Podcasts about jesusthe

The thing about snakes – why put it up on a pole? And why does it bring healing? What is the type in the OT that Jesus wants us to be aware of? Is there a connection to the Passover feast that they are celebrating? Would Nicodemus have a different understanding about this from his historical and cultural background that we in our era and culture may have difficulty relating to?The snake, the devil and the bite of sin that brings destruction and death compared to the one who takes that sting of death away! It is a type of the cross and a prophetic view of what was to come with the real exodus from slavery to sin in the world of the flesh. The abundant nature of God's generosity to those who believe in him. Condemnation and believing in JesusThe love of God for humankind is contrasted by our love of darkness. How do we identify darkness? By deeds that are evil – by God's definition, which is the only one that counts in the face of eternity!The focus on truth as the means of coming to the light.Matt Carter: The reality of God's love – 14-16 for us and so reveals the need, the reason,  the intensity and the demonstration of God's love. The proof of the Love of God is in the giving. The demonstration proves the intensity and assurance of love, not just the words. The sacrifice is the proof more than time or money. Compare gave to sent in 17!The reason Jesus came – 17 sent not to condemn Romans and liberate Jews. To condemn means to judge a person guilty and liable to punishment. The result of belief – 18 the message of the Bible is about God's love and mercy and about man's sin and need leading to the rescue found in Jesus ChristThe response of man – 19-21 our choice

Text: Acts 1:1-11Series: The Movement of RenewalTitle: “Behind the Movement”Points:The ministry of JesusThe power of the SpiritThe kingdom of GodReflection Question: How does this text encourage you to see yourself as a witness for Christ within his movement of renewal?

Topics covered in this episode:Weather proverbs for the month of JuneThe talisman of Al-Nathrah, for victoryThe talisman of Al-Tarf, for illness and injuryMajor celestial events of the month of JuneA Mercury-Jupiter in Gemini electionA Venus in Taurus electionFixed Star Conjunctions for the month of JuneThe feast of Saint Anthony of PaduaMidsummer's EveThe feast of Saint John the BaptistThe feast of the Sacred Heart of JesusThe feast of Saint PeterSt John's WortHoneysuckleHyacinthMay's Patreon community ritual recap; Hawthorn against the Evil EyeFind us on:PatreonInstagramwww.kitchentoad.com

How can generations partner together to prepare the way for God to move? In this message, Youth Pastor Anna Oaks shares insight to help us encourage each other and pursue the Lord together. Young people who were used by God. David, the shepherd and kingShariah, meshach, and AbednegoMary, the mother of JesusThe boy who brought his lunch to JesusWhat was the common thread? Called Young, Often Unqualified Faced Rejection, Resistance, and Trials Stayed Faithful in Obscurity Said "Yes" When It MatteredDavid was a teenage shepherd, forgotten by his own family— yet chosen to slay giants and become king.Joseph was a 17-year-old dreamer in a dysfunctional family, sent to save nations.Mary was likely in her early teens when she carried the Savior of the world.Jeremiah said, "I am only a youth"— but God said, "Don't say "I am only a youth." (Jeremiah 1:6-7)David worshiped in the fields.Daniel prayed in secret.Joseph honored God in prison.Mary pondered God's word in her heart.Willing to say "Yes":"Here I am, Lord," said Samuel"Be it unto me," said Mary"I cannot help but speak," said JeremiahYouth were significant leaders in the First Great Awakening (1730s - 1740s) and the Second Great Awakening (Early 1800s).The revival leader of the Welsh Revival was a young man. And the worship leaders were young people. Jesus Movement (Late 1960s-1970s)Where teenagers and college-aged started leading mass baptisms (80,000 attendees) and launched the modern Christian music movement.  2023 Asbury Revival: a 16 day revival that started when students spontaneously stayed beyond chapel for worship and prayer. Tens of thousands GenZ soon gathered.What was the common thread? A Deep Hunger for God's Presence Radical Surrender and Repentance Prayer and Unity1. Recognize That a Revival Doesn't ComeWrapped in Familiar Packaging.Be willing to let go of preference and brace God's presence, even when it comes in unexpected ways.2. Pray, Cover, and Intercede Like It's Your Calling (Because It IS)You might not lead the move —but your prayers, mentorship, and spiritual protection fuel it.3. Mentor and Model Without MicromanagingBe the spiritual scaffolding that helps youth rise— not the ceiling that holds them down.What is your part in what the Lord is doing in the youth today?

WATCH ON YOUTUBE MESSAGE NOTES: Scripture: Exodus 3:1-22 & 4:1-31The general call - to follow JesusThe specific call - a specific mission that is unique to youThe call to our duties and responsibilities.History & Lived Experience​Capacities​Intentional EngagementGod made you and knows youGod is with youGod is enoughGod will use what you have“Vocational living is the intentional stewardship of our history, lived experience, capacities, and resources to serve God's purpose in God's timing.”A. Your HistoryB. Your CapacitiesC. Your Intentional EngagementD. God's Purpose and TimingPay attention and practice Holy CuriosityVocational Living = (A+B+C)*D

Welcome to Wellspring Church!Why did Jesus speak in parables? In this message, Bishop Thad Barnum launches our new teaching series by diving deep into that question, guiding us through Matthew 13 and Isaiah 6 to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.Jesus draws a dividing line—not between good and bad people, but between those who hear and those who cannot. Through stories, He reveals the heart of the Father and the invitation to a kingdom that is not of this world, calling us to repentance, faith, and a whole new way of seeing.

For Me? | Palm Sunday 2025Title: For Me? | Palm Sunday 2025On this special Palm Sunday episode, we explore Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem through Matthew 21:1-11. Pastor Lawrence unpacks why this pivotal moment begins Holy Week and what it reveals about who Jesus truly is.Discover:Why religious people left their Passover traditions to run toward JesusThe three responses to Jesus' arrival that still happen todayThe profound difference between empty religion and life-changing relationshipWhy Jesus wept over Jerusalem even as crowds cheeredHow a humble King riding on a donkey brings more hope than worldly powerWhether you're spiritually curious or a long-time believer, this message will help you experience Palm Sunday in a fresh way. Join us for this powerful start to Holy Week, and don't miss our Good Friday services at 4:30 & 6:30 PM featuring Scripture readings, worship, and communion.Listen, reflect, and prepare your heart for Easter with this timely message about what Jesus' arrival means for your life today.Connect with us at www.grandpoint.church/nextstepsWatch online on YouTubeFollow us on Facebook and InstagramSign up for our free weekly newsletter

Send us a textThe phrase “no room at the inn” is often heard during Christmas, but its spiritual weight carries far beyond the nativity scene. In this timely and prophetic episode of the Unshakable podcast, Pastor Ben Cooper reveals how this simple statement speaks directly to the modern world—and challenges us to examine our own hearts.When the innkeeper turned Mary and Joseph away, he unknowingly echoed a message still ringing out today: “There's no room for Jesus.” From school systems to governments, media to even religious organizations, Christ is increasingly pushed to the margins. But the greater question is: Have we done the same in our personal lives?This powerful message explores:What “no room at the inn” means in today's societyWhy many Christian spaces have replaced truth with traditionHow the modern church can unintentionally close the door on JesusThe prophetic connection between Jesus' birth and burial wrappingsHow to make room for Christ in your life, not just in your theologyPastor Ben makes a striking connection between Jesus being wrapped in cloths at birth and again at death—revealing that both moments involved people covered in His presence and His blood. Mary, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea each represent moments where Jesus was embraced, wrapped, and honored. In the same way, we're called to wrap the Word within us and be covered in the blood of Christ, not merely follow surface-level religious traditions.In an age where religious performance is mistaken for biblical faith, this episode is a call to return to Scripture—not rituals. Pastor Ben urges believers to walk in authentic faith, not plastic religion. We're not called to reject church, but to pursue Bible-based Christianity rooted in the Word, not man-made customs.So, where is God calling you to make room for Jesus today? What distractions, traditions, or systems have taken His place in your life?This message will stir your heart, provoke thought, and push you toward true intimacy with Jesus Christ. Whether you're in the U.S., Ghana, the U.K., the Philippines, or anywhere else around the world, this episode speaks to anyone who wants to move from religion to relationship with Jesus.Support the showhttps://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/https://www.rbchristianradio.net/

“Timeless Truths” Episode 72 - “The Last Supper & The Garden of Gethsemane - Replay” SHOW NOTES:This is the second of 3 episodes to prepare us for Easter Sunday. Last week, was Palm Sunday. In this podcast, I am going to discuss the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane. Next week, will be Good Friday to Easter Sunday. This is what is discussed in this episode:The PassoverThe Passover for JesusThe significance of Jesus' Passover MealThe Cup of RedemptionThe Fourth CupThe Garden of GethsemaneJesus declares that He is GodTwo references that I mentioned were:· “The Feasts of the Lord” by Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal· “Sparking Gems from the Greek” by Rick Renner (pages 230-231) You can listen in on Apple or Spotify - Same links each time.Apple –https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/timeless-truths/id1695920504Spotify –https://open.spotify.com/show/0TU2Tj6gmTY3tuwiU3DrUHFor links to other podcast platforms use LinkTree –https://linktr.ee/drchris024 I want to invite you to FOLLOW this podcast so that you never miss an episode! Please give it a “5” rating if it speaks to you and comment.This is Dr. Christine Van HornWebsite: www.drchris.coEmail: chris@drchris.coFB: https://www.facebook.com/wisdom.drchris “Timeless Truths” is rated by “ListenNotes.com” as being in the top 10% of podcasts globally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here are just a few highlights about this wonderful portion of scripture, covered in this sermon:The deity and authority of JesusThe change the Spirit does in us and how He makes us ALIVEThe meaning of our baptismThe distinction between Law and Gospel - what the Law even meansSpiritual warfare (the ‘disarming of rulers and authorities')

Here are just a few highlights about this wonderful portion of scripture, covered in this sermon:The deity and authority of JesusThe change the Spirit does in us and how He makes us ALIVEThe meaning of our baptismThe distinction between Law and Gospel - what the Law even meansSpiritual warfare (the ‘disarming of rulers and authorities')

"So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." - Matthew 22:21This statement from Jesus is one of the most profound and thought-provoking verses in the New Testament. While it is often quoted in discussions about paying taxes, it carries far deeper implications. What does this passage truly mean for us as Christ-followers today? Let's explore its historical context and the spiritual truths that challenge us to live with a kingdom perspective.The Trap Set for JesusThe words of Jesus in Matthew 22:21 came during a tense confrontation between Him and the Pharisees. They sought to trap Him with a politically charged question:"Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"At that time, Israel was under Roman rule, and paying taxes to the emperor was a sore subject among the Jewish people. Saying “yes” would alienate Him from His Jewish followers, who resented Roman oppression. Saying “no” would paint Him as a revolutionary in the eyes of the Roman authorities.But instead of falling into their trap, Jesus turned the question back on them. He asked for a denarius—a Roman coin bearing Caesar's image—and posed a question of His own:"Whose likeness and inscription is this?"When they answered, “Caesar's,” Jesus delivered His famous response:"Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."On a surface level, Jesus affirmed that people should fulfill their civic duties, including paying taxes. The coin bore Caesar's image, signifying that it belonged to the government. By saying, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's,” Jesus acknowledged the legitimacy of human authority.This teaching aligns with what the Apostle Paul later wrote in Romans 13:1-7, where he urged believers to submit to governing authorities, recognizing them as instruments of God's order. Paying taxes, respecting laws, and contributing to society are responsibilities of every Christian.Yet, Jesus did not stop with Caesar—He introduced a deeper spiritual truth.What Belongs to God?Jesus followed His statement: "Render unto God what is God's.” This raises an important question: What belongs to God?To answer this, we must look at Genesis 1:27, which tells us that humanity is made in the image of God (Imago Dei). Just as the denarius bore Caesar's image and belonged to him, we bear God's image—meaning our entire lives belong to Him.This truth calls us to complete surrender. While we owe taxes, respect, and obedience to earthly authorities, our ultimate allegiance is to God. He doesn't just claim a portion of our income—He claims our hearts, minds, souls, and strength.Many people compartmentalize their lives, separating the "secular" from the "sacred." Work, finances, and citizenship belong to the earthly realm, while prayer, worship, and church belong to God. But Jesus' teaching destroys this false divide.If everything belongs to God, then every aspect of our lives—including our work, relationships, finances, and civic responsibilities—should be offered to Him as an act of worship.By pointing to the coin's image, Jesus subtly challenges us:Whose image do we bear? To whom do we belong? Where does our primary allegiance lie?This is not just a lesson about paying taxes—it's about our identity and purpose in God's kingdom.Jesus' words also highlight the temporary nature of earthly governments compared to God's eternal reign. Rome's empire, like every human government, would eventually fall. But God's kingdom is everlasting.This is why Scripture reminds us:"Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." - Philippians 3:20"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." - Matthew 6:19-20While we must live responsibly within earthly systems, we do so with the understanding that our true home is in God's unshakable kingdom.Faithful Stewards in Both Realms"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's" is a call to faithful stewardship both in earthly and heavenly matters. As followers of Christ, we are called to:Honor our civic responsibilities (pay taxes, obey laws, engage in society). Live with eternity in mind (prioritizing God's kingdom above all else). Offer our whole lives to God (because we bear His image and belong to Him).As 1 Peter 2:9 reminds us, we are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession." This identity should shape every decision we make, including how we manage our finances, serve others, and navigate our role in the world.Ultimately, Jesus' response was not just a clever answer to a political trap but a profound statement of divine truth.While we live in this world, we are not of it (John 17:16). Our ultimate purpose is not to accumulate wealth, power, or influence in earthly systems but to live in a way that reflects God's glory.So, as you navigate financial decisions, work responsibilities, and civic duties, ask yourself:Am I honoring God with everything I have? Am I living as a faithful steward of both my earthly and heavenly citizenship? Am I prioritizing the eternal over the temporary?By faithfully rendering what is due to Caesar and God, we live as true citizens of heaven, bearing witness to His sovereignty and grace in a world that desperately needs Him.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I'm on a limited budget, paying for school, and my husband covers more of the bills. We've been asked to give small gifts at work, like $10 for the boss, and contribute to other occasions. But these little gifts have added up, and I've spent over $200 in the last month. I don't have the budget for this. Is it wrong or unchristian of me not to want to give? Should I have a different mindset or tell my co-workers I don't have the budget for this?I'm 57, and my wife and I are debt-free. We want to start a business together, but I'm unsure if it's too risky at my age. Am I ever too old to start a new venture? What process should I consider, and should I set it up as an LLC or sole proprietorship?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly PublicationLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Ever wondered why there are so many imposters and hypocrites in churches? What should we do about it? In this message, Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares insights both this topic from a story that Jesus told.  Why did Jesus use parables?Matthew 13:12-13a Jesus didn't use parables to make everything clear, but to make everyone think. Jesus' parables reveal people's hearts—they penetrate some hearts and they harden others. With His use of parables, Jesus isn't hiding truth FROM people; He's hiding it FOR people, in hopes that it draws them closer to Him. Questions to ask when reading a parable:1. Who does each character represent? 2. What is the surprise twist in the story? 3. What are the kingdom lessons behind each story?  Today's parable: The Wheat and the WeedsMatthew 13:24-30  The weeds in the story, are also called tares, but they're known today as darnel weed, often called false wheat. Jesus' explanationMatthew 13:36-43  3 Questions to ask:Who does each character represent?Jesus – FarmerThe field – the worldWheat – people who follow JesusWeeds – the people who don't follow JesusThe farmer's enemy – the devilThe harvest – the end of the worldThe harvesters – the angels What is the twist in the story?The farmer waited until harvest to sort the wheat from the weeds.28-30 God is playing the long game. God's justice is coming eventually, but God's mercy is here currently. What are the kingdom lessons in the story?1. It is often difficult to distinguish between believers and unbelievers, especially at the earliest stages of growth. We must be slow to declare which is which.Jude 1:22-23 NLT God is long-suffering towards those you find insufferable.This is why we don't throw people away when they make a mistake, when they struggle with sin, or when they're taking longer to "get it" than we think they should.Our father is a farmer and growing people takes time. 2. God is not calling you to be a holy weed eater.We have not been instructed to go in guns blazing, clearing out and cleaning up all we see wrong in someone's life. Why? Because sometimes, you look like a weed too.Galatians 6:1 NIV Christians shouldn't be passive against evil, but we're called to be patient with people.John 3:17 NLT If God didn't send Jesus into the world to judge the world, I doubt He sent you to judge it. 3. God's judgement is real, but not yet revealed.Romans 2:5 Some of you are too excited about the prospect of people going to hell. Others of you aren't concerned enough about people going to hell.Be angry at injustice, but trust the wisdom of the Lord of the harvest and share God's grace with others while we can.   Are you learning the lessons found in the parable of the wheat and the weeds?

Colossians 1:15-20 NIVMark 1:15 NIVAvailability of life with GodMark 10:17-22 NIVAvailability of life with GodApprenticeship to JesusSurrender to JesusThe aim isn't to get what [we] need from God but to become something for God.  … You weren't meant to stay the person you are right now; you were meant for something more. … It's worth being, and becoming, that person. (Mindy Caliguire, Discovering Soul Care)Availability of life with GodApprenticeship to JesusSurrender to JesusAll this is graceEphesians 2:8-9 NIV 

John 1:1-13,1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. The first Sunday of a new year is a good time for a new series — and to give spiritual focus to a new year. New years are like new beginnings. The old is gone. It's over. You can't change it. Now the new has come. All of 2025 lies ahead. What might this new year bring? And who might we be together as a church in 2025?I'm not sure we could find a better new-year's passage than these opening verses of John, because what they mainly do is celebrate Jesus. That's how we will start 2025 as a church: making much of Jesus, considering him, enjoying him, marveling at him — which is how John opens his Gospel. Three Excellencies of JesusThe apostle John, who will five times call himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (13:23; 19:26; 20:2, 7, 20), knew Jesus as closely as anyone during his earthly life. And as his dearest friend and companion, he begins his Gospel in awe, in a spirit of worship. Perhaps you felt the dramatic flair as you heard these verses read.John begins like a show that opens with fog on the stage. He talks about a particular person, but uses images, and doesn't reveal this person's name until verse 17. This person is the Word, he says, capital W. The Word of God who is with God and is God.And he is the true Light. Other lights are secondary at best, and he eclipses them when he shines in his full strength. And this world was made through him, John says, and he came into the world he made, and the world did not know him. Who is this person? We'll see next week in verse 14 that he became flesh, human, and dwelled among us. Then finally comes verse 17: the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through . . . Jesus Christ.So, John begins in this dramatic, worshipful spirit with elevated and “rhythmical prose.” These opening verses are not poetry, but they are stylized, carefully chosen words with short, punchy sentences and striking repetition of key words: Verses 1–3: beginning, word, word, God, God, word, beginning, God, made, made, made.Verses 4–5: life, life, light, light, darkness, darkness.Verses 7–8: witness, witness, light, light, witness, light.There is fog and rays of light as John introduces and anticipates the key themes that are to come. And as John worships in these opening verses, he celebrates three particular excellencies of Jesus Christ.So, here's our plan: let's celebrate with John these three excellencies of Jesus as we begin 2025.1. Jesus Is God's Word to the World (verses 1–3)That is, he is the divine Word. This is the lead image in these verses; John starts with Word and comes back to Word in verse 14. Until he names him as Jesus Christ in verse 17, he is the Word.Why Word? John could have started, with his dramatic flair, in so many ways. Why start with Word? Why not Son, S-O-N? Why not sun, S-U-N? Why not Christ or King or Lord?John writes in Greek. And the word for word in Greek (logos) has a certain intrigue. It often was invested with philosophical significance. Logos was provocative, yet at the same time, its connotations were not too fixed and singular. It was flexible enough for Christian use.But more than that was the Hebrew background. The Old Testament is chalk full of the divine Word: God's word to his prophets, and God's speaking through them to his people. And John starts with “In the beginning,” which brings to mind Genesis 1, where the Bible begins with “In the beginning...” And you know what (or who) is the sleeper in Genesis 1? The Word of God. Eleven times Genesis 1 says, “God said”; four more times, “God called”; two more times, “God blessed.” If you ask, How did God create the world? What did he do to create? How did he act in Genesis 1? The clear answer is he spoke. He said. He called. He blessed. He made the world through his Word (as Hebrews 11:3 says, “the universe was created by the word of God”).But more than even that, as we'll see in this Gospel, Word anticipates the fullness of Christ, in his coming, as God's final, decisive Word. Jesus is not just a revelation of God, and even a very special revelation of God. He is the climactic and decisive revelation of God to humanity. As verse 18 will say, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” And Jesus will say to Philip in John 14:9, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus is God's Word to humanity.All God's lowercase words are preparing the way and pointing to his uppercase Word, Jesus. God's singular word, for all time, for all humanity, is Jesus.So, John begins his Gospel in verses 1–3:In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.Here John bundles together two essential truths about this divine Word. One, the speaking, self-reveling, self-disclosing of God almighty — is God himself: “the Word was God.” And this divine Word is not just God's own self, but two, he is God's eternal fellow. He was “with God” — which is not an adversarial with but a with of peace, love, mutual joy, shared life. It's a with of intimacy, companionship, personal relationship — a with-ness of persons before creation.The divine Word is God and with God. One divine essence, as the church would learn to say, and (here) two divine persons, as we'll soon see in this Gospel — Father and Son. (And soon enough a third divine Person will emerge!)What do we mean, then, when we celebrate Jesus as the Word of God? As God, he is fully divine, fully God, God himself. And as God's Word, he reveals God, perfectly. He proceeds from God to reveal God. He makes God known to us. Jesus shows us God and tells us about God. He is God himself and the climactic and final place that we look to, and listen to, that we might know God. He is the divine Word who became human: Jesus Christ.Tangible Word in 2025So, how might we make it tangible here at the outset of a new year? What difference might it make in 2025 that Jesus is the divine Word, God's word to us?Well, for one, know this about yourself, and learn to live in light of it: you were made to receive a Word from God. Or, say it this way, God made you to hear his revelation and respond to him. One of the strangest things about you, next to your nose, is those holes in the side of your heads. Have you ever thought about that? You have holes, God-designed holes, on either side of your head. And you know what those holes are made for? Words. Not just sounds and noises. Mainly words. The height of human hearing is receiving words.God made us to hear the words of our fellow humans, and he made us to hear him through his word, whether read or heard from someone reading aloud or heard through preaching. God made our souls, our inner person, to feed and live by hearing words through our ears. Like Jesus said, battling Satan's temptations in the wilderness, and quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”Try this for 2025: What if you attempted to have God's Voice, through his Word, be the first voice you heard in the morning? Not the word of texts and emails and notifications. Not the anxious voice of national news. Not the endless scores and numbers of ESPN and fantasy football. Not the broken English your aunt posts to Facebook, or the clips from your niece on TikTok.What if day after day, the first voice you heard was God's through his Word, Jesus, through his word, the Bible? How might your soul live, really live, if you started the day hearing God himself, feeding on God himself, in Jesus, rather than on the gravel of news and other noise?2. Jesus Is Our True Light (verses 5–9)Divine Word is the main term, but true light is the dominant image (light appears seven times in verses 4–10).In the rest of the Gospel, we'll see light is about salvation from our sin and the death sin deserves. But here, right after verses 1–3, light is first about creation. The Word shines in his world and makes sense of the world like no other light. Verses 4–9:In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.Three quick clarifications. First, look at the word “overcome” in verse 5. Other translations have “comprehend.” A good word that's a close equivalent in English is “grasp” (another is the verb “master”). You can grasp someone physically and overcome them; you can also grasp something mentally and understand it. I think that's what John means here: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it.” This anticipates the rejection theme we'll see again in a few moments, and throughout this Gospel.Second, see the word “true” in verse 9. We will see this over and over. When John says “true,” he doesn't just distinguish true from false, but the real and genuine from rival claims — true bread, true worshipers, true drink, true vine. Sometimes, he means ultimate. The light that came before was true (in nature and in the Old Testament), but now the true light has come, the ultimate light. It's a contrast with what came earlier and anticipated what was to come, and has now come, in Jesus. Creation itself and all the more the Old Testament and Israel and its temple and regulations gave light. But now the true light has come, the definitive light, the climactic light, the ultimate light.Which leads, third, to that phrase “gives light to everyone.” What does John mean that Jesus, “the true light . . . gives light to everyone”? Or better, how does he shine on all humans?His shining on all humans does not mean he saves them all, or even that all humans hear the name and full story of Jesus. They will not hear his name and the truth about him if Christians don't send and go and tell. What “shine on all humans” does mean is that Jesus divides humanity. His light divides the world. We'll see this in verses 10–13. Before the light comes, all are in the darkness of sin and death:John 3:19,“…this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”John 12:46,“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”Because of sin, our world is in darkness. The divine light shines enough to condemn through creation. And the divine light shines through the law and prophets and God's first-covenant people. Then in Jesus comes the true light, and for two thousand years, he has been the decisive issue in the world. What you do with Jesus, how you respond when the true light shines on you, either leads to life, or keeps you in the grip of death.Which brings to mind a famous statement by C.S. Lewis:I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else.Jesus, the true light, is the one person who makes sense of the world. Or, Christianity is the faith that makes the most sense of the world in which we live. Its account of the world's goodness in the doctrine of creation. Its account of the world's pervasive darkness in the doctrine of sin. And its account of hope and redemption in the coming of the Divine Word, the true light, to secure for us real life. Which leads to the third image, and the one that meets us most deeply where we are as humans, as we'll see in verse 12.3. Jesus Gives Us Real Life (verse 4)The Gospel of John has much to say about life: God's life, human life, spiritual life, abundant life, and the most frequent mention, eternal life. For now, we'll just touch on this theme, and then we'll enjoy it scene by scene in the coming months.Just as the backdrop or contrast for light is darkness, so the contrast for life is death, or perishing (10:28), wrath (3:36), and judgment (5:29). Life begins with God. Jesus, like his Father, has life in himself (5:26). He creates and gives life, and he is able to give spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead because of sin. Jesus is “the bread of life” (6:48), “the resurrection and the life” (11:25), “the way, the truth, and the life” (14:6).In verse 4, Jesus, as God, is the source of all created life: “In him was life.” As God, he breathes life into all who live. But they are born into sin, and walk in darkness, under divine wrath and the just sentence of death, destined to perish forever. But Jesus lays down his own life to give life to his people (John 10:11, 15, 17; 15:13).This life is eternal, indestructible life, and it begins now, in the heart, in this earthly life (4:14 and 6:27, 33, 35; 6:63; 8:12; 10:10). We drink and eat now, by faith, and have divine life already in our souls by the Holy Spirit. And this spiritual life now leads to eternal life, which is the most important meaning of life. (Life eternal is already in those who believe: 5:24, 39-40; 6:53-54)And what is the essence of this eternal life? John 17:3: “this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”Death and Life in Verses 10–13How, then, does the life that is in Jesus relate to verses 10–13? Remember we said that Jesus, the true light, divides humanity. All are born into darkness. The light shines, and some come to the light; others turn from the light. Verses 10–11:He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him [the rejection theme we saw in verse 5]. 11 He came to his own [that is, his own land or home], and his own people did not receive him.The point here is life. Those who reject him, who is the life, do not have life — life in their souls now, and eternal life in the age to come.But then, verse 12:But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right [“authority”] to become children of God, 13 who were born [birth! That's life!], not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.There are two key elements here in having this life that is in Jesus. First is the legal, the “right.” What does John mean by “the right” to be children of God? This is right, not might. It's not power; it's authority. Official, formal, objective arrangements have been made such that there is a new covenant people, new covenant children, who are not based on ethnicity but faith. Not on first birth, but on new birth.When the Divine Word himself came, when the true light arrived, he brought with him a new formal arrangement for the people of God. Their right to be God's children, heirs of all his promises, and recipients of all privileges comes not through natural, human birth. John says: “not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man.” How, then, does it come?That's the second element: the subjective. The heart. The inner person. You are not born into his new-covenant people, but born again into his people. We call this “new birth.” What is it?God himself is the source of this new life in the soul. It is birth “from above,” birth by his choice, spiritual birth in his timing. Our action and choice is not determinative but God's. But we experience it.The cry of this new life, then, is believing in Jesus — not just faith (noun) but believing (verb). It's active, not static. John emphasizes this in his Gospel by never using the noun for “faith” (pistis), while using the verb “believe” (pisteuō) 98 times.Which leads us to John's stated purpose for why he wrote this Gospel, 20:31:“…these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”That would be worth memorizing and praying regularly for yourself and others in 2025: John 20:31: Father, help me to believe and keep believing that Jesus is the Christ [long-promised human hero-king], the Son of God [both rightful king of Israel and eternal second person of the Godhead], and that by believing I may have life in his name.” If you're with us this morning, and you do not yet believe, this Gospel was written that you might (for the first time) believe and experience real life in your soul, and one day, eternal life. And if you believe in Jesus already, as perhaps most of us do in this room, this Gospel was written that you might keep believing, and grow stronger in believing, and deepen and enrich your experience even now of the real life in Jesus. The essence of this new life is not the external, outward circumstances of our lives that we're so prone to focus on. The essence is in us, the inner person, the heart, the desires. And so we end with the word “receive” in verse 12: “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”Receive Jesus with JoyWhat does it mean to “receive” Jesus? To receive him is to believe in him, but in what way? How do you receive him?You can receive something you don't like. You can receive a blow to the face. You can receive a pink slip. You can receive a traffic ticket. That's not the kind of receiving we're talking about here. We're not talking about receiving as a burden, or receiving with apathy. Jesus means to be received as a treasure.What's so amazing about this new birth, from God, is that he gives us a new heart. He puts in us new desires, so that when the divine Word comes to our ears, when the true light comes to our eyes, God's own life in us doesn't recoil from Jesus, or ignore Jesus, but receives him with joy. I believe in him. I enjoy him. I prize him. I treasure him.This heart is the heart of my prayer for us as a church in 2025: that we would receive him with increasing delight. Week after week, in the Gospel of John, glad reception. Give me more of Jesus. No apathy. No boredom. No burden. But eagerness. Joy.Our question for a new year is this: Where are you going for life? Where are you going for joy? Where are you trying to satisfy the deepest longings of your soul?Are you trying to drink it? Eat it? Watch it? Play it? Perform it? Accomplish it? Scroll it? I sat down next to a guy on a plane a couple months ago, just scrolling vigorously. Like he wanted life. He wanted joy. Like his soul was thirsty and he was trying to find something to satisfy. And he kept scrolling and scrolling, and I thought there's no way he can do this for more than a few minutes. And he scrolled like that, seeming so thirsty, for the whole flight from Atlanta to Springfield, Missouri.Are you like that, in front of a screen, at your job, in your eating and drinking, in your relationships, in your exercise, your automobile, your home decor — just vigorously clawing to find satisfaction there?What would it mean for you to “have life” in Jesus in 2025? Really have life? What needs to go? Or diminish? And what do you need to receive with joy more often and more deeply?Church Alive in '25And so we come to the Table to feed on Jesus for spiritual life, and drink in his grace, for life in our souls.Cities Church, let's seek to be fully alive in 2025 — alive in Jesus, and alive to Jesus.If you have new-year's resolutions, fine and good. Eat better. Exercise. Fine. Good secondary resolutions. But what are they serving? What's the focus? What if the focus were this: real life in your soul — Holy Spirit given and sustained affections for Jesus?

For our Christmas Eve service, Pastor Brad reflects on the people God intentionally invited to celebrate the birth of Jesusthe shepherds and the magi. By understanding the significance of these two groups, we gain a beautiful glimpse of how God sees and values all people. Music: 'A Cradle In Bethlehem' Phil Wickham Evan Wickham

John Piper delves into the Gospel of Luke, showing how the first chapters highlight God's central role in the birth of Jesus. He explores the significance of faith, humility, and obedience, drawing insights from biblical characters like Mary, Zechariah, and Elizabeth.He teaches: The purpose and structure of Luke's gospelThe importance of confidence in faithParallelism in the first two chapters of LukeThe centrality of God in Luke's gospelJesus's unique natureThe assurance of salvation through JesusThe way of faith and humilityThe joy of the Holy SpiritThe call to receive the Holy SpiritThe final encouragement to know and experience the gospelHelp The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together

Excerpt--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --IntroIn our penultimate lesson of our Christmas seriesThe story of Christmas from people who were actually thereThe inn keeper - making room for JesusThe shepherds - loners and outcasts invited into the storyThe magi - pagan astrologers used by GodToday: King HerodBut, as always, let's start with a question:Q. Whose Kingdom Are You Building?Think about it: everyone's building someone's kingdomA successful friend of mine wants to start his own businessHe's made a lot of money for the owner of his companyDawned on him: why doesn't he start his own!!Today's point isn't to inspire a new generation of entrepreneursIt's to call your attention to this fact:Everyone's working for someone's kingdomEither God's or yoursToday as we meet King Herod we'll find a ruler desperate to protect his kingdom at all costs, even opposing God's eternal plan.NOTE: The Bible mentions several rulers named Herod, each playing a distinct role in different contexts. The Herods were a dynasty of Edomite rulers under Roman control, and they feature prominently in the New Testament:1st Gen: Herod the Great: Ruler at Jesus' birth. (Matthew 2:16-18)2nd Gen:Herod Archelaus: Feared by Joseph. (Matthew 2:22)Herod Antipas: Executed John the Baptist, mocked Jesus. (Mark 6:14-29, Luke 23:7-12)Herod Philip I: First husband of Herodias. (Mark 6:17)Herod Philip II: Tetrarch of northeastern territories. (Matthew 16:13)3rd Gen: Herod Agrippa I: Executed the apostle James and imprisoned Peter. (Acts 12:1-4)4th Gen: Herod Agrippa II: Heard Paul's defense. (Acts 25:13–26:32)Herod the Great = clear bad guy in the storyDriven by self-interest (building his own kingdom) made some terrible decisionsIt's easy to see sin in someone else's life, isn't it?But when we look in the mirror, we're often blind…Truth is: We are Herod - we all tend to do this, act out of destructive self-interest:Sinful HabitsAddiction that destroys you and your relationshipsOr Even Good things:Careers: pushing hard at any cost (often families)Finances: building wealth without asking “what for?”Relationships: burning bridges Influence: Gaining followers but losing friendsBlinded by self-interest: Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos (see “The Dropout” podcast) once celebrated as a groundbreaking entrepreneur who promised to revolutionize the medical industry with her blood-testing technology. obsessed with maintaining her

In his TGCW24 message, David Platt teaches Jesus's final “I am” statement from John 15:1–11, which Jesus spoke to his disciples on the night he was betrayed.Jesus calls all believers to abide in him like a branch remains in its vine, drawing everything we need from him. We don't rely on our obedience to save or sanctify us; we rely on the finished work of Jesus, depending fully on him. Because apart from him, we can do nothing. He is the true vine.Platt teaches the following:Childlike boldness and the will of GodThe metaphor of the vineJesus as the true vineExperiencing abundant life in JesusThe role of prayer and meditationThe battle for belief and trustBearing fruit for the worldHelp The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together 

We all know what it's like to screw up. To go somewhere we shouldn't have gone and done something we shouldn't have done. When we do, we wonder, “Will anybody come and set things right?”It's this longing that is answered in the attribute of God we're going to look at today. God is gracious. Full of grace. From the Greek word charis, grace means helpfulness toward someone in need without receiving anything in return; generosity merely for the sake of another.The scarlet thread of grace runs all through the Bible. ·      Rahab: A prostitute living in Jericho, she risked her life to save two Hebrew spies. They made a promise to her that if she would hang a scarlet cord from the window of her home when the Israelite army attacked, she and her family would be spared. She trusted in that scarlet cord and by grace, she was given a new life.  ·      Adam and EveThe scarlet thread begins in the opening pages of the Bible. Having committed the first sin, they now experienced guilt, shame, and brokenness. Yet God made garments of animal skin to cover their guilt and shame. But the covering came at a price. Death has now entered the world. Innocent blood has been shed. And a message has been sent: Your sin is covered because a sacrifice has been accepted on your behalf.·      PassoverThousands of years later, God's people were trapped in slavery in Egypt. But God had a plan to free them from their bondage and the judgment that was coming. They must take the blood of a flawless lamb and spread it on the doorposts of their homes. Then when the Death Angel moved through the land, he would see the blood and pass over their homes. Grace was offered, but that grace came at a cost.  A sinless substitute paid the price that justice required.  ·      Day of AtonementIt is the satisfaction of the demands of justice so that oneness can be restored. On the Day of Atonement, two goats would be chosen. One of the goats would be sacrificed and the blood sprinkled over the Ark of the Covenant. But the chief priest would lay his hands on the remaining living goat and confess all the sins the people had committed. This goat would then be led out of the camp and into the wilderness, symbolically carrying away the sins of the people. This goat was called…the scapegoat.·      JesusThe scarlet thread is woven throughout Jesus' life and ultimately leads to a hill called Calvary where the Lamb was sacrificed for the sins of all mankind. Here is the message of the scarlet thread, as clear as I know how to make it. God is not willing that any should perish, but He gives to everyone a choice. Who are you trusting to set things right between you and God?  There are two options. You can say, “I'm trusting myself,” and God will allow that – for now. But the Bible is real clear that if you do, when the time comes that you face the righteous God, there will be an accounting. And it's then that the issue of atoning for your sin will have to be dealt with by you and you alone.  OR… you can take advantage of the grace that God offers through His Son. You can ask that the Lamb of God, Jesus, atone for your sin. Text: Joshua 2:1-21; Is. 53Originally recorded on October 31, 2010, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN

Relevant Verses: John 8:54–58; 12:1–8; 19:4–22; 20:19– 31 Theme: Signs Faith versus Blessed Faith Leading Question: What do you need to believe? The tension between signs faith and belief without having seen is a curious one in John's Gospel. On one hand, Jesus' sings are featured with prominence in order that people might believe that Jesus is the Messiah. On the other hand, Jesus rebukes the seeking of signs, and those who believe without having seen are considered blessed. The Anointing of JesusThe anointing of Jesus, like previous sign acts in the Gospel of John, is described in a single verse, indicating that ...

At TGCW24, Vanessa Hawkins invites us to consider Jesus's third I AM statement, "I AM the door" from John 10:1-10.There are times when we rely more on what Jesus gives us access to rather than resting in the truth that he himself is our access. Jesus is not merely our passage to eternal life with God—he is always more and better than we can imagine. As we turn to Jesus and learn from him, we will more clearly recognize his voice. As we read, study, and obey the Word of God, his voice will become easier and easier to follow.Hawkins teaches the following: The positive impact of a father's relationshipAdam and Eve's relationship with God and separation as a result of sinThe promise of a Savior and the closing of a doorThose who do not enter the sheepfold by the door are thieves and robbersA real threat: the enemy's attempts to steal, kill, and destroyWhat are the spiritual thieves and robbers in our lives?Jesus's promise of abundant life and what it truly means for usWalking in obedience and embracing the invitation from JesusThe power of death defeated and the hope of resurrectionEnter through the Door and walk into the Father's presence with bold accessHelp The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together

Scripture Reading: Acts 16:13–40 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to speak to the women who had assembled there. 14 A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, a God-fearing woman, listened to us. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded us. 16 Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling. 17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” 18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. 19 But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. They are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice, since we are Romans.” 22 The crowd joined the attack against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had beaten them severely, they threw them into prison and commanded the jailer to guard them securely. 24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the rest of the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds of all the prisoners came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out loudly, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house. 33 At that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized right away. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set food before them, and he rejoiced greatly that he had come to believe in God, together with his entire household. 35 At daybreak the magistrates sent their police officers, saying, “Release those men.” 36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent orders to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to the police officers, “They had us beaten in public without a proper trial—even though we are Roman citizens—and they threw us in prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! They themselves must come and escort us out!” 38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas were Roman citizens 39 and came and apologized to them. After they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly to leave the city. 40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia's house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed.OutlinePaul's Encounter with LydiaLooking for Jews or God-fearersFinding women and a “place of prayer”Lydia the God-fearerLydia the (wealthy?) purple dye merchantFancy purple!Lydia's home and hospitalityThe Slave Girl with the Spirit of ProphecyA slave girlThe girl's (more properly, the spirit's) prophecyWhy did Paul wait to act?Paul and Silas Are ProsecutedThe slave-owners' hope of profit is “expelled”Paul and Silas are dragged into the marketplace and before the magistratesPaul and Silas are charged with disloyaltyPaul and Silas are beaten with rodsWhy did Paul and Silas not protest based on their citizenship?Jail, an Earthquake, and a JailerPaul and Silas are imprisonedPraise in sufferingA providential earthquake frees the prisoners, but they refuse to escapeThe jailer is saved by Paul, then is saved by JesusThe jailer takes the missionaries to his homeThe Authorities Are in TroubleThe authorities broke the lawThe irony clears the missionaries' shame

Hey there! I'm Jonathan Gouthier the Associate Pastor here at First Church of Torrington and also the co-host of the Faith First Podcast that you're listening to. Our episode today is all about the faithfulness of God. No matter how we feel during the day, we are guaranteed that God will be faithful to His purpose and plan. Today, I'm joined by our Lead Pastor Steve Darr so join us as we discuss the faithfulness of God.In this episode, you'll discover:What assurance do we have when we know the faithfulness of GodHow our emotions cloud our view of the faithfulness of GodWhy it is important to understand the faithfulness of God as His characterWhat the title of “Faithful and True” means for JesusThe faithfulness of God is always linked to what He promises or does. When we don't have faith in ourselves, we can hold onto the faithfulness of God because He is faithful and will never change.If you've been listening to the Faith First Podcast for some time, we'd love to connect with you. If you need prayer or have any questions for Pastor Steve or myself, head over to our website: www.firstcong.org, and send us a message directly. Until next time, hold onto the faithfulness of God faith first.

“It is not only the shortest psalm in the collection but also the shortest chapter in the Bible” Alter, 414; Longman, 398.  It is 27 words in the NASB and 28 in the ESV. In Hebrew it is only 17 words. “Many Hebrew mss.attach it to Ps. 116….Other Hebrew mss. join the psalm to Ps. 118” Allen, 117.The basic structure of a song of praise is simple. It begins with a call to praise (vs. 1). Then the word translated for or because introduces the reason for praise (lines 1 and 2 of vs. 2). Last, there is a final call to praise (line 3 of vs. 2).“Underlying this invitation is the conviction that the God of Israel is the God who rules the world” McCann, 1150.117:1 Praise the LORD, all nations- Other psalms, like Psalm 96:3, speak of praising God among the nations, but here all the nations and all peoples are called to praise God- Alter, 414. Laud Him, all peoples!- “This verb appears to be an Aramaic word for ‘praise, laud'; and unless it was also Hebrew but not used much in the psalms, it may indicate that the Psalmist chose it to address the nations since Aramaic was spoken in the non-Israelite world and became the dominant language at the time of captivity” Ross, 435. The word is used 11 times in the OT: I Chron. 16:35; Pss. 63:3; 65:7; 89:9; 106:47; 117:1; 145:4; 147:12; Prov. 29:11; Ecc.  4:2; 8:15.117:2 God's lovingkindness is described as ‘great.' The word ‘great' can refer to victory on the battlefield. For example, it is used twice in Exodus 17:11 in the description of Israel's battle with Amalek. Also see the word in military contexts in I Sam. 2:9; II Sam. 1:23; 11:23. The word is used for the flood waters prevailing- Gen. 7:18-20 – our iniquities prevailing- Ps. 65:3- God's blessings- Gen. 49:26- His lovingkindness- Ps. 103:11. “The Hebrew root is often used to indicate the power of a military conquer. Here it also affirms that God conquers the world, but that God does so by the power of His faithful love” McCann, 1150. God's lovingkindness has triumphed; it has prevailed.  Lovingkindness and truth are accompanied by each other in Ex. 34:6; Ps. 25:10; 36:5; 40:10; 57:10; 85:10; 86:15; 89:14; 92:2; 98:3; 100:5; 108:4; 115:1; 138:2 And the truth of the LORD is everlasting- The emphasis of the second line can be summed up by saying that God's plans and promises are as fresh and intact now as on the day that they were made; and they will remain so” Kidner, 412. His love and truth know ‘neither measure nor end” Allen, 118.God's lovingkindness and truth were dramatically demonstrated in the exodus and the events surrounding it. God revealed Himself to Moses as “abounding in lovingkindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). “Their history was a monument to the greatness of His loyal love, for it was full of instances of loving, protecting, delivering, pardoning grace” Allen, 118. As Israel sang Psalm 117 at Passover, they remembered God's lovingkindness and truth in the exodus. God's dealing with Israel are a cause for universal praise among all nations and an attraction to all nations to worship such a God. Psalm 117 and JesusThe crucifixion/resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate display of the LORD's lovinkindness and truth. In the cross, God's lovingkindness and truth have triumphed, prevailed, and conquered the ruthless enemies of sin and death. The cross serves as a call for all nations to worship Him (John 12:32; Phil. 2:5-11; Rev. 5:8-14). Interestingly, as brief as Psalm 117 is, it is quoted in the New Testament. In Romans 15:8-12 Paul quotes from several OT passages (Rom. 15:9/ Psalm 18:49; Rom. 15:10/ Deut. 32:43; Rom. 15:11/Psalm 117:1; Rom. 15:12/Isaiah 11:10) to show God's desire has always

When we develop the self-awareness to identify all that we are carrying with us then and only then are we able to ask Jesus to give us the clarity that we need to discern what is true; and what is a lie.Topics discussed in this episode:Traveling light and the essentials vs compulsive over-packerFlying on an airplane with…scissors We often don't know what we are carrying with usToxic self-talk and finding clarity with JesusThe battle ground of our mindWhen was the last time that you heard God tell you that he loves you?Romans 2:4 “His kindness leads me to repentance.”God's voice is kind and lovingResources mentioned in this episode:Life of The Beloved by Henri NouwenThe Thing Beneath The Thing by Steve CarterThe Daily Rhythm at seekwell.orgWant to help? Please consider supporting this podcast with a tax deductible monthly donation. Your generosity will help us continue to invest in the lives of men and women who want to live the life that Jesus offers by learning to slow down, listen for his voice and Seek Well. To donate, visit seekwell.org/donate.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17. When you invite God into your life, He will change how you speak, how you act, how you play sports, and how you live. How have you seen that happen in your life? Have you experienced that change? For Dra Rogers, he can say that God has completely changed how he lives and how he coaches the game of basketball. Dra is the head basketball coach at Verrado High School in Arizona and also works with FCA Arizona West Valley. As someone that has coached both as a Christian and as someone who was not, he understands what it means to have Christ truly change the person that you are.Today, we sit down with Dra to discuss: How sports shaped Dra before coming to know ChristThe biggest difference in how he coaches now vs. when he wasn't a believerA crazy story of him starting his work with FCAHow to connect with athletes today through JesusThe balance of exercising free will vs. letting God be in controlNEW MERCH IS NOW AVAILABLE!! Check out the official podcast store for brand new Competing for Christ Podcast merch including trucker hats, sweatshirts, and coffee mugs!From every sale, half of the proceeds will go to Christian sports organizations that are making a difference for Christ in the world of sports. Use discount code CFC20 to get 20% off your order TODAY!Subscribe to the show and share this episode!https://www.competingforchristpodcast.com/Need encouragement or want to come on the show? Text me: (904) 463-5917 Email me: competingforchristpodcast@gmail.com

00:00 - 10:05 The message is about changing your algorithm to walk closer to God in the new yearIt emphasizes the importance of desiring to be closer to God as the most important goalThe speaker uses the example of social media algorithms to explain the concept of changing your life's algorithm to favor drawing close to GodThe story of Manasseh in 2nd Chronicles 33 is used to illustrate the possibility of change and hope for anyone seeking to draw closer to God 09:58 - 20:02 The piece discusses the story of King Manasseh, who was described as evil and did many bad things in the sight of the LordDespite his wickedness, Manasseh eventually changed his ways while in captivity and prayed to God for forgiveness and restorationGod heard his prayers and restored him, and Manasseh returned to Judah a changed man, cleaning up the mess he had madeThe story serves as a message of hope and redemption, showing that sincere prayers and a desire for a deeper relationship with God can lead to restoration 19:45 - 29:52 To draw closer to God, prayer must be a priority in life, not just a one-time thingReading the Bible is essential for spiritual growth and understanding God's wordInvolvement in Christian community, beyond just attending church, is necessary for building strong relationships and receiving spiritual encouragementConsistency in prayer, Bible reading, and community involvement is key for spiritual growth and drawing closer to God 29:40 - 39:41 Consistency in prayer, reading the Bible, and communing with friends is powerful because it compounds over timeConsistency in eating well and exercising also compounds over time and positively impacts healthBeing consistent in the things of God helps in tough times and allows for the identification of the moves of the Holy SpiritSpending time with the Lord helps in understanding how He speaks to youRemoving things from your life that don't glorify God or take your attention away from Him is importantChanging the algorithm and prioritizing a closer walk with the Lord is necessary for believersDrawing near to God is important and requires making Him a priority in your lifeThe first step to drawing near to God is accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. 39:38 - 42:23 Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we could be right with GodWhen we accept Jesus as the Lord of our life, we desire to follow his waysThe Holy Spirit helps us to live for JesusA prayer is offered for those who want to give their life to JesusThe speaker wishes for a deeper relationship with Jesus in the new yearA benediction is given for blessings and peace Visit Focus Church: https://www.focuschurch.com To Give Online: https://www.focuschurch.com/give/ Join the Focus Email List - https://app.birdsend.co/forms/5546/hosted Join the Bible Study: https://www.focuschurch.com/weekly-bible-studies/ Get the Bible Reading Plan: https://youtu.be/cvA63doFN5I Download a Copy of the Prayer Plan Prayer Plan - http://bit.ly/focusprayer Prayer Plan (blanks) - http://bit.ly/pplanblanks Prayer Plan (w/ Scriptures) - http://bit.ly/pplanwbible Watch the Video - https://youtu.be/p5MbbWr2GK0

TAKEAWAYSThe film was made for kids and parents to watch together and remember the reason for the season - Jesus ChristAntonio Banderas plays the role of evil King Herod along with a stellar cast including Joel Smallbone from the band For King & CountryThe movie explores some of the feelings and fears that young Mary may have faced before betrothing Joseph and giving birth to JesusThe movie is not just for Christians but for people who have never heard about the good news of Christ's birth

The Pattern of HeavenExodus 25:1-9IntroductionA trip through cathedrals – illiterate people and keeping the faith by art and sculptures.A lot of history in these amazing structures: major events, burials, events that moved the world to remember: Luther nailing his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg that began a reformation! Or the move in Leipzig that brought down the Berlin Wall? Or the simple pastor in Timisoara, Romania that brought about the downfall of the government there. The many small chapels across England as John Wesley preached up and down the land. Show pictures:Sistine Chapel at the Vatican- ItalyCathedral in Krakow, PolandCathedral in MilanCathedral in Salisbury – a worker who loved JesusCathedral in Wesel – Peter Minuit who bought Manhatten from the IndiansSt. Paul's Cathedral London – taken into the Holy of HoliesBut all of these do not compare with what God gave to Moses!Then the Tabernacle – above all the othersRead TextThe Character and nature of God is revealedThrough the blood of JesusThe courtyard for sin, and the Holy place leading to the Holy of Holies.46x23 meters (150 feet X 75 feet) cf Biltmore is 175,000 ft2 CFNBC 11,250 ft2Outer Court and Inner CourtHoly Place – 10 X 5 meters 48x24Holy of Holies – 5 X 5 meters 24ftWorshiper could not go any further than bringing sacrifice to altar. Only priests could go farther to laver. Worth – Over 100 billion USD equivalent.See the Revelation 21 for the New JerusalemPrayers of incense Revelation 5:8 and 8:3,4Assumptions and shadows.  Solving the mystery and wanting to know all things. But there are issues that can develop because of this: the presence and leadership of God is replaced by dead works and dead traditions.  Where there. Is no life being infused, but the very condemnation that does not come from the Father:  ignoring him can lead to lifelessness. See what happens in Exodus 32.1See what is in Cebu or in Chichicastenango. The tents in the wilderness were facing the tabernacle.When we look forward to what Father intends for us both individually and collectively as a church, we can do a lot more moving forward in unity. “Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day— things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding firmly to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.”Colossians 2:16-19 “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”James 1:14-17 “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the form of those things itself, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually every year, make those who approach perfect. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”Hebrews 10:1-4  

September 17, 2023Pastor Matt KendrickA Holy People1 Peter 1:13-21God isn't calling us to be perfect, but to be distinct from the world. We're to live a set-apart life, not trying to "blend in" with the world, but instead living according to God's Word.Prepare your minds for action and as you go into the world be holy like JesusThe same Father God who is setting this high expectation of holiness for us is quick to forgive. He's quick to welcome us home. He's eager to heal and restore and renew. The first step toward holiness is setting your hope fully on the grace of ChristThank you for listening!For more info on Redemption City Church check out our website. If you'd like to connect with us further, please fill out a Connection Card and one of our staff will get in touch with you.Follow us on on social media: Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

Krishna Das offers up wisdom from his years of practice and study, answering questions about Hanuman, finding peace through practice, working with the ego and much more.This episode of the Pilgrim Heart Podcast was originally aired during Krisha Das' “Hanging Out In the Heart Space” online satsang on December 16, 2021. Be sure to subscribe to Krishna Das on Youtube to get new episodes of “Hanging Out In the Heart Space”, fresh music from KD and more: Krishna Das MusicIn this episode of Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das answers questions on:Attachment and working with the egoChanting, finding a regular practice for yourself, and chanting the Hanuman ChalisaLiving a peaceful lifeNeem Karoli Baba, sharing a story about Dada Mukherjee and Maharaj-jiPractices for cultivating wisdomHanuman & JesusThe role of doubt and questioning on the spiritual path“You can always find some time to chill and to relax and to let go. Chanting is my main practice. One has to develop the ability to pay some attention to what one is doing. If you don't plant the seeds of the things you want peace, where will you find them?” – Krishna DasSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Study the Bible with me in Israel March 4-15, 2024This is not a tourist trip! While we do explore the main sites, we spend much of our time away from the tourists as we walk the land, climb mountains, and learn about Scripture in the places it happened!I love experiencing the Bible "on location"—the Word deepens and becomes more profound when you see it in light of its cultural, historical, and geographical context.And these Bible Study Tours in Israel combine several of my favorite things: a small group of believers who want to seek after Christstudying the Bible togetherdiscovering the profound context of God's Word and how it deepens our understanding experiencing greater intimacy with Jesusthe beauty, profundity, and life-changing opportunity to do all the above in IsraelInterested?You can find all the details for the next trip at deeperChristian.com/israel. I encourage you to prayerfully consider joining me next March as we seek the Lord and study the Bible together in the Holy Land. I'd love to have you there.-----------------Deeper Christian Podcast • Episode 285View the shownotes for this episode and get other Christ-centered teaching and resources at: deeperChristian.com/285

http://bible.com/events/49046169 Church of the Nazarene - Harrisonburg Tough Sayings of Jesus Part 2 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away... Tough Sayings of JesusThe desire of this series is not to take some difficult sayings of Jesus and turn them into not-difficult sayings of Jesus. They will be difficult before and after this sermon series. The purpose of the series is for us to more deeply understand the Lord's purpose in saying these difficult things and how we are to think and behave accordingly. Often these sayings are tough for us because they shine light into the dark corners of who we are, they take us places within our hearts that we would honestly rather not go…they show us our great need for Him. However, it is important that the church teach the whole truth of the Bible – the ideas that are pleasant and those that are terrifying and make us uncomfortable. Today we look at Christ difficult declaration, "Cut off your hand..."‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭27‬-‭30‬‬ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. John Stott What he was advocating was not a literal physical self-maiming, but a ruthless moral self-denial. Not mutilation but mortification is the path of holiness he taught, and ‘mortification' or ‘taking up the cross' to follow Christ means to reject sinful practices so resolutely that we die to them or put them to death.‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭7‬-‭9 ‬‬Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. Note the words ‘eternal fire' in verse eight. For most of the history of the church, some have asserted either some form of ultimate universal salvation for everyone or ultimate annihilation of the lost. But for the entire history of the church, the vast majority of Christians and the vast majority of the church's most eminent and reliable theologians have affirmed that what Jesus and the apostles taught about hell is eternal, conscious punishment.“ The devil doesn't care if you read your Bible or go to church, as long as you don't apply it to your life.” Sin is gruesome and deadly - not laughable and light hearted‭‭ Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭24 ‬‬So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. The moment you think sin is acceptable, cut that thought off!‭‭ 1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬‬ Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD John Stott continues: Jesus was quite clear about it. It is better to lose one member and enter life maimed, he said, than to retain our whole body and go to hell. That is to say, it is better to forgo some experiences this life offers in order to enter the life which is life indeed; it is better to accept some cultural amputation in this world than risk final destruction in the next. Of course this teaching runs clean counter to modern standards of permissiveness. It is based on the principle that eternity is more important than time and purity than culture, and that any sacrifice is worthwhile in this life if it is necessary to ensure our entry into the next. We have to decide, quite simply, whether to live for this world or the next, whether to follow the crowd (the culture) or Jesus Christ. Today is the day, choose to obey God whatever it cost. Giving at COTN If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@abeaconofhope_pbz6m2Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom of Christ! https://www.cotnaz.org/giving/EXTRA: Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. 1 John 1:8-10 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. Hebrews 12:1-4 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.“ St Ignatius of Loyola notes that, ‘Sin is unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness.' Until I am absolutely convinced of this, I will do everything I can to keep my hands on the controls of my life because I think I know better than God what I need for my fulfillment.”

A Sermon for The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Jan. 29, 2023The Epistle, Romans 13:1-7 - The Gospel, St. Matthew 8:1-13The Rev'd Stephen C. ScarlettThe authority of JesusThe events of today's gospel take place just after Jesus finished the famous discourse called The Sermon on the Mount. St. Matthew tells us that “the people were astonished at Jesus' teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matt. 7:28-29).The gospel healings develop this theme. The two people who ask Jesus for healing express their faith in Jesus' authority. The leper said, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” The centurion illustrated Jesus' authority with a military analogy. He commanded soldiers and they had to obey. Similarly, Jesus had authority over disease. He could tell it to go away and it would go.The epistle also talks about authority. St. Paul says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.” This is connected to the authority of Jesus as Lord. As St. Paul explains, “There is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (Rom. 13:1-2).Exercising the faith our lesson prescribe is often more challenging in real life than it sounds in principle. The leper said, “If you are willing, you can make me clean”—and Jesus was immediately willing. Sometimes we come to Jesus believing he is able to heal us or help us, but Jesus is not immediately willing. Similarly, what do we do with the command to obey the government when the government is really bad, or when we, personally, are the victims of governmental injustice?An eternal vs temporal frameThese are not new challenges. The Acts of the Apostles record many miracles and healings in the mission of the early church. However, the later New Testament writings, especially the letters to the churches, call believers to patience and faith when the answer doesn't come immediately. Jesus himself exhorted us to persistent prayer using the example of a widow who wore out the judge with her complaints until he finally gave in (Luke 18:1-8). He ended that parable with a rhetorical question. “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Lk. 18:8).St. Paul healed people and performed exorcisms. Yet, in 2 Corinthians 12, a later stage in his ministry, we are told that he prayed three times to be healed of an affliction he called, “a thorn in the flesh.” God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9). Jesus was able to heal him but was not willing at that moment in that circumstance.If we persevere in following Jesus in the life of prayer, we will experience both the miracle of answered prayer and the challenge of prayer not yet answered. This tension reflects the nature of the Christian life in this world. The primary goal of God's work in our lives is to recreate us in the image of Christ. We are being prepared for our ultimate destiny in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is with us now through the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is revealed to us now in miracles of healing and visibly answered prayer. But the kingdom is not yet fully here. Consequently, every healing in this world is temporary, and not everything is healed. This tension is the root of the foundational Christian prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus.” When Jesus comes everything will be healed.JusticeThis same tension exists around the desire for justice. It is hard to overstate how important justice is to the biblical narrative. The Ten Commandments are about justice. Biblical justice is rooted in two simple principles. First, God created us and God redeemed us. Thus, justice means giving God the worship and honor he is due as Creator and Redeemer. Second, since God made us in his image, justice means honoring other people as God's image bearers. As Jesus said, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40).Popular discussions about justice omit the primary biblical duty of justice to honor and worship God. This renders the second duty of justice impossible. We cannot honor the image of God if we do not honor God himself. This is the reason that from the beginning the church made one great exception to the command to obey the governing authority. The church met for the Eucharist on Sunday even when Caesar legally prohibited it. Caesar has a God-given vocation to punish wickedness and vice, but Caesar has no right to deny God the justice he is due.Now, justice is a big and thorny topic in the church. It surfaced during the pandemic and the riots. It continues wherever people are treated unjustly. It raises questions. How much protest is justified? How much is required? How activist should the church be in protesting injustice?The church has never been afraid to confront injustice in rulers. The great church father St. John Chrysostom, at the Sunday Eucharist, called out the emperor for unjust brutality in a war—while the emperor was sitting in the balcony. Not surprisingly, John Chrysostom spent some time in exile. The most profound prophetic confrontation I have witnessed was by Mother Theresa of Calcutta. During a trip to America she was invited to address a joint session of congress. She told that joint session that she wasn't sure how long God would allow a nation to exist that killed its own children. A joint session of congress has never been that quiet since that moment.The command to obey the government and the command to exercise a prophetic voice remain the church's dual vocation. This tension is governed by the biblical truth that this world is not perfectible apart from the coming of Jesus and the completion of the New Creation. We are witnesses for God's justice, but we must never mistake the world for the kingdom. We are called to remain blameless in the face of the world's injustice while we wait for the world's true Lord to render his righteous judgements.Nonetheless, the desire for universal justice is the essence of the prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In the western world, the desire for the kingdom is often associated with personal fulfillment and comfort. However, in the Bible personal fulfillment and comfort is inextricably connected to communal justice. Only when Jesus judges the world in righteousness, only when every creature made in his image and redeemed by him is treated justly, will everyone be made whole. We must never allow our faith in Jesus to shrink into a desire for mere personal happiness. A desire for true justice in all the world is the main motive for the prayer, “Come Lord Jesus.”Faith and justiceThe irony of calls for justice in the world is that they are frequently made by those who deny God the justice he is due. This makes true justice impossible. The human problem of injustice is rooted in our rebellion against God. It is because Cain would not give God his due that he ended up killing his brother (See Gen. 4:3-8).This is why the Book of Common Prayer teaches us that it is our bounden duty “to worship God every Sunday in his church” (BCP 291). Our worship of God is not a Sunday only thing, but the way we order our time reflects the priority of our commitments. Worship is a matter of justice, not merely personal fulfillment.After we fulfil the first duty of justice on the Lord's Day, we leave the altar of God to be witnesses for God's justice in the world. We administer justice by the way we treat each person we encounter each day, by the way we side with those who are being treated unjustly, and by our willingness to stand for uncomfortable truth, as we pray and wait for Jesus to come and bring complete justice and complete healing.

Episode 5January 23 - January 29 | Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3 | “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”Baptism day Not healed Pharisee lately #OldTestament2022 #comefollowme #comefollowme2022 #TalkofHim #FindHimJoin hosts Ganel-Lyn Condie and John Fossum on this New Testament episode of Talk of Him as we explore these important themes, topics, and questions from Matthew 3; Mark 1; and Luke 3: The baptism of JesusThe relational aspect of covenant making and keepingReceiving Jesus' healing & how to cope when the journey is long and difficultA New Testament reframe → seeing ourselves as the PhariseesStubborn clinging to the past vs. being humble and openEternal progression and preparing for MORE that God wants to reveal to us (the ONGOING restoration!)What are fruits worthy of repentance as John the Baptist taught?—Invitation: When is a time you have felt that God is pleased with your efforts? As you participate in ordinances, strive to keep commandments, and live your covenants, consider that these efforts are opportunities to act in love. — Quotes & Links: Link to FIND HIM New Testament Study Guide:https://www.seagullbook.com/find-him-new-testament-come-follow-me-guidebook.html “Covenants bind us to God. And baptism is the first step on the covenant path. Heaven cheers as you take that first step and all the other steps on the path to come unto Christ. God is pleased with your efforts and offerings. And as you choose to enter the gate, you can hear God say, as He did at the Savior's baptism, that He is well pleased with you (see Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22).” [FIND HIM STUDY GUIDE, p. 9]“During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ healed the sick and the afflicted, but each person had to exercise faith in Him and act to receive His healing. Some walked for long distances, others extended their hand to touch His garment, and others had to be carried to Him in order to be healed. When it comes to healing, don't we all need Him desperately? “Are we not all beggars?” [2019–O:57, Reyna I. Aburto, Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord, Abide with Me!]—Talk of Him is presented by Seagull Book and hosted by Ganel-Lyn Condie and John Fossum.

Series: All!Scripture: Matthew 15:21-39Title: “Are you at the table with Jesus?” (Darien Gabriel)Heavily relied on David Platt, Kenneth Bailey, and Sean O'Donnell. (See below)Bottom line: Jesus' beloved are those who respond to his invitation to feast with him by grace through faith.Just as the Father sent Jesus to save, satisfy and serve, Jesus sends us to do the same. To multiply disciple-makers around the corner and around the world. Jesus invited everyone to his family feast. You get in by faith. You're invited. Are you going? It's not just a one and done decision. It's a daily, count-the-cost decision that leads to walking with (or without) God. That looks like being sent by Jesus to save, satisfy and serve our neighbors.Discussion questions for group and personal study. Reflect and Discuss1. Like this Gentile Canaanite woman, what unlikely converts has God placed around you? 2. How have you doubted God's power and mercy in relation to such people?3. How does Jesus' interaction with this Canaanite woman and His feeding of the Gentile crowd help forecast the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20?Final Questions (optional or in place of above)What is God saying to you right now? What are you going to do about it?Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcastQ. What do I want you to know? A. Jesus invites you to come and feast with him and his family by grace through faith. Q. Why? A. To empower us to save, satisfy and serve all peoples of all nations. Q. What do I want you to do? A. Accept his invitation by faith.Q. Why? A. So that you'll be propelled to save, satisfy and serve your neighbors. INTROOur kitchen table is sacred ground in our house to Anita and I. It's where we've shared over 2,100 meals with our family of six plus for over 30 years. Sitting at the head of that table might be my favorite place in the house…maybe in the world. Why? Because from there, when they are all in our house together, along with their growing families, I can see and speak to our closest family members. It is there where for a few seconds before we dive into our latest feast that I can pray another blessing over them and say an encouraging word to them. For a brief moment I have their undivided attention and I can remind them that they are our beloved. Do you feel like Jesus' beloved today?In Rev 3:20, Jesus asks to come in and sit at our table. And while he's there he will remind us that we're his beloved and bless us. Our Lord uses a similar metaphor in an unlikely place here today. He's outside of Israel giving his 12 a peak at the future of his kingdom.Today I want to answer 2 questions:Who's invited to sit at the table of the Lord?How do you get there?The final question I'll have for you is: will you join him at his table today?CONTEXTJesus and his disciples leave Israeli territory and go to Gentile territory. First, they go to Tyre and Sidon (modern day Lebanon). Next, they go to the decapolis (a region east of Judea made up of 10 Gentile cities). This marks the last time Jesus will do ministry in the Galilean region as his remaining ministry will happen in Judea and especially in Jerusalem. It is also the only season he will enter Gentile territory.The religious leaders make a trip to where Jesus and his disciples are ministering to continue to confront him with the hopes of exposing him and condemning him. Notice that this is in the wake of some pretty amazing miracles and teachings. He's fed over 5,000 men plus women and children with a few loaves and fish. He's walked on water across the Sea of Galilee. He continues to heal all who come to him including just by walking by them and they reaching out to touch his cloak. He's gaining immense popularity as a result. He's being seen as a Messiah if not THE Messiah by the populace. Even Canaanite women knows about him and that he's the Messiah. As a result, the religious leaders are getting desperate. A leader like this will disrupt the status quo with Rome. And this means the loss of influence and affluence for the religious leaders of Israel. All of this challenges the Disciples and their prejudices against Gentiles. Jesus takes them to Gentile (unclean) territory (after his lesson on what is unclean comes from your heart not from what you eat) and immediately blesses a Gentile (Canaanite = enemy; woman = less than a man) and her daughter. He then blesses thousands of Gentiles (through his D's) just like he did the Jews earlier. This would help them to see that his vision is for more than Israel—it's for the whole world!2 Themes. 2 Miracles.I. Who's invited to the family feast? Everyone. (21-28)A. Jesus takes them to Gentile territory. Not sure why but he isn't getting away from being known and sought after.B. Canaanite woman.Strike 1–Canaanite. Ancient enemy of Israel. Strike 2–Woman. Less than a man in the eyes of men in that day.Strike 3–Gentile. A dog. C. Model of faith.Desperate. “Crying out” Her daughter “is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” I can't imagine being demon possessed. But she makes it sound like this is worse than normal possessions. Humble, respectful. Even if just being respectful, called him Lord. Messiah. She uses the title for Messiah, “Son of David.”D. Jesus' & Disciples' reactionsJesus is silent. Disciples are not interested in helping. (Everyone is exhausted and hungry) 3 Days.Jesus replies with a discouraging word. But truth.She doesn't disagree. In fact, she kneels and prays profoundly, “Lord, help me!”Jesus again appears to discourage her. (More likely testing) Explains it's not right to take what is for God's people and give to those who are his enemies. Calls her a dog. A “little dog” like a pet, not a rabid dog. But still a dog. She doesn't flinch but does disagree. Points out that it's appropriate for people to get this crumbs. She may not be the kids at the table but there's room for the pet dog to get some. She understands and therefore knows what's available for her. Great faith!What a contrast to the faith (or lack) of the religious leaders (none) and the 12 (little).Why did Jesus ignore, refuse, rebuke and then bless her? 2 possibilities:To test herShe approached Jesus as a Jew (Son of David). Later she calls him Lord which is more universal. She doesn't have to become a Jew first. (Wiersbe)Jesus applauds her amazing faith. Only 2 people get this accolade in Matthew (Centurion is the other).Jesus answers her prayer without going anywhere. II. How do you get in? Faith. (29-39)A. Feels like a repeat of feeding of the 5,000. Lots of things are this same.Thousands of men + women and children. Bread and fish.Gave, gave, gave.Through his 12.Lots of leftovers.B. Differences…a few.Biggest is likely that this was for Gentiles, not Jews. This is why I think the 12 did not suggest he feed them like he just fed the others. I don't think it was a lack of faith but compassion. My take.One in spring and one in summer.One in Jewish territory and one in Gentile territory.Crowd with him one day vs 3 days.7 instead of 12. 12 tribes of Israel7 number of perfection & completeness = rest of the world; this is a huge takeaway Jesus would emphasize in the Great Commission.C. Bottom line: How do you get healed and fed? Faith in Jesus Christ, the source of abundant life and life itself.CONCLUSIONHave you been invited to the family feast to end all feasts? Yes.Have you accepted it? How? By believing that there is an amazing feast that we do not deserve and that when we trust and follow Jesus Christ, he shows us the way there. Will you trust and follow Jesus to the feast today?What is God saying to you? What are you going to do about it?PrayNOTES2 miraclesCanaanite Woman (21-28)Least, last, lostCanaanite/Gentile/ancient enemy of IsraelWomanUnclean—outside of Disciple's comfort zone“Crying out”Desperate for her daughter—demon-possessed and suffering“Have mercy on me!” - desperate for herself tooHuman—she's just like them just not a JewDisciples reaction is to see her great need vs their great lack of resources; but maybe even more they don't want to help her because of their prejudiceSend her away—she's not one of usShe's crazy desperate and Jesus seems to not want to help her (his silence) so they try to get rid of her for JesusJesus comes out with his mission—to the lost sheep of IsraelShe is persistent, desperate and believes in Jesus' character and competencies“Lord”On her knees humilityWise words and perspectiveJesus recognizes great faith and gives her her requestHealing for daughterHealing for herselfWitness to the DecapolisWho is Jesus and what will he do?Who is Jesus?What will he do?Chief missionary, Disciple-maker/trainer, sent-oneMultiplying disciple-makers on his way to the ultimate example (cross, rez)Lord/Son of David/ King/Messiah/MasterExercising ultimate authority over all things including disease, demons, disciple-makingMerciful judge “Have mercy on me” as if she doesn't deserve itExercising ultimate authority over all things including disease, demons, disciple-makingDeliverer/Savior/HealerSave/Deliver; Exalt Gentile woman; Applauds her faith & persistence; save all people; not just IsraelGlobal KingHere for all nationsSuffering servantServe all people/nationsProvider; GroomFeast together; satisfy/bless all nationsJesus came to save, satisfy and serve all people. -PlattOUTLINE BIBLESECTION OUTLINE FOURTEEN (MATTHEW 15)Jesus confronts the Pharisees, teaches the crowds, and explains his teachings to Peter and the other disciples. He heals a Canaanite woman's daughter and feeds the 4,000.1. THE MEETINGS (15:1-20)A. Jesus' meeting with the Pharisees (15:1-9)1. Their accusation (15:1-2): They accuse Jesus of breaking theMosaic law by permitting his disciples to ignore the ceremonial hand washing ritual before eating.2. His condemnation (15:3-9)a. Jesus speaks concerning their corruption (15:3-6): The Pharisees twist God's law in such a way that it allows them to ignore their responsibilities concerning their parents!b. Jesus speaks concerning their character (15:7-9): Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites and says they fulfill Isaiah's terrible prophecy concerning them (Isa. 29:13).B. Jesus' meeting with the people (15:10-11): Jesus tells the crowd that uncleanness is not caused by what goes into a person's mouth (nonkosher food) but rather by what comes out!C. Jesus' meeting with Peter (15:12-20): He says the same thing to Peter and the disciples.II. THE MIRACLES (15:21-39)A. Healing a Canaanite woman's daughter (15:21-28)1. The brokenhearted mother (15:21-23)a. The place (15:21): Jesus is in the region of Tyre and Sidon.b. The plea (15:22-23): A mother in this area begs him to heal her demon-possessed daughter.2. The kindhearted Messiah (15:24-28)a. His reminder (15:24-26): He tells her that his key ministry is to the Jews, not the Gentiles.b. Her response (15:27-28)(1) The reasoning (15:27): She agrees but asks for some of the crumbs that might fall from Israel's spiritual table.(2) The reward (15:28): Jesus immediately grants her request.B. Feeding the 4,000 (15:29-39): Jesus ministers to this group of 4,000 men as he did previously for the 5,000.1. Meeting the needs of the hurting (15:29-31): Jesus heals the lame, blind, crippled, and the mute.2. Meeting the needs of the hungry (15:32-39)a. The amount of food (15:32-34): He has only seven loaves of bread and a few small fishes.b. The abundance of food (15:35-39): Seven full baskets remain after all have eaten their fill!Nicky Gumbel, Bible in one year, day, 14 Matthew 11:16-30Accept the invitation to walk with JesusThe teaching of Jesus is fascinating. In the first section of today's passage he seems to be saying, ‘You can't win.' On the one hand, John the Baptist was an ascetic and was accused of being demon-possessed. On the other hand, Jesus went to parties with all kinds of people and made friends with those who were regarded as unsavoury characters. He was accused of being ‘a glutton and a drunkard' and ‘a friend of tax collectors and sinners' (v.18).Whatever you do may be misinterpreted. Yet Jesus adds, ‘But wisdom is proved right by her actions' (v.19). I take this to mean that all we can do is the right thing and not worry about what anybody else thinks. ‘Opinion polls don't count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating' (v.19, MSG).Jesus then denounces the cities that he has visited and performed miracles in, where people have neither repented nor believed. He suggests that their sin is worse than the sin of Sodom (v.24). The sin of unbelief is perhaps the most serious of all.Jesus goes on to teach in such a way that it is clear that he believed in both predestination (that God has already determined everything that will happen) and free will. He teaches both alongside one another. It is a paradox. The two seemingly contradictory things are both true at the same time.It is not 50% ‘predestination' and 50% ‘free will'. Jesus says we are 100% predestined and we have 100% free will. This may seem impossible, but God is able to transcend and yet not distort human freedom. We ultimately see this in the incarnation: Jesus is 100% God and 100% human; he is fully God and fully human.Predestination‘All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him' (v.27).Why God chooses to reveal himself to some and not to others is a mystery. It is certainly not based on wisdom and learning. Sometimes the great intellectuals simply cannot see it: ‘you have hidden these things from the wise and learned' (v.25). And yet sometimes people of little or no education, or those who are very young (‘little children', v.25), seem to have a very profound understanding of Jesus. ‘You've concealed your way from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people' (v.25, MSG).Free willJesus says, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest' (v.28). The invitation to come to Jesus is for everyone. No one is excluded. We are all invited. We all have a choice whether to accept the invitation of Jesus or to refuse it.I find it difficult to get my mind around this paradox. However, I have found the following illustration helpful. Imagine a room with an arched doorway. The outside of the arch is inscribed with the words, ‘Come to me, all you…' (v.28). Everyone is invited into the room. When you get into the room, on the inside of the same arch is written, ‘No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him' (v.27b).In other words, free will is a doctrine for everyone. No one can say, ‘I am not going to become a Christian because I have not been chosen.' The invitation is to all. On the other hand, predestination is a doctrine of assurance for those who areChristians. Once you have accepted the invitation and entered, you can know that God has chosen you and therefore he will not let you go.I love the fact that in a stressful world, where so many are ‘weary and burdened', Jesus promises you rest. He offers to take your burdens and replace them with his own.The yoke (something that Jesus would have made in the carpenter's shop) was a wooden frame joining two animals (usually oxen) at the neck, enabling them to pull a plough or wagon together. The function of the yoke is to make burdens easier to carry. I love this image of walking in step with Jesus, sharing our burdens, making the trials to be endured and the battles to be faced ‘easy' and ‘light' by comparison.Jesus is not a slave driver. When you pursue his agenda for your life you carry a burden but it is ‘not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant' (v.30, AMP). When you do what Jesus asks you to do, he gives you the strength and wisdom to do it and you carry his burden with him. There will, of course, be many challenges and difficulties, but there will also be a lightness and ease.Jesus says to you: ‘Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly' (vv.28–29, MSG). Just relax and let God be God.References/Bibliography:“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes“Matthew” by RC Sproul“CSB Christ Chronological,” Holman“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)Outline Bible, D WillmingtonNIV Study Bible (NIVSB)ESV Study Bible“Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes” by Kenneth E. Bailey

Scripture Reading: John 15:1-27 1 “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 3 You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit because apart from me you can accomplish nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out like a branch and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire and are burned up. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is honored by this, that you bear much fruit and show that you are my disciples.9 “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. 12 My commandment is this—to love one another just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this—that one lays down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. 17 This I command you—to love one another.18 “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed my word, they will obey yours too. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name because they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me hates my Father too. 24 If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both me and my Father. 25 Now this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.' 26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me, 27 and you also will testify because you have been with me from the beginning.Main ThemesThe True VineBackgroundThe fact that Jesus uses vine imagery should not surprise us. Indeed, there are several reasons why we should expect use of such an allegory.Old TestamentIn the Old Testament a vine or vineyard was a common depiction of Israel. Probably the most salient is Isaiah 5:1-7:I will sing to my love—a song to my lover about his vineyard. My love had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He built a hedge around it, removed its stones, and planted a vine. He built a tower in the middle of it and constructed a winepress. He waited for it to produce edible grapes, but it produced sour ones instead. So now, residents of Jerusalem, people of Judah, you decide between me and my vineyard! What more can I do for my vineyard beyond what I have already done? When I waited for it to produce edible grapes, why did it produce sour ones instead? Now I will inform you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there. I will make it a wasteland; no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground, and thorns and briers will grow there. I will order the clouds not to drop any rain on it. Indeed, Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the people of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight. He waited for justice, but look what he got—disobedience! He waited for fairness, but look what he got—cries for help!That is by no means the only use of the vine-Israel analogy in the Old Testament. Consider also Psalm 80:8-16:You uprooted a vine from Egypt; you drove out nations and transplanted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took root and filled the land. The mountains were covered by its shadow, the highest cedars by its branches. Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, and its shoots the Euphrates River. Why did you break down its walls, so that all who pass by pluck its fruit? The wild boars of the forest ruin it; the insects of the field feed on it. O God of Heaven's Armies, come back. Look down from heaven and take notice. Take care of this vine, the root your right hand planted, the shoot you made to grow. It is burned and cut down. May those who did this die because you are displeased with them.Finally, consider Ezekiel 15:1-6:The Lord's message came to me: “Son of man, of all the woody branches among the trees of the forest, what happens to the wood of the vine? Can wood be taken from it to make anything useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? No! It is thrown in the fire for fuel; when the fire has burned up both ends of it and it is charred in the middle, will it be useful for anything? Indeed! If it was not made into anything useful when it was whole, how much less can it be made into anything when the fire has burned it up and it is charred? “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Like the wood of the vine is among the trees of the forest that I have provided as fuel for the fire—so I will provide the residents of Jerusalem as fuel. [emphasis added]This last quotation becomes relevant context for New Testament uses of the vine allegory. Notice that the wood from vines is good for nothing. The vine either produces fruit or it should be burned. There is no middle ground.Vine Iconography During the Time of JesusThe vine was such an important symbol of God's people—the Israelites—that during Jesus' time it even appeared on some coins issued by the Maccabees. There was also a large golden vine on the doors to the temple sanctuary. This vine was impressive enough that the Roman historian Tacitus wrote about it:The Egyptians worship many animals and monstrous images; the Jews conceive of one god only, and that with the mind alone: they regard as impious those who make from perishable materials representations of gods in man's image; that supreme and eternal being is to them incapable of representation and without end. Therefore they set up no statues in their cities, still less in their temples; this flattery is not paid their kings, nor this honour given to the Caesars. But since their priests used to chant to the accompaniment of pipes and cymbals and to wear garlands of ivy, and because a golden vine was found in their temple, some have thought that they were devotees of Father Liber, the conqueror of the East, in spite of the incongruity of their customs. For Liber established festive rites of a joyous nature, while the ways of the Jews are preposterous and mean. (History 5.5)Vines Were Widely Planted TreesIf the facts that the Old Testament called Israel a vine and that a gigantic golden vine was the portal to the temple's sanctuary were not sufficient to keep such imagery on every Jew's mind, their own gardens would have done so. The only trees that were widely planted in ancient Israel were the fig, olive, and vine. All three of these were drought resistant. Fig trees and olive trees needed little or no attention, but vines did.Nearly every Jew would have been familiar with vines, how they grew, and how they were pruned. Jesus using vines as an allegory in ancient Israel would be like a modern teacher using potatoes in rural Idaho, cotton in rural West Texas, or corn in rural Iowa.Pruning VinesLet's ditch theology for a minute and talk horticulture. Here is what an horticulture website tells us about modern day vine pruning:The basic idea behind vineyard pruning is to eliminate excess old vineyard plant growth from the previous year so the vines can channel the energy into growing for the New Year. Vineyard grapevines produce fruit on wood that's one year old, so the goal of pruning is to maximize the one-year-old wood on each vine. This process also helps train the vines to grow in an ideal way to produce high-quality wine grapes.In the ancient world, much like today, vine pruning could take three different forms depending on the season. Early on in the season pruning was done by hand; later in the season pruning was done with a knife; and, old and dry shoots that could not be pruned with a knife would be cut off with an axe. As Craig Keener points out, these practices naturally lent themselves to moral analogies. (The Gospel of John: A Commentary, p. 996) One can readily see the poetic beauty and power of recognizing that people, like vines, can miss their potential because they were never pruned by the soft hand or the sharp knife, leading to the much more painful process of being cut by an axe.Before we move on, I want to quote the aforementioned horticulture website on “pruning by hand,” which in modern day terms includes doing so truly by hand or with a knife:Many vineyards around the country will swear by hand pruning, which has a range of pros and cons. Pruning by hand involves pulling leaves off grapevines to allow more sunlight to reach the grape and removing parts that have been affected by mold or disease. Pruning by hand retains most control over the vines and ensures that the finished wine expresses the grapes' qualities in the most authentic way possible. Subtle imperfections can add to a wine's unique character, a sentiment widely embraced in the wine industry. . . .Winemakers prune different varieties by hand because of the different characteristics of the vines. Until artificial intelligence catches up, there is no substitute for a well-trained pruner. . . .Hand pruning is very labor intensive, and not every vineyard has the capacity to complete the task manually. If insufficient crews are overworked or overwhelmed by the job, too many nodes could be left behind and result in vines that are over-cropped.Most of us are so far removed from the cultivation of vines that we do not understand the connection between the pruner and the vine, the science and the art involved, the wisdom involved, the personal care required, and the fact that “there is no substitute for a well-trained pruner.” But to Jesus' audience, this was clear. Jesus' analogy depends and is deepened by these associations.Back to the TextThe True VineChapter 15 begins with Jesus' shocking assertion, “I am the true vine.” Why is it shocking? Because Israel was the vine. Now Jesus is claiming to be not part of the vine but the true vine. What does this statement mean? Does it mean that Israel was a “false” vine? I do not think so. Consider a passage in which Jesus uses similar language:Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. (John 6:32)Was manna bread? Yes. Did it come from heaven? Yes. In chapter 6, Jesus is not denying that manna was bread from heaven. The point Jesus is making is that bread was a foreshadowing of what was to come—Jesus himself. The fulfillment of manna—its true version—would be much greater and powerful. Manna could only feed one's physical body and keep it alive for a time, but anyone who ate manna would eventually die. The true manna can feed the soul and restore the body, and he who eats the true manna will never die. Similarly, Israel was the vine in an unfulfilled sense. It foreshadowed something much, much greater. Israel had great laws that reflected the character of God; the true vine is God himself. Israel spoke of promises of salvation; the true vine brings salvation. Israel could teach the way; the true vine is the way. Takes Away or PrunesIn the parable, the Father is, to use the language of the horticulture website, the “well-trained pruner.” And notice that the pruner will choose between two and only two methods: take away or prune. What does taking away a branch mean? Well, all I can do is remind you of the passage in Ezekiel quoted above: “[W]hat happens to the wood of the vine? Can wood be taken from it to make anything useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? No! It is thrown in the fire for fuel . . . .” A branch cannot bear fruit by itself if it is cut from the vine, and that branch is certainly useless for anything else.But notice that he who “remains” in Jesus does not get away unscathed. The “remainer” in Jesus is pruned. As explained above, pruning involves tearing and cutting with care and precision for the vine to produce its best fruit such that the “finished wine expresses the grapes' qualities in the most authentic way possible.” I cannot help but admire the painful beauty of Jesus' parable.Verses 5 through 8 repeat the same themes discussed above, but they add a couple of details that are worth discussing. Verse 6 continues the parable of the branch that is “taken away” or “thrown out.” It “dries up” and it is thrown “into the fire and [is] burned up.” Personally, the phrase dries up conjures a strong sense of poetic sadness. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He offers life abundant and everlasting. To be cutoff from the life will lead to losing even the bit of life the branch used to have. It is reminiscent of Jesus' words in Matthew 13:12, “For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” The phrase “thrown into the fire” certainly reminds one of the lake of fire, like in Revelation 20:14, “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.” It clearly implies destruction. Notice, however, that just like Jesus is not a literal vine, a believer is not a literal branch, a nonbeliever will not literally dry up, there is no reason to think someone will be destroyed with literal fire. The point is destruction, not fire.The FruitWhat is the fruit? Jesus is clearly the vine, and believers are clearly the branches. The Father is the gardener, and the pruning is the work of the Father in the believer. The end result is the believer bearing fruit and then bearing “more fruit.” To repeat the question, what is that fruit? One alternative is that Jesus is speaking of evangelism, like in John 4:31-36:Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” So the disciples began to say to one another, “No one brought him anything to eat, did they?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work. Don't you say, ‘There are four more months and then comes the harvest?' I tell you, look up and see that the fields are already white for harvest! The one who reaps receives pay and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together.However, is that what the context suggests? The context speaks of obeying Jesus' commandments, particularly to love God and one another. In chapters 13 and 14, Jesus repeats those themes time after time. The context is nowhere expressly concerned with outsiders—with evangelism. In other words, the fruit in the metaphor of the vine is moral in nature—it is a change in character and behavior. This is consistent with the use of fruit in the other gospels. For example:Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don't think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:8-10)Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will recognize them by their fruit. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. (Matthew 7:15-21)Paul's usage of “fruit” is also in line with this moral interpretation:But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)To RemainThe final question regarding the vine parable is the meaning of “remain” or “abide.” In chapter 1, the apostles ask Jesus where he is “abiding” and whether they can “abide” with him. In chapter 4, Jesus “abided” with the Samaritans for two days. These are literal uses of the word to abide. However, in chapter 15 Jesus is departing. The apostles will no longer be able to “abide” with him in the most literal sense.In chapter 3, we run into a different meaning of “abide.” “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36, emphasis added) The word remains is the same as the word translated abide. Another use of the word is found in John 5:37-38, “And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, nor do you have his word residing in you because you do not believe the one whom he sent.” (emphasis added) Consider also John 8:31, “Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, ‘If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” (emphasis added) In this case it is the word translated as continue that is the same as the word abide.So, to abide is to remain, to reside, to continue to or continue in. How do we do that? I think there are two answers which are, in a sense, one and the same. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus demands one thing: faith.For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)Do not let your hearts be distressed. You believe in God; believe also in me. (John 14:1)But Jesus also demands another thing: love and obedience, which Jesus uses interchangeably. As I have mentioned in prior sessions, the Gospel of John allows no decoupling of faith and obedience. Chapter 14, the most relevant context to the vine parable, discusses obedience repeatedly:If you love me, you will obey my commandments. (John 14:15)The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. (John 14:21a)If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. (John 14:23)The person who does not love me does not obey my words. (John 14:24a)We can also not forget of the context immediately following the vine parable:Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love. If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commandments and remain in his love. (John 15:9-10)Why do I say that Jesus demands two things which are, in a sense, one and the same? It's like the sun and its rays. If there is true faith, there is obedience. To require one is to require the other.Allow me to make a few pastoral comments, which I rarely do in this Bible study. To better “remain” in Jesus, sometimes it is better to focus on faith and sometimes in obedience. The two are so intimately connected that to improve one will almost always improve the other. Maybe your belief in Jesus is strong with little to no doubts; however, you feel disconnected and see no fruit. Are you reading the Bible, are you praying, are you attending church, are you giving generously, are you remaining sexually “pure” (i.e., within the confines of marriage), are you telling the truth, are you working diligently and honestly, are you “doing” obedience? This is not a legalistic appeal to earning God's favor—it is unavoidably practical advice. Obey. Abide. Then the fruit will come from the true vine. The opposite is also true. Are you doing all the right things but are still feeling disconnected without fruit? Read a book about a great martyr, enjoy time with other believers, take an apologetics class. Reignite your love and faith in Jesus.As one last note, notice that Jesus requires obedience, not results. I remind myself of this constantly. I am only responsible for obeying, the outcome is up to God.The Love Commandment; The Obedience CommandmentThe second half of chapter 15 sounds strikingly similar to the second half of chapter 14. The connection between love and obedience is equally as pronounced. I discussed that connection at length during our prior session, so I will not repeat it here. I will simply summarize the main points. In covenantal terms, to obey is to love. In other words, to follow the contract is to love the other party. From a non-covenantal standpoint, to obey is the natural outcome of faith. If I believe someone's advice, I will follow it. If I don't follow the advice, it is because I did not believe it.Now I will focus on the additional information found in chapter 15 that is not in 14.Peace and JoyJesus makes an explanation and a promise. “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11) Remember that Jesus leaves “peace” with us, “[his] peace [he] gives to us.” (John 14:24) The apostle Paul uses these two ideas as a benediction. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) Joy and peace, if considered together, are strikingly close to the idea of shalom. Both according to Judaism and Christianity, shalom is one of the underlying principles of the Old Testament. Shalom means peace, harmony, welfare, and more. It is the restoration to which we look forward.Love One Another as I Have Loved YouVerses 12 and 13 of the current chapter repeat the “new commandment” enunciated in chapter 13. Remember that this is the only “commandment”—that is, expressly referred to as a commandment—in the Gospel of John. That alone should give us pause. However, since we discussed it in prior sessions, I will move on.You Are My Friends Jesus tells the disciples they are friends (as long as they obey Jesus' commandments); the disciples are no longer slaves. What does this mean? To understand what Jesus is saying, we need to understand friendship in antiquity. Friendship, believe it or not, was much more cherished in antiquity than it is today. Ancient writers wrote about friendship relatively often. That being said, not all in the ancient world shared the same conception of friendship. For our purposes, we should focus on the Roman and Greek conceptions of friendship. (As a quick disclaimer, by Jesus' day there was substantial cultural interpenetration between the Greeks and Romans, so the concept of friendship cannot be so cleanly divided between the two groups. Consider this a discussion of the stereotypical views of each culture, which proved to be true often but not always.)Romans conceived of friendship in more transactional terms. In the remaining literature, the most common usage of friendship was a relationship of political dependence on a royal patron. A “friend” of the ruler could speak frankly, as opposed to a servant who should simply flatter the ruler. Friendship could also apply to alliances among peoples and to relationships entered into for political expediency. We must notice that friendship did not imply social equality between the parties. Friendship was conditional, involving obligations and expectations.The Greeks had a conception of friendship that would be more familiar to us. The term was often used of members within a guild or peer group, such as people of the same gender and relatively the same age. Hellenistic ideas of friendship emphasized loyalty, particularly during the toughest of trials. Friends would share their joys and sorrows. Indeed, friends might be said to hold all things in common.Of course, Jesus was neither Roman nor Greek. He was Jewish. However, the way the term “friend” was used in the wider culture is informative as to how Jesus used the term in chapter 15. The context makes clear that like the Romans, Jesus is not abolishing the authority dynamics between him and the apostles. Just a few verses down, Jesus says, “Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” Jesus is not elevating the disciples to his equals. Notice what Jesus says: “I no longer call you slaves because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father.” (John 15:15) Again, this sounds like the Roman conception of friendship. Unlike with a slave, Jesus the Lord has open and honest communication with the disciples. Jesus will take the time to explain his plans to them and they are free to respond in earnest. The context of chapter 15 is full of the “obligations and expectations” that Romans understood as a part of friendship. Jesus ends his friendship discourse with “whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” (John 15:16) Again, this is emblematic of a political friendship. The disciples are friends of a king. They are welcome to enter his presence, speak their minds, and expect favor from the king. However, the king is still the king and the subordinate is still the subordinate. There is one very important aspect of Greek friendship in Jesus' conception of friendship. The disciples must be willing to show the utmost loyalty to one another and to to Jesus. Jesus will die for them and they should do the same for one another. There is no greater love than this.The World Hates YouThe theme of political friendships continue as Jesus transitions to speaking of the world and the friends of Jesus. These are two rival factions. To be allied with one is to be opposed to the other. Notice that many of the core themes in the Gospel of John come together in verses 18 through 27.Throughout the gospel, John has emphasized a duality. There is light and there is darkness. The darkness fails to overcome the light, which implies the conflict between the two. There are those from above and those from below. Those from below cannot understand from where those from above are coming or where they are going.Throughout the gospel, John emphasizes that there is no middle ground. A person is either a friend (to use the language of chapter 15) or an enemy of Jesus. The friends are privy to a special knowledge of God brought upon by believing Jesus and eventually receiving the Paraclete. Those who do not believe cannot understand.Throughout the gospel, John emphasizes the chain of command: from the Father to the Son to the disciple. The Son is a representative of the Father, and the apostle is a representative of the Son. To hate the emissary is to hate the one who sent him. So, those who hate Jesus hate the Father and those who hate the apostles hate Jesus.Throughout the gospel, John emphasizes that although Jesus came not to condemn but to offer life abundant, his words would become the standard of judgment.With these themes in mind, verses 18 through 27 are perfectly predictable. The world—those who are not friends of Jesus—hate Jesus. Since the apostles are no more than representatives of Jesus, they should expect hatred as well. In a sobering verse, Jesus even specifies that just as they persecuted him, the disciples should expect persecution. Why will the world persecute the friends of Jesus? Because they (the world) do not know from where Jesus has come. Will the world have an excuse for their behavior? No, because Jesus' testimony—certified by miracles—will become the standard of guilt.So, are we at a stalemate? The friends and foes of Jesus will hate each other. The gospel will go no further. No! Notice how the passage begins and ends. The world will hate the disciples. The world will persecute the disciples. Nonetheless, there is no indication that the disciples should hate the world or persecute the world. Sure, the disciples do not and cannot “belong” to the world. In that sense there is unavoidable enmity. There is no command or expectation of hate, however. So how should the friends of Jesus react. Testify about Jesus. This idea of testimony is forensic in nature. Imagine a court of law where prosecuting witnesses (delatores) accuse the apostles of treachery against their faction. The apostles, empowered by their knowledge of Jesus and the spirit of truth, take the stand and speak of Jesus. The tribunal may still condemn them. Indeed, sometimes it will. But the testimony will be powerful.

It is the LordThe Miracles of JesusThe following account would not be in the Bible if Simon [Peter] had not trusted in the Lord, following His command to lower his net one more time. Is there somewhere God is asking you to "lower your net" just one more time this season?When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon [Peter], “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch [of fish].” Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all night [to the point of exhaustion] and caught nothing [in our nets], but at Your word I will [do as you say and] lower the nets [again].” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were [at the point of] breaking; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats [with fish], so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” For he and all his companions were completely astounded at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon [Peter]. Jesus said to Simon, “Have no fear; from now on you will be catching men!” After they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example]. - Luke 5:4-11 AMPWe also mediate on this account from the book of John 21:1-11 NKJVBlessing you to trust the Lord, and to follow His spirit which is at work in your life.Thank You!Becoming a PatronIf you are one of the many who have been blessed by Cultivate Connection, please consider becoming a monthly patron. Creating space for people to connect with God in this busy world is so vital.As a patron, you empower us to continue producing and developing tools for people to connect with God, discover identity, and awaken purpose for their lives. Learn more on our website at CultivateConnection.comWe Need You!Cultivate Connection is listened to in 129 countries and averages 2,000 listeners a week. Help us reach even more people by sharing this episode on Facebook, Instagram, via email, or whatever other way you prefer.Visit our Facebook page and share your thoughts or ask a question. We read every comment and love responding!Leave a review on iTunes or your favourite podcast app. Your ratings and reviews mean a lot and help this podcast get discovered by others.And lastly, subscribe to Cultivate Collection Weekly, our email providing you with resources and inspiration to help you grow your relationship with God.

A DECLINE IN FORMAL RELIGIONA study from the Pew Research Center found that Christians accounted for about 90% of the population 50 years ago, but as of 2020, that figure has slumped to about 64%.The study found that the number of people who identify as “religiously unaffiliated” is on the rise. Although some of these individuals are atheists, it mostly comprises a population that is agnostic, spiritual, or nothing specific. This percentage is currently projected to overtake the US Christian majority by the year 2070. "Some scholars say that it's just an inevitable consequence of development for societies to secularize. Once there are strong secular institutions, once people's basic needs are met, there's less need for religion… Other people point out that affiliation really started to drop in the '90s. And it may not be a coincidence that this coincides with the rise of the religious right and more associations between Christianity and conservative political ideology." – Stephanie KramerPRIVATIZED RELIGION This is when one believes they should rely on themselves rather than the established or organized religious traditions to answer spiritual questions – “I am into Jesus, but not the Church.” JESUS AND THE CHURCHAs evident in the scriptures, Jesus believed in the church, not just in the Christian community but also in the institutional religion of his day. “For Jesus, the church was never optional. Jesus was not anti-institutional. He regularly led his disciples and himself into the church of the first century which was the synagogue and temple…. [Jesus] immersed himself in the relationships at the temple, he went to the temple for prayer, and he added his own voice to the teaching of that temple.” – Tyler StatonHOW DO WE DO CHURCH TOGETHER IN 5 COMMITMENTSReveal the kingdom of JesusThe kingdom of Jesus or the reign of God, is not simply the rule of God in each believer's heart, but a kingdom that pervades every aspect of our lives- the spiritual and the physical- and looks utterly unlike the kingdoms of this world. It is an upside-down Kingdom, a new world order– under the leadership of Jesus. It is a Kingdom that we were made to be a part of."We are built to live in the kingdom of God. It is our natural habitat." – Dallas Willard“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”– Mark 1:15Belong to a microchurchMicorchurch, is prayer, scripture, and mission. So just like the disciples, we may be a messy bunch of people with varying beliefs and backgrounds, but we come together time and time again, in the midst of laughter and conflict, to shape one another. So here is my encouragement to you today…If you are not a part of a microchurch, consider joining one or starting one. Sign up for Dinner Party. If you are already in a microchurch, re-evaluate and commit to being part of that community. Regularly attend unless you're out of town, sick, or there is an unforeseen, unavoidable circumstance outside of your control. Give your wonderful mirochurch leader a 24 hours notice for any absence. Actively participate: help with the meal, hosting, and clean up. Add to the conversation, prayer, and discussion. Lead a microchurch. We need more microchurch leaders who are willing to open their homes and hearts to pastoring people. If you are interested in this, talk with your current microchurch leader or one of our pastoral team members. Gather on Sunday We still believe in the value of the Sunday rhythm. There is something about gathering together, letting the voices of those around you carry you, hearing the stories of the people of God, being reminded of the teachings of Jesus, being challenged to commit to a spiritual practice every week, confessing with one another and taking communion with one another that forms us and shapes us to be the sent people of God. ServeJesus' teachings and the depictions of the early church in the New Testament is filled with instruction to us regarding service. To name a few…Mark 10:44-45 says, “And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” Galatians 5:13-14 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”Jesus and his disciples instructed in and demonstrated service to one another and to those in need. And it is our desire to reclaim the full breadth of the word service including both those two things: serving one another and the community of Kansas City. Serve one another on a Sunday. At Midtown Church, we desire to be a place where many do a few things instead of the few doing many. So, here is my request: please consider serving one another 1-2 times a month, to say I am going to contribute to serving this community of Jesus followers on a regular basis. Serve the community throughout the week. Service should always extend much farther and wider than these four walls to the people of Midtown and to Kansas City. At Midtown Church, we want to shift from a praxis that says only certain people or ministries are called to serve and love the poor, oppressed, and marginalized to a praxis that says all are called. Jesus' teachings are pretty clear that serving the marginalized is a Gospel mandate. This month, our serve day is Trunk or Treat on October 29. Last year we had 500 people in attendance, a vast majority of which are local and from low-income families. Be Generous. We are descendants of an ancient church that has historically practiced a 10% tithe. And as a participant in this community, we ask that you work toward that 10%. “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” – Mark 12:41-44This is why we pray our generosity prayer every week as we work to shape our hearts and minds toward the person of Jesus and not the idol of money. As we work to be more like the poor widow than the rich people in this story. Five CommitmentsReveal the Kingdom of JesusBelong to a MicrochurchGather on SundayServeBe Generous

Genesis 17:19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.[a] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after himWho was IsaacThe Messiah was to be a descendant of Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah. Sarah had not bore any children until a very old age. God appeared to Abraham and told him she would birth a child when Sarah was about 90 years old.Abraham was 99 years old and had a son, Ishmael, through Hagar, the Egyptian slave. But God's covenant promise would not be through Ishmael, but through the child, Sarah would bore. Isaac would be in the line of blessings God promised Abraham he would fulfill.Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. God promised Isaac that the Messiah would be through his family line.Genesis 21:12 But God said to Abraham, Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.The prophecy fulfilledThe gospel writer Luke in the New Testament details for us the baptism and genealogy of Jesus. Luke 3:34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of NahoLuke works the genealogy in reverse order, Matthew uses a chronological list. In this gospel Luke starts with Jesus and works it all the way back to Adam, the first man. We find Isaac in the genealogy record of Jesus.This way Luke shows us how Jesus is related to the whole human race. Luke also traces the bloodline of Joseph to David.The bloodline of Jesus' familyJesus fulfilled a number of prophecies that have to do with the Messiah's genealogy, or family line. God narrowed down the family line of the Messiah in such a way that eliminated most people who have ever been born.John 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about meJesus told the religious leaders to search the Scriptures and discover where they spoke about Him. The coming Messiah was to be born in one particular family.This is one of the details of the Messiah's family line that was fulfilled by JesusThe coming of the Messiah was predicted in the Old Testament. Jesus fulfilled these prophecies and, in doing so, has the right to claim to be the promised Messiah. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myeveningdevotional.substack.com

Foundations: The Invitation of JesusThe foundation of God's vision for our lives is to become like Jesus. To be formed into his image. We will never fully understand baptism until we understand the foundational call and invitation of Jesus. His invitation is to repent and turn to him. UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("row-unique-0"));

“The Judgment of Jesus”Matthew 24:14-28Download the Group GuideThe Divine Authority of Jesus is the Focus of the New TestamentMatthew 24:14-15Daniel 9:27Daniel 12:10-11The Judgment of Jesus Should Embolden ChristiansMatthew 24:16-22Luke 21:20-22Genesis 19:17Matthew 6:33-34The Triumph of Jesus Establishes the Future of ChristiansMatthew 24:23-28Luke 17:24-30Application Points:Understand Bible verses by looking at the verses, chapter, book, and place in the entire BibleThe entire New Testament is to be understood in light of the Divine authority of JesusThe judgment of God should embolden the Christian's faith and lifeGod will judge the wickedThe future belongs to disciple-makers

“The Judgment of Jesus”Matthew 24:14-28Download the Group GuideThe Divine Authority of Jesus is the Focus of the New TestamentMatthew 24:14-15Daniel 9:27Daniel 12:10-11The Judgment of Jesus Should Embolden ChristiansMatthew 24:16-22Luke 21:20-22Genesis 19:17Matthew 6:33-34The Triumph of Jesus Establishes the Future of ChristiansMatthew 24:23-28Luke 17:24-30Application Points:Understand Bible verses by looking at the verses, chapter, book, and place in the entire BibleThe entire New Testament is to be understood in light of the Divine authority of JesusThe judgment of God should embolden the Christian's faith and lifeGod will judge the wickedThe future belongs to disciple-makers

What does it mean to be a "successful" parent? And what does it mean to raise "successful" kids? Though the world has one definition for this term, we talk to a mom (and grandma) this week who is on the other side of the trenches, having successfully raised her seven kids in every sense of the word. Helen Smallbone is a co-founder of MUMlife Community and a podcast host with AccessMore, as well as a mom of Grammy Award--winning artists--Rebecca St. James and FOR KING + COUNTRY. In this episode, we talk with Helen about her new book Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family, and what her journey looked like behind the scenes of instilling faith in seven children. We talk to her about about: How to go deeper in conversations with your kids and finding the "why" behind their actionsWays to prioritize self care and solitude as a parent Strategies Helen used to handle sibling rivalry in her homeThe weight of pointing our kids to JesusThe power of simply asking God for help Click here to watch this episode on YouTube. Show Notes Order a copy of Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family Learn more about the MUMlife Community

Elisha was visiting the school of the prophets at Gilgal, instructing them in the things of God. At the close of a meeting he gave orders that a simple meal should be prepared for them; so one of them went out into the field to gather herbs, that they might have a vegetable stew. He found a wild vine with gourds. Securing a goodly quantity, he returned and shred them into the pot of pottage, quite unconscious that he was making use of a poisonous plant.2 Kings 4: 38:4138 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and see the pottage for the sons of the prophets. 39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. 40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. 41 AßDeath in the potThe pottage was found to be dangerous; so that they cried out, 'there is death in the pot', (v. 4:40). Elisha immediately cured the bad taste and prevented the bad consequences of this poisonous pottage.“But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm [or ‘evil thing'] in the pot” ( 2 Kings 4:41).Meal or flour is a substance that has been crushed to make a rough powder, esp. plant seeds crushed to make flour. It was used to thicken the sauce. The “meal” we regard as the Word of God: either the written or the personal Word. One of the great types of Christ is seen in the meat (i.e., meal) offering of Leviticus 2. It is only by the Word we are safeguarded from evil. See how graciously God provided for “His own.” Though there was a “dearth in the land,” yet these sons of the prophets were not without “meal”! How thankful we should be for the Word of God in our homes in such a day as this. Though someone else fetched the meal, “he [Elisha] cast it into the pot”!Jesus told the disciples in Mark 17:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”The promise of JesusThe expression translated "when they drink deadly poison" could be translated "If they consume deadly substances" and it's not just literal poisons like arsenic, antrax, etc. God is able to protect us from anything poisonous, from herbal poisons to dangerous vaccines.Mark 17:19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myeveningdevotional.substack.com

From Expectation to RealizationMoving out from Antioch, they started to experience many amazing things about God's working beyond anything they had hitherto known.  But the encounter in Pisidian Antioch was greater than anticipated! An incredible event beyond the focus or expectations of any in the city! What a great means of going viral in the first century. (Chinese Whispers?) The news got around! God is moving!There are two results that can occur when God shows up and people are convicted of sin:Sin is defeatedThey confess and repent leading to forgiveness and salvation The overwhelming release of freedom from sin is critical to a future life with JesusThe Joy that is unspeakable and full of GloryThe transformation and wonderment of rebirth and the newness of life with JesusThe desire to serve and help others, moving towards a boldness in faithA desire to grow in faithSin is not defeatedThe heart hardensSin rises to the surface and is visible in different ways: anger, hatred, fear, aggression, jealousy, control, power struggle, envy, greed etc.There is joy! Regardless of the consequences, the overwhelming response is: God is greater and eternal!  In either case, God has shown up and those who encounter him are confronted with His Spirit The victory is secure and cannot be overwhelmed by attacksThe clarity of right and wrong becomes evidentOur surrender to Jesus is to submit to the one who knows us and all things best leading to even greater things.Who is the One you submit to? The author of sin or the author of life?

My guest this episode is Ray Comfort. Ray is the bestselling author of more than 100 books and the CEO of livingwaters.com.  He cohosts the award-winning television program Way of the Master, airing in every country in the world, and is an Executive Producer of “180,” “Evolution vs. God,” “Audacity,” and other films. He is married to Sue and has three grown children and hasn't left the house without gospel tracts for decades.In this episode we discuss:The purpose of lifeIrresistible zeal for GodServing from love not for loveBy all means reach someHow to have initiative in reaching the lostIgnoring your fear and the possibility of rejectionOpen air preachingHow to show people they need JesusThe interplay between God's sovereignty and free will in witnessingThe pressure of today's world on people's understanding of the futureDiscerning the times we are in concerning prophecyFor more on Ray Comfort: Go to his website https://www.livingwaters.com/Check out Ray's list of books on Amazon here https://www.amazon.com/Ray-Comfort/e/B001JS57SW?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1652484246&sr=8-1Follow Ray and Living Waters on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/livingwatersofficial/For more information on the ministry of Discerning Dad:Support me on Faithful- I have exclusive content you can't find anywhere else! https://faithful.place/users/discerningdadCheck out my website!  https://discerning-dad.com/Order my newest book- "Eyes on Jesus: A 90-Day Discernment Devotional" now!  This is a must-read for your personal quiet time with Jesus. Order here https://amzn.to/3vIArYYGrow your YouTube account like I did with TubeBuddy!  Use my link https://www.tubebuddy.com/discerningdadYou can purchase my book that started it all, Everyday Discernment: The Importance of Spirit-led decision making, on Amazon https://amzn.to/3dDGKVwBecome a patron supporter and get exclusive benefits such as my second podcast and much more https://www.patreon.com/Discerningdad

Hello and welcome to the Faith First Podcast where we bring you messages and conversations about just how to walk your faith out in this world. In this episode, I sit down with our Lead Pastor Steve Darr to kick off a series of conversations on Spiritual Gifts. Today we tackle the question of Are You Worthy? In this episode you'll discover:Why do Christians struggle with feeling worthyHow to understand your worthiness in JesusThe connection of worthiness and seeking out your spiritual giftsLearn about the number one question most pastors are confronted with from othersMaybe all you need right now is to walk with God through a Spirit-filled life to find out what your Spiritual Gifts are. Then listen for God will direct you to where He wants you to serve and use your gifts. You are worthy, Jesus makes you worthy and calls us all to walk in a manner to which you have been called by Him.We try to provide some very practical ways to step out in your faith and we pray it is beneficial to you who are listening. If you are new to the Faith First Podcast, I ask you to hit the subscribe button to be notified when our next episode will launch. And until then, know that God finds you worthy to walk faith first.

Reflection 73: Growing in Our Desire for JesusThe more we come to know Jesus, the more we desire Him. And the more we desire Him, the more we come to know Him. This is a beautiful cyclical experience of knowing and desiring, desiring and knowing (See Diary #273).Do you desire to know your precious Lord? Do you long for Him in a burning way? Reflect upon this desire in your soul and if it is lacking, know that it's because you need to come to know Him more. Reflect, also, upon the ways in which you do sense a real knowledge of Jesus. What does that knowledge of Him do to you? Allow it to move from your head to your heart, and from your heart to all your affections. Allow Him to work on you, to draw you and to envelop you in His Mercy.Lord, help me to come to know You. Help me to comprehend You in Your perfection and Mercy. And as I do come to know You, flood my soul with a longing and desire for more of You. May this desire increase my love of You and help me to know You all the more. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2022 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

In episode #67 our guest is Paul Nugent, he is the director of the Aetherius Society, a spiritual organization dedicated to spreading & acting upon teachings of advanced extraterrestrial intelligences. Today we will be talking about the mission of the Aetherius Society, which is “Change the world and open the door of enlightenment”. What you will learn:How Dr. King, the Aetherius Society founder, dedicated himself to practicing Yoga for 8 hours/dayHow Dr. King was able to reach a trance- state of Samadhi and receive transmissions from beings of a higher dimensionHow Samadhi, Cosmic Consciousness, and Christ Consciousness often refer to the same stateWhat Kundalini is and how it can be controlled with yoga disciplineThe difference between the metaphysical and the spiritualThe Twelve Blessings were apparently channeled through Dr George King, from JesusThe difference between a cosmic master and an ascended master#aetheriussociety,#drgeorgeking, #samadhi,#extraterrestrail, etcontact,#cosmicmasters,#kingyoga,#pramayama,#cosmicconsciouness,#christconsciosness,#ascendedmasters

Here's the next chapter of the evangelistic book you're helping me write. It's a bit longer than the earlier chapters—more like 3000 words than 2000—so I'm sending it out in two chunks (starting with the first half this week).The chapter is based on Point 4 of Two ways to live, which in the latest revised version says:Because of his love, God sent his Son into the world: the man Jesus Christ.Jesus always lived under God's rule.But Jesus took our punishment by dying in our place.Massive ideas, all of them. You'll see that this week's instalment basically discusses the first two of the statements. As I'm always I'm keen to hear from you, with critiques, suggestions and ideas. Don't hold back! In particular, because there is just SO much to say about who Jesus is, about his coming into the world, his life, his atoning death—I'm especially keen to hear about anything vital you think I've missed out so far, and whether anything I have included could be sacrificed if necessary. You can read the text below, or listen via the audio player above, or you can also download a PDF of the chapter, which is easier for printing and for referring to specific lines and paragraphs. TPChapter 4: The life and death of JesusThe backdrop is in place. The supporting actors are in position. The lights go up, and now the main act begins. The central character of the Christian message steps onto the stage of history.Jesus himself.The background we've traced so far—of God as creator and ruler of all, of human rebellion against God, and God's justice against us—all of this prepares us for Jesus' arrival.This is how the Bible itself is structured. The first half (the Old Testament) sets up the great problem of God and us and the world; the second half (the New Testament) tells us what God himself does to redeem the situation through Jesus.However, it would be wrong to think that the Old Testament is only about the doom and gloom of the human problem. Also running through the Old Testament like a scarlet thread is the patience and kindness and love of God for flawed, rebellious humans like us. God chooses a particular nation—Israel, the descendants of Abraham—to be his own special people. Time and again in the Old Testament, God kindly and lovingly rescues his people from the consequences of their own actions. He delivers them from their enemies, and provides for them in multiple ways, even though they continue to be stubborn and rebellious towards him.In fact, God repeatedly promises in the Old Testament that because of his love, he will one day step in personally to fix all the mess that has erupted and spread because of human rebellion against him. Sometimes God promises that he himself will come and bring mercy and salvation (for example in Isaiah 40). At other points, he promises that he will send his anointed king, or ‘Messiah', to set people free and defeat evil and reign victorious over all.(A little footnote here that will be important later on. In the Old Testament, the way someone was made king was by anointing them with oil. So the Hebrew word for ‘anointed one' came to mean essentially ‘the king God had appointed'. That word was ‘Messiah'. The word ‘Christ' in the New Testament is the Greek language version of that same word. So a ‘Messiah' or ‘Christ' is a ‘king appointed by God'.)Here's what the prophet Isaiah predicted would happen when God sent his anointed Messiah to bring relief to his people:The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,because the LORD has anointed me (i.e. made me a ‘Messiah-king')to bring good news to the poor;he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives,and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,and the day of vengeance of our God. (Isaiah 61:1-2)At the time that Jesus was born, some 700 years after Isaiah's prophecy, the Jewish people were still expecting this liberating Messiah-King to arrive.But when Jesus did come, he didn't fit their expectations at all. He still doesn't meet our expectations today.If God was going to send a ‘Messiah' to fix everything up, to right all the wrongs, to bring restoration and liberty and salvation and all the rest, how would you write the script? What sort of person would he be? And what would he do to save the day and set everything straight?You probably wouldn't have him being born to a young unmarried girl in an out of the way place in the humblest of circumstances, with his first cradle being a ‘manger' (which was either a stable for sheltering animals, or perhaps an animal food trough).You probably wouldn't have him live in obscurity as a tradesman until his 30th birthday, have a short three-year career as a teacher and wonder-worker, give him a support crew of nobodies and lowlifes, have the entire intellectual, religious and political establishment against him, and then cap it all off by having him executed in the most humiliating way possible.In so many ways, Jesus wasn't and isn't what people expected. And there's so much that could be said about him—who he was, what he taught, what he did, the impact he had on those around him, and so on. There are four accounts of Jesus' life in the New Testament (the four ‘Gospels', as they are called). It's well worth reading one of them to fill out what I am going to summarize here only briefly. (Footnote here to The Essential Jesus).There are four really significant things to know about Jesus. We'll talk about the first three in this chapter and the fourth in the next: his arrival, his life, his death, his resurrection.His arrivalMost of the time, we talk about babies being born not arriving. To ‘arrive' means that you've come from somewhere else.That's how the New Testament authors constantly talk about Jesus. He wasn't simply born. He arrived. He ‘came' into the world. He was God's own Son, sent into the world by God to be born as a man; sent to fulfil God's ancient promise that he would one day come to his people and rescue them.One of the most striking and beautiful passages in the New Testament, the opening of John's Gospel, puts it like this:In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it …And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.With the birth of Jesus, John is saying here, God himself stepped into his creation. His own ‘word'—the very expression of his mind and person—became flesh and lived among us.As the Gospel accounts unfold, we constantly see people trying to come to terms with this. On the one hand, Jesus is clearly a real, flesh-and-blood man like anyone else. He eats, he sleeps, he weeps, he gets angry, he suffers.And yet he keeps speaking and acting as he if he is more than a man. He tells people that their sins are forgiven (Mark 2:5). He speaks and acts with an extraordinary authority, even over the creation itself. He heals diseases and stills storms with a word (Mark 2:1-12; Mark 4:35-41). He claims to be God's Son, sent from God the Father, the only one who truly knows the Father, and whom the Father has appointed to be the judge of the world (John 5:19-29). It's no wonder that the people of Jesus' time were astonished and confounded by him, and wondered whether he might be the long-awaited Messiah-king.As CS Lewis once famously wrote, someone who says the kinds of things that Jesus said about himself is not simply a noble moral teacher. He is either seriously deluded about himself, or else a charlatan making outrageous claims about himself, or else he is who he claims to be—God's own Son, sent into the world. But a nice, safe, admirable, moral teacher? This is not really an option that Jesus himself leaves open to us.His lifeAll the same, Jesus certainly lived an impeccably moral life, and was an extraordinary teacher.For me personally, this is one of the reasons I find the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life so compelling. I'm a devoted reader of novels, and one of the hardest tasks in fiction is to create a genuinely good character. The more moral and good you try to make your character, the less believable they become. Perhaps this is because we know that humans are so flawed, and that even the best of us can't escape the gravitational pull of our own weakness and self-interest.In the Gospels, though, we constantly encounter someone who does what is right and good and loving and compassionate, and never seems to get it wrong. Jesus knows when to be indignantly angry at injustice and corruption, and when to weep over it. He knows when to rebuke religious hypocrites and when to offer them a path to forgiveness and change.He is just … perfect on every occasion, and yet in a way that is utterly believable as you read it. I don't see how you could make Jesus up.The Bible's own explanation for Jesus' perfection of character is that he was the one human being in all of our history who didn't reject God in any way, or rebel against his rule—as we all have done. Jesus always lived with God as king.His teaching also constantly revolved around this theme. He spoke often of ‘the kingdom of God'—what it would mean to live under God's rule instead of rebelling against him. He taught about living a ‘kingdom' kind of life, a life of love, justice, mercy, kindness, and so on—that is, the kind of life we were created to live, but which we've all walked away from and messed up, by rebelling against God and his ways.Jesus always lived under God's kingship or rule, and taught others to do the same.Of all the people who have ever lived, he was the only one not to come under the sentence of God's judgement. He was the only human who didn't deserve to die.And yet he not only died; he died an agonising and humiliating death as a criminal.You have to ask why.His death(Stay tuned …) This is one of the ‘freelist' editions of The Payneful Truth that goes out to everyone on the list. If you'd like to get every edition every week, sign up as a subscriber. Click this button to find out more and to get a 90-day free trial. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

The Death and Resurrection of JesusThe reading is taken from the Holy Scriptures of Luke Chapters 23-24.SisterG @ http://linktr.ee/glendacokerBlessings! www.glendacoker.org

UNPACKIN' IT - PRESENTED BY MEDI-SHAREBIO:Brad Johansen has been a broadcaster since 1983. He's been a TV anchor and reporter and a play-by-play guy in the NFL, college football, college basketball, and college baseball. He has won 21 Emmy Awards and more than 50 journalism awards. More importantly, he is a follower of Christ, a husband, and a father of four.TOPICS:His play-by-play career – most fun and most difficultThe Bengals 2021 seasonCollege Basketball teams that stand out so farHis faith journey – how it beganGrowth and lessons learned in following JesusMoving around in his career and how faith fits into those changesWhere he is now with the growth of his familyThe story of his son's World Series field dirtChasing the destination in life when the only true destination comes with JesusThe experience of travelImpactful listening recently – Bob Goff's “Dream Big” podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Order my new book- "Eyes on Jesus: A 90-Day Discernment Devotional" now!  This is a must-read for your personal quiet time with Jesus. Order  here https://amzn.to/3vIArYYListen to the sermon I preached on December 26th on obedience HEREMy guest this week is Samuel Deuth.  Samuel is a husband, father, pastor, author, and consultant with his wife Katie.  They are on the pastoral team at Awaken Church in San Diego.  They travel full time ministering to churches and working to help church leaders develop a strategy for discipleship and growth. In this episode we discussRevival in the midst of persecutionDiscerning the times that we are inHow to know the Holy Spirit is talking to youWhy the Bible needs to be your foundationConfirmation when it comes to discernmentWhy moving in obedience doesn't mean it will be easyPractical steps for reading the Bible daily7 essentials after you follow JesusThe process of promotionDiscerning sin in your lifeFor more information on Samuel Deuth:Go his website here https://www.samueldeuth.com/Get his new book, The Process of Promotion https://amzn.to/3HpS7NnFollow Samuel on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samueldeuth/ For more information on the ministry of Discerning Dad:Check out my recently updated website!  https://discerning-dad.com/Want to start or grow your online ministry?  Get my free 5-day training at ministryfunnels.netFollow me on a new site for Christian Creators called Faithful where you can also support me as a contributor https://faithful.place/users/discerningdadYou can purchase my book this podcast is based on, Everyday Discernment: The Importance of Spirit-led decision making, on Amazon https://amzn.to/3dDGKVwBecome a patron supporter and get exclusive benefits such as my second podcast and much more https://www.patreon.com/Discerningdad

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/581/29 When you think of the first Christmas gifts, you likely think of the wisemen. Their gifts were exotic and expensive, but they pale in comparison to the four gifts found in Jesusthe greatest gifts that could ever be given. Join Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour as he describes the amazing gifts given to us at Christmas in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's true that joy is our natural state of mind. It's the default setting God gave us! But why do so many people lack joy in their lives? Well, it all comes down life here on earth--and what happens when you're not able to have a joyful experience because someone or something takes away your peace.Hope's Harbor Gritty Bible DevotionsEpisode #31Title: Fruit of the Spirit: Joy – Evidence of Abiding with JesusDate: December 6, 2021Contact: info@hopesharbor.netKey verse(s): John 15:11- "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”Joy; cheerfulness, that is, calm delight: - gladnessIntro: When I went through a 4-week counseling program 11 years ago I learned that joy is our natural state of mind. It is the default setting GOD gave us.So why is joy so lacking in many of our lives? Well, I learned the answer to that also. It is life in this world that has the potential to rob us of joy.Do you think Jesus knew this and therefore gave us a conditional promise in John 15:11?So the question comes to mind: what things did Jesus mean when He said, “These things I have spoken to you…?”The answer is found in a couple of preceding verses in chapter 15 of John.Devotion focus: Joy is a gift received by abiding in JesusThe focus of Jesus's teaching in chapter 15 of John is the importance of abiding with Him. What does this mean? It means to remain in close contact at all times. But how can we when there are so many distractions throughout every day? I will answer this in the Summary and build upon it in the Actions to Consider at the end of this episode.This is where a personal decision is made as to whether you and I will do the work of maintaining our relationship with the Son of GOD, or not. Listen to the words of Jesus when He describes this principle and practice of staying close to Him:John 15:4 – “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”Jesus tied abiding together with bearing fruit, or good works. This means joy is the outcome of bearing fruit, doing good for others. And then in John 15:8 – He explains further: “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”First, let me point out the phrase so you will be means so you will become His disciples in the fullest sense. When we abide close to Jesus GOD will cause fruit, good works, to come through you. This is accomplished by the indwelling Holy Spirit, in the Name and Authority of Jesus and is done in a way your good works will point to the Glory of GOD. We cannot add to GOD's glory in the slightest, but we can allow GOD to bring about good in and through our lives and in how we live toward others.When we allow this process to take place, GOD gives us joy.Let me explain: first of all joy is something anyone can experience without GOD's influence. Many things bring joy… think about it. What brings you joy?But what I'm talking about is the supernatural joy of GOD. I find this level of joy when serving others, trying to do good for others. Even when results are not what I hope for, if I think about serving others in light of eternity, joy surges through me. This joy is evidence of dwelling close in my spirit with Jesus.Summary: GOD gives joy when we learn to abide close to Jesus. But we must develop the relationship on our end. Jesus already wants to be close to you and will help with this process. He knows how difficult it can be. Your part and mine is to practice thinking about our Heavenly Father and His love for us.

In this episode, I'm joined by my life coach, Karen Miller. In a recent consultation, she gave me a list of self-care tips, and I wanted her to share them with you too! Listen in to hear about: mom guilttips for surviving and thriving as parentsthe value of date nighthow to stay connected to Jesusthe difference between a child-centered home and Christ-centered homea tip for simplifying kids' activitiesthe need for a daily rest timewhy you need a silent retreathow to exercise with your childrenways reading for pleasure restores your soulLearn more about my upcoming webinar HERE!Click HERE to learn more about staying at my retreat center, Sabbath Rest!Find Karen Miller online HERE. Click HERE for Karen's article, How to Take a Prayer Retreat. 

The big Idea: It's all about JesusThe ongoing Acts of JesusThe next big event is going to be the graduation from training to empowerment! Get the foundation right. Start again at baptism! Remember what happened? Luke 3:15-17;21,22It is more than repentance, it is new life – the prophecy of John will be fulfilledThey must wait upon the Lord expectantly – they have seen, heard, and now something new is about to happenThe Activity of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of JesusThis is not a political program, or program at all, it is life to be shared, power to overcome, joy to be experienced and peace in the midst of chaos. The real nature of God is about to permeate those who believe. What are they to expect? They don't know because it has never happened before! But when it does, it will transcend present experience and will launch a change in the world.Our Inclusion in the ongoing Acts of JesusMakes this book more than a history book. It includes us, and what we learn from those who go before us is helpful for us to know how God moves with his people. The ends of the earth is not just geographical, ethnical, or time sensitive, but it continues to each generation through the church.  We are all called to be witnesses of Jesus!Are you repentant? Are you living a new life?Do you wait expectantly for Jesus to do his work both in you, and through you?  “Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”Isaiah55:6-7NASB

Overview:The reaction of the disciples is even more dramatic. Jesus even rebukes them for their lack of faith.The commission is simple and clearThe addition in Mark of the activity of the Holy Spirit points to the continuity of the ministry of JesusThe obedience to the call and the activity of Jesus The focus begins with the words of testimony shared that focus on the reality of an encounter with Jesus.  They are powerful because Jesus uses the testimonies of salvation to demonstrate his life in the present. See Romans 10.The commission is to go and preach the good news. Jesus alive from the dead and conquering fear, death, the devil, and sin! It is worth it to give your life to Jesus!Now comes a difficult matter for the church over centuries. Do the gifts of the Spirit still function today?The problem with signs, they are not to be worshipped. Salvation means wholeness, and that is what God does. He works with us, doing both signs and wonders. This is not a theological discussion point, this is what Jesus does. We will look into this more in the future, but it is not something to be fearful of, after all we do pray for the sick!  But it is a matter of faith and expecting God to move when we are faithful. My mother and prayer for Ruthie with pneumonia even though she believed the gifts ceased with the apostles.Do these things happen all the time? Are they a part of God's work? Yes! Look at Jesus, how he heals in various ways. The blind man in Luke 18:42 was spoken to. In Mark 18:22 Jesus spit on him. In John 9:6 Jesus made mud, put it on his eyes, and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. So the method is to be in touch with Jesus and do what he says.  You see walking is something we can do. But God has to intervene if the ground we walk on is liquid. Do we negate the power or do we seek it? Do we yearn for Jesus to do his work, and when he does it, do we honor him and glorify him? Do we deflect the credit away from ourselves and point to Jesus? How do we deal with pride in the midst of great events?Give the glory to God!

TRUTH BE TOLD CLAUSE: YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST IS NECESSARY. WHEN YOU ACCEPT CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO YOUR HEART THAT PRODUCES UNIMAGINABLE CHANGES AND A UNDESCRIBABLE POWER TO DO THE WORK THAT GOD HAS FOR YOU TO DO. JUST SAY YES!INTRODUCTION- SERIES: HOW DID WE GET HERE?  HOLDING ON AND NEVER GIVE  UP!SCRIPTURE:  HEBREWS 10:23- "Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."There are so many reasons for us to lose our hope due to the things that have been happening in our lives and the lives of those we know. We have the weight of these problems causing heaviness in our hearts that makes us want to give up but sisters and brothers I encourage you to hold on and hold out. God will see you through this. There are also so many reasons for us to not lose hope. God has not forgotten about you.Psalm 34:19- “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” These afflictions can be many troubles, hardships, perplexing circumstances, adversities, evils, and ills. We all have gone through so much in the last couple of years. Losing so many loved ones, worship services, and church family, our health, our homes, jobs, social life, etc. I could go on and on but you understand where I coming from. It seems like with face suffering, grief, heartache, and pain will never end. This scripture can be one that disheartens your spirit because it tells us that our afflictions are many but I want to assure you that God promises us that He would deliver us out of them out. 1 Peter 3-6- reminds us that we have been given a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ We may never know the reasons behind these trials and tribulations but we do know that God has our undivided attention when they come and God will use all of them to develop our faith and our character in becoming more like JesusThe most righteous person to walk the earth endured a great deal of affliction in 3 1/2 years. Christ endured severe pain, he cried, he was betrayed, beaten, mocked, and tortured and He died on the cross as an innocent man to make a way for us to escape the deathly consequences of sin in this world and the eternal separation from the Heavenly Father.Although both the righteous and the wicked have troubles, the outcome of their circumstances is different because of their different relationships with the Lord,”BE ENCOURAGED:1 Peter 4:12 (NIV)- "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange was happening to you."1 Peter 3:12- "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."You can find us on FB/Instagram, Google, Apple iTunes, Spotify, Buzzsprout. Continue to share, tell a friend, tell somebody.WE WILL BE TAKING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER OFF TO REST AND PREPARE FOR SEASON THREE. THIS  WILL GIVE SOME OF YOU TIME TO CATCH UP ON THE EPISODES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED.3 $25 gift cards giveaway to Amazon, Walmart, Visa MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1!Thanks for joining this podcast. We will resume on NOVEMBER 4 at 6:00 am. REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT TAKES GRACE TO MAKE IT!

August 8th, 2021Haggai 2:20-23If you'd like to get in touch with us, email us at: kerkefree@gmail.comDon't miss an episode by subscribing or following.Special Music by Pastor Josh and EstherTranslation for Special Music "Yeshu Naam"the namethat has lifeis the nameJesus Christthe namethat leads us to worshipis the nameJesus Christthe namethat has lifeis the nameJesus Christthe namethat leads us to worshipis the nameJesus Christthe name Jesusthe name Jesusbe praised!

Introduction:Food is an interesting unifying factor in community life.  Baptists are well known for it! Here are some interesting insights into different cultural interactions with food that we have enjoyed over the years!Germans and their breakfasts – meals in a home are a special event: The eye eats along with it.France, reserve a table and it is yours for the evening!!! (Many courses of small amounts, and restaurants are required by law to have a full meal available at a reasonable price so all can afford to eat.)In Spain you ate late because you had to sleep after lunch 9 PM was a usual time to eat out.In China, all eat with chop sticks from a center turntableIn Uganda, we ate with fingers - not just smell good, taste good, but it must feel good as well!)In the middle east we ate with bread from a central dish - or even from your own plate. Show how it was done.Eating is more than nourishment, it is a community, or family event.Step 1: Trying to understand.  The two of them belong to the “rest of them” from verse 9.Step 2: Jesus joins them and is very pastoral in both listening to their struggle and explaining the purpose of the scriptures to them.Separation of the us and them who crucified Jesus. Luke lays the blame at the feet of the chief priests and eldersThey were still hoping for the redemption of Israel (vs. 21) but bewildered by the report of the resurrectionOthers, not just Peter, went to the tomb and found it empty. This is critical to the narrative as it is repeated several times which is significant.  We are not just dealing with a philosopher, or a good man, or a great teacher, but one who is powerful and eternal and possessing all authority in heaven and earth!Step 3: Jesus begins to explain from the scriptures who he is!  All scripture is prophetic concerning him and his suffering and death and resurrection.  The OT cannot be properly understood apart from it being prophetic in nature, pointing to Jesus.Step 4: Knowledge is not enough for salvation.  Look what these disciples had:Reports from the tomb by the women and others,The angels reportThe scriptures The teachings of JesusThe acts of JesusStep 5: Fellowship with Jesus when he takes control. The event that opens eyes to see him, alive and full of grace and truth. Eyes that go beyond just enjoying what is set before us, but to see the eternal impact of knowing Jesus. It is an encounter that transforms from the inside out. It wants to move away from sin to being filled with the love of God. From being right to being compassionate. From anger to being forgiving. From being a slave to evil to seeing God at work in all things to bring about his goodness in and through us.The change begins with repentance, but it grows with trust, and obedience, and right choices. It begins to move out of our own self-centeredness and moves us to being available to those who need us.  The burning heart was not enough, it was the revelation of Jesus that reignited them and their passion for things greater than themselves.Step 6: Look at the results:  It happens in community, not in being alone. It must be shared to enjoy! And the way in which it is reproduced leads to multiplication.  It does not happen all at once, but with the patience of Jesus it will expand.  Jerusalem first and then beyond. The change is here in our hearts, and then it will reach the ends of the earth.

If you've ever tried to stand up for your faith in a hostile setting, you know all about the subtle ways people can twist your words. In this study of Matthew 22 and 23, see how Jesusthe most brilliant person who ever walked the earthstood up to three different kinds of intellectual attack.

If you've ever tried to stand up for your faith in a hostile setting, you know all about the subtle ways people can twist your words. In this study of Matthew 22 and 23, see how Jesusthe most brilliant person who ever walked the earthstood up to three different kinds of intellectual attack.

Jesusthe Wisdom Of God by Kingsville Royal Scribe

Hello and welcome to the Faith First Podcast where we try to give you some practical steps of faith to live faith first in the world today. If you are a follower of Christ you have heard at some point in time that each of us is called to share the good news of Christ. We are called to the big word— evangelism! Most of us are fearful of that word and many of us ask the question, “Why Me?” And, what is so urgent in telling others about Jesus Christ? The inevitable question we ask is “Isn't that what my Pastor or Minister is for?” Aren't they the ones who are front and center to go out and spread the Gospel? Well, today we sit down with our Lead Pastor Steve Darr and talk about the shift that needs to take place in our thinking because yes, it's you! And yes, the time is now!In this episode you'll discover:What it means to be in the last daysWhy so many Christians find it difficult to proclaim the good newsHow do we regain our passion and urgency to share JesusThe connection between love and sharing the GospelLearn other ways to reflect the Gospel when you don't know where to startThe world has been inoculated against the spread of the Gospel. A majority of people who reject Christianity, reject the Word of God and the message of the Gospel because they have received a Gospel inoculation. They have received a false gospel and not the real thing. Have you heard the true and real Gospel of Jesus Christ? Great! Let your testimony tell of the wonderful things God through His Son Jesus Christ has done for you and go witness faith first.

Three parts:Peter's DenialWhat went on in his mind? How could he so easily have turned away from the one he was so eager to defend? And what happened when Jesus saw him? What remorse, what a failure. From arguing as to who was the greatest to being the most broken. In the end, his loyalty was only to himself.  For all his wild ideals, his great revelations, his encounters with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration, his special times with Jesus being taught, encouraged, from the boat encounter on Galilee, to this moment of greatest failure. Now, of all times, when Jesus needed a friend, he left him alone with his enemies. The tears are of a depth of remorse that all his values and strengths could not restore. His hope was gone. The loss was becoming clearer as he remembered the last 3 years of following Jesus and now he had failed the only one who had the words of eternal life!  Had he not David, where shall we go? We won't leave you? The eyes of Jesus looking at him are burned into his memory, and leave him broken, lost depressed and unable to do anything. See his coward ness from the sleep of sorrow and the results of not praying about entering into temptation.The persecution of JesusThe beatings begin, the mockery, the cruel jokes and humiliation of Jesus.  His reaction is silence and allowance of these events. They blindfold him yet they are the ones who are blind. It is his willing participation in identification with us all in all our troubles and sorrows.  Peter is not left out.  His loving eyes are about to show him just how much he is committed to Peter in spite of his denial.  The first trial of Jesus: the Sanhedrin The chief priests and scribes made up the Sanhedrin. There were 71 members. These will include all those who have been interacting with Jesus who have been exposed by him, and who have been platting his death as their authority among the people has been diminished. Here is a difference in that Luke wants us to see first who is to blame for the death of Jesus and second, the lack of a proper trial which demonstrates Jesus willingness to die for the sins of the world.  A good lawyer could get him off easily, and the house was filled with lawyers on whom this was painfully obvious. The importance of prophecies fulfilledThe key here is two-fold:  First Jesus is not just any prophet, he is the prophet who ushers in the very presence of God, and infuses life with truth, removing darkness and making all things new. Second his words are true and eternal as in 21:33: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”Let us know that he keeps his word. The situation appears to be hopeless at the moment, but it will not remain that way.  Victory is coming!Peter: “And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.” Luke 22:24 “But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”” Luke 22:33 Beatings and trial: 7:29-30 - “When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God's justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.”His condemnation of the leaders: “And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake” Luke 20:45, 47 “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon,” Luke 18:31-32

There was a GRAVE ROBBER at Jesus' tomb.  Mary of Magdala tries to figure out who it was.  It is a classic case of mis-identity.She mis-identifiesthe dead Jesusthe buried Jesusthe stolen Jesusthe lost Jesusthe gardener Jesus (my personal favorite)She finally gets it right at the end:  Jesus Jesus.  Rabboni Teacher Jesus. The GRAVE ROBBER Himself!She gets her moment, she gets her name called.  Then she gets her job. Go tell the brothers.Along the way, Jesus asks a classic, all-time profound question:  Whom do you seek?Because, if you are looking for a dead guy, he ain't here.  If you are looking for a non-resurrection guy, he ain't here.  If you are looking for a non-disrupter, he ain't here.  If you are looking for a non-stumbling stone, he ain't here.  If you are looking for a guy who stays put after death, he ain't here. If so, you have mis-identified the real GRAVE ROBBER.Please Listen.  Please share. Please identify correctly.   ;-)

We are at the central event of human history.  It is at the central place of human history.  It is at the central time of human history.  (It literally splits time in half as we refer to it:  BC and AD) It is with the central figure of human history, Jesus.  I wonder who else is there.  Let's make a list!Jesusthe four soldiers and the centurion in charge of the execution2 robbersChief Priests: Ananias and Ciaphas Scribes and EldersSome Bystanders and "those who passed by"Simon of Cyrene at least at the beginningthe disciple whom He loved: Johncrowds assembled for the spectacleJoseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus at least after deathmaybe Pilate at the beginningThe daughters of JerusalemSalome: mother of the sons of Zebedee, James and John.  Probably Mary's sisterMary, Jesus' motherMary, of MadalaMary, mother of another James and Joses also called JosephMary, wife of Clopas, who might have been the guy on the road to EmmausThis means, when Jesus speaks to JOHN, his real mother and his new adoptive mother were BOTH there. Join me as we wonder how she feels about this new relationship. I wonder how Mary feels.  I wonder how John feels.  Please share the podcast.

“Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.”Hello Kitchen Table Theology Family! Today Pastor Jeff and Jen discuss the Doctrine of Sanctification: what it means to go from living self-like to Christ-like.[00:01 - 05:04] What is Sanctification? It is a continuing change worked by God in us, freeing us from sinful habits and forming in us Christlike affections, dispositions, and virtues.[05:05 - 09:11] The Essence of Sanctification To make holySet apart from profane use for holy useSanctification applies to our minds, lives, abilities, and bodies[09:11 - 10:58] How Does Sanctification Fit in With the Other Doctrines?  Through justification, we are declared righteous so that in sanctification we through Christ may become righteous.It exhibits the fruit of the relationship[10:59 - 15:02] The Inception of Sanctification   Positional sanctification and progressive sanctificationWhen we receive Christ as Lord and Savior we are in one sense immediately sanctified. But subsequent to our conversion we often experience a struggle of the will. Recognize the presence of carnalitySurrender to JesusThe infilling of the Holy Spirit [15:03 - 18:56] The Continuation of Sanctification in Our Lives  Reaffirmation; Recommitting ourselves to Christ and reaffirming that we are no longer interested in that old life.[18:56 - 22:15] A Summary of What We’ve discussedFinal words from Pastor Jeff and Jen Tweetable Quotes:“Sanctification is not about trying harder to live a godly life nor to struggle more to be a better Christian. It is supernatural power released in us by Christ to enable us to live a holy life.” — Pastor Jeff Cranston“As we live out the life we are called to, we experience His sanctifying power in us, drawing us closer and closer to God and giving us an ever-increasing desire to live a life of holiness for His glory.” — Jen Denton“I’ve never regretted any time I’ve chosen Christ.”  — Pastor Jeff Cranston Bible Verses Mentioned: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-241 Corinthians 6: 19-20Hebrews 10 Romans 7:15 1 Peter 1:22 Thessalonians 2:13 Galatians 5: 22-231 Peter 3:15Resources Mentioned/ Footnotes:Westminster Shorter Catechism Join the ConversationWe love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today’s episode, email me at pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.orgVisit my website jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church. Check-in with us on Facebook or Instagram @pastorjeffcranston.Remember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!

The Purposed to Impact podcast uplifts Christ-following women who hear a higher calling but feel weighed down by real life responsibilities. Maybe all the things on your plate feel more mundane than meaningful right now, but one thing's for sure: you are made to make a difference.In each episode, we'll glean fresh insights from God's Word to do 2 critical things: Neutralize the enemy's tactics to get us to question or quit pursuing our purpose; andDiscover a practical path forward to make a positive difference for those within our reach.This podcast is for:The mama wanting to raise her little ones to walk in Truth as her living legacyThe aspiring entrepreneur with an idea that can really change people's livesThe community builder with a heart for meeting needs and lifting loads from others' shouldersThe ministry leader with a passion for walking alongside people and pointing them to JesusThe wonder woman who is a mix of any or all of the above! Purpose isn't a pipe dream. It's a promise that God gives to each of us who is willing to align with His plan. Stick around for biblical, practical encouragement every Wednesday that'll spur you on in your pursuit of purpose and impact.-Let's link!Meet KendallAbout Impact Insight Co.Get the weekly email Do-votional

John 20:1-18 God had said "Yes" to JesusThe resurrection verifies or validates that Jesus is Israel's true MessiahThe resurrection verifies that what Jesus did on the cross for our sin was sufficientJesus defeated the last and ultimate foe - deathOur future hope is centered firmly on the bodily resurrection of Jesus

KEY TAKEAWAYS:Spiritual immaturity hinders effectiveness in serving JesusThe writer of Hebrews was concerned that their readers should be showing signs of Christian maturity. Think back on your life. Are there signs of maturity and growth? Or is there a pattern of stagnations? Or even of backsliding?The readers of Hebrews were compared to babies who needed to learn again the elementary truths of God’s Word. The solution to this dilemma lay in developing their spiritual senses through practice and training. The training they needed involved a steady application of spiritual discipline. Spiritual maturity would not develop primarily from a sudden burst of insight. It would come from a persistent usage of spiritual resourcesFor more information about this show, which includes additional notes and details, please visit the show page here or visit our home page at SeekingourGod.comMusicLife of Riley by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3976-life-of-rileyLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Reflection 73: Growing in Our Desire for JesusThe more we come to know Jesus, the more we desire Him. And the more we desire Him, the more we come to know Him. This is a beautiful cyclical experience of knowing and desiring, desiring and knowing (See Diary #273).Do you desire to know your precious Lord? Do you long for Him in a burning way? Reflect upon this desire in your soul and if it is lacking, know that it’s because you need to come to know Him more. Reflect, also, upon the ways in which you do sense a real knowledge of Jesus. What does that knowledge of Him do to you? Allow it to move from your head to your heart, and from your heart to all your affections. Allow Him to work on you, to draw you and to envelop you in His Mercy.Lord, help me to come to know You. Help me to comprehend You in Your perfection and Mercy. And as I do come to know You, flood my soul with a longing and desire for more of You. May this desire increase my love of You and help me to know You all the more. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2021 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Today we are looking at a time where dysfunction was present in the conversations of the disciples. They were even ashamed to same what they were talking about. Self righteousness is never a good quality for a follower of Jesus. Our discussions on who is the greatest will be a short list...JesusThe music on the podcast is from John Nugent. John is a Chicagoland area musician who has been a real blessing to Tabor Church. Support the show (http://taborchicago.org/give/)

Do you want your Christian faith to not just be a part of your life, but be your life; penetrating and permeating everything you say and think and do?You might be remembering how often you’ve started, full of enthusiasm, passion and vision, only to stumble and falter. You’re beginning to think it isn’t even possible to live like Jesus.If that’s the case, don’t be discouraged. Transformation is possible and the key is available to everyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ.In this blog audio, you'll find outWhy Christians struggle to live like JesusThe key to living like JesusThe how of living like JesusPrefer to read the article? Find it at preparedtoanswer.org/how-to-live-like-jesusSupport the show (https://preparedtoanswer.org/donate/)

Why do we sometimes look at Jesus as a last resort in times of need? That's the question we're discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: Where this event falls in the ministry of JesusThe importance of faith in Jairus and the woman's livesWhy we shouldn't see Jesus as our... The post When Jesus is Our Last Resort [The Hero of the Story] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Do you ever feel useless? Do you ever feel worthless? Do you write yourself off as a nobody. Maybe you compare yourself to others and decide:I have nothingI can do nothingI can give nothingI am nothingI want to encourage you with the shepherds in Luke 2:15-20. Shepherds were very poor, very dirty, and very smelly. People looked down on them and avoided them. Yet God chose them as the first ones to hear and tell the news of Jesus’s birth. When the angels told them about Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem, they ran to the stable and found the manger where Jesus was lying.THE SHEPHERDS AMAZED PEOPLE (17-18)They told people about JesusThe people were amazed and wonderedTHE SHEPHERDS AMAZED MARY (19)Mary treasured the shepherd's wordsMary was amazed at the shepherd's wordsTHE SHEPHERDS WERE AMAZED THEMSELVES (20)They heard and sawThey praised and glorifiedDon’t write off anyone as a nobody, especially not yourself, because God never writes off anybody as a nobody.This is a series of audio podcasts for kids who want to meet with Jesus by using Meeting with Jesus: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids.

In this episode we discuss:The covenant made between David and Israel and fulfilled by JesusThe nuptial overtones of Jesus' passion and resurrectionSolomon's coronation and how it relates to Jesus' accession to the throneHow drinking the vinegar on the cross signaled the Kingdom of God

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Paul’s prayer Colossians 1:9 (NLT) So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Anytime you see the expression of being thankful it is not there as a filler word, it is there for a very specific purpose. Giving thanks is in the central part of any prayer because Thanksgiving opens you to something greater. You remember that the first mention of Thanksgiving was connected to something called a peace offering. The peace offering was a free will offering unlike any other offering for Israel back in that day of law, requirements and mandates. You will remember that we said, Thanksgiving comes from peace and peace leads to thanksgiving. Giving thanks opens your heart and mind to God and to his supply quicker than anything else. The text says the word thanking God who has enabled us to partake of an inheritance in the light. Stop and think about that: we actually have access to something that God has provided to us. Giving thanks is like a key or combination to open the door. RESCUED Have you ever faced a danger, such as a near miss while driving, or some other situation that could've ended badly? What's the first thing you said? You said thank you! We are all escapees! We are like escaped slaves! We been delivered! We got out! We made it over!Think for a moment what your life would be today without Jesus Christ, without the family he gave you, without the church and Teachers he gave you. Jesus literally purchased our freedom and forgive us our sins. Where would we be without Jesus and his church? The great Mahalia Jackson performed a songHow I Got Over How I got overHow did I make it over?You know my soul look back and wonderHow did I make it over? Tell me how we got over, LordHad a mighty hard time coming on overYou know my soul look back and wonderHow did we make it over? Tell me how we got over, LordI've been falling and rising all these yearsBut you know my soul look back and wonderHow did I make it over? But, soon as I can see JesusThe man that died for meMan that bled and sufferedAnd he hung on Calvary And I want to thank him for how he brought meAnd I want to thank God for how he taught meOh, thank my God how he kept meI'm gonna thank him cause he never left me TRANSFERRED Have you ever had experience of experiencing a transfer to something better or an upgrade?One of the best things when you travel away from home is to be booked into one hotel room and get upgraded to a better room. When I travel to Raleigh North Carolina last month to be a part of the 20th ministry anniversary of Pastor Williams I checked into a new Hampton hotel. I came early so I room wasn't ready for me, but because I was a Hilton rewards member, the lady gave me a king suite. I walked in there put my bag down a big smile came on my face! I received a transfer! I didn't deserve it, I could've done without it, but I received it anyway! There is no better transfer than your heart and mind to be moved out of the realm of worry, fear, anxiety, and all the limitations connected with this world the kingdom. To be transferred into the kingdom of the son of God's love is an incredible reality! New king James version says, 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, Not only have you been transferred into a kingdom, you've been transferred into the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ, who is the Son of his love! There are four keys to this transfer It is a transference from darkness to light. Without God men grope and stumble as if walking in the dark. They know not what to do; they know not where they are going. God has given us a light by which to live and by which to die. It is a transference from slavery to freedom. In Jesus Christ there is liberation. It is a transference from condemnation to forgiveness. He knows now that he is no longer a condemned criminal at God's judgment seat, but a lost son for whom the way home is always open. It is a transference from the power of Satan to the power of God. Through Jesus Christ man is liberated from the grip of Satan and is able to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Transferred into the Kingdom of the Son of his love. Redeemed by the blood and forgiven of all sins Psalm 89:15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. 16 In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

Speaker: Brady WilsonThe "unclean" woman demolishes and disrupts the prevailing sensibility of who gets to touch the Rabbi. Jesus. God.God makes a ruckus with this woman, with her audacious action, with her enduring story.Who gets to touch God? The one with the felt need. What touches God? A felt need. Here's the ruckus we bring to this world: the Good News is Jesus at the point of need- your need. The terror in the ruckus is this: no need - no touch.In this talk we explore 3 things: 1. How we identify our need 2. How we openly acknowledge it 3. How we use it as our access point to touch JesusThe 4th point is a freebie: how we bring this ruckus to our friends and neighbours

1. WE KNOW THE LIFE THAT WE HAVE SEEN John’s unique access to the Life of JesusThe raising of the daughter of JairusThe Transfiguration of JesusThe Garden of GethsemaneThe Cross John 20:2929Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you...

1. WE KNOW THE LIFE THAT WE HAVE SEEN John’s unique access to the Life of JesusThe raising of the daughter of JairusThe Transfiguration of JesusThe Garden of GethsemaneThe Cross John 20:2929Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you...

Probably all of us have had what we would call Mountaintop Experiences in our lives. Yet, these experiences don't always mean much to us in the long run. This sermon was delivered on a church festival called the Transfiguration. It highlights a great mountaintop experience of for Jesus' disciples. On the top of a mountain, they see Jesus unveiled as the divine Son of God. Yet, what difference should this great experience make for us? So what if they had a mountaintop experience? This sermon delves into what this experience shows us: that we should learn to Jesus in the everyday experiences of life, and that we should let our own mountaintop experiences with God transform us into people who provide those experiences for others.Scripture Reference: Luke 9:28-43; Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2Preached on the Feast of Transfiguration, March 3, 2019 by Rev. Stephen SilverthorneSermon HighlightsThe transfiguration shows the divine nature of JesusDisciples found it easy to see him as Messiah when he was gloriousThey found it harder to believe in him when he seemed ordinary or weakWe have the same problemWe often see Christ in times of worshipThis should help us recognize him when we go out in the worldThe disciples were not transformed by this experience with JesusThe transformation only came at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit cameThen, they began to show the world Jesus' goodnessWorship should transform us to reflect Jesus' light in the worldThis only happens when we ask God to prepare us to receive Jesus' lightFurther ReadingLiturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison WarrenThe Care Bears See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. John & Jennifer begin a 3-episode series based on Marcus Borg’s Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. Topics discussed include:Childhood image of Jesus often does not evolveYour image of Jesus influences your ChristianityThe historical JesusThe influence of Christian tradition on the gospelsThe nature of Godpre-Easter and post-Easter JesusReclaiming Christianity is a book review podcast about God, faith and life. Each episode is centered around a book that John & Jennifer love, and contains a reading of a section, a review and running commentary. We understand that Christianity is a mess, both corporately and personally, but believe it is worth reclaiming.Show Noteshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1CNVPpbbpf3bGkkwh-mffnKEq6r2-Hx5xQP2S1MfMdXw/edit?usp=sharingReclaiming Christianity is available on iTunes, Google Play Music and wherever else you get your podcasts.Join in the conversation on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/reclaimingchristianity/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/403347550080451/

Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. John & Jennifer begin a 3-episode series based on Marcus Borg’s Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. Topics discussed include:Childhood image of Jesus often does not evolveYour image of Jesus influences your ChristianityThe historical JesusThe influence of Christian tradition on the gospelsThe nature of Godpre-Easter and post-Easter JesusReclaiming Christianity is a book review podcast about God, faith and life. Each episode is centered around a book that John & Jennifer love, and contains a reading of a section, a review and running commentary. We understand that Christianity is a mess, both corporately and personally, but believe it is worth reclaiming.Show Noteshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1CNVPpbbpf3bGkkwh-mffnKEq6r2-Hx5xQP2S1MfMdXw/edit?usp=sharingReclaiming Christianity is available on iTunes, Google Play Music and wherever else you get your podcasts.Join in the conversation on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/reclaimingchristianity/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/403347550080451/

A Voice In The Distance Ministries

Black Panther coming February 16, 2018! Shout to Marvel! We geeked up lol, but you know how I doooooooo... Left Field Mix to keep you on your toes! This one for my people...Dos Pirate Podcast#blackpanthertape #ep30Kam- Neva againGeto boys-fuck a warNas- American wayIce cube-bird in the handGoodie mob- decisionsBrand Nubian- Allah u Akbar (remix)Public enemy-rebel w/o a pause2pac-panther powerBig daddy kane- young gifted and blackBlack star- brown skin ladyDead prez-police StateCommon-real peopleWillie d-u still a niggaBdp-you must learnGhostface/raekwon/u-god- black JesusThe coup- the standSister souljah-final solution/slavery is back See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If anyone desires to come after me - 1being a disciple - 3Returning to a text that I cited during the first sermon, I would like to draw our attention to the last words of Christ before he ascended into heaven. He left specific instructions recorded in Matthew 28:19.Go and make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them everything I taught you.Making disciples is part of what Christ taught and so the process continues with a new generation making disciples. “Who do people say that I am?” The text seems to indicate that Jesus asks this question in passing - as they are going along. But no question is of greater importance than this topic. This question places a person on the crossroads. Who is this Jesus?“And what about you? Who do you say that I am?” This question sparks an incredible confession and confirms in the hearts of the disciples that Christ is their expected Messiah and the Son of God.A disciple starts with who Jesus isThe emotional high must have been incredible. All of Scripture's promises come to bear on this moment as they stand there and realize that history is unfolding before their eyes.Peter speaks for the disciples when he makes his declaration. They have all seen the signs. They were in the boat when he stilled the storm, they have witnessed every healing and every miracle, they watched Him walk on water and feed a multitude twice. They've hung on every word and when he turns the question to them, their hearts overflow with the only answer that can be given… you have the words of life… we believe in you… you are the Son of the living God… you are the expected Messiah.This is where every disciple starts. Taking a bite of the bread.A disciple keeps discovering who Jesus isAnd then Christ bursts their bubble by talking about his own murder by the religious leaders and something about a resurrection. It was confusing enough to His disciples that Peter takes it upon himself to correct Jesus' theology.What Jesus was saying didn't fit with Peter's picture of what was supposed to happen.Jesus rebukes Peter sharply. He identifies his problem: worldly thinking rather than Godly thinking.This journey with the Lord begins with the question of who He is, the rest of the journey is discovering who Jesus is. What's the point here? We continue to get to know Christ. We're never done.A disciple follows after JesusThe invitation Christ gives is spectacular. The word come after is related to the Greek word for road. He is asking: “If anyone wants to walk this road together”, but then specifically adds “after me”. Jesus invites us to walk the road together… being a disciple is walking on the road together, but Christ leaves no doubt that He needs to be the one taking the lead.He might surprise you at times in the bends and turns in the road or that he picks climbing the rocks, rather than the beaten path… but he expects you to accept that He's in charge.Jesus finishes with three statements that we will cover next week: deny yourself, pickup your cross and follow.Will you together with Him walk the road behind him?

The message of Malachi leads us to JesusThe law of Moses leads us to Jesus, v4The promised Elijah leads us to Jesus, vv5-6

The ordinary family of JesusThe extraordinary conception of JesusThe true humanity of JesusI borrowed liberally from my former pastors and seminary professors Drs. Ligon Duncan and Derek Thomas (may they live long and prosper!), along with Donald Macleod's wonderful chapter The Incarnation in A Faith to Live By. Many thanks to these men for their faithful service.