiles from the nations cry out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! (Rev. 7:10). And this is why all the angels around the throne and the four living creatures fall on their faces in worship of God, saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen (v. 12). Salvation is for the Christian to Experience (vv. 13-17) Now, the other thing I did not recognize in 2007 but discovered while tracing the parallels in Revelation has been right in front of me all these yearsand I missed it. For years, I assumed the great multitude in Revelation 7 described only the martyred saints from the fifth seal, those who were slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne (Rev. 6:9). But one of the elders asked John, Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? (v. 13). That question is our first clue to the identity of this great multitude. When was the last time in Revelation that one of the elders spoke directly to John? It was two chapters earlier, when John wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll. Then one of the elders said to him, Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered (5:5). But when John looked, he did not see a conquering lion in the way we might expect; he saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain. Then the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sang a new song explaining how the Lamb conquered: Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth (5:910). That matters because the elder in Revelation 7 is helping John see the result of the Lambs victory. The great multitude standing before the throne is not limited to the martyrs from the fifth seal, though they are certainly included. This multitude is the people Jesus ransomed by His bloodthe redeemed from every tribe, language, people, and nation across every generation, kept by God until the Day of the Lord. John knows that the elder already knows the answer, so he says, Sir, you know. Then the elder answers his own question: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (v. 14). The second clue to the identity of this multitude is what made their robes white: the blood of the Lamb. Blood does not normally make things clean; it stains. But Revelation shows us what the blood of Jesus does for sinners. Isaiah said, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Isa. 1:18). John writes, the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Revelation has already told us that Jesus loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood (1:5). So when Revelation 7 says their robes have been made white in the blood of the Lamb, it speaks of salvation. They are clean before God because the Lamb was slain for them, and that salvation is received by faith in Him. There is a third clue about who these redeemed people are, found in verse 15: they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple. This is priestly language. In the Old Testament, Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:6). Now, through the blood of the Lamb, that calling is fulfilled in the redeemed people of Jesus Christ. Revelation 5 has already told us that the Lamb ransomed people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation, and made them a kingdom and priests to our God (Rev. 5:910). So the multitude in Revelation 7 is not a separate group from those introduced in Revelation 5. They are the priestly people of God, standing before His throne, serving Him in His temple, and wholly belonging to the Lamb. One other thing needs to be pointed out here. Revelation 7 does not say these Christians are only those who were slain for their faith, as we saw in the fifth seal (Rev. 6:9), nor does it identify them specifically as those who were beheaded, as we will see later in Revelation 20:4. Instead, they are identified as those coming out of the great tribulation (v. 14). We will have more time later in Revelation to unpack the repeated time markers John usesthree and a half years, 1,260 days, and forty-two monthsbut for now, it is enough to say that Revelation presents the church as living in tribulation now, while also pointing to an intensified expression of that tribulation before the return of Christ. So when the elder speaks of the great tribulation, I understand him to be describing the full reality of the churchs suffering in this age, including its intensified expression before Jesus comes again. The encouragement of Revelation 7 is not that the people of the Lamb avoid tribulation, but that they come out of it. They are brought safely through it, washed by the blood of the Lamb, and gathered before the throne of God. Notice how the elder describes those who are brought safely through the tribulation: They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (v. 14). He portrays their cleansing as a completed action. In other words, nothing you can ever do can add to or take away from the salvation Jesus purchased for you through the shedding of His blood. Jesus could not have been clearer: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36). You are saved by the blood of Christ and by Him alone. Belief results in salvation, but do not misunderstand: true belief in the Son also leads to obedience. While it is true that we will still sin, the evidence that you believe and have been saved by the blood of the Lamb is that you run to Him out of hatred for your sin and love for the One who saved your soul. This is the point John makes in his epistle: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:79). This is why the multitude cries out with a loud voice, and why one day we will join them: Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! (Rev. 7:10). And what is this salvation that awaits all the redeemed of the Lord? It is salvation, full and completewhen sin and death are no more, when sighing and sorrow flee away, when what is mortal is swallowed up by life, and when God wipes away every tear from the eyes of those covered by the blood of the Lamb. On that day, we will experience the promise of Revelation 7:1617: They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. What guarantee do you have that you will come out of the tribulation? What assurance do you have that when you stand before Jesus, you will not hear those terrible words, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness (Matt. 7:23)? Revelation gives us the answer at the very center of the book: And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death (12:11). The assurance of the Christian is not that we were strong enough to hold on to Jesus, but that the blood of the Lamb was strong enough to cleanse us, the testimony of Jesus was strong enough to keep us, and the grace of God was strong enough to make us faithful even unto death.

So you don't have perfect faith. There are moments—even hours or days—when trusting God's continued goodness seems beyond your reach. You wonder if the effort of this life of trust is wise—or yields anything. Join the crowd—the great, blood-washed crowd of those who say they follow Jesus. Unlike the spiritually intimidating stories we often tell each other, there are no sturdy souls who never know a moment's doubt—who always sing the sun up in the morning and bless the coolness of the night. We invent such myths in hope that we might yet grow into them, more righteous than our peers. But real life has real tests—when our money, strength, or patience come up short; when secretly we envy the ultra-rich, the ultra-smooth; the carefree media influencer. With the psalmist we complain: “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence” (Psa 73:13). The same gracious Word that voices our human frustration also gives us words to say to our Creator when faith is thin or weak: “Yet I still belong to You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny” (Psa 73:23-24). Grace plucked us from our foolishness: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Trust the Lord who called you on to life eternal. And stay in grace. -Bill Knott

So you don't have perfect faith. There are moments—even hours or days—when trusting God's continued goodness seems beyond your reach. You wonder if the effort of this life of trust is wise—or yields anything. Join the crowd—the great, blood-washed crowd of those who say they follow Jesus. Unlike the spiritually intimidating stories we often tell each other, there are no sturdy souls who never know a moment's doubt—who always sing the sun up in the morning and bless the coolness of the night. We invent such myths in hope that we might yet grow into them, more righteous than our peers. But real life has real tests—when our money, strength, or patience come up short; when secretly we envy the ultra-rich, the ultra-smooth; the carefree media influencer. With the psalmist we complain: “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence” (Psa 73:13). The same gracious Word that voices our human frustration also gives us words to say to our Creator when faith is thin or weak: “Yet I still belong to You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny” (Psa 73:23-24). Grace plucked us from our foolishness: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Trust the Lord who called you on to life eternal. And stay in grace. -Bill Knott

In this episode, from a chapel service held on Tuesday 19 August 2025, Tony Payne, Director of the Centre for Christian Living and Lecturer in the Theology, Philosophy and Ethics Department of Moore Theological College, speaks on Philippians 2:1-11 and the mind of Christ.He reminds us that the mind of Christ is what Paul wants for the Philippians—and for us. It is a mind that puts the interests of others before our own—a mind that looks forward to the day when all will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.For more audio resources, visit the Moore College website. There, you can also make a donation to support the work of the College.Contact us and find us on socials.Next CCL ethics workshop: The Smartphone Disciple (Mon 27 Oct 2025 7-9pm).Hear Tony's previous talk on Philippians 1:1-11.Please note: The episode transcript provided is AI-generated and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

Oh, how important it is for every child of God to have a biblical understanding of the attributes or character of our God. In our final study of first Thessalonians, we find that He is the God of peace, grace, and that He is faithful. Volumes could be written of any of these attributes and still fall short of coming close to describing how glorious and wonderful He is. But one attribute that I want to share with you this morning is the faithfulness of God.Beloved, our God is faithful. The Greek word used for faithful means that our God is reliable, sure, and trustworthy. Paul encourages these saints in Thessalonica with the words, Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it (vs. 24). That is a word of knowledge for of you who are reading this devotional this morning. Read it again. Read it prayerfully. Read it as if The Lord Jesus Himself is speaking to you, because He is! Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. The Holy Spirit is reminding us that God will be faithful to finish what He began in you.Paul essentially said the same thing to the church at Philippi when he wrote, Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6). Remember beloved that The Lord Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith.  The God who calls us to saving faith by the preaching of the gospel is also The God Who brings those whom He calls to glory and none will be lost. That is what is known as eternal security.Listen to Jesus Himself talk about this blessed assurance that we have in Him. John 6:37-44 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.  And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.Throughout the New Testament, we are reminded that our God is faithful...listen: 1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. He is faithful to provide a way of escape whenever we are tempted. 2 Thess 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. He is faithful to establish us in the faith and keep us from the evil one. Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.Jesus Himself is our Faithful High Priest Who has provided reconciliation for our sins. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our God is faithful and just to forgive us when we sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Last but not least, when The Lord Jesus returns at His Second Coming, John tells us that Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True.Oh doubting and troubled saint, our Faithful God is unchanging. Doubt your doubts. Doubt your feelings. Look afresh to Jesus right now and never forget that He is faithful and true. SELAH

Grace is rarely just a moment; more often, a long season; and ideally, your forever reality. We focus on the moment when a person comes to faith in Christ as though that were the starting of the story: “I was saved at 6:14 p.m., on Sunday night, May 5.” But we at length discover how our eyes were truly opened—how the Spirit had been softening our hearts, erasing our old prejudices, and nudging us toward faith—all to bring about that moment of decision. All that God did was surely grace—before we ever came to “Yes!” And starting points are never all the journey, important as they are. By staying in His grace, we find the power of Jesus to both save us and to change us—to take away the guilt-stained past, and keep us from much future foolishness and pain. Grace working over time is just as fully undeserved—and unexpected—favor as that sweet moment when we welcomed Christ and all He gives. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Grace is the word that best describes a forever friendship with Jesus. So stay in it. -Bill Knott

Grace is rarely just a moment; more often, a long season; and ideally, your forever reality. We focus on the moment when a person comes to faith in Christ as though that were the starting of the story: “I was saved at 6:14 p.m., on Sunday night, May 5.” But we at length discover how our eyes were truly opened—how the Spirit had been softening our hearts, erasing our old prejudices, and nudging us toward faith—all to bring about that moment of decision. All that God did was surely grace—before we ever came to “Yes!” And starting points are never all the journey, important as they are. By staying in His grace, we find the power of Jesus to both save us and to change us—to take away the guilt-stained past, and keep us from much future foolishness and pain. Grace working over time is just as fully undeserved—and unexpected—favor as that sweet moment when we welcomed Christ and all He gives. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Grace is the word that best describes a forever friendship with Jesus. So stay in it. -Bill Knott

The Incarnation of Jesus Christ Phil 2 (feat. Rev. Dr. Mike Plunket)Support the show

Jan 8, 2023 – The servant of Jesus Christ – Phil 1:1-2 – Of all possible identities, Paul describes himself as a servant or slave of Jesus Christ. A slave belongs to another person, a slave's schedule is dictated by the master, and a slave has no rights, only responsibilities. But Paul is not just a slave but a slave of Jesus Christ, the one who loves him and gave his life for him and whose lordship can unlock his greatest potential. To be Jesus' slave includes seeking him in the morning and returning to him throughout the day, knowing His Word and will, being in fellowship with other believers, and obeying Him. Jan 15, 2023 – I thank my God every time I remember you – Phil 1:3-8 – Paul is sincerely affectionate towards the Philippians for two main reasons. First, they are true friends who have been there for him in times of crisis, including his current imprisonment. Secondly, they are partnering with him in the gospel, even through suffering. True friends stick by you in times of crisis, and true Christians continue to faithfully serve even when it means self-sacrifice. Take time to express thanks to those who have been true friends and true partners in the gospel in your life. Jan 22, 2023 – Our desperate need for a wise and discerning love – Phil 1:9-11 – Paul prays for the Philippians to have a love that is growing in knowledge and depth of insight. It is not always easy to know what the loving thing is to do in relationships. We can develop a wise and discerning love by getting to know the love of God, especially as displayed in the life of Jesus, by asking the Holy Spirit to help us discern what is best, and by making it our goal to love like Jesus and bring glory to God. Jan 29, 2023 – How to face suffering with courage, joy, and hope – Phil 1:12-19 – Paul tells the Philippians about the hardships he has experienced as he has been imprisoned and slandered by others. But instead of being angry or bitter or depressed, he expresses courage, joy, and hope. This is because his meaning, purpose, and identity are found in God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, not in anything in this world. He knows that God works all things for good for those who love Him. And he knows he is following a Lord who suffered and died unjustly for him. Feb 5, 2023 – To live is Christ and to die is gain – Phil 1:20-26 – Paul does not know if he will get out of the prison or die there, but declares that for him, to live is Christ and to die is gain. This is a powerful belief because it gives us a purpose that death can not take away. If you live for anything other than Jesus, to die is not gain but loss. This belief also gives us a fearlessness towards death, because it will be better to be with Jesus. It also gives us a life of eternal significance. We can give ourselves fully to serving Jesus, knowing that it all matters eternally.

Tonight's subject is “Foreknowledge.” We're told in scripture that “Thus said the Lord of hosts, ‘As I have planned, so shall it be; as I have purposed, so shall it stand. And the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his mind'” (Is. 14:24; Jer. 23:20). Now the structure of God's plan is given us in the Book of Romans. Here we have it in five terms: “Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified” (8:29). Now here, in these five terms we have a very strong case for predestination, and there is no way that you can interpret these terms and avoid that conclusion. But does it rob us on this level of our freedom?—no. “He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). He will bring it to completion. But on the surface of his being, where we are, while that work is taking place in us we are not robbed of our freedom. On the contrary, the certainty that our salvation is in the hand of God frees us from worldly anxieties; and then we can say with Paul, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). LARGE SUMS OF MONEY TRAINING https://realityrevolutioncon.com/largesumsofmoney Buy My Art - Unique Sigil Magic and Energy Activation Through Flow Art and Voyages Through Space and Imagination. https://www.newearth.art/ BUY MY BOOK! https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Revolution-Mind-Blowing-Movement-Hack/dp/154450618X/ Listen to my book on audible https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Reality-Revolution-Audiobook/B087LV1R5V The New Earth Activation trainings - Immerse yourself in 12 hours of content focused on the new earth with channeling, meditations, advanced training and access to the new earth https://realityrevolutioncon.com/newearth Alternate Universe Reality Activation  get full access to new meditations, new lectures, recordings from the reality con and the 90 day AURA meditation schedulehttps://realityrevolutionlive.com/aura45338118 I strongly suggest my good friend Bri Seeley's programs for business and entrepreneurship! You can find all about Bri and her programs at https://www.Briseeley.com/reality The Profitable By Design course: https://chiefexecutiveprime--bornforthis.thrivecart.com/pbd/ Join our Facebook group The Reality Revolution https://www.facebook.com/groups/523814491927119 For all episodes of the Reality Revolution – https://www.therealityrevolution.com https://www.facebook.com/The-Reality-Revolution-Podcast-Hosted-By-Brian-Scott-102555575116999 Join our The Reality Revolution Discord server https://discord.gg/Xbh6H88D8kJoin Us On Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRealityRevolution/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_reality_revolution/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mediaprimeSpoutible: https://spoutible.com/BrianScottMeWe: https://mewe.com/i/brianscott71Mastodon: https://mastodon.online/@brianscttAtlantis: https://atlantisworld.love/Brian_ScottTribel: https://www.tribel.com/brianscott/wallPost.News: https://post.news/@/Brian_ScottHive Social https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hive-social/id1480835284 Music By Mettaverse and epidemic sound 

In this episode of the Ordinary Radicals podcast, Jonathan Hayashi, and Brandon Boatner talk about winning over wayward Christians.   What do you do when the one you love is wayward? How do you go about having gospel conversation with family members?  Some highlights from today's episode. • We sadly see this scenario quite common.  • It is IMPOSSIBLE for us to restore someone to faith. Only God can.  • The modern church movement with A.B.C. of salvation. They have water down the gospel.  • If they truly believe, they will never walk away from the faith.  • Denying the holiness of God in the heart? Takes a constant struggle there with the action.  • People can say, “I do not like you” that can quickly turn to, “I don't believe in you”  • What is going on? As men, we are taught to absorb our own emotions. That's a problem.  • Not only men cry, but God cries. So, we should experience those emotions.  • Life is not just a bunch of snap shots of pictures. It is more like a movie clip that moves forward.  • False thinking process, “God allows that to happen, therefore, God doesn't care for me”  • A person may have genuinely not been born again, or they could have hardened their hearts in sin.  • Dialogue, “Oh yeah, Jesus doesn't understand pain, betrayal, or hurt cause he hasn't felt it”   Here's the breakdown outline from today's conversation. 1. How Do You Share the Faith to One who has Denied Christ?  - Common scenario: Husband who leaves the faith and wife who stays faithful.  - Is the person in exile? Sojourn? Is it even possible?  - The passage on apostasy (Heb 6:1-5).  - Lordship Salvation & Easy Believism.  - “He who has begun a good work will complete it by the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:7). 2. Empathy with those in Lamentation.  - Psalms, majority of them are not happy.  - Grieving the Holy Spirit that can eventually lead to quenching the Holy Spirit.  - The parable of the Four soils (Matt 13:1-23).  - Hebrews 12:15-16 speaks of the issue of the root of bitterness.  3. What is the Plan to Go about with Wayward Christian?  - Counseling approach by, “Taking time” with the person.  - “Men don't cry.” Well, the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).  - Let people cry and have a shoulder to cry on.  - “He who gives an answer before he listens, it is folly and shame.” (Prov 18:13).  - Give the benefit of the doubt. “What is going on down in the heart?”  - People don't overcome problems in just an hour. Give some time to walk through the narrative.  - Every situation is different. You can't just expect to take two tablets and move forward.  4. Burden person walking into a church?  - Spiritual warfare could be going on. There may be a dysfunction in their theological belief.  - Evangelism & Apologetics comes into the conversation.  - Restoration: The heart of the gospel from the garden and God bringing us back to the cross.  - “Blessed be the God of all comfort and the God of all mercies” (2 Cor 1:3-4).  Resources mentioned in today's podcast • The Majesty's Men Feedback If you have a question, you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at jonathanhayashi.com. Thanks for listening! If you have found this podcast helpful, go to iTunes and leave a rating & review! That is one simple way you can help me get this in the ears of as many people as possible. Thanks for the help! Ordinary Radicals Podcast is a member of the HNR.GD Network

Psalm 16 is also called a Messianic Psalm because it so clearly is speaking of Jesus, His life, His death and His resurrection. We know this especially from Peter's message on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:25-32. These verses begin with Peter quoting David from Psalm 16, “For David says concerning Him…”. Then in verse 29, Peter said: "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.” Peter said that David was a prophet and God allowed him to “foresee” the resurrection of the Christ a thousand years before Jesus was even born! My friend, the resurrection of Jesus from the grave is at the foundation of everything we believe concerning life, death and eternity! When we really believe this, we will find fulness of joy and peace in our hearts despite the trial or circumstance we might be in. Even when we are facing death or experiencing the passing of a loved one or friend, we will have hope! Today, presently, Jesus “shows us the path of life” in that we have the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make the right choices and decisions concerning our families, our jobs, our relationships, our futures, and anything else we are facing! Today, we can enjoy the presence of Jesus in every aspect of our lives if we take the time and make the effort to always “set the Lord before us”. We must do this as a daily discipline in reading our Bibles, praying, praising and worshipping the Lord. In a very practical way, this is accomplished by doing the “eleven things” we read about in Psalm 15. Isn't it interesting that Psalm 15 ends with: “He that does things shall never be moved”. And David says the same thing here in Psalm 16: “Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved”. You will only be able to do the eleven things in Psalm 15 if you “set the Lord before you and make sure He is at your right hand”. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to do this also: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The path of life that He shows us on earth today will end in even greater life when we enter heaven. The focal point of heaven is not gates of pearl, streets of gold, or even angels and glorified saints. The central glory and joy of heaven is Jesus Christ (Rev. 4-5). Then we shall be in His presence and experience fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. In our glorified bodies, we shall be like Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20-21; 1 John 3:1-3), and we shall worship and serve Him forever. The pleasures of heaven will be far beyond any pleasures we have known here on earth, and as we enjoy the Lord and serve Him, we will not be restricted or encumbered by time, physical weakness, or the consequences of sin. So magnificent are the glories of heaven that the apostle John could hardly find words in the human language to describe it (Rev. 21-22). Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Have you accepted your inheritance and are you making the most of it for His glory? Do you anticipate being with Christ in glory? Is He the joy of your life today; for if He isn't, when will you be prepared to enjoy Him for all eternity?

John 16:15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” The concept of the Holy Trinity is reflected in this verse. Jesus spoke of His father, Himself, and the Holy Spirit as one, yet distinct. All that belongs to the Father, belong to Jesus, and the Father and the Son both sent the Holy Spirit (14:16; 15:26). Jesus informed His disciples that the things the Holy Spirit discloses are the things of the Father and the Son. Jesus said, those things “are the Fathers” and “are Mine.” What are we? All who belong to the Father and the Son are recipients of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus called “the Spirit of truth.” The apostle Paul referred to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 3:16), “the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:17), “the Spirit of His Son” (Gal. 4:6), “the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:9), “the Spirit of adoption”(Rom. 8:15), “the Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13), and “the Spirit of life” (Rom. 8:2). The writer of Hebrews spoke of “the Spirit of grace.” Living to love with Jesus is the same as living to love with the Holy Spirit. This life is not a normal, natural life. His love is supernatural—literally it is a superpower. The worldview, mindset, and attitude of Christ is the way God's love flows in our lives to everyone He puts in our paths. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son, and those in whom He dwells, have received the things freely given us by God. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

What are you willing to put your name on? As a professional engineer, architect or a medical doctor you have the privilege of signing official prescriptions, reports, drawings, etc. As a person of integrity, you're not going to put your signature on things that are below approved standards. In Phil. 2:9-11, we see God putting his name on the life & work of Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:6-8). Why? Because all he did aligned perfectly with God! Therefore God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. God's evaluation is clear. Men & women also have the chance to evaluate the life & work of Jesus. Do we see him as God sees him, or as the collective ‘wisdom' of humanity sees him. If your evaluation aligns with God's, you see him as he really is, God, & you confess that to all. With whose evaluation of Jesus do you line up: God's or man's?

Thank you for joining us for “Testimony Tuesdays” with Bill and Cara. We have a very special guest with us today all the way from Guatemala, Daniel Morales with (Linaje Escogido) Chosen Lineage / Chosen Generation is here with us today! He will be sharing his amazing testimony of how God raised him and his brother up from the ashes of a broken family to send them forth into the incredible ministry they now have. Spend some time with us today and allow the Spirit of the Lord to birth a New Vision in you right now, in whatever situation you may be going through. There is no life or circumstance that God cannot turn around for his glory!” “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” ~ Phil. 1:6   Share this broadcast with your friends and get ready to experience the unlimited power of God! Get connected with us and watch “Greater Glory” on our Facebook Page! Sundays at 9 AM & 7 PM and Wednesdays at 7 PM for inspiring messages that will raise your faith and grow you in the Word! Don't miss a message, Follow Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HighTowerMinistry.org Bookings/ Churches / Conferences: ContactUs@HighTowerMinistry.org  Stay Connected: PrayerRequests@HighTowerMinistry.org Subscribe to YouTube:  https://www.youtubechannel/UC_s14njTA8GQ5oBFb4Zs_uA/featured .com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HighTowerMinistry.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hightowerministries_usa/ Website: www.HighTowerMinistry.org   Unlocking Glory and the Unlocking Glory Study Guide are available on our website (signed copy with free shipping within the US). Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.  

INTRODUCTION One of the central things we are called to do is praise the works of the Lord. But the glorious thing is that we are also called to remember that we are ourselves the work of God. God's wisdom is so intricate and ingenious that He can create works that are capable of praising His works. And that is what we are. THE TEXT “A Psalm of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: For great is the glory of the Lord. Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: But the proud he knoweth afar off. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: Forsake not the works of thine own hands” (Psalm 138). SUMMARY OF THE TEXT The reference in this psalm to the temple should not be sufficient to make us set aside the ascription to David. The psalmist will praise God with a dedicated heart (v. 1), and he will do it in the presence of all the false gods. He will worship toward the temple, praising God's name for His hesed and truth, because God magnifies His Word above all that His name represents (v. 2). In the day that he cried out, God reinforced the strength of his soul (v. 3). A prediction is then made—all the kings of the earth will praise the King of all the earth (v. 4), and they will sing about the ways of the Lord (v. 5). God is higher than all height, but still has respect for the lowly. The proud He knows also, but is only willing to touch them with a long stick (v. 6). God is one who delivers us from the very midst of trouble (v. 7). God will certainly finish His own work; He knows how to complete it (v. 8). God's hesed is forever, and the psalmist consequently pleads with Him not to forsake the work of His own hands (v. 8). THE SINGING OF KINGS As we are going to see in a moment, God has great regard for the lowly. But He regards the conceited from afar. But in His great kindness and grace, one of the things he does is that He condescends to invite even kings into His kingdom. And one of the great wonders of grace is that they come. This psalm is one of the great promises. God is going to make a great choir out of humbled kings. In vv. 4-5, we see that all the kings of earth are going to sing His praises. The kings of the earth are told to kiss the Son, lest He be angry (Ps. 2: 10-12). The kings of the earth are going to bring their glory and honor into the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:24). All the kings will see God's glory (Is. 62:2). Paul teaches us that God wants all kinds of men to be saved, even kings (1 Tim. 2:1-4). The kings of earth will fear the glory of the Lord (Ps. 102:15). THE MOST HIGH AND THE LOWLY Even though God is the Most High God, He nevertheless has concern for the lowly. A lowly and humble creature is not too low for Him to touch. What troubles us is a concern of His. He does not consider us worms. But if we puff ourselves up in our conceits, then we do indeed become worms, very haughty worms. The issue is not the size of our hands, or the size of our minds. The Lord created us this way, and He declared in the day of creation that our size was, along with all other things, “very good.” What He does not care for is the swollenness of our pride. Sin is not finitude; sin is inflated with massive amounts of spiritual helium. “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15, NKJV). THE WORK OF HIS OWN HANDS We are indeed the work of God's hands. The psalmist here prays a prayer that is manifestly within the will of God. We know that it is because of what God promises us. “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you . . . being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:3–6, NKJV). Not only has He begun a good work in you, He has begun a good work that is you. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV) The word rendered workmanship is poiema, and can be rendered as creation, artifact, art-work, or accomplishment. You, my friend, are laid out on God's workbench. BROUGHT TO COMPLETION What man does by himself always comes up empty. As Spurgeon put it, we are talking about “Cain's sacrifice, Pharaoh's promise, Rabshakeh's threats, a Pharisee's prayer.” But what about Christ's sacrifice? Christ's promise? Christ's threat? Christ's prayers? What are you trusting? Who are you trusting? You might be tempted to trust in your own sensations—your afflictions make you feel like you are being crushed beneath the weight of numerous troubles. But take heart. You think you are being crushed like grapes. And so you are, but God is making His specialty wine. What is your vintage?

POWER FOR TODAY is intended to equip the believers with the supernatural dimension of God, through the teaching of the unadulterated word of God.

The preaching and Baptism “of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3) prepare us for the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The historic work of John the Baptist was completed with the first advent of our Lord Jesus in the flesh, but the ministry of the forerunner continues in the preaching of Law and Gospel and in Holy Baptism. Through His messengers, the Lord calls people of all nations to “see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6). Our haughtiness is removed and our mountains of pride are brought low, but the Lord humbles us in order to exalt us in His mercy. As the Lord has begun this good work of repentance in us, so also does He perfect it by His Word and Holy Spirit, and He “will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). He purifies us to be His priestly people, precious in His sight and abounding in faith and love, so that we offer our very lives in righteousness to the Lord (Mal. 3:3–4). -----------------------------Visit our website: https://www.trinitysheboygan.org/​​​​Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​​​​​ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A Learn more here: https://www.onelicense.net/Support the show

Today's podcast is a meditation on the scriptures of our identity in Christ, from the verses below. Who We Are and What We Have In Christ "Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith” (Romans 1:5) “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 5:1-2). “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9) “when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son… how much more… shall we be saved through his life!... rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11). “those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ” (5:17). “through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (5:19). “Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, [so] we too may live a new life” (6:4). “count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (6:11). “you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God” (7:4). “we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (7:6). “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (8:1-2). “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you” (8:9). “you received the Spirit of Sonship… Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (8:15, 17). “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called; he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (8:30). “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (8:37). “you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another” (Romans 15:14). “in him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge” (1 Cor 1:5). “we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Cor 2:12). “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16). “All things are yours” (1 Cor 3:21). “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11). “the man who loves God is known by God” (1 Cor 8:3). “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘yes' in Christ.  And so through him the ‘Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor 1:20). “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Cor 2:14-15). “in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God” (2 Cor 2:17). “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.  Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:4-6). “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18). “through God's mercy we have this ministry” (2 Cor 4:1). “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ” (2 Cor 5:18-19). “Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you” (2 Cor 13:4). “So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law” (Galatians 2:16). “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God” (Gal 2:20). “So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Gal 3:9). “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Gal 3:14). “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (3:26-27). “So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” (Gal 4:7). “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ'” (Eph 1:3-9). “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity to the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:11-12). “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also the one to come” (Eph 1:18-21). “God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions… and God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:4-7). “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10). “in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13). “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph 2:21-22). “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Eph 3:12). “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph 3:20). “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph 4:15-16). “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:11). “my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). “Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3). “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.  In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Col 2:9-12). “These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Col 2:17). “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:3-4). “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Col 3:10). “the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess 1:12). “that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess 2:14). “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Tim 1:9). “the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (2 Tim 2:10). “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7). “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb 7:25). “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10:10). “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood” (1 Peter 1:2). “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5). “Through him you believe in God” (1 Peter 1:21). “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). “and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand – with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him” (1 Peter 3:21-22). “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2). “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4). “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).

We sift the ash of burnt-out days, and wonder why our faith seems hesitant, half-formed, not ready for the fray.   Where was our patience when the boss was overbearing? What happened to our pledge of gentleness when someone threw a verbal brick? Why didn’t self-control rise up and save us from temptation?   We want our virtues quickly: why can’t they grow like cultures in a Petri dish? But God’s Word teaches us that all good things need rain and sun; dark and day; bud and flower and long development.   “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).   The finest fruit takes time to grow: there are no hothouse virtues. Our thinking and our living both mature as we accept the Spirit’s promptings in each day. Tomorrow will be sweeter than today. Our growth in grace will come in God’s good time.   “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).   So stay in grace. -Bill Knott

We sift the ash of burnt-out days, and wonder why our faith seems hesitant, half-formed, not ready for the fray.   Where was our patience when the boss was overbearing? What happened to our pledge of gentleness when someone threw a verbal brick? Why didn’t self-control rise up and save us from temptation?   We want our virtues quickly: why can’t they grow like cultures in a Petri dish? But God’s Word teaches us that all good things need rain and sun; dark and day; bud and flower and long development.   “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).   The finest fruit takes time to grow: there are no hothouse virtues. Our thinking and our living both mature as we accept the Spirit’s promptings in each day. Tomorrow will be sweeter than today. Our growth in grace will come in God’s good time.   “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).   So stay in grace. -Bill Knott

We sift the ash of burnt-out days, and wonder why our faith seems hesitant, half-formed, not ready for the fray.   Where was our patience when the boss was overbearing? What happened to our pledge of gentleness when someone threw a verbal brick? Why didn’t self-control rise up and save us from temptation?   We want our virtues quickly: why can’t they grow like cultures in a Petri dish? But God’s Word teaches us that all good things need rain and sun; dark and day; bud and flower and long development.   “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).   The finest fruit takes time to grow: there are no hothouse virtues. Our thinking and our living both mature as we accept the Spirit’s promptings in each day. Tomorrow will be sweeter than today. Our growth in grace will come in God’s good time.   “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).   So stay in grace. -Bill Knott

In Paul’s letters he often, implicitly or explicitly, tells his readers not only to understand and follow what he teaches, but to imitate him. Nowhere is this theme stronger than in Philippians 3, reaching a climax in Philippians 3:17: “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” Not only does Paul instruct believers to imitate him; he has been building up a cadre of leaders who exemplify the pattern of life he has been teaching, so that they can serve as models for others to follow. Some reflections:(1) Almost certainly one of the reasons why Paul provides so many details about Timothy and Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:19–30) is so that they may serve as models to be admired and emulated. Paul says of Timothy, “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 2:20–21). He expects the more godly among his readers to react instinctively and resolve to become like Timothy. Paul is even more explicit with respect to Epaphroditus. After detailing the man’s Christian courage, Paul adds, “Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him” (Phil. 2:29)—not only “him,” but “men like him,” for Paul teaches patterns of life that should be admired and imitated.(2) Paul’s suggestion that the Philippians imitate Timothy and Epaphroditus, and his instructions that they follow his own example and the pattern of living Paul had regularly taught (Phil. 3:17), is proffered in part as an antidote to the alternative models that surround us. The assumption is that we inevitably imitate someone. There is always an abundant supply of bad models. Paul warns against “those dogs” (Phil. 3:2) who were trying to impose observance of Jewish covenantalism. Doubtless they appeared wonderfully pious. The apostle similarly warns against the “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 3:18) who, judging by the context, are almost certainly professing Christians who do not really grasp what the Gospel is about and who do not really live with eternity’s values in view. They too must have had some plausibility, or Paul would not have warned against them. Christians must be intentional in choosing whom they should imitate, or else they may drift toward poor models.(3) Paul’s strong exhortation that the Philippians follow his example is saved from self-righteousness and religious cant by his insistence that he himself has not arrived, but is still on a pilgrimage (Phil. 3:7–16).So follow someone who follows Christ; follow a pilgrim who insists that you live up to what you have already attained, and then press for more. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Part seven of our series, "Kingdoms In Conflict: A Study of the Book of Daniel." Study Questions 1. How is the life of following God a long obedience in the same direction? 2. What does it mean to live as a pilgrim and a disciple? A life of excellence in service Then this Daniel becamedistinguished above allthe other high officials andsatraps, becausean excellent spirit was in him. And the king plannedto set him over the whole kingdom. -Daniel 6:3 1. Why do the way that we work and our attitude toward our work matter to God? 2. What do you find difficult about seeing your work, whatever it might be, as service to the Lord? 3. What could it actually look like to go about your work, social life, other stations of life for the glory of God? 4. How can the way we live spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ? Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 2 Corinthians 2:14 A life of conviction and integrity Thenthe high officials andthe satrapssought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom,but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful,and no error or fault was found in him. -Daniel 6:4 1. Where in your personal and professional life is there temptation to violate your Christian convictions? What keeps you strong in temptation? When/why are you more susceptible to giving in? 2. What do you consider a life of integrity? How do our lives sometimes fail to match up with who we claim to be and what we claim to believe? 3. In our sinful world and personal imperfection, what does it mean to live an upright and blameless life? 4. What daily practices will help us grow in conviction and integrity? Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,but he who makes his ways crookedwill be found out. -Proverbs 10:9 A life of relentlessly seeking God When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house wherehe had windows in his upper chamber opentoward Jerusalem. He got down on his kneesthree times a day and prayed andgave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. -Daniel 6:10-11 1. What does our prayer life indicate about our level of dependence on God? 2. How does God mature us in discipleship through prayer? 3. What is typically the content of your prayers? Is there a balance of thanksgiving, petition and plea? 4. Do you have set disciplines to foster growth in your knowledge of God and delight in Him, or does drifting more accurately describe your spiritual life? One aspect of [our] world that I have been able to identify as harmful to Christians is that anything worthwhile can be acquired at once. We assume that if something can be done at all, it can be done quickly and efficientlyThere is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness. -Eugene Peterson. Trust in the saving power of a faithful God Then Daniel said to the king,O king, live forever!My Godsent his angeland shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blamelessbefore him;and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, andno kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. -Daniel 6:21-23 1. Where have you seen the faithfulness of God at work in the book of Daniel so far? 2. What does it mean that Daniel was rescued from harm because he was found blameless before God, had done no harm to the king, and had trusted in his God? 3. How would you encourage someone who is struggling through a difficult season and is calling out to God, but their circumstance doesnt seem to be changing? 4. How does Gods promise to save all who trust in Him give you confidence and hope for life today? I make a decree, that in all my royal dominionpeople are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, forhe isthe living God,enduring forever;his kingdom shall never be destroyed,and his dominion shall beto the end.He delivers and rescues;he workssigns and wondersin heaven and on earth,he who hassaved Danielfrom the power of the lions. -Daniel 6:26-27 For prayer and reflection: At the end of your life, what would you like your legacy to be? What would you consider a faithful and fruitful life in service to God? What do you need to do now to start cultivating that? What areas of your life do you need to recognise as areas God has placed you in for His glory? Where have your personal and private life not matched up? Are there sinful thoughts or habits that you have allowed to creep in that need to be killed before they grow? As the Spirit leads, write down practical, intentional actions you are going to put in place starting now. Share them with someone and commit them to the Lord in prayer. It is not about performance or trying to earn favour with God, every one of us falls short in this. Daniel was powerless to save himself from the lions, completely dependent on the mercy of God, as we are powerless to save ourselves from sin and death. It is all of grace. Be encouraged as you take steps walking forward in greater faithfulness to God, knowing that His grace is sufficient in our weakness. Persevere knowing that in life and death He will never leave your side, and take courage knowing that He, the founder and perfector of our faith, the one who began a good work in [us] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil.1:6). He is the living God, the King on the throne of the Kingdom that will endure forever, and He welcomes us to be part of that Kingdom Glory to God! Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, andsin which clings so closely, andlet us runwith endurance the race that isset before us,looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despisingthe shame, andis seated at the right hand of the throne of God Thereforelift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,andmake straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of jointbut rather be healed.Strive for peace with everyone, and for theholinesswithout which no one will see the Lord.Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-14

Kathy and Sara have covered how loved we are, that we are chosen and accepted and today they discuss redemption! The entire bible is about redemption. From before time began, we were chosen. God knew he would have to rescue us because we couldn’t rescue ourselves and He always had a plan. His plan is to redeem us. From the garden to now, we have tried to rescue ourselves but if you have been living in moralism long enough you have realized that you just can’t do it! Sara and Kathy discuss the exhaustion they reached and the realization that they couldn’t do it on their own. Many of us are in the same boat, fully aware of our need for a rescue but unsure of where to go. You are already redeemed, you just have to choose to believe it! God is calling you to surrender and allow Him to carry out the good works in you! You’ll never be able to do it and that is good news because there is a God who knows all things and created all things that loves you that began a good work in you and He will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ(Phil. 1:6)! He is ready to give you the grace to believe and mercy to step into an unknown that takes you deeper and deeper with your Father. Tune in this week to hear some good news!

YOURS FOR THE TAKINGBy Neville Goddard9/18/1967 The whole vast world is yours for the taking, and I mean that literally. Every statement in scripture is to be accepted literally and fulfilled literally—the law on this level and the Promise on a region beyond the wildest dream of man. Yet when fulfilled, it will be fulfilled literally, as the law on this level is fulfilled literally. Tonight, we will devote ourselves to the law on this level. Now, first of all, there's only one cause, only one source of all the phenomena of the world, only one. We call it God. God is truly a person, in the most literal sense, housed in man. Believe it…I know from experience. God the Creator is like pure imagining in ourselves. He works in the very depths of our souls. He began a good work in us and he will bring it to completion on what is called in scripture “at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil.1:6). Well, Jesus Christ is simply the unveiling, the unfolding of his creative power, his wisdom; for Christ is defined in scripture as the power and the wisdom of God (1Cor.1:24). When he unveils it in us, we are that power, we are that wisdom. “He underlies all of our faculties, including perception, but he streams into our surface mind least disguised as creative, productive fancy.” You sit down to wonder “What can I do to transcend my present limitations of life?” and you dwell upon means. Forget it. He's not asking you to consider means; he is asking you to define ends. He speaks to you through the medium of desire. What do you want? “What wantest thou of me?” You find it all through scripture and you name what you want. Now, we're told in scripture that his ways are past finding out—you read it in the 11th chapter of the Book of Romans—“They are unsearchable, inscrutable, past finding out” (verse 33). So, don't be concerned with the ways and the means that God will employ to fulfill the end which he urges upon you through the form of desire. So, “What wantest thou of me?” You name it…because it's coming upon you through desire. Well then, leave it alone in faith. Can you believe it, just as though it were true? BUY MY BOOK! https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Revolution-Mind-Blowing-Movement-Hack/dp/154450618X/ Listen my book on audible https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Reality-Revolution-Audiobook/B087LV1R5V Music By MettaverseThe ShiftThrough The VeilJourney Through The MultiverseReturn HomeField Of Oneness ➤ Listen on Soundcloud: http://bit.ly/2KjGlLI➤ Follow them on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2JW8BU2➤ Join them on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2G1j7G6➤ Subscribe to their channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyvjffON2NoUvX5q_TgvVkw  All My Neville Goddard Videos In One Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKv1KCSKwOo8kBZsJpp3xvkRwhbXuhg0M   For all episodes of the Reality Revolution – https://www.therealityrevolution.com   Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RealityRevolutionPodcast/   Join our facebook group The Reality Revolution  https://www.facebook.com/groups/403122083826082/   Subscribe to my Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOgXHr5S3oF0qetPfqxJfSw #nevillegoddard #audiobooks #imagination #newthought #lawofattraction #totalhumanoptimization

What is Essential in your life Part 4: Not Good Enough: The Power of God's Goodness Genesis 50:15-21 It may seem odd on the Sunday after Independence Day to share a sermon on the power of God's goodness! In fact, it may seem odd not to focus on God's grace “shed on thee,” or on America as a “shining city on a hill.” Never mind that Jesus called the church to assume this position among all the nations of the world. The whole notion of a “royal priesthood” might pale in comparison to the power of the state (1 Peter 2:9). Nevertheless, we ask: How does the power of God's goodness provide a message of hope to a people struggling to remain faithful in a time of uncertainty? Indeed, how may we, as God's chosen, overhear what God is saying to us as both citizens and disciples? In a world becoming fragmented through racism and war, in a nation becoming fractured by violence and poverty and drugs, —the promise of God's goodness remains steadfast.Despite our worst intentions, God redeems. God can take the fragile pieces of our lives and weave them into a new creation, working behind the scenes to shape a whole new future. That future brings Redemption-the hope of forgiveness, acceptance, and freedom. Jesus is Prophet, Priest, and King. In Him we have a new record, regeneration, freedom, the Holy Spirit, a new heart, a new power, a new heaven, and a new earth. Things are not the way they are supposed to be right now. We are in a strange interim time. Jesus will return and make all things new. Between now and then we have a foretaste and appetizer for what is to come. Life is fleeting but there is real hope. We have the promise of a future hope for tomorrow. The kingdom has come, you have been delivered from sins penalty, the kingdom is coming, you are being delivered from sins domineering power, there will be no evil, no suffering, no pain, no injustice, no death, humanity will rule over God's creation with joy. You can already taste it now (taste and see that the Lord is good). Our hope is in Him making all things new and He will do it! He is making us new every day! Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ Phil 1:6 God desires the transformation of the entire world not just one particular people. Our church desires to become like our community not the other way around. This includes welcoming the stranger and the outcast (the one thrown away and left to die). This does not mean compromising the gospel, it means being a church of multi-ethnicity and multi-cultures. One Lord, one faith and one baptism. We are more than good enough. We are the children of the most-high God! Grace and Peace, Stephen

Continuing our series in Philippians, Pastor Will Hawk teaches us on a life worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:27). A Worthwhile Life Has INTEGRITY. A Worthwhile Life Has UNITY. A Worthwhile Life Has AGONY. A Worthwhile Life Is ETERNALLY OPTIMISTIC. This sermon was recorded on April 5, 2020.

In desert canyons, ferns will flourish, sprouting from the bone-dry walls. None of them is kept alive by current rainfall: little ever reaches them. But rain that cooled the mesa 500 feet above 20 years ago seeps down through sedimentary rock to deliver needed moisture. The source is slow, no doubt, but savingly it keeps the green things growing. So it is with grace in us. The saving wrought by Jesus’ sacrifice began a flow that still is watering whatever’s dry in us. We may have been “saved” in a moment, but the slow water of deep holiness seeps down to the stony layers of relationships and attitudes and deserts we’ve never even hoped to water. One day, we give up grudges, half-surprising ourselves—and certainly surprising those who wounded us. Weeks later, we begin to reach beyond our comfort zone to love the unloved and the graceless. Our most important relationships—our friendships and our marriages—begin to shift: we hold our tongues; we listen more; we offer comfort where we once doled out our wit or scorn. The grace that saves us always changes us—sometimes at once; more often slowly,imperceptibly. This is as fully Jesus’ work as blazing, noonday turnarounds. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Allow what’s dry to grow toward green. And stay in grace. -Bill Knott   Note: If you are blessed by GraceNotes, we invite you to subscribe.

In desert canyons, ferns will flourish, sprouting from the bone-dry walls. None of them is kept alive by current rainfall: little ever reaches them. But rain that cooled the mesa 500 feet above 20 years ago seeps down through sedimentary rock to deliver needed moisture. The source is slow, no doubt, but savingly it keeps the green things growing. So it is with grace in us. The saving wrought by Jesus’ sacrifice began a flow that still is watering whatever’s dry in us. We may have been “saved” in a moment, but the slow water of deep holiness seeps down to the stony layers of relationships and attitudes and deserts we’ve never even hoped to water. One day, we give up grudges, half-surprising ourselves—and certainly surprising those who wounded us. Weeks later, we begin to reach beyond our comfort zone to love the unloved and the graceless. Our most important relationships—our friendships and our marriages—begin to shift: we hold our tongues; we listen more; we offer comfort where we once doled out our wit or scorn. The grace that saves us always changes us—sometimes at once; more often slowly,imperceptibly. This is as fully Jesus’ work as blazing, noonday turnarounds. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Allow what’s dry to grow toward green. And stay in grace. -Bill Knott   Note: If you are blessed by GraceNotes, we invite you to subscribe.

In desert canyons, ferns will flourish, sprouting from the bone-dry walls. None of them is kept alive by current rainfall: little ever reaches them. But rain that cooled the mesa 500 feet above 20 years ago seeps down through sedimentary rock to deliver needed moisture. The source is slow, no doubt, but savingly it keeps the green things growing. So it is with grace in us. The saving wrought by Jesus’ sacrifice began a flow that still is watering whatever’s dry in us. We may have been “saved” in a moment, but the slow water of deep holiness seeps down to the stony layers of relationships and attitudes and deserts we’ve never even hoped to water. One day, we give up grudges, half-surprising ourselves—and certainly surprising those who wounded us. Weeks later, we begin to reach beyond our comfort zone to love the unloved and the graceless. Our most important relationships—our friendships and our marriages—begin to shift: we hold our tongues; we listen more; we offer comfort where we once doled out our wit or scorn. The grace that saves us always changes us—sometimes at once; more often slowly,imperceptibly. This is as fully Jesus’ work as blazing, noonday turnarounds. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Allow what’s dry to grow toward green. And stay in grace. -Bill Knott   Note: If you are blessed by GraceNotes, we invite you to subscribe.

Sermon Summary 2 Corinthians 5:6–7 (ESV) 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. Pastor Chris shared a message that has been in his spirit, and on his heart, for about 8 months – By Faith. We are to live “by faith” according to God’s Word. Our sight is limited to contained reality. When we exert human effort to accomplish works for ourselves, even for the church or the kingdom, we become exhausted with anxiousness, striving, and worry. Our Lord and Father invites us to trust Him to shed stress, worry and fatigue of doing and thinking of all the possible outcomes ourselves. Rather, we are to point our feet in the direction of faith (not feelings) and begin taking a step. Faithfulness will challenge us to give up control, comfort, and self-reliance. These are smokescreens of the enemy. Chris emphatically challenged us to surrender our own ideas, initiatives, and imperatives and anticipate that God will replace them with His. Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of the Holocaust describes faith as an acrostic: Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him Consider these two lists which sum up the tension that exists in us when we should trust God, yet rely on ourselves: Seven Weaknesses of Walking by Sight 1. Human Sufficiency 2. Human Resources 3. Human Wisdom 4. Human Ingenuity 5. Human Calculation 6. Human Strength 7. Human Comfort   Seven Strengths of Walking by Faith 1. Christ's Suffienciency 2. Christ's Resources 3. Christ's Wisdom 4. Christ's Power 5. Christ's Direction 6. Christ's Enablement 7. Christ's Stretch Three Aspects of Biblical Faith 1.  Faith Pleases God ” 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” 1 John 2:16 (ESV) 2.  We are Saved by Faith to Walk in Faith “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) “The righteous shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4 (ESV) “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 (ESV) God is saying, “Believe me!” Walk without the end in mind, but expect the miracle of God to provide. He loves it when we say, “I don’t know how this will happen, but I’m going to trust you!” It doesn’t seem to make sense, but I know that God is good and gives good gifts to His children. 3.  Faith is to be Exercised Regularly “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6) “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise” (Proverbs 13:20) “8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. Hebrews 11:8–9 (ESV) 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” Hebrews 11:11 (ESV) “17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” Hebrews 11:17, 19 (ESV) God wants us to join Him in the adventure! Discussion Questions 1.  How do you think we can build churches to endure in an increasing godless world? 2.  In what ways are believers tempted to walk by sight? 3.  Share a time when you were prompted by the Spirit to walk in faith. What was your answer? What was His response? 4.  What are some faith accounts in the Bible that have motivated you to “walk by faith?” Application Questions 1.  What is a need or godly desire that you have that could only be accomplished by stepping out in faith? 2.  Seek the Lord in prayer for a faith-step you will take this week. Once you have the answer, share with someone what it is and commit to sharing the results!

2019 May 12: The Grace And Peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ - Phil 1:1-2 by Pastor Chad A. Miller

http://PatriarchMinistries.com One of the goals of the Truth of the Spirit podcasts is to remind you of the Spirit filled facets of our Christian faith, sometimes returning to the basics to allow you better access to teachings and actions of those inspired by the Holy Spirit. Please join Patti Brunner and Truth of the Spirit to explore Basics of Faith with the Basics to Reading the Bible for Catholics. The Church "forcefully and specially exhorts all the Christian faithful… to learn 'the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ‘ (Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures” (Catechism #2653). Anybody can pick up a bible, open it, and start reading it. I want to explain to you how the bible is structured so you can understand how wonderful the bible is! The bible teaches us the ancestral history of Jesus true man. But it does more. It helps us to see that Jesus is true God. The Bible is a communication from God to Man. The entire Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit using human writers to record and share the truth. The Bible shares the Formation & History of God’s people: from Creation and man’s sin to establishment of the Law given to Moses, to the establishment of the Kingdom of David, from rejection of God’s law to the coming of the promised Messiah, the birth of Christ and salvation and then the establishment of the Church.

What is Community? “Community” is a compound word; “com” means with and “unity” means what the word says…unity or being unified or having a common union.  In short, God wants believers to dwell in union and in community having the same mind that is in Jesus Christ (Phil 2:1-11). Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Small groups is not a part of our church. They are our church. The Bible calls the church, “The Body of Christ.” A body is made up of individual cells. If your cells are healthy, your body is healthy.   5 Reasons why we have small groups.   Small Groups are Biblical. Small Groups are Personal. Small Groups are Flexible. Small Groups are Expandable. Small Groups are Economical. What do small groups do? Acts 2:41-47   They studied the Bible together. (The Apostles Doctrine) They Fellowshipped together. They took communion together. (Broke Bread in small group) (1 Corinthians 11 – Koinonia) They prayed for each other. They helped each other in practical ways. (They gave to anyone who had need) Ephesians 5 They ate together. (They ate with glad and sincere hearts.) They sang together. They brought unbelievers to Jesus. (And the Lord added to the church daily.)   Romans 12:4-5 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.   Ezekiel 37:1-14 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”   Together, we can do much.   Alone, we can do little.

Expositional Preaching by Pastor David W. Forrest on the book of Philippians. The average day in this life, causes us to glance over the "Day of Jesus Christ". What a day it shall be for those who believe, and for those who do not. You must know Jesus! Call on Him today... for tomorrow or even today could be HIS day.

Expositional Preaching by Pastor David W. Forrest on the book of Philippians. The average day in this life, causes us to glance over the "Day of Jesus Christ". What a day it shall be for those who believe, and for those who do not. You must know Jesus! Call on Him today... for tomorrow or even today could be HIS day.