Podcast appearances and mentions of jesus was

Jesus Was, Is, And Always Will Be The Son Of God And Only He Provides Salvation And Eternal Life

Jesus Was 100% Human. And 100% God. What? Here's what Mormons get completely wrong about Jesus (and why they're a heretics): Jesus was always fully God. And he didn't stop being God while he was a man. How is that possible?As a thank you for listening to the podcast, here's my gift to you – one of my post popular (and controversial) books, New Days Old Demons: https://realfaith.com/fire/Follow on social media!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MarkDriscollMinistries?sub_confirmation=1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastormarkInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markdriscollTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pastormarkdriscollTwitter: https://linktr.ee/markdriscoll Click here for more resources: https://linktr.ee/markdriscoll

Lara and Carey gird their loins once more as Moses serves Eva Peron on the balcony in "Book of Deuteronomy." First, Larz and Carz discuss their self-described martyrdom in soldiering on with the SUBS experience, a Milanese nun arrested for her ties to the mafia, Lara considering a cameo during Rome's Vatican Jubilee of 2025 and Carey's wish for her to wear a Papal veil. In "Deuteronomy," Moses's impending death motivates him to have his American Idol moment, with one final speech (and song!) to the Israelites before they enter the promised land. From recapping their Exodus from Egypt and the shenanigans they pulled during their half-a-century desert wandering, Moses isn't going to let his people off the hook. After a fiery sermon, Moses finally gets to die and pass the baton to Joshua, but not before God trolls him one last time. Chapters: 00:00 We're All Nailed to the Cross (like Jesus Was) 02:28 A Mafia Nun was Arrested 09:15 Manifesting A Jubilee Veil for Larz 25:23 SUBS: Deuteronomy Recap! More Lara & Carey Content: Subscribe to Once Upon a Time in Nashville to hear a new episode out now! Listen to this episode ad-free AND get access to weekly bonus episodes + video episodes by joining the SUP PATREON. Be cheap as hell and get full-length videos of the pod for free by subscribing to the SUP YOUTUBE. Relive the best moments of this iconic podcast by following the SUP TIKOK & SUP INSTAGRAM Sexy Unique Podcast is Produced By: Tiny Legends Productions, LLC Executive Producer: Stella Young Tech Director: Guy Robinson Art Director & Social Media: Ariel Moreno Sexy Unique Podcast is Edited by: Video & Audio Editor: Case Blackwell & Ness Smith-Savedoff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Als Jesus in die Nähe von Jéricho kam, saß ein Blinder an der Straße und bettelte. Er hörte, dass viele Menschen vorbeigingen, und fragte: Was hat das zu bedeuten? Man berichtete ihm: Jesus von Nazaret geht vorüber. Da rief er: Jesus, Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Die Leute, die vorausgingen, befahlen ihm zu schweigen. Er aber schrie noch viel lauter: Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Jesus blieb stehen und ließ ihn zu sich herführen. Als der Mann vor ihm stand, fragte ihn Jesus: Was willst du, dass ich dir tue? Er antwortete: Herr, ich möchte sehen können. Da sagte Jesus zu ihm: Sei sehend! Dein Glaube hat dich gerettet. Im selben Augenblick konnte er sehen. Da pries er Gott und folgte Jesus nach. Und das ganze Volk, das dies gesehen hatte, lobte Gott. (© Ständige Kommission für die Herausgabe der gemeinsamen liturgischen Bücher im deutschen Sprachgebiet)

Als Jesus in die Nähe von Jéricho kam, saß ein Blinder an der Straße und bettelte. Er hörte, dass viele Menschen vorbeigingen, und fragte: Was hat das zu bedeuten? Man berichtete ihm: Jesus von Nazaret geht vorüber. Da rief er: Jesus, Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Die Leute, die vorausgingen, befahlen ihm zu schweigen. Er aber schrie noch viel lauter: Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Jesus blieb stehen und ließ ihn zu sich herführen. Als der Mann vor ihm stand, fragte ihn Jesus: Was willst du, dass ich dir tue? Er antwortete: Herr, ich möchte sehen können. Da sagte Jesus zu ihm: Sei sehend! Dein Glaube hat dich gerettet. Im selben Augenblick konnte er sehen. Da pries er Gott und folgte Jesus nach. Und das ganze Volk, das dies gesehen hatte, lobte Gott. (© Ständige Kommission für die Herausgabe der gemeinsamen liturgischen Bücher im deutschen Sprachgebiet)

John 19:29–30 (ESV) A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Jesus WAS before He was BORNHe Existed Before He Was Born - John 8:53–59 (ESV) Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.' But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.He Died Before He Was Born - Revelation 13:8 (KJV) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.Christophanies/Theophanies In The Old Testament - The Angel of The Lord // The Angel, The Lord, allows himself to be worshiped.He Is Credited For Creation - Colossians 1:15–17 (ESV) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.He Walked With Adam - Genesis 3:8 (ESV) And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.He Appeared To Abraham (several times) - Genesis 18:1–3 (ESV) And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.He Wrestled Jacob - Genesis 32:30 (ESV) So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”He Spoke Out Of The Burning Bush To Moses - Exodus 3:4 (ESV) When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”He Appeared to Joshua - Joshua 5:13-15 as the commander of the army of the Lord before the battle of Jericho.He Appeared to Gideon in Judges 6:11-24 as an angel, speaking on behalf of God.He Appeared to King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3:25 as one like a son of God, walking with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.He Appeared To Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-8 when he saw a vision of God on his throne.He Appeared To Ezekiel - el throughout his book through various visions and encounters with God's glory.JESUS Was Born Fully MAN*Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV) Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.Set divinity asideHe had access but refrained.Limitations of all menBaby, vulnerableGrew in status with menTired, weary, hungry, frustrated, angryJesus' Power Came From The Holy SpiritIf Jesus was just a man, where did his power come from?Luke 3:21–22 (ESV) Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”When Jesus Did Miracles, He Wasn't “Proving Who He Was” Or “Showing Off.” He Simply Recognized Things Out Of Alignment With Heaven And Demonstrated “How To!”Your Power Comes From The Same Spirit - Romans 8:11 (ESV) If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.Was Tempted, Suffered And Crucified In Every Way By/For Sin.We are tempted/sin in every way - Body, Soul SpiritWe SIN on all Levels Jesus Suffered On All Levels, For Our SinBody - John 19:16–18 (ESV) So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.Soul - Luke 22:41–44 (ESV) And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.Spirit - Matthew 27:46 (ESV) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”He Suffered During Temptation - Hebrews 2:18 (ESV) For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.He Did Not Sin - Hebrews 4:15 (NIV) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.He Became Sin - 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.He Died* John 19:29–30 (ESV) A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.John 3:14–15 (NLT) And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

17. Sonntag nach Pfingsten Von Fallen der Pharisäer, dem Liebesgebot und der Gottesliebe. Heute mit P. Janosch Donner FSSP. Evangelium: Mt. 22, 34-46 In jener Zeit traten Pharisäer an Jesus heran, und einer von ihnen, ein Gesetzeslehrer, fragte ihn, um ihn zu versuchen: Meister, welches ist das größte Gebot im Gesetz? Jesus antwortete ihm [Dt. 6, 5]: „Du sollst den Herrn, deinen Gott, lieben aus deinem ganzen Herzen und mit deiner ganzen Seele und mit deiner ganzen Vernunft.“ Das ist das größte und erste Gebot. Das zweite aber ist ihm gleich [Lev. 19, 18]: „Du sollst deinen Nächsten lieben wie dich selbst.“ An diesen beiden Geboten hängt das ganze Gesetz und die Propheten. – Als aber die Pharisäer versammelt waren, fragte sie Jesus: Was denkt ihr von Christus? Wessen Sohn ist er? Sie antworteten ihm: Davids. Da sprach er zu ihnen: Wie nennt ihn dann David im Geiste ‚Herr‘, indem er sagt [Ps. 109, 1]: „Es sprach der Herr zu meinem Herrn: Setze Dich zu meiner Rechten, bis ich Deine Feinde zum Schemel Deiner Füße mache.“ Wenn nun David ihn ‚Herr‘ nennt, wie ist er dann sein Sohn? Und niemand konnte ihm ein Wort erwidern, noch wagte jemand von diesem Tag an, ihn wieder zu fragen. - - - Follow / Folgen: Telegram: https://t.me/FSSP_PodcastSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3GNH1nI YouTube: http://bit.ly/3kXm9SGApple Podcast: https://bit.ly/3MH6cfnAmazon Music: https://amzn.to/3L0sp6T

In this episode of Truthspresso I chat about Jesus and socialism.A coworker a while ago made the claim to me that Jesus was a socialist. I have certainly heard this claim before, but I figured I would address it.In part 10 we look at the parable of the unjust steward. A "Christian socialist" claims that this parable proves that Jesus favors defrauding wealthy people to give to the poor. While this parable and Jesus' application can be hard to understand at first, closer study reveals that Jesus wants us to be good stewards of money unlike His worldly examples--including both the merchant and his unjust steward.Sources Cited:Chuck McKnight, "Jesus Was a Socialist," Patheos, Updated March 11, 2019.Scriptures Referenced:Luke 16:1-13Leviticus 19:15*** Castle Rock Women's Health is a pro-life and pro-women health care ministry. They need your help to serve the community. Please consider a monthly or one-time donation. ***We value your feedback!Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!Mentioned in this episode:Affiliate Link: Seven Weeks CoffeeSeven Weeks Coffee is a pro-life coffee company that donates to pregnancy resources centers and other life-affirming organizations. Sip a cup and help women and babies.Seven Weeks Coffee

In this episode of Truthspresso I chat about Jesus and socialism.A coworker a while ago made the claim to me that Jesus was a socialist. I have certainly heard this claim before, but I figured I would address it.In part 10 we look at the parable of the unjust steward. A "Christian socialist" claims that this parable proves that Jesus favors defrauding wealthy people to give to the poor. While this parable and Jesus' application can be hard to understand at first, closer study reveals that Jesus wants us to be good stewards of money unlike His worldly examples--including both the merchant and his unjust steward.Sources Cited:Chuck McKnight, "Jesus Was a Socialist," Patheos, Updated March 11, 2019.Scriptures Referenced:Luke 16:1-13Leviticus 19:15*** Castle Rock Women's Health is a pro-life and pro-women health care ministry. They need your help to serve the community. Please consider a monthly or one-time donation. ***We value your feedback!Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!Mentioned in this episode:Affiliate Link: Seven Weeks CoffeeSeven Weeks Coffee is a pro-life coffee company that donates to pregnancy resources centers and other life-affirming organizations. Sip a cup and help women and babies.Seven Weeks Coffee

Are you low level or high level? Join https://highlvl.19keys.com/Join 19Keys on 'High Level Conversations', the award-winning show elevating your mindset and value. In Partnership with the Earn Your Leisure network, this is the show where thought leadership meets empowerment. Each episode features luminaries like Billy Carson and Wallstreet Trapper, exploring topics from financial literacy to future tech, emotional intelligence to wellness. Our mission is to challenge, inspire, and ignite change. Be a part of this journey to reshape narratives and elevate consciousness. Dive into our diverse and dynamic content – your platform for growth and cultural empowerment.Unlock the secrets of ancient civilizations and cosmic connections in this must-watch episode of High-Level Conversations!

Jesus Was... Focused. Maybe not the most talked about attribute but He was maybe the most focused man to ever live. We talk about how He's focused on the Father, focused on His purpose and focused on the present!Warning balloon popping noises

Haben Sie manchmal den Eindruck, dass das, was wir von Medien oder anderen Menschen hören, nicht immer in vollem Umfang der Wahrheit entspricht? Manche Nachrichten machen sprachlos, stimmen nachdenklich. Es scheint, dass es immer schwerer wird, Wahrheit von Lüge zu unterscheiden.Ich war mehr als 42 Jahre Polizei- und Kriminalbeamter. Wenn ich über all die Lügen, die mir gegenüber geäußert wurden, ein Buch schreiben müsste ... würde es wohl sehr dick werden. In den letzten Jahren meiner Dienstzeit war ich unter anderem mit vielen polizeilichen Vernehmungen betraut. Wenn mich Bekannte fragten, was ich an meinem Arbeitsplatz so tue, antwortete ich meist: »Mein Job ist es, den ganzen Tag belogen zu werden.« Das mag sarkastisch klingen, aber es war mein Alltag. Dabei stellte ich oft fest: Wenn man die Lüge nicht nachweisen kann, wird die Tat dadurch in den Augen vieler Beschuldigter »moralisch« richtig. Ohne Beweise keine Bestrafung und somit ist »alles okay«!Nun könnten Sie zu Recht über mich denken: Sagt der mir die Wahrheit oder ist das eine erfundene Geschichte? Ist das, was mir Axel Schneider über Gott, Jesus und die Bibel erzählt, richtig oder falsch? Natürlich ist es Ihr gutes Recht, so zu denken und zu fragen, ob es Wahrheit oder Lüge ist. Im Tagesvers macht Jesus die unerschütterliche Aussage, dass er von der Wahrheit Zeugnis gibt. Er steht zu diesem Zeitpunkt vor Pontius Pilatus und erwartet seine baldige Verurteilung. Und der antwortet Jesus: »Was ist Wahrheit?« (Johannes 18,38). Mein Glaube hat mir deutlich und klar gezeigt, dass Jesus die Wahrheit ist. Was die Bibel über ihn sagt, ist Wahrheit. Sie brauchen nicht mir zu glauben, aber vertrauen Sie Jesus und glauben Sie ihm!Axel SchneiderDiese und viele weitere Andachten online lesenWeitere Informationen zu »Leben ist mehr« erhalten Sie unter www.lebenistmehr.deAudioaufnahmen: Radio Segenswelle

LOST ANGEL: THE GENIUS OF JUDEE SILL is a documentary detailing the life and music of '70s singer-songwriter Judee Sill using as much of her own voice as possible. This could devolve into another talking-heads affair but having Judee's voice narrate and her art take animated flight on screen gives the movie an authenticity and more intimate connection to its subject. Judee was never the type of person to cruise behind her producers, anyway. She always had to have a hand in every affair. Makes sense she'd end up doing so almost 50 years after her death. --- Follow The Movies on Twitter: @TheMovies_Pod Follow The Movies on Goodpods! --- Intro Music: "Cold Open" - Marlowe Outro Music: "Jesus Was a Crossmaker" - Judee Sill --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themoviespodcast/message

A new MP3 sermon from Princeton Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Jesus Was the Better Jonah Subtitle: Guest Preachers Speaker: Shawn Spalti Broadcaster: Princeton Presbyterian Church Event: Sunday - PM Date: 4/7/2024 Bible: Jonah 1 Length: 35 min.

Jesus Was the Only One Was Raised From the Dead by Fr. Michael Denk

Jesus left His mark on an empty tomb - Jesus is alive!  Jesus rose from the dead, on the third day, just as He said He would.  And Jesus desires to leave His mark on your life, on your heart.  If you will believe in Him, you will be changed, and receive eternal life.  The Empty tomb says, "Jesus WAS here, but He is gone, He is alive!"

Transfiguration Sunday | Mark 9: 2-9    Rev. Andrew Chappell asks this of his congregation: Are you prepared to allow God to change you in such important and intense ways that he might be able to use you for peace?  Are you ready to allow God to transfigure your life?  Are you ready to live a life of dynamic faith?   The Transfiguration. I've always viewed the transfiguration of Jesus as this weird, hard to fathom thing. When I think of the idea of transfiguration, I immediately think of the moment in Beauty and the Beast, when the beast transfigures back into a human…OR in Harry Potter's Transfiguration class, when he transfigures animals into goblets. I have memories when I was young of asking my father (who is a pastor) what the transfiguration meant…and he didn't say it was magic or that it involved anything to do with Disney. He just said this: “It's a mystery. No one really knows what this scene is or what Jesus became at that moment. But we do know that it was a response to a protest and a glimpse into the future.” Let me explain. Answer to a Question. In chapter 8, after Jesus feeds four thousand with a few fish and heals a blind man, he goes to Caesarea Philippi (on the northern end of present day Israel) and asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”  Of course, Peter is the one to respond (confidently, as he often does), “I'll tell you who you are…you are the Christ, the Messiah.”  And then Jesus goes on to tell them about the suffering and death that is in store for him. He shares word for word what is coming his way. And Peter, always a hot head, grabs Jesus and protests, “This can't be! We won't let you go this way! Don't talk like this! We will protect you!”  That's when Jesus exclaims, “Get behind me Satan.” And he then calls out to the crowd, but we all know he's saying these things to Peter, “If you are going to follow me, then follow me! And let me lead! Indeed the kingdom is coming…the day is coming when the world shall see what I'm talking about, the world shall witness true glory, the splendor of God, an army of angels, the Son of Man…” And not a week later, Mark says, they SEE a glimpse of what Jesus is talking about. And all of it occurs when they climb the mountain and three disciples have this mountain top experience. Mountain Tops Have you ever experienced something like that? A mountain top experience I mean? An moment between you and God that changed you? And it is seared into your brain? It's interesting, in film and literature, in our cultural stories, whenever there is a mountain, something big is happening, something that will change the course of the story. (My favorite marvel movie is Iron Man, and if you remember that story)...Weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (after being injured by his own weapons), creates his first prototype of the Iron Man suit and begins a deep philosophical change of how he sees his life in the mountains of Afghanistan. The mountains are present in the Lord of the Rings as well. Throughout and at the end of the story, Frodo Baggins contends with the destruction of evil, which has to occur at Mt. Doom, in the mountains of Mordor, and such an experience transforms Frodo in the process. In Frozen, Elsa sings Let it Go and finally allows herself to become who she is in the mountains of Arendell. Authors and filmmakers love to have big moments set near or on or in the mountains. Scripture is no different. The authors of Scripture continually depict God as someone who loves the mountain top. Exodus 19-20 - God descends on Mount Sinai in fire and thunder to meet Moses and share ten commandments.  1 Kings 19 - God meets Elijah on Mount Horeb in a gentle whisper and offers renewal and strength. Zechariah 14 - Zechariah is given a prophecy that one day, God will descend upon the Mount of Olives and establish justice and the reign of God's kingdom. (Which is why you see graves on the Mount of Olives today - people want to be close to the action). God loves a mountain top…and more often than not, mountain top moments are transitional experiences. They are important moments in which God introduces a change that has consequences for the future. The Transfiguration Jesus and his three friends go up to the mountain top, and we are told that while there, Jesus is transfigured before their very eyes. The Greek there is metamorphoo - where we get the word metamorphosis.  What does that mean? It means Jesus looks different. It means his form changes. His clothes shimmer, they glisten white. In Luke's, the appearance of his face is altered. And not only that, but Moses of the Torah and Elijah of the prophets appear too. Jesus and these two legendary figures of the Hebrew faith are there, right before their eyes! And the disciples are amazed. They cannot believe what is occurring, what they are being allowed to see. Talk about a mountain top experience.  And naturally, what happens? Whenever we experience something amazing and wondrous, whenever human beings have a mountain top experience, we want to figure out how to keep that feeling, don't we? We try to figure out how to experience that same thing again. That's exactly what Peter wants to do here. He wants to build them each a place on the ground, to keep them physically present, to maintain that amazing experience… Poet Jan Richardson writes about the desires of Peter and the others in her poem “Dazzling”:  We could build walls Around this blessing, Put a roof over it. We could bring in  A table, chairs,  Have the most amazing meals. We could make a home. We could stay. I'm reminded of the title of the band Nickel Creek's second album,  “Why Should the fire die?” Peter doesn't want the fire to die. He wants to nail down this experience, so that he can experience it again! But it doesn't happen. And then, responding to Peter's previous protest from chapter eight, in which Jesus demonstrates that the end is coming, the glory of God is near…a voice from the cloud echoes onto the mountain top, “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him!” (MSG).  In other words, God says, “This IS the Christ. The kingdom IS coming. This is my guy. Hear him when he says this stuff. Don't brush it off. Trust me. Elijah and Moses are here, but he is greater than they. So you disciples (and Peter). Listen to him. And trust him.” But the transfiguration is not simply an answer to a dialogue between Jesus and Peter. It is much more than that. The Transfiguration Stuff Because for me, the climax of the story is not when God speaks. It's the transfiguration part. It's the metamorphosis, the actual change in form that Jesus undergoes.  Now…this story is so wild, it's so weird, some scholars think that Mark accidentally put this story in the wrong spot. Some think that this actually happened after the resurrection, and Mark just forgot where it needed to go. Why? Because the Jesus we find here is a lot like the post-resurrection Jesus. I mean it sort of makes sense on one level. Jesus WAS different after the resurrection. His form was not as it was before. It was new. It was different. And it's true that transfiguration Jesus and post-resurrection Jesus have a lot in common.  But I think it's in the right place, because it seems to have a pre-resurrection purpose. And its purpose is to give us a glimpse of what the future form/glory will look like.  My favorite scholar and preacher of the 20th century, Leslie Weatherhead (you've heard me quote him all the time) used to get questions about Jesus' divinity and humanity. Someone would ask, “How can Jesus be fully human and fully divine?” Remember, that is essential Christian doctrine, and has been for a very long time. But it is hard to explain and understand. And Weatherhead would answer like this: “Jesus contained as much of God as can be poured into a man without disrupting his humanity (and making him a monstrosity).” I've always liked that.  You see, in the transfiguration, I believe that God gives us a glimpse, a vision of the fully realized Christ, on full display. This is a vision of the future Christ of glory, of wonder and splendor, this is sitting-on-the-throne Jesus. And Jesus does this, he transfigures, he changes, I think, to show us what the end will be like. And in seeing the end, his purpose becomes clear. HOPE.  AFTER ALL, Peterson, Hope is the activity of love that reaches into the future. That to me is the deeper meaning of the transfiguration, the metamorphosis, the change of Jesus of Nazareth to Jesus the Christ. It is that he already has the future in his hands. He already knows the end result. And he's willing to show us a glimpse, he's willing to transfigure, to transform, to change. To give us hope. In all aspects of our lives. Hope that the end is not the end, that the hardship will not win, that suffering will have meaning, that though we may go through hell, we will bring something back with us, that death cannot ultimately be stronger than love. HOPE. Our Future There is, I think, one more thing to be gained from this story. Because Jesus is doing more than just responding to Peter. He is doing more than simply giving us a glimpse into HIS future, with the purpose of granting hope. I think Jesus, in this magnificent transformation and change is giving us a glimpse into OUR future.  I think Jesus is sharing with us that we too will be transfigured, that we too will undergo a metamorphosis of sorts, that we too will change. In fact, I believe that he is already in the process of changing us. If you are seeking to follow closely behind Jesus today, you are being transfigured. You are being changed! Wesley called it sanctifying grace - the process by which God is working to renew the image of God in you that has been there since the beginning.  Paul confirms it when he writes in his second letter to the church in Corinth, (MSG) “And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” It seems that in the end, Jesus is not the only one who changes…we change too.  But I'm not sure our change process will be as sudden and abrupt. Rather I think it will likely occur over time, over experience, over life, over trials, over joys, over suffering, in low valleys and in mountain top experiences. Change Is Hard  Gardener and poet Luci Shaw says it like this in her book Water My Soul. She says:  …I've been…astonished at how [God] can transmute experiences that we can only look at with revulsion or disappointment into good use. He allows us to learn from our mistakes; just because we stumble and fall, God doesn't disqualify us from further enterprises. Though we often have to live with the consequences of our choices, those consequences are illuminating, providing us with the wisdom and experience for future decisions. On occasion, the Lord has had to let me hit rock bottom, in enough despair that life seemed to hold nothing of value for me any more. But distressing as this was, it had a clarifying effect. In the pit of desperation I could see that many of the minor issues that had so obsessed me were just that-minor. That out of the grave where I had to die to those things, God was going to resurrect me, purged clean and more prepared to face his priorities for me. Do you know what Luci Shaw is talking about?  She's talking about transfiguration.  She's talking about transformation.  She's talking about sanctification.  She's talking about God's incredible ability to reach into our lives and invite us to CHANGE. And change is hard. Change is difficult and painful. When I think of the change that God invites us into, I think of Scrooge's response to the ghost of Jacob Marley, who when invited on a journey that will inevitably lead to change, Scrooge's reply is simply: “I think I'd rather not.” And if I am honest, (maybe it's just me) but I think sometimes I'd rather not. And I don't think I'm the only one! I think that sometimes we Christians can be known more for our immovable nature than our desire to be changed. Sometimes I think that as a faith group we would rather check the box next to Christ-follower than truly be transformed. I see the evidence all the time, in myself, in others, and in an American church that occasionally seems more concerned with being wrapped up and soaked in the partisan political games of our nation, rather than seeking to be transfigured by the grace and love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. And all the while, the world is in need now more than ever. And do you know what the world needs? I think the world needs a savior. I think the world needs hope and healing. I think the world needs care and compassion. I think the world needs to know that our cultural or political identifiers are surface level compared to our original identifier, that each of us is first and foremost a child of the living God.  And I hope that anyone who walks in those doors finds exactly what they need. I hope that anyone who is in here today finds a community ready to offer those things. I hope that anyone who walks in here meets a group of people willing to say, “We don't have it all together, but we sure are open and willing and ready for God's Holy Spirit to shift and change and transform and transfigure us so that we might continue to look a little more like Jesus every day.”  That's what a life of faith is. A life of faith, of following Jesus, a life lived under the Lordship of Christ is one of growth, it's one of shedding old parts and gaining new parts. A life of faith is all about not conforming to the patterns of this world, but rather being transfigured, being transformed, being changed by the renewing of our minds. And we certainly don't do the changing. As LaDon Denham told me this past week, “Only God can do that.” And that's true. But we can certainly open ourselves up to the Spirit, to God, we can unclench our fists and hold loosely the non essentials, and have willing hearts and minds, willing to let God guide and direct and do some transfiguring work within us for the sake of Jesus Christ in the world.  Leadership Morning A few weekends ago, we held a leadership retreat on a Saturday morning for all of our folks that are on administrative committees of our church. We had a room of about 60 of our church leaders. And we spent the morning dreaming about the future of the church. It was a pretty mountain top-y experience for me at least.  At the end of the morning, I asked everyone in the room to take a sticky note and write a one word prayer. {explain I used to do this with youth} After we were done I went through the prayers that next week. Here is some of what was written down, here are some of the one-word prayers that the leadership of this church prayed for you and for Newnan First UMC:  Unity Growth Relationships Wisdom Guidance Joy Strength Health Inclusion Stay United Thankfulness Passion Grace Peace Hope I'm so proud of the words our leadership offered to God on behalf of this church. What An amazing group of folks. And I think those are great prayers, necessary prayers. God knows we need peace in our communities, unity in our churches, wisdom in our states, grace in our nations, and guidance in our world.  But if we really want to pray for those things, I wonder, then do we know who God's instruments of peace on earth are going to be? Do you know who God will use to be the peace-makers? Do you know who he will call to be the hope-bringers, and the unity-sewers, and the grace-givers and the includers and the strengtheners and the growers? You. And me. And if you and I really want to be a community that exhibits those things, I wonder today what might need to change in us, that God might be able to do some of that work THROUGH us. I'll finish with a question: Are you prepared to allow God to change you in such important and intense ways that he might be able to use you for peace?  Are you ready to allow God to transfigure your life?  Are you ready to live a life of dynamic faith? After all, a life of dynamic faith is a life filled with change. Amen.

Pastor Seth Wetter teaches us, to Have Joy. Jesus Was, Is and Is to Come. Live the Abundant Life in Jesus. From the Book of John, the 1st Chapter. On December 24th, 2023 God's Word is Truth!

Title: Our Shepherd Text: Acts 6:8-15 FCF: We often struggle enduring in obedience. Prop: Because God shepherds us through His purposes, we must faithfully obey the Lord. Scripture Intro: LSB [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 6. In a moment I'll read from the LSB starting in verse 8. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1236 or in whatever version you prefer. Last week, we saw how the church faced an internal problem that could have shattered it in its infancy. Instead, the Lord called and equipped leaders to wisely delegate responsibility in order to serve the body in multiple capacities. Luke shows that God is continuing to provide for and guide His church through the many perils it will face. And we saw that God continues to do that for us as well. Today, we'll only just start to see another showdown that the early church will have with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. We've seen Peter and John and the rest of the apostles stand before the Sanhedrin to preach the gospel. So far, the Jewish leaders were in the minority for viewing the church as a danger to the rest of Judaism. The church viewed itself as the next step in the Redemptive plan of God for His people. And the people of Jerusalem looked on the church with favor. But today, the tide will begin to turn. In this, we will see our God continue to guide and shepherd His church. Please stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Transition: [Slide 2] 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. [1] Why did I just read Psalm 23? Today, we will see the Lord be this Shepherd to a man named Stephen. He will do all He promised in this psalm. And He will do the same for His church. Let's look. I.) God equips His people to do what He has called them to do, so we must faithfully obey the Lord. (8-10) a. [Slide 3] 8 – And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. i. Chronology in the book of Acts is a difficult thing to nail down at times. ii. We know that Jesus was probably crucified around AD 29-30. 40 days later he ascended and 10 days after that was the celebration of Pentecost in which the apostles were filled with the Spirit. iii. Since that event, we haven't had any real chronological markers. iv. We assume that things are happening in fairly quick succession. v. But the nearest marker we have is that we know the persecutions of Saul probably occurred somewhere between AD 33 and AD 35. That means that from the ascension of Christ to Acts chapter 8, it spans around 5 years. vi. It is difficult to know where to insert a large portion of time like this in what we've seen thus far, given the fact that every narrative chunk seems to flow from the previous. vii. To me, it seems like we could have a significant amount of time between verse 6 and verse 8. viii. In verse 7, the church grows again. This is not necessarily an indicator of time elapsing nor is many priests coming to Christ. ix. But when we arrive in verse 8 we see Stephen, who was appointed as a Deacon, now inheriting gifts that were formerly only associated with the apostles. x. Up to this point in the book of Acts, the only people who have done signs and wonders have been the apostles. It would be natural for us to assume or conclude that Stephen is no longer solely caring for the daily provision of food for widows. His role has expanded or even, perhaps, changed altogether. xi. Not that he has become an apostle. No where do we see him referred to as such, nor do we see much evidence in the book of Acts for an expansion or succession of the apostolic office. But perhaps he has moved on to a prophetic or Elder office in the church. xii. This leads us to conclude that some time has elapsed since the appointment of the first Deacons and this narrative concerning Stephen. xiii. Notice also the source of Stephen's doing great signs and wonders. Grace and power filled him. xiv. Grace especially is not something that can be earned, bought, achieved or won. Grace must be given by God specifically. Power too is something that must be gifted. Indeed, all things are gifts from God. We have nothing that He has not given us. xv. Stephen is not performing these signs and wonders because he can in and of himself. He is doing so by the power and grace of God. b. [Slide 4] 9 – But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, i. So, let's pause and ask… what is the Synagogue of the Freedmen? ii. Synagogues are places of teaching and worship that continued to be used even after the temple was rebuilt and later refurbished by Herod. They allowed Jews dispersed around the world to continue to learn and worship God and practice their Jewish faith. iii. Freedmen, would have been former slaves who had either earned or been granted their freedom. iv. Given the specialization here of a synagogue of Freedmen, it probably denotes a group of people who ither were not welcomed at other synagogues around Jerusalem. v. What follows gives us a clue as why these folks might not be welcome in other Synagogues around Jerusalem. c. [Slide 5] including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and were arguing with Stephen. i. Cyrene and Alexandria are areas in Northern Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean. Cilicia is located in Modern Turkey on the coast of the Mediterranean just North East of the island of Cyprus. Asia in the scriptures always refers to the Roman province of Asia, which comprises the western third of modern-day Turkey. ii. But how many people groups were represented in this Synagogue? The argument could be made that all four are part of this synagogue of the freedmen, or none of them are, or some combination. The LSB favors the Cyrenians and Alexandrians being part of the Synagogue of the Freedmen, but the other two are simply other people groups that join the argument against Stephen. I personally see all these groups as part of this Synagogue. iii. But , no matter what we conclude the irony is inescapable. iv. These men who argue with Stephen, are either Hellenized Jews, or Jewish proselytes. v. Why is that ironic? vi. Stephen, himself, was a Hellenized Jew. He was a man who had lost his Hebrew heritage and could not speak Aramaic or Hebrew. He only spoke Greek. vii. The unity of the church between Hebraic and Hellenistic Jews is now superseding even the unity among matching racial factions. Stephen has greater unity and acceptance among Hebraic Jewish Christians than he does with Hellenistic Jews. viii. But what led to the altercation between them? There are no doubt two factors here that we can point to. 1. Jews who were dispersed from Israel, born in a foreign land, Hellenized, but have chosen to return to Jerusalem to live, would have been Jews particularly zealous for the law. a. They no doubt would have been quite motivated to return to their roots. b. Perhaps they were trying to learn Hebrew and Aramaic. Perhaps they were attempting to un Hellenize themselves. c. This certainly would have caused a rift to form between Stephen and these Jews, since Stephen remains a Hellenized Jew and a part of the Nazarian sect too. 2. Second, because Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew, he would go to these kinds of synagogues to teach and expound the scriptures to these folks. This would explain how this altercation came about and it would explain the ferocious extent of their attempt to destroy Stephen, more on that as we go along. ix. At first, these men merely attempt to refute Stephen's beliefs… d. [Slide 6] 10 - But they were unable to oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking. i. Once again, the power and wisdom of Stephen is not what is on display here. ii. God is at work in this entire situation. iii. Jesus said, “Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:11-12 and in Luke 21:15 He said, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.” iv. Here we see Stephen, a man full of faith and the Spirit, a man full of wisdom, a man full of grace and power, a man supernaturally prepared… v. He is able to leave them absolutely speechless. vi. They couldn't refute his teaching. No matter how devoted to the law and the teachings of the scribes they were… his explanation of the scriptures was without flaw. e. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: God always supernaturally equips and prepares His people to do what He has called them to do. Here we see a man, who was already full of faith, with a strong testimony of the Spirit's indwelling, and filled with godly wisdom, expend himself in the operation of the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem. While the apostles continued their work in the temple, Stephen goes forward with compassion and mercy to share the gospel to those who were not Hebraic Jews. But as well as Stephen does to stand firm in the truth, Luke makes it abundantly clear that God is the one who had equipped Him for this work. God always does this for His people. We can trust that no matter what God is calling us to do for Him… He will supply what we need to do what He has commissioned us to do. Transition: [Slide 8(blank)] So, if God has equipped Stephen to take the gospel to these people and refute their arguments, that must mean that we are about to see another Pentecost experience, right? II.) God will vindicate His people but not necessarily in this life, so we must faithfully obey the Lord. (11-15) a. [Slide 9] 11 – Then they secretly induced men to say, i. What do you do when you can't beat your opponent? ii. Cheat. iii. They began to induce, instigate, or persuade men… but not openly. Not overtly. iv. Through whispers and back alley deals they gathered men who would oppose Stephen. v. What might they convince these thugs to say that would defeat Stephen? b. [Slide 10] “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” i. It is important for us to note the progression in the story here. ii. There are really only two crimes of which these men have been persuaded to accuse Stephen. iii. And they are summarized in this brief statement. But as we go forward, we will see them testify before the Sanhedrin. What we must understand is that these are not additional charges but rather further expressions of these same crimes mentioned right here in verse 11. iv. Blasphemy against Moses or against the law of Moses would be treated as blasphemy. To attack what God had given as His law would be to blaspheme God indirectly. v. But they also accuse Stephen of blaspheming God directly too. We'll see how specifically in a few moments. vi. Blasphemy is a crime punishable by stoning. It is a very serious crime if proven true. vii. In other words, these men were persuaded secretly to spread a lie that could see the man they were to lie about… put to death. viii. Knowing that these men were particularly zealous to return to the Jewish roots, their hatred for Stephen and the Nazarian sect was no doubt a development of and a response to the Sanhedrin's dealings with the apostles. This group wants to appear to the Sanhedrin, that although they are Hellenized, they desire not to be. ix. But this was not all they did. It wasn't enough to have men lie about him, saying he was blaspheming. c. [Slide 11] 12 – And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, i. They also incited a mob. ii. No doubt using the testimony of these men persuaded secretly, they encouraged the people, the elders, and the experts in the law, to come out against Stephen. iii. This is another reason that this narrative portion seems later in time than what we have covered thus far. The people seemed to be generally in favor of the apostles and the teaching of the Nazarian sect up to this point. All of a sudden, things are beginning to change. iv. There are a lot of layers to this that Luke does not provide for us. So, we must pay close attention to the details he has provided. They are the key. v. Remember, Jewish priests were beginning to convert to this new sect. vi. Hellenized Jews and Hebraic Jews are allowing their differences to coexist while they love each other. vii. We might see these people's actions as extreme, and indeed they are, but when we realize that the perception of this Jesus movement is shifting, we recognize that even the people are starting to believe that this Nazarian sect may not be a sect at all… but rather… a schism. viii. That instead of this being another party or denomination of Judaism – this may actually be a dangerous and false teaching. ix. It would be the difference between comparing a Baptist Church to a Wesleyan church and comparing a Baptist Church to the Mormon Church. In the first comparison, we see a Wesleyan church as generally our brothers but not agreeing on enough points to be part of the same local body. But in the second comparison, Mormons teach a heretical doctrine and do not conform to the foundational creeds of the Christian church. Therefore, they are not even Christians. x. Up to this point the Jews in Jerusalem and even the Jewish Christians themselves saw this Jesus movement to be like the Baptist/Wesleyan comparison. But the tide is turning. Perception is changing. xi. My friends, the lies these Hellenistic Jews drew up about Stephen, were hitting a little too close to home. It played upon the growing fears of the Jews in Jerusalem. xii. The growing sentiment in Jerusalem was that the Sanhedrin was right. This WAS a dangerous teaching. And the name of Jesus WAS something quite different than Judaism. xiii. Even though the church enjoyed the relative favor of the people for a time… Luke shows us that such favor was never guaranteed to continue. d. [Slide 12] And they came up to him, dragged him away, and brought him to the Sanhedrin. i. Since these were serious fears and serious charges, the only place they could take him would be to the Sanhedrin. ii. They could not take him to the Roman authorities, for they would care very little about the crime of blasphemy. iii. But since this is a trial before a Jewish court, there must be 2 or three witnesses to accuse someone of a crime that would result in the death penalty. iv. Not to worry, our very zealous Hellenistic Jews are at it again. e. [Slide 13] 13-14 – And they put forward false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases speaking words against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.” i. We must pay particular attention to the nature of their charges against Stephen. They will help us to understand Stephen's response next week. ii. The governing accusation they submitted was blasphemy against Moses and God. iii. Specifically, he would not stop speaking against the holy place and the law. So, the blasphemy against God is against His dwelling place, ie the temple. Blasphemy against Moses is against the law of Moses. iv. But this narrows still further. 1. Blasphemy against God – speaking against the temple – is attributed to Stephen saying that Jesus would destroy the temple. 2. Blasphemy against Moses – speaking against the law – is attributed to altering customs which were handed down from Moses. v. Already we are starting to see that calling this blasphemy is a bit of a stretch. It is the final two accusations to which Stephen will reply. vi. But isn't there a kernel of truth in what they said? vii. It is difficult to know why exactly these witnesses were “false.” viii. Jesus Himself said, tear this temple down and in three days I will rebuild it. Of course, He did not say that HE would tear it down, and he was talking about His body and His resurrection. ix. And Jesus had also prophesied about the future destruction of the temple in AD 70. An event still future even to Luke as he penned this book. x. And we know that Christians did eventually begin to alter the customs handed down from Moses, especially for gentile believers. xi. We see Gentiles and Jews not being obligated to maintain dietary laws. And gentiles are not obligated to bear the sign of the Abrahamic covenant. xii. We know that Jesus Himself said that He had come to fulfill the law. xiii. Jesus also told the Samaritan woman that there would come a day where people would worship God not on their mountain or in Jerusalem but in Spirit and truth. They will worship God through His Messiah. Him. xiv. Meaning that even the temple would lose its significance as the center of the worship of Yahweh. xv. All this, of course, does not mean that the law was null and void or that the temple should be burned. Rather it meant that Jesus perfectly obeyed the whole law and became a new representative for His people. Giving them His righteousness. And in that, the sacrifices, which never truly took away sin, and which only pictured the final sacrifice of Christ, would eventually become unnecessary. xvi. So, we see that what these men testified about what Stephen had said, could have some truth to it. xvii. If so, why would Luke call them false witnesses? xviii. Most likely because they are misrepresenting the meaning of what Stephen said. As we already mentioned, Jesus never said HE would destroy the temple, but merely that it would be destroyed or if it was destroyed, He would raise it again. Jesus does not alter the law of Moses, but He does fulfill it, rendering portions of it complete and therefore expired. xix. So as an act of Jewish zealousness these men persuaded people to accuse Stephen of blasphemy, gathered a mob to drag him to a trial, and found false witnesses to twist his words to paint him in the worst light – all to charge him with a crime that requires his execution. xx. Wow. That is some cold-hearted hatred there. xxi. It appears that the Jews whom Isaiah prophesied about in Isaiah 59, are still the same. There he said “Their feet run to evil, and they are quick to shed innocent blood;” Indeed, two sins the Lord hates in Proverbs 6:17 is a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood. Here, these Jews have both. f. [Slide 14] 15 – And fixing their gaze on him, all who were seated in the Sanhedrin saw his face like the face of an angel. i. It is difficult to know what to make of this comment by Luke. ii. What we struggle to understand is why they were gazing at him and what it means that he had the face of an angel. iii. If his face shown like an angelic being then we might know why they were gazing at him. However, it seems that they were gazing at him first. iv. Perhaps they were looking for some body language or facial feedback from him as the testimony against him mounted? v. As for the face of an angel, it seems best to understand this in the mystical way. vi. Some have tried to say that his face was innocent looking or that he was young or handsome or powerful… but it seems best to conclude that his face was glowing – much like Moses' face. vii. Such a tie to Moses could subtly suggest that rather than blaspheming the law of Moses, he was the only faithful interpreter of the law in the room that day. viii. It is God's testimony in the case against Stephen, that he was innocent and his judges were guilty. g. [Slide 15] Summary of the Point: As a contrasting point to our previous point, although God does equip His dear children to face all that He has called them to do on this earth, that does not mean that men will favor us. No, the second truth we see is that God will ultimately vindicate His children, even if or when they are criminalized, ostracized, villainized, or demonized by men. God will clothe the bride of His Son with white robes which are their righteous deeds. One day all the world will know the righteousness of His people. Not a righteousness they have of their own, but one that has been gifted to them by the merits of Christ. Though men call us guilty – For the sake of Christ, God has declared us innocent. Though men shame us – For the sake of Christ, God has exalted us. Though men strip us of power – For the sake of Christ, God will glorify us to reign with His Son. Transition: Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today and how shall we live? What doctrinal takeaway can we arrive at today? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 16] God is a shepherd who looks after His people. He walks with them to still water. He guides them with His staff. He sets out a table before their enemies. God is a God who leads His children through the valley of the shadow of death. No matter what God has called us to do, no matter what command He has given, and no matter what danger He leads us into, He is there with us for every single step. Even when everyone else abandons us. Even when others hate us. God will deliver us safely into His Kingdom where we will be honored and rewarded for our obedience. What does this mean for us? It means, Christian, that we have no excuse for not obeying our Lord, wherever He may lead us. We must faithfully obey the Lord in all that He has commanded, and follow Him wherever He may lead. But let us improve on this point with more specific applications for our daily life. 1.) [Slide 17] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” I actually have two of these this week. First, we must deny that Stephen was some sort of special super-Christian naturally capable of this task. a. In this text we see Stephen performing signs and wonders. We see his teachings of Christ holding up against the strictest scrutiny. We see him accused of blasphemy, dragged to court, and falsely accused. b. In all of this we might be tempted to look at Stephen with deep admiration. We might be tempted to see Stephen as a special person in the history of the church. A super-Christian worthy of our applause. c. But my friends, Luke bends over backward here to make sure we don't do such things. d. I'd like to think that Stephen, if we were able to talk to him today, would rebuke us for thinking such things. e. My friends, Stephen was filled with grace and power. He was indwelled by the Spirit. He was full of faith. He was full of wisdom. And He was given an angelic face. f. What is the common thread of all of these traits? g. Is it not that God had gifted them to Him? h. My friends, the hero of this story is not Stephen. Stephen is just a man. A follower of Christ. Just like you and I. i. He was a man called to bear witness to Christ. Like you and I. j. He was a man called to have an answer for the faith in Him. Just like you and I. k. Stephen isn't special. Stephen isn't significant. l. Stephen's Savior… is. 2.) [Slide 18] Refutation: Secondly, we must deny that God giving us grace and power means that we will be spared from deep pain and tribulation on this earth. a. Although God gave Stephen grace and power, and although God transfigured Stephen's face to shine like Moses' face. b. God did not spare Stephen the hardship of being falsely accused, dragged to court, and slandered before many witnesses. c. If we truly confess that God is sovereign, even over the wills of men, then we must also believe that Stephen being treated unjustly was part of God's plan for his life. d. To the extent that when we read that Stephen was full of grace and power, one of the reasons he was filled with these was to ensure that he could hold up under this injustice. e. God's favor on us does not mean that we will never experience heartache, mistreatment, abuse, misfortune, or deep anguish. My friends, some of the most graced and faith filled people through the church age, have suffered deeper wounds than any of us will ever face. f. God's favor oftentimes is not to spare us pain… but rather to see us through it. 3.) [Slide 19] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must give an answer for the hope we have in us. a. Stephen goes to those whom he has much in common. b. He goes to those who are Hellenized Jews, and speaks to the truth of Jesus the Messiah of God. c. He teaches them about Jesus' death and resurrection. He teaches them about the fulfillment of the law of Moses in the life and death of Christ. He teaches them about the sacrifices never taking away sin but how Christ did with His sacrifice. d. And he stood strong against their rebuttals. He knew the scriptures well and left them without an answer. e. We too must do this. f. We too must go to those to whom we are closest. Our neighbors, co-workers, friends, family, those who do not know the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must do so to the best of our ability, giving an answer to those who might dispute the truth of the gospel. g. Some of you may be squirming here. How am I supposed to do that? How am I supposed to be ready to give an answer to those who try to refute the gospel? h. That brings us to our next application. 4.) [Slide 20] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop worrying about what we will say or do when we face resistance or rejection. a. There are certainly things we can do to prepare ourselves. We can study and know the gospel well. We can know God's Word well. b. We can use others in the church as iron to sharpen us. c. But going back to our first point – we must first and primarily ask the Lord for grace and help in these times. d. We have a responsibility to be ready – but God also will equip us for this work too. e. God equips His people to do mighty works. Stephen is just another in a long line before and after him who were equipped by God by grace and power to do mighty deeds for His glory. f. The author of Hebrews invites us to boldly approach God's throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace for help in a time of need. g. James tells us that if we lack wisdom we should ask. h. Jesus tells us that if we have faith as big as a mustard seed, we can command mountains. i. My friends, the common thread is that we as God's people live and die, succeed and fail, on the provision of our great and mighty God. j. Nothing Stephen did is beyond what you and I are able to do in the grace and power of God. k. Indeed, we may soon be called to do exactly as Stephen did. l. And we may not feel equipped for such a task now… but those who trust the Lord, and seek Him for wisdom and grace… will be equipped for all He calls us to do for His name. m. And that includes answering those who dispute the gospel message. 5.) [Slide 21] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will deliver us safely to His Kingdom where we will be made to be like His Son… forever. a. Although we may have great difficulty in this life, and face much opposition… we know that this life is not the end. b. This world is not our home. c. One day we will open our eyes and behold the beauty and majesty of our Loving Lord. d. One day we will stand before His throne declared a good and faithful servant of the Lord Most High. e. One day our good deeds will be revealed for all to see. f. One day we will wear the white robes of Christ's righteousness and all who opposed us and our God will be ashamed and silenced. g. It will be worth it all… my friends… when we see Jesus. [Slide 22(end)] Let me close with a Prayer by the Puritan Robert Hawker. Grant, dearest Lord, that though we still live in this world, yet never, never may we forget our relationship to You. Though we are outcasts, yet we are Jesus' outcasts. Lord, be our hiding place, so that You are all we need, like “streams of water in a dry place; like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.” Oh, for a word, a whisper of Jesus. We cannot live without it. We dare not let You go, unless You bless us. None of all the past enjoyments or experiences will do us any good, until You again shine upon our souls. Come then, Lord Jesus! We fly to You as our God, our Savior, our Portion, our All! We see our daily, hourly, continual need of You. You are our hope and Savior! Keep us, Lord, near You, for without You we are nothing. Precious Jesus, help us to see our clear part in You, from our union with You. And dear Lord, make us so strong in Your strength, that during the whole period of our present warfare, we may be “awesome as an army with banners” to all who would oppose our way to You, and in You. Yes, Lord! Let sin, and Satan, and the world, be united against us; yet put on us the whole armor of God, that we may “fight the good fight of faith, take hold of the eternal life,” and be made “more than conquerors through the One who loved us” In Jesus name we pray… Amen! [1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 23:1–6.

Als Jesus in die Nähe von Jericho kam, saß ein Blinder an der Straße und bettelte. Er hörte, dass viele Menschen vorbeigingen, und fragte: Was hat das zu bedeuten? Man sagte ihm: Jesus von Nazaret geht vorüber.  Da rief er: Jesus, Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Die Leute, die vorausgingen, wurden ärgerlich und befahlen ihm zu schweigen. Er aber schrie noch viel lauter: Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Jesus blieb stehen und ließ ihn zu sich herführen. Als der Mann vor ihm stand, fragte ihn Jesus: Was soll ich dir tun? Er antwortete: Herr, ich möchte wieder sehen können. Da sagte Jesus zu ihm: Du sollst wieder sehen. Dein Glaube hat dir geholfen. Im gleichen Augenblick konnte er wieder sehen. Da pries er Gott und folgte Jesus. Und alle Leute, die das gesehen hatten, lobten Gott.  (© Ständige Kommission für die Herausgabe der gemeinsamen liturgischen Bücher im deutschen Sprachgebiet)

Als Jesus in die Nähe von Jericho kam, saß ein Blinder an der Straße und bettelte. Er hörte, dass viele Menschen vorbeigingen, und fragte: Was hat das zu bedeuten? Man sagte ihm: Jesus von Nazaret geht vorüber.  Da rief er: Jesus, Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Die Leute, die vorausgingen, wurden ärgerlich und befahlen ihm zu schweigen. Er aber schrie noch viel lauter: Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Jesus blieb stehen und ließ ihn zu sich herführen. Als der Mann vor ihm stand, fragte ihn Jesus: Was soll ich dir tun? Er antwortete: Herr, ich möchte wieder sehen können. Da sagte Jesus zu ihm: Du sollst wieder sehen. Dein Glaube hat dir geholfen. Im gleichen Augenblick konnte er wieder sehen. Da pries er Gott und folgte Jesus. Und alle Leute, die das gesehen hatten, lobten Gott.  (© Ständige Kommission für die Herausgabe der gemeinsamen liturgischen Bücher im deutschen Sprachgebiet)

In this episode of Truthspresso I chat about Jesus and socialism.A coworker a while ago made the claim to me that Jesus was a socialist. I have certainly heard this claim before, but I figured I would address it.In part 9 we look at the claim that Jesus taught against property rights and owning wealth because He said in Luke 14:33 that one must give up all he has to be His disciple. We also examine Jesus' instructions for inviting guests to feasts in the context of Gentiles coming for salvation.A look at some Christian socialist articles and blog posts reveal that "sinners" in their minds can only be the "privileged" who directly or indirectly exert power over others.Sources Cited:Mike Rivage-Seul, "Bernie Reminds Us that Christianity Is Communism & Jesus Was a Communist!" Mike Rivage-Seul's Blog, April 21, 2017.Karl Kautsky, Foundations of Christianity, (London: Forgotten Books, 1908), 367.Herb Montgomery, "Political Jesus," Renewed Heart Ministries, May 18, 2018.Scriptures Referenced:Luke 14:12-14,15-24,28-30,33Luke 15:1-2,10Matthew 8:11-12We value your feedback!Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

In this episode of Truthspresso I chat about Jesus and socialism. A coworker a while ago made the claim to me that Jesus was a socialist. I have certainly heard this claim before, but I figured I would address it. In part 9 we look at the claim that Jesus taught against property rights and owning wealth because He said in Luke 14:33 that one must give up all he has to be His disciple. We also examine Jesus' instructions for inviting guests to feasts in the context of Gentiles coming for salvation. A look at some Christian socialist articles and blog posts reveal that "sinners" in their minds can only be the "privileged" who directly or indirectly exert power over others. Sources Cited: Mike Rivage-Seul, "Bernie Reminds Us that Christianity Is Communism & Jesus Was a Communist!" Mike Rivage-Seul's Blog, April 21, 2017. Karl Kautsky, Foundations of Christianity, (London: Forgotten Books, 1908), 367. Herb Montgomery, "Political Jesus," Renewed Heart Ministries, May 18, 2018. Scriptures Referenced: Luke 14:12-14,15-24,28-30,33 Luke 15:1-2,10 Matthew 8:11-12 We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

In this episode of Truthspresso I chat about Jesus and socialism.A coworker a while ago made the claim to me that Jesus was a socialist. I have certainly heard this claim before, but I figured I would address it.In part 9 we look at the claim that Jesus taught against property rights and owning wealth because He said in Luke 14:33 that one must give up all he has to be His disciple. We also examine Jesus' instructions for inviting guests to feasts in the context of Gentiles coming for salvation.A look at some Christian socialist articles and blog posts reveal that "sinners" in their minds can only be the "privileged" who directly or indirectly exert power over others.Sources Cited:Mike Rivage-Seul, "Bernie Reminds Us that Christianity Is Communism & Jesus Was a Communist!" Mike Rivage-Seul's Blog, April 21, 2017.Karl Kautsky, Foundations of Christianity, (London: Forgotten Books, 1908), 367.Herb Montgomery, "Political Jesus," Renewed Heart Ministries, May 18, 2018.Scriptures Referenced:Luke 14:12-14,15-24,28-30,33Luke 15:1-2,10Matthew 8:11-12We value your feedback!Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

17. Sonntag nach PfingstenEvangelium: Mt. 22,34-46Als die Pharisäer hörten, dass er die Sadduzäer zum Schweigen gebracht hatte, kamen sie zusammen, und einer von ihnen, ein Gesetzeslehrer, fragte ihn, um ihn auf die Probe zu stellen: Meister, welches Gebot im Gesetz ist das wichtigste?Er antwortete ihm: Du sollst den Herrn, deinen Gott, lieben mit deinem ganzen Herzen und mit deiner ganzen Seele und mit deiner ganzen Vernunft. Das ist das wichtigste und erste Gebot. Das Zweite ist ihm gleich: Du sollst deinen Nächsten lieben wie dich selbst. An diesen beiden Geboten hängen das ganze Gesetz und die Propheten.Da die Pharisäer versammelt waren, fragte sie Jesus: Was denkt ihr über den Messias? Wessen Sohn ist er? Sie antworteten ihm: Davids (Sohn).Er sagte zu ihnen: Wie kann ihn dann David, geisterfüllt, Herr nennen? Denn er sagt: Der Herr sprach zu meinem Herrn: Setze dich zu meiner Rechten und ich lege dir deine Feinde unter deine Füße. Wenn ihn also David Herr nennt, wie kann er dann sein Sohn sein? Niemand konnte ihm ein Wort erwidern, auch wagte von diesem Tag an niemand mehr, ihm eine Frage zu stellen.- - -Follow / Folgen: Telegram: https://t.me/FSSP_PodcastSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3GNH1nI YouTube: http://bit.ly/3kXm9SGApple Podcast: https://bit.ly/3MH6cfnAmazon Music: https://amzn.to/3L0sp6TGoogle Podcast: https://bit.ly/40kBbB6

In John 11, the tables turn. The crucifixion awaits Jesus. Yet Jesus continues to do God's will and trust His sufficiency. No matter what you are going through, you can trust God's sufficiency, too. Join us for today's study of John 11:45-57. ***** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the Wednesday edition of the Women World Leaders podcast, where we take a few minutes each week to study the Bible together systematically. We offer three very different podcasts each week – so I hope you have your phone set to download ALL of them regularly. We all lead very busy lives, and I LOVE having these podcasts ready to listen to when I have a few minutes alone while driving or even washing the dishes. Besides this, the Wednesday edition, when we open and study God's Word together, on Mondays, Kimberly Hobbs hosts Empowering Lives with Purpose – a 30-minute interview with a different woman of faith. This podcast is meant to inspire you and empower you in your God-given walk. Sometimes, Kimberly interviews someone you might recognize, and other weeks, you will meet someone new. You can be sure that you will gain valuable insights as you listen EACH week. Then, on Fridays we have the joy of Celebrating God's Grace with one of our beautiful leaders. These women are gifted and talented and you won't want to miss a single episode. So download yourself a free gift of encouragement – and get in the habit of sitting in God's lap as He grows you 3 times every week! On this, our Wednesday edition of the Women World Leaders podcast, we are currently walking through the gospels chronologically. If you are new – don't worry – you can jump in right where we are, which, today, is John, chapter 11, verses 45-57 Before we begin, let's pray… Dear Most Holy God – Thank you for who you are and for who you made us to be. God, you formed each of us carefully on on purpose, and you KNEW we would each be listening to this today. You are sovereign, always in control, and your plans are perfect. Father, we give you this time, and ask you to open our hearts so that we will each hear exactly what you want us to know today. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen For the last few weeks, we have been studying the 11th chapter in John's gospel, which you might recognize as the resurrection of Lazarus. We've wondered with the disciples why Jesus didn't go immediately to the side of His dear friends Mary and Martha when they sent word that their brother Lazarus was deathly ill. We've observed in awe of both Mary and Martha's faith as they told Jesus with heartfelt agony that Lazarus would not have died had Jesus arrived sooner. We've related as Jesus comforted the sisters in their grief, even crying with them. We understood when Martha questioned Jesus as He told her to have the stone removed from the grave of her brother, who had been dead and decaying for four days. And, if we imagined realistically, we gasped in awe as we read about wrapped-up Lazarus hobbling out of the tomb and the onlookers obediently going to his side to help unwrap him. Today, we will finish the story as we pick up where we left off last week, John, chapter 11, verse 45 from the New Living Translation… 45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.  Remember, Martha was the do'er, the hostess, and it seems that Mary's giftings were more relational. So it isn't surprising that the Scripture records that many who were with MARY believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. Martha was as much a part of this scene as Mary was, but it seems as if God, in providing what each sister needed, had made certain that Mary had many people around her to carry her through this time. Our personalities are gifts from God. We can trust in the fact that He always knows what we need and will meet us where we are. So, MANY believed in Jesus as a result of this miracle. THAT we can imagine. But although everyone there clearly saw what happened, others had such hard hearts that they used what they saw as ammunition against Jesus. We have seen this before, but this time, the divisiveness of the people was a true turning point. Whether it was the enormity of the miracle, the location, or the timing that spurred the hatred and vitriole against Jesus that erupted, we do know for certain that God was in control. He always has been, He always will be, and He certainly was on this very day when the wheels were set in motion that would lead to Jesus' death on the cross. Verse 46 continues… 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council[a] together. This is where we see the escalation. Some who had witnessed Lazarus' resurreciton, instead of praising and thanking Jesus, went to the Pharisees to report what they had seen. The Pharisees knew the Mosaic law and were not shy about holding it up in a very extreme and overzealous fashion. So in response, they called for a meeting of the high council, the Sanhedrin – the supreme governing body—kind of like the supreme court here in the US. There were smaller sanhedrins at local Jewish centers, but, as they were near Jerusalem, this was the Supreme, or Great, Sanhedrin. This group managed the internal affairs of the nation, which was under the Romans at that time. The council was controlled by the chief priests—it was a family affair. This group banded together, intent on keeping the control they held. These were the elite, the bigwigs, the men who seemed to hold all the power, and weren't about to give it up. I feel compelled to offer an aside here. I feel like the Holy Spirit wants someone listening to know this. For all practical purposes, it looked to the world like these powerful men had the upper hand, and there was NOTHING anyone could do to stand against them. The days to come must have been so frightening for those standing with and for Jesus. And skimming through the story, we all know that they had every right to be frightened. They were seemingly powerless. Jesus WAS crucified. Maybe you are there right now. Maybe you feel like you are up against the world. Perhaps you have been fired despite years of giving your best. Perhaps a spouse has turned against you and even turned your children and your friends against you. Perhaps you feel stuck up against an economy that is rife with inflation and you are just trying to keep your head above water as you feed your children and purchase gas to get to work. Sometimes in life, it feels like all the cards are stacked against you. I'm sure Jesus' followers felt that way as the Sanhedrin, this Great Supreme Council, gathered and proceeded to march forward with their own agenda. But we CANNOT forget the end of the story. JESUS overcame. JESUS rose from the dead. JESUS won! And Jesus will win for you, too! Even as things may seem to be spiraling in your life, keep your eyes on the end of the story. You know it. Jesus wins. Jesus modeled this even as they were plotting against Him. I love Hebrews 12:1-2, which says…  let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. God's greatness will always win, but sometimes, we have to walk through the mud while keeping our eyes focused on the end goal. The Sanhedrin began to plot…verse 47 continues… “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple[b] and our nation.” 49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time,[c] said, “You don't know what you're talking about! 50 You don't realize that it's better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.” 51 He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. 52 And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world. Even as the Sanhedrin plotted, even as they thought they had the upper hand, even as Joseph Caiphas pronounced that it was better for Jesus to die, GOD was in control. We can see this clearly -because what those present at the Great Council were most concerned with, and what they thought they would thwart by killing Jesus, is exactly what came to be – despite their best efforts. They were afraid that their Temple and their nation would be destroyed. Which happened. The Temple was destroyed in the year 70 AD. And we also see God's control as Caiaphas prophesies that Jesus would indeed die, bringing together and uniting all the children of God that were scattered around the world. Caiphas, as he plotted Jesus' death, was prophesying that you and me would be united with God. How incredible is that? Verse 53 continues… 53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus' death. 54 As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples. Jesus did not allow those who were coming against Him to derail His mission. He simply pivoted and trusted God. When we are up against the world, we too, can pivot, trusting God control of the situation as we simply do what we are called to do. Verse 55… 55 It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won't come for Passover, will he?” 57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him. They Sanhedrin were determined to win, and they were prepared to pull out all the stops to do so. The people were looking for Jesus. Meanwhile, Jesus was busy, teaching and leading His disciples. Just as He was called to do. Jesus trusted God even when the walls seemed to be caving in. So can we. Let's pray… Dear Most Holy God, We trust your control. Some days are good, and others seem really bad from our point of view, but we trust your control, wisdom, guidance, and direction. We know that you win. Thank you for the assurance that when we follow you, we will win, too. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.  

GGACP congratulates actor Matthew Modine on the phenomenal success of “Oppenheimer” (yay, movie theaters!) by revisiting this unforgettable and wildly entertaining interview from 2021. In this episode, Matthew talks about the awkwardness of sex scenes, the unpredictability of chimps and the cruel fate of "Cutthroat Island" and looks back on his working relationships with Robert Altman, John Schlesinger and Stanley Kubrick. Also, Bruce Dern bumps off The Duke, Wallace Shawn stars in "12 Angry Men," Oliver Reed shows off a very special tattoo and Matthew and Gilbert co-star in the unforgettable "Funky Monkey." PLUS: Jiminy Glick! Ray Walston! "Jesus Was a Commie"! The cinema of Alan Pakula! The poetry of R. Lee Ermey! And Matthew remembers the legendary Albert Finney! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JESUS - Was tun, damit die unreinen Geister nicht zurückkehren? (Lukas 11,24-28)

Hace algunas semanas, tuvo lugar el Festival de cómic europeo de Úbeda y por allí tuvimos delegación tortera. Aprovechando la coyuntura hablamos de este y de otros muchos salones y eventos de cómic: Nuestras primeras veces, las diferencias entre unos y otros, lo mejor y lo peor. Pero quietos, que esto es uno de nuestros popurrís, así que no nos escaparemos sin recomendar un puñado de tebeos en el segundo bloque. Sabed, oh-yentes, que entre los años del hundimiento de Atlantis y sus brillantes ciudades, tragadas por los océanos, y los años del nacimiento de los hijos de Aryas, hubo una edad no soñada donde podía escucharse el podcast 294 de ELHDT. Selección musical: 🎶 There's a Rugged Road, 🎶 Crayon Angels, 🎶 Jesus Was a Cross Maker, de Judee Sill

IN THE SECOND LEVEL OF TRANSFORMING DISCIPLESHIP JESUS USED THE “COME AND FOLLOW ME”  METHOD TO REACH PEOPLE. He called people Ready to observe AND IMITATE who JESUS WAS. 

“You've just seen...the heart-stopping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, testifying, death-defying, legendary E…Street…Band!” If you've ever attended one of their live shows, you would've heard some version of this declaration from Bruce and by the end you'd probably agree whole-heartedly. David Burghardt certainly did after his first concert, and 40 years later he's still going back for more. Like many fans, he cites their music—and one album in particular—as a lifeline in an especially trying time and a reminder to find joy even when life isn't easy. Find out what lyrics he wrote in everyone's high school yearbook, which foundational song Bruce refers to as “an invitation” (and how I happily discovered it about 30 years late), plus his admiration for Bruce's open discussion of his mental health struggles even as he consistently writes music that uplifts others.David's Personal Soundtrack:Thunder Road (from Born to Run album, 1975)Born to Run (from Born to Run album, 1975)Racing in the Street (from Darkness on the Edge of Town album, 1978)Tougher Than the Rest (from Tunnel of Love album, 1987)Jesus Was an Only Son (from Devils & Dust album, 1995)Rockaway the Days (from Tracks box set, 1998)Car Wash (from Tracks box set, 1998)The Rising (from The Rising album, 2002)My City of Ruins (from The Rising album, 2002)Land of Hope and Dreams (from Wrecking Ball album, 2012)References:VH1 Storytellers - Bruce SpringsteenThe Seeger SessionsBruce Springsteen Official WebsiteEpisode Music Credits:Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot SessionsOutro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

Day 40 | Forty Days | Bible in a Year | Soothing Rain | Female Soft Spoken Whisper Bible This video contains the Bible in a Year Plan, with the soothing sound of rain falling, as I whisper and softly read, to soothe you 2 sleep, Exodus 23:10 - 25:22 and Mark 1. Afterward, we will end with the Eventide Devotional portion from “God Calling” and an invitation to accept Christ as Your Lord and Saviour, encouraged by the Word of God. God bless you!

The Bible Project Podcast (Daily - Monday-Friday)https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com.This podcast was brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon.The Lady Hewley Trust,  Hilary Tulloh, Adeline Israel, Stefanie Eichenberg, Stephen Longton, Bob Clough, Valerie Sims, Lisa Look, Robert Holloway, The Creative  Fund, John  Van Mulligen, Sergey  Kochergan, Bobbi  Patchin, Thomas  Unitt, Colin  Evans' Martin  MPW...............................................................................................How to know that Jesus Was the Messiah.Jesus Heals the Centurion's Servant.5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,' and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,' and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marvelled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! (Matthew 8: 5-10)Outer Darkness11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. (Matthew 8: 11-13)A Healing of Peter's Mother-in-Law.“When Jesus had come under peter's house, he saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever, so he touched her hand and the fever left her and she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to him many who were demon possessed and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed them all who were sick that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying he himself bore our infirmities he bore our sins. (Matthew 8: 14-17)Jesus Miracles as the Fulfilment of Messianic Prophecywww.youtube.com/@JeremyRMcCandlessThe LIFE Podcast - The Bible Project | FacebookJeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | Patreonlinkedin.com/in/jeremy-mccandless-68353b16soundcloud.com/bonadventurebonadventure.bandcamp.com

The Bible Project Podcast (Daily - Monday-Friday)https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com.This podcast was brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon.The Lady Hewley Trust,  Hilary Tulloh, Adeline Israel, Stefanie Eichenberg, Stephen Longton, Bob Clough, Valerie Sims, Lisa Look, Robert Holloway, The Creative  Fund, John  Van Mulligen, Sergey  Kochergan, Bobbi  Patchin, Thomas  Unitt, Colin  Evans' Martin  MPW...............................................................................................How to know that Jesus Was the Messiah- Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy Matthew 8: 1-4 Introduction - The Messianic HopeWhen He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”  (Matthew 8: 1-4)The Old Testament predicted that a Messiah was coming, and Christians claimed the name of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of that prophecy. The Jews for the most part, even to this day reject that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and most believe they are still waiting for him to appear. So maybe we should ask how do we know that Jesus Christ is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament books in the Bible.Now the miracles come thick and fast and we're going to look at each of these three groups of three miracles, maybe one at a time over the next week or so. Today we are just going to look at the first of that initial group of three. The first group depicts Jesus' power over disease, and the second group portrays his power over nature, and then we will finally get to look at the third group which depicts his authority to forgive sin and his power over death. So today we're going to begin look at the first of that group of three so look with me at Matthew chapter 8 beginning at verse one.I The Healing of the Man with Leprosy II The Next Miraclewww.youtube.com/@JeremyRMcCandlessThe LIFE Podcast - The Bible Project | FacebookJeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | Patreonlinkedin.com/in/jeremy-mccandless-68353b16soundcloud.com/bonadventurebonadventure.bandcamp.com

In this episode of Truthspresso Express I chat about Jesus and socialism while driving to work.A coworker recently made the claim to me that Jesus was a socialist. I have certainly heard this claim before, but I figured I would address it.In part 5 I look at another of the socialist's prooftexts: the account of Zacchaeus. An article I read from a progressive Christian claims that Zacchaeus "got woke." Does Zacchaeus' salvation teach "woke" socialism?I also observe four points from this story:Zacchaeus was a tax collector for a wicked government. His profiteering wasn't free market capitalism.Zacchaeus' conversion was different from what Jesus instructed for the rich young ruler.Zacchaeus didn't give away all his wealth or abandon his house.Jesus immediately taught the anti-socialistic parable of the nobleman's pounds to this same audience.Sources Consulted:Chuck McKnight, "Jesus Was a Socialist," Patheos, March 11, 2019.Herb Montgomery, "Zacchaeus and Christian Support of Destructive Administrations," Patheos, February 14, 2020.V.R. Marianne Zahn, "Zacchaeus: The Rich Man Gets Woke," Huffington Post, December 12, 2016.Scriptures Cited:Luke 19:1-10, 16Luke 16:10Proverbs 10:4; 21:5-6We value your feedback!Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

In this episode of Truthspresso Express I chat about Jesus and socialism while driving to work. A coworker recently made the claim to me that Jesus was a socialist. I have certainly heard this claim before, but I figured I would address it. In part 5 I look at another of the socialist's prooftexts: the account of Zacchaeus. An article I read from a progressive Christian claims that Zacchaeus "got woke." Does Zacchaeus' salvation teach "woke" socialism? I also observe four points from this story: Zacchaeus was a tax collector for a wicked government. His profiteering wasn't free market capitalism. Zacchaeus' conversion was different from what Jesus instructed for the rich young ruler. Zacchaeus didn't give away all his wealth or abandon his house. Jesus immediately taught the anti-socialistic parable of the nobleman's pounds to this same audience. Sources Consulted: Chuck McKnight, "Jesus Was a Socialist," Patheos, March 11, 2019. Herb Montgomery, "Zacchaeus and Christian Support of Destructive Administrations," Patheos, February 14, 2020. V.R. Marianne Zahn, "Zacchaeus: The Rich Man Gets Woke," Huffington Post, December 12, 2016. Scriptures Cited: Luke 19:1-10, 16 Luke 16:10 Proverbs 10:4; 21:5-6 We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

In this episode of Truthspresso Express I chat about Jesus and socialism while driving to work.A coworker recently made the claim to me that Jesus was a socialist. I have certainly heard this claim before, but I figured I would address it.In part 5 I look at another of the socialist's prooftexts: the account of Zacchaeus. An article I read from a progressive Christian claims that Zacchaeus "got woke." Does Zacchaeus' salvation teach "woke" socialism?I also observe four points from this story:Zacchaeus was a tax collector for a wicked government. His profiteering wasn't free market capitalism.Zacchaeus' conversion was different from what Jesus instructed for the rich young ruler.Zacchaeus didn't give away all his wealth or abandon his house.Jesus immediately taught the anti-socialistic parable of the nobleman's pounds to this same audience.Sources Consulted:Chuck McKnight, "Jesus Was a Socialist," Patheos, March 11, 2019.Herb Montgomery, "Zacchaeus and Christian Support of Destructive Administrations," Patheos, February 14, 2020.V.R. Marianne Zahn, "Zacchaeus: The Rich Man Gets Woke," Huffington Post, December 12, 2016.Scriptures Cited:Luke 19:1-10, 16Luke 16:10Proverbs 10:4; 21:5-6We value your feedback!Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

Als Jesus in die Nähe von Jericho kam, saß ein Blinder an der Straße und bettelte. Er hörte, dass viele Menschen vorbeigingen, und fragte: Was hat das zu bedeuten? Man sagte ihm: Jesus von Nazaret geht vorüber. Da rief er: Jesus, Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Die Leute, die vorausgingen, wurden ärgerlich und befahlen ihm zu schweigen. Er aber schrie noch viel lauter: Sohn Davids, hab Erbarmen mit mir! Jesus blieb stehen und ließ ihn zu sich herführen. Als der Mann vor ihm stand, fragte ihn Jesus: Was soll ich dir tun? Er antwortete: Herr, ich möchte wieder sehen können. Da sagte Jesus zu ihm: Du sollst wieder sehen. Dein Glaube hat dir geholfen. Im gleichen Augenblick konnte er wieder sehen. Da pries er Gott und folgte Jesus. Und alle Leute, die das gesehen hatten, lobten Gott. (Lk 18,35-43)  (© Ständige Kommission für die Herausgabe der gemeinsamen liturgischen Bücher im deutschen Sprachgebiet)

The Worth of JesusMatthew 26:1-16Download the Group GuideThe Death of Jesus Was the Plan of GodMatthew 26:1-5Matthew 16:21John 10:17-18John 11:47-53Following Jesus Will Cost You the Praise of the WorldMatthew 26:6-13John 12:4-5Luke 10:38-42Jesus Was Betrayed as a Slave for the Sin of OthersMatthew 26:14-16Exodus 21:32Zechariah 11:12-13Application Points:God's plans are always victoriousValue faithfulness to Jesus over the applause of the worldGod's timing is always perfectJesus has fully paid the cost of sinTake the posture of Mary rather than Judas

The Worth of JesusMatthew 26:1-16Download the Group GuideThe Death of Jesus Was the Plan of GodMatthew 26:1-5Matthew 16:21John 10:17-18John 11:47-53Following Jesus Will Cost You the Praise of the WorldMatthew 26:6-13John 12:4-5Luke 10:38-42Jesus Was Betrayed as a Slave for the Sin of OthersMatthew 26:14-16Exodus 21:32Zechariah 11:12-13Application Points:God's plans are always victoriousValue faithfulness to Jesus over the applause of the worldGod's timing is always perfectJesus has fully paid the cost of sinTake the posture of Mary rather than Judas

Jesus Was a Radical 2000 Years Ago AND Today - Matthew KellyGet Matthew's 60 Second Wisdom delivered to your inbox: https://www.matthewkelly.com/subscribeVideo Transcript:“I think our culture's trying to pass off some sort of plaster-cast, candy coated Jesus. And the truth is this plaster-cast, candy coated Jesus is really easy to ignore.That's why the world is ignoring the Jesus we're presenting because the plaster-cast, candy coated Jesus is really, really, really easy to ignore. But once you get into the scriptures, once you really get into the Gospels and discover and rediscover the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, I think the one thing you're going to discover is that Jesus was a radical. Jesus was a radical. His life was radical. His example was radical. His love was radical. His teachings were radical and his teachings were radical 2000 years ago. And guess what? They're radical 2000 years later. And there's any number of examples of that as you read through the Gospels.Let's take a look at maybe one. Jesus in Matthew's Gospel says, "Love your enemy and pray for them." Love your enemy and pray for your enemy. And that was a radical teaching 2000 years ago. What was the teaching before that? Does anyone remember? That's right, "Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth." Jesus comes along and says, no more vengeance. Enough with the revenge. Love your enemy, pray for them. Now, when father gets up to read the gospel on Sunday and they start reading that gospel, we think, oh yeah, I've heard that one. Hope he's got a good homily. But what are we missing right there? Right there in that reading, we are witness to one of the great moral, ethical intersections in history of the world.Jesus says, all right, we're going, we're taking a right turn here, humanity. No more vengeance, no more eye for an eye, tooth for tooth. We're taking a right turn here, humanity. From now on, we're going to love our neighbor and we're going to pray for them. It's a radical teaching 2000 years later. It was a radical teaching 2000 years ago. I think one of the beautiful things about Catholicism is the mass, massively misunderstood, but I think when you delve into it, there's just genius there. And one of the beautiful, most beautiful things about the mass, part of the genius of the mass, is how we pray for the whole world throughout the course of the mass. Okay? If you take the mass apart, if you dissect the mass and you look at all the people and all the groups of people that we pray for throughout the course of the mass, it's quite extraordinary.And then you think about the idea that right now at this very moment, our family, the Catholic church, the biggest family in the world, is praying for the whole world in thousands of places all around the world, wherever the mass is being prayed right now at this very moment. It's quite extraordinary. And then we have the prayers of the faithful. We have the petitions. We have that moment where we localize our prayer, we pray for the sick, we pray for the little bit sick, the almost sick, the very sick, the partially sick, we pray for the dead, we pray for the almost dead, we pray for the hungry, the lonely, the bored, the depressed, the leaders, the followers. We pray for everybody. And I travel quite a bit, so I visit a lot of churches. But I have to say in a decade, between September 11 and the death of Osama Bin Laden, I'd never heard a prayer in any of our churches for Osama Bin Laden. But that my friends is the Gospel. And it's uncomfortable. Yes or yes?It's uncomfortable and it is radical. And it challenges us to the core. And if your priest had ever got up and said, listen, we're going offer mass today for Osama Bin Laden, what kind of reaction do you think he might have got? People would be walking out, right? Be letters to the editor, letters to the Archbishop. The media would be there before mass ended. It's radica

Greg Koukl's book does a great job explaining Christianity to many people who don't understand its message. In this podcast, I discuss two of his chapters that focus on Jesus--Was he just a recycled redeemer, another myth? Who exactly was he?

This week Danny and Tyler are joined by comedian Zach Peterson to talk about multi-talented, handsome genius Kris Kristofferson. Kristofferson has no shortage of iconic songs (often covered by other artists, such as Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin, and Bob Dylan, to name a few), and we decided to add his clever toe-tapper "Jesus Was a Capricorn (Owed to John Prine)" to our Ultimate Country Playlist. Why this song? Why is it "owed to John Prine?" What other talents does Kristofferson have? Listen to find out!!Get bonus episodes, blog posts, and more by supporting us on Patreon HERE!

This week we're looking at contemplative prayer and how to incorporate it into our faith lives. In addition, there's an important update on the podcast, so please give this one a careful listen. If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow! Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself: 1. "The Inner Journey: Thomas Merton's Contemplative Spirituality," by MattandJojang's Blog 2. "Jesus Was a Contemplative," by St. Joseph's College Online Theology 3. "How to Practice Contemplative Meditation," by U.S. Catholic 4. Book: Seeds of Contemplation, by Thomas Merton 5. Book: Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life, by Tish Harrison Warren 6. Book: Here and Now, by Henri Nouwen 7. Contemplative prayer resources and history from contemplativeoutreach.org 8. Song: Be Thou My Vision, by Audrey Assad 9. Song: The Embrace, by Ashana 10. Video: What is Contemplative Prayer?, with Fr. Mike Schmitz and Called to More

"How are the life stories of Buddha and Jesus similar? There are many similarities between the mythical elements of Jesus and Buddha. Here are just a few of the most striking similarities. Conceived in a miraculous manner Similar names of mother (Maya for Buddha, Mary for Jesus) Was a bit of a child prodigy Underwent a long period of fasting while traveling alone Tempted by, but overcame, the devil Began an itinerant ministry around the age of 30 Had disciples who traveled with him. Performed miracles, such as curing blindness and walking on water Renounced worldly riches and required his disciples to do so also Rebelled against the religious elite (Brahmans for Buddha and Pharisees for Jesus) Dispatched disciples, shortly before his death, to spread his message Were the writers of The Holy Bible aware of Buddhism? Although the distance between the homelands of Jesus and Buddha was great, there was plenty of contact between the two areas and 600 years for ideas to spread. Both trade and the wars of the ever-expanding Roman Empire facilitated contact. There is also the possibility that ideas “met halfway.” It did not require one person to traverse the 3000 miles. The ideas could have been passed along like the Olympic baton. There is a lot of evidence of trade between the two regions. There are various overland routes stretching from China, Asia, Arabia, and Europe, some going back as far as 1500 BCE. These routes were known as The Silk Road (or Silk Route), the Incense Route, and the Spice Route. The transport of goods along these routes relied mainly upon pack animals (camels) and river boats. Goods were also transported by boats across the Indian Ocean. There are cuneiform tablets dating to 2400 BCE describing shipments of cotton cloth, spices, oil, grains, (and even peacocks) which arrest to this trade. Even the Holy Bible attests to this trade with the story of The Three Wise Men from the East traveling by camel with gifts of frankincense and myrrh. You can be sure more than goods were being exchanged. Ideas also traveled these routes. The Buddhist ideas were undoubtedly among the ideas being spread, especially since Buddhist monks had a tradition of missionary zeal. Buddhism does not reject other creeds and religions. Thus, Buddhist ideas could be easily blended with whatever local religious beliefs the monks encountered. Buddhist settled into many areas of the Roman Empire, including Judea. The historian/philosopher Philo, who lived during the time of Jesus, recorded the presence of Buddhists in Egypt. It is quite likely that the authors of The Holy Bible were aware of both Buddha and Buddhist ideas." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support

Jesus Was a Peacemaker

Jesus Was a Peacemaker

Miracles happen every day in our world, just as they did in the Bible. But even as we recognize the miracles in our lives, God wants us to look for the blessing beyond! Join Julie Jenkins as she teaches from Matthew 14:34-36, Mark 6:53-56, and John 6:21-40. ******* Welcome to Walking in the Word – the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am so pleased that you have joined us. As I record this, it is April of 2022 – we just celebrated Easter – as  my daughter likes to call it, the Christian's Super Bowl, and we are marching quickly toward May. For us at Women World Leaders, that means a few things. First, the May edition of Voice of Truth magazine will soon be printed! So remember to go to our website – womenworldleaders.com – to register for your free printed version if you live in the United States, and for your free digital version if you live outside of the United States or you'd prefer to read the magazine on your digital device! Second, our 2022 books are coming to life! We have teams of coaches and editors who are guiding both new and seasoned writers who are courageously stepping forward to share their God-story with the world. If God is calling you to share your story, please contact us at info@womenworldleaders.com, we'd love for you to join us. And third – our next live event is just around the corner! Our team is planning an amazing gathering called Renew, that will springboard us into our post-pandemic world! If you are or plan to be in South Florida, be sure to register to join us in person on June 4th, OR you can join us virtually. All information can be found on our website: womenworldleaders.com But now…we want to quiet our minds for the next few minutes as we focus on the Word of God. Each Wednesday, we intentionally take time to study the Bible together, asking God what He wants us to learn today. We are currently walking chronologically through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Today, our teaching comes from Matthew 14:34-36, Mark 6:53-56, and John 6:21-40. Before we begin, will you pray with me? Dear Most Holy God! We are honored to come to you today as we open your Holy Scripture together. Thank you for meeting with us and for guiding us into your truth. We ask you to speak clearly to us and give us a deeper understanding of who you are and who you are calling us to be. God, thank you for knowing and supplying what we each need today. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.   As we study the Bible, it is so important to understand the context of the scripture we are reading. That means, in part, seeking to understand the full story – asking, what led us to where we are? So let's quickly look back at where we have come from. Jesus had been teaching the disciples when a crowd of over 5000 gathered. As evening drew near, not wanting to send the people away hungry, Jesus performed a miracle by multiplying the food that was available – 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish – into more than enough food to feed the hungry crowd. The people were grateful and, in response, wanted to make Jesus their earthly king. Jesus reacted to this temptation by first, removing the disciples from the situation by sending them, by boat, to cross the Sea of Galilee; next, by sending the crowds away; and finally, retreating by Himself to pray. As Jesus prayed, a storm formed over the water, threatening the lives of the disciples. Jesus lovingly took a stroll across the water to remind the disciples of His presence. John 6:21 from the New Living Translation reports, that the disciples were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination! I always feel like I kind of missed something when I read that verse. It seems that one minute they were in a storm, and the next, they were at their destination. Fearing that I misinterpreted this, I looked up the word ‘immediately,' wondering if this was like a magician's act. Did Jesus suddenly transport them from one location to another? Well…what I found was that the word translated as ‘immediately,' means immediately, directly, at once, or soon. That being said, if you compare the 80 times it is used in the Bible, it almost always seems to mean ‘instantaneously.' That's crazy to imagine, right? There are a lot of questions I'm going to ask God when I get to heaven, and that is going to be one! But regardless of the timing of the trip…the boat lands exactly WHERE it is supposed to. It is interesting, however, that it doesn't land where the disciples THOUGHT they were going! They were trying to get to Capernaum, but they ended up at Gennesaret. (geh-NEH-sir-eht) I think that most of us can attest to the fact that sometimes things don't look exactly like we think they should when we come out of a storm. We probably have all, at one time or another, ended up in a different place than we were expecting. But when we invite Jesus into the boat with us, we can always trust that we will end up exactly where we are supposed to be! As we read on, we see clearly that Jesus WAS where He was supposed to be. He had work to do. Matthew 14:35 states…. 35 When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. And Mark 6:55-56 records that the people 55 ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard (Jesus) was. 56 Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed Wherever He went, Jesus continued to showcase His glory and His dominion over sickness, disease, and physical needs. Today, Jesus no longer walks around the earth in bodily form…if He did, can you just imagine the crowds that would flock to Him? Instead, we are blessed to live in a time when God is everywhere via the Holy Spirit, who knows no physical or spatial barriers. And we can be assured that just as Jesus touched people everywhere He went, God, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, continues doing miraculous works via the Holy Spirit… only now those miracles happen everywhere, every single day! And if God is working everywhere, every day, you can be assured that He is constantly working in YOUR life. Sometimes we have to open our eyes and ask God to show us His work to recognize those miracles. But God's miracles are not the endgame…they always have a purpose beyond the obvious. When God works in our lives, He wants us to look BEYOND the miraculous circumstance, because He has something greater to show or teach us…and if we spend time with Him and ask Him what He wants us to know or learn, He WILL tell us! John 6:22-25 reintroduces us to the crowd who saw Jesus' glory the day before – remember the crowd of over 5000 from the other side of the lake who got the free meal. They were back, and Jesus had something for them to learn! The night had passed, and, having traveled across the lake in search of Jesus, the people were hungry… again. It was time for breakfast, and they wanted Jesus to provide another meal for them! But Jesus had something far more valuable for them than breakfast. He offered them the lesson beyond the miracle. John 6:26… 26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man[a] can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” They were in danger of seeing Jesus as a vending machine. Put a quarter in and hit the right button, receive healing. Put another quarter in and hit the other button, receive food. And although Jesus CAN supply our every need, the glory of Jesus is who He is, not what He can do. Jesus is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is the beginning and the end, the Almighty. He is LOVE, JOY, and PEACE. Jesus is more than we can ask or imagine. Simply being in His presence is life-changing and life-fulfilling. And when we look beyond the miracle, we will get a glimpse of His glory. The people loved God and appreciated His goodness. But instead of recognizing the blessing of Jesus Himself, they decided that they wanted to be able to do what Jesus did. The people said… “We want to perform God's works, too. What should we do?” To which Jesus replied with a verse all should commit to memory…John 6:29… 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” Did you catch that? All God wants from us is for us to believe in Jesus! One of the devil's greatest tricks is to instill pride in our spirits. We may start out in humble service TO Jesus, but when it goes well, and WE get the kudos, the devil tries to tempt us into believing that OUR WORKS make us worthy of being God's children. We are just a few days past Easter, as I record this. My kids are 22, 20, and 16. So, we are far removed from Easter egg hunts and chocolate bunnies. With one daughter away at school and the other working for a church, waking up on Easter morning is not what it used to be in our house. But taking my eyes off those “things” that a mom must “do” to celebrate a holiday, allowed me to simply rest in our risen Savior's presence. And it was glorious! Doing what we are called to do for God's glory – mom duties, work duties, or even ministry duties – are not wrong. They are worthy. But we must always remember that we can never replace the glory of being with Jesus with anything we do for Jesus – no matter how worthy the calling. John 6:29 – The only work God wants from you is to believe in the one he has sent. The people still weren't quite getting it…verse 30… 30 They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.'[b]” 32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The people were still thinking of their bread from the day before. In their minds, THAT was miraculous! And Jewish teaching had instilled in them that the TRUE Messiah would offer them bread every day, just as the Israelites had received manna every day. It was a new day…and they were hungry. So they asked again for the miracle, instead of looking beyond the miracle and recognizing that Jesus Himself embodied something even greater than the miracle…Verse 34… 34 “Sir…give us that bread every day.” And being as clear as human language would allow, Jesus replied… “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  36 But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me.  And even though the people had not fully turned their hearts to Jesus, and they still couldn't quite understand what He was saying, Jesus then gave some of His most encouraging teaching ever. Continuing on in verse 37… 37 However, those the Father has given me WILL come to me, and I will NEVER reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” Every miracle of Jesus points to the glory of God Himself. And in His glory, we are promised that when we submit to Him, He will never leave us nor forsake us. THAT is what Jesus wants us to see. Jesus offers us Himself. Not only did He give His life on a cross to overcome death for each of us so that we would not die, but He offers us Himself every single day that we may live exceedingly and abundantly beyond our very imaginations. So look for the miracles of Jesus…they are all around you! Expect the unexpected. Rejoice in the impossible. But always remember to look beyond the miracle to the true teaching. The Creator is greater than the created, the Giver is greater than the gift, the Miracle Worker is greater than the miracle…and He has chosen YOU to spend eternity with Him. Dear Most Holy and Righteous God! Thank you for the miracles that you surround us with every day: for allowing us to land exactly where we are supposed to be after the storm, healing us, feeding us, and supplying our every need. But most importantly, thank you for being you and for choosing us. Jesus, you never give up on us and you never leave us. We do give you all the praise and glory as we seek YOU…the blessing beyond the miracle. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Serie ZEICHEN DER ZEIT mit Pastor Mag. Kurt Piesslinger Rückblick und Ausblick März 2022 Die Entstehung des ukrainischen Staates und seine Folgen. Ein entscheidender Tipp von Jesus: Was tun, wenn man von einem überlegenen Feind bedroht wird? Wir wünschen Ihnen Gottes Segen! Für Videoaufnahme: https://vimeo.com/692802918

On the very first installment of Tradin' Vibes, the boys go over their love of Deftones, Fatboy Slims successful past and how John Cusack got Alex into Stevie Wonder, along with the first playlist of the year. List 1: 1. What Heaven's Left by Iron and Wine and Calexico 2. Veil Of Isis by The Sword 3. Tones of Home by Blind Melon 4. Old Love / New Love (ft. D'Angelo Lacy) by Twin Shadows 5. On A Rope by Rocket to the Crypt 6. Wasted Again by Turbonegro 7. 4 DEGREES by ANOHNI 8. Cold Sweat by Thin Lizzy 9. Ride Captain Ride by Blue Image 10. Straight To You by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 11. Jesus Was a Cross Maker by Judee Sill 12. †he epilogue by ††† (Crosses) 13. Marquee Moon by Television 14. Think For A Minute by The Housemartins 15. I Believe (When I Fall In Love) by Stevie Wonder