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Peter Beinart is a writer and author who has contributed to The New Republic, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. He grew up a committed Zionist and has spent the last decade publicly refuting that position, arriving at the view that Israel cannot be reconciled with the principle of equality under the law. His most recent book, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza, caused shock waves in the Jewish world. In this conversation, Coleman and Peter debate the Palestinian right of return and whether it's comparable to Israel's Law of Return for diaspora Jews. They argue over whether a one-state solution would produce equality or civil war, and whether the idea of comparing Israel to South Africa holds up under scrutiny. They get into the role of jihadist ideology in the conflict, whether Iran constitutes an existential threat to Israel, and what it would actually mean for Israel to be a democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back. ____ Subscribe to Ark News Daily ____ Why is Israel's next election being driven more by fear than hope? Dan is joined by For Heaven's Sake hosts Yossi Klein Halevi and Donniel Hartman to discuss the emotional forces shaping Israel's coming election. As Israelis prepare to vote, different communities are carrying different traumas, fears, and visions for the country's future, from tensions over Arab and Haredi political power to questions of national unity, leadership, and diminishing hope that life there can improve. They also consider whether Israelis can rediscover the unity of October 8th and what Israelis and diaspora Jews are each looking for in the country's next leader. In this episode: - Why this is a fear-based election, not a hope-based election - The fear of Arab parties in a post-October 7 Israel - The role and concern over Haredi voters reshaping politics - The forces that threaten to shut down Israel's economy - Can Arab parties become part of Israel's political mainstream? - Is the unity of an "October 8th Israel" still possible? - Can Israel's political center hold? - Why Gadi Eisenkot appeals across ideological lines - Israelis and diaspora Jews each want something different from Israel's leader More Ark Media: Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings. Explore Israel Votes Listen to For Heaven's Sake Listen to What's Your Number? Watch Call me Back on YouTube Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal Instagram | Ark Media | Dan X | Dan Dan Senor & Saul Singer's book, The Genius of Israel Get in touch Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
The Other Side of the Story with Tom Harris and Todd Royal – Many Islamic immigrants from the Middle East have a lifelong hatred of Jews, lesbians, and gays. Many of them do not respect women as equals. And many want to change our society to more closely mirror the archaic standards of the countries they left. To help us understand what's going on in the West with regard to mass...
In this lesson from the Gate of Repentance (Shaar HaTeshuvah), Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores one of the greatest challenges in spiritual growth: breaking deeply ingrained habits. The Orchot Tzaddikim teaches that repeated behavior gradually becomes normalized until a person no longer sees it as wrong. Sins that are repeated frequently can begin to feel permissible, making genuine repentance far more difficult. Therefore, a person seeking teshuvah must establish strong boundaries, cultivate determination, and consciously distance themselves from negative habits until those behaviors become foreign and even repulsive to them. The episode emphasizes that repentance is not a one-time event but an ongoing process of refinement. Rabbi Wolbe explains that just as a stained garment may require multiple washings before every trace of dirt disappears, the soul may require repeated layers of repentance before it is fully cleansed. Even when a person has already apologized or sought forgiveness, deeper levels of understanding may emerge later in life, requiring additional reflection, remorse, and spiritual repair. True teshuvah continually revisits past mistakes with greater maturity and awareness. The lesson then introduces the first two foundational pillars of repentance. The first is charatah—genuine regret for having distanced oneself from Hashem and misused the gifts, opportunities, and potential entrusted to them. The second is azivas hacheit—abandoning the sin and firmly resolving not to repeat it in the future. Rabbi Wolbe challenges listeners to recognize the preciousness of the soul, the fleeting nature of worldly pleasures, and the eternal value of spiritual growth. Authentic repentance begins when a person honestly asks, "What have I done?" and then takes concrete steps to chart a different course forward._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by Peter & Becky BotvinRecorded at TORCH Centre in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on September 29, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 15, 2026_____________This series on Orchos Tzadikim/Ways of the Righteous is produced in partnership with Hachzek.Join the revolution of daily Mussar study at hachzek.com.We are using the Treasure of Life edition of the Orchos Tzadikkim (Published by Feldheim)_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jewish-inspiration-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1476610783Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4r0KfjMzmCNQbiNaZBCSU7) to stay inspired! Share your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content. _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life. To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Our Mission is Connecting Jews & Judaism. Help us spread Judaism globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org.Your support makes a HUGE difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.orgv_____________Keywords:#JewishInspiration, #Mussar, #MasterClass, #Repentance, #Teshuva, #TransformYourLife, #Repentance, #ChangeYourLife, #BreakBadHabits ★ Support this podcast ★
Chabad Chassidus is an all-embracing world outlook and way of life which sees the Jew's central purpose as a unifying link between the Creator and His world. Written by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, Tanya is the central text of Chabad Chassidus. It shows the reader a path to realizing their purpose and developing a deeper relationship with G-d. Choose from one of the two formats available: through Lessons in Tanya - a profound and clear explanation of the Alter Rebbe's writings, or through an audio class.
Ever since conquistadores claimed Taino land in the name of their Catholic God and New England Puritans formed their strictly Protestant “city on a hill,” religion has been central to American life. Even as some found religious freedom—Rhode Island welcomed the Quakers, Jews, and Baptists that Massachusetts expelled as dissenters—indigenous people and Africans forced into slavery struggled to protect their religious practices. With the constitutional separation of church and state, it fell to the American people to decide: would they sharpen religion's formidable powers of division, or reimagine its creative possibilities? In A God-Shaped Nation: Five Hundred Years of Religion in America (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2026) Brook Wilensky-Lanford follows this essential American tension from first contact through the 2024 election. This is an expansive history of extraordinary religious questions, told through the ordinary people who grappled with them. It is a story of defiance: Anne Hutchinson, preaching against Puritan clergy; Reform rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise serving soft-shell crab to his kosher guests at an 1883 banquet; and Wovoka, a Paiute man who envisioned the Ghost Dance movement, which persisted in the face of violent government repression at Wounded Knee. It is also a story of community: Millerites waiting together in vain for Jesus's return on a rainy October night in 1844; Chinese immigrants bringing Daoist and Buddhist gods to their California temples; Mormons pushing westward to build their “new Zion” in Utah. And in the last fifty years, it has been a story of muscular political power, as the religious right has sought to shape the present and paint the past in its own image. At a moment when religion penetrates even the most secular aspects of American life, understanding its history is more essential than ever before. “It is in history that the very human work of religion happens,” Wilensky-Lanford shows us, “and in ordinary time that even the most carved-in-stone tenets can and do change.” Brook Wilensky-Lanford is a religion writer, editor, and teacher. The author of Paradise Lust: Searching for the Garden of Eden, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and former managing editor of Killing the Buddha, her work has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, and elsewhere. Currently the Associate Director of Sacred Writes Public Scholarship, she holds an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University and a PhD in Religion in the Americas from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she lives. This episode's host, Jacob Barrett, is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Religion and Culture track. For more information, visit his website thereluctantamericanist.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Ever since conquistadores claimed Taino land in the name of their Catholic God and New England Puritans formed their strictly Protestant “city on a hill,” religion has been central to American life. Even as some found religious freedom—Rhode Island welcomed the Quakers, Jews, and Baptists that Massachusetts expelled as dissenters—indigenous people and Africans forced into slavery struggled to protect their religious practices. With the constitutional separation of church and state, it fell to the American people to decide: would they sharpen religion's formidable powers of division, or reimagine its creative possibilities? In A God-Shaped Nation: Five Hundred Years of Religion in America (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2026) Brook Wilensky-Lanford follows this essential American tension from first contact through the 2024 election. This is an expansive history of extraordinary religious questions, told through the ordinary people who grappled with them. It is a story of defiance: Anne Hutchinson, preaching against Puritan clergy; Reform rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise serving soft-shell crab to his kosher guests at an 1883 banquet; and Wovoka, a Paiute man who envisioned the Ghost Dance movement, which persisted in the face of violent government repression at Wounded Knee. It is also a story of community: Millerites waiting together in vain for Jesus's return on a rainy October night in 1844; Chinese immigrants bringing Daoist and Buddhist gods to their California temples; Mormons pushing westward to build their “new Zion” in Utah. And in the last fifty years, it has been a story of muscular political power, as the religious right has sought to shape the present and paint the past in its own image. At a moment when religion penetrates even the most secular aspects of American life, understanding its history is more essential than ever before. “It is in history that the very human work of religion happens,” Wilensky-Lanford shows us, “and in ordinary time that even the most carved-in-stone tenets can and do change.” Brook Wilensky-Lanford is a religion writer, editor, and teacher. The author of Paradise Lust: Searching for the Garden of Eden, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and former managing editor of Killing the Buddha, her work has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, and elsewhere. Currently the Associate Director of Sacred Writes Public Scholarship, she holds an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University and a PhD in Religion in the Americas from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she lives. This episode's host, Jacob Barrett, is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Religion and Culture track. For more information, visit his website thereluctantamericanist.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
In this continuation of the "Rainmaker" narratives from Tractate Ta'anit, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores profound lessons about poverty, faith, honesty, prayer, and personal responsibility. The episode opens with the moving story of Rabbi Elazar ben Pedas, who lived in extreme poverty yet maintained unwavering faith. Through a remarkable dream-like encounter with Hashem, he demonstrates acceptance of Divine providence and a refusal to seek personal gain at the expense of others—even in the World to Come. The discussion then turns to the Torah's uncompromising standard of honesty. Rabbi Wolbe shares powerful contemporary examples illustrating the mitzvah of returning lost property and conducting business with integrity. Whether it's returning forgotten cash hidden inside a desk or correcting a pricing error that benefits you, true righteousness means doing what's right because Hashem commands it—not because anyone else is watching. The latter portion of the episode returns to the Talmud's stories of prayer for rain, emphasizing that a generation's spiritual state affects the effectiveness of its leaders' prayers. The episode culminates with a profound lesson on gratitude and perspective: complaints generate more negativity, while appreciation and positive expectation create opportunities for greater blessing. Rabbi Wolbe teaches that our words, attitudes, and outlook shape the spiritual reality we experience. _____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on March 27, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 15, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life. To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud, #Gemara, #Taanit, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #Integrity, #PositiveMindset, #Gratitude, #DivineProvidence, #PersonalGrowth, #CharacterDevelopment, #SpiritualGrowth, #AttitudeMatters, #Blessings, #MindsetShift, #LiveWithPurpose ★ Support this podcast ★
In this continuation of the "Rainmaker" narratives from Tractate Ta'anit, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores profound lessons about poverty, faith, honesty, prayer, and personal responsibility. The episode opens with the moving story of Rabbi Elazar ben Pedas, who lived in extreme poverty yet maintained unwavering faith. Through a remarkable dream-like encounter with Hashem, he demonstrates acceptance of Divine providence and a refusal to seek personal gain at the expense of others—even in the World to Come. The discussion then turns to the Torah's uncompromising standard of honesty. Rabbi Wolbe shares powerful contemporary examples illustrating the mitzvah of returning lost property and conducting business with integrity. Whether it's returning forgotten cash hidden inside a desk or correcting a pricing error that benefits you, true righteousness means doing what's right because Hashem commands it—not because anyone else is watching. The latter portion of the episode returns to the Talmud's stories of prayer for rain, emphasizing that a generation's spiritual state affects the effectiveness of its leaders' prayers. The episode culminates with a profound lesson on gratitude and perspective: complaints generate more negativity, while appreciation and positive expectation create opportunities for greater blessing. Rabbi Wolbe teaches that our words, attitudes, and outlook shape the spiritual reality we experience. _____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on March 27, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on June 15, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life. To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud, #Gemara, #Taanit, #Rainmaker, #Faith, #Emunah, #Honesty, #Integrity, #PositiveMindset, #Gratitude, #DivineProvidence, #PersonalGrowth, #CharacterDevelopment, #SpiritualGrowth, #AttitudeMatters, #Blessings, #MindsetShift, #LiveWithPurpose ★ Support this podcast ★
The Jews considered their forefather Abraham to be a paragon of virtue, a man with whom no fault could be found. Paul refutes this idea, saying that Abraham, like all other men, was a sinner saved by grace. It is not Abraham's works that justify him before a holy God, but his faith, for as it says in Scripture, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” In other words, if God serves an accountant, then his books would wipe clean the debt that was owed and his account would credited with a foreign righteousness, that is, the righteousness of Christ. Circumcision does not justify him, because he was credited while still uncircumcised. Paul makes the case that this makes him the father of both circumcised (that is, Israel) and the uncircumcised (that is the Gentile) who have faith in Christ. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org
Ever since conquistadores claimed Taino land in the name of their Catholic God and New England Puritans formed their strictly Protestant “city on a hill,” religion has been central to American life. Even as some found religious freedom—Rhode Island welcomed the Quakers, Jews, and Baptists that Massachusetts expelled as dissenters—indigenous people and Africans forced into slavery struggled to protect their religious practices. With the constitutional separation of church and state, it fell to the American people to decide: would they sharpen religion's formidable powers of division, or reimagine its creative possibilities? In A God-Shaped Nation: Five Hundred Years of Religion in America (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2026) Brook Wilensky-Lanford follows this essential American tension from first contact through the 2024 election. This is an expansive history of extraordinary religious questions, told through the ordinary people who grappled with them. It is a story of defiance: Anne Hutchinson, preaching against Puritan clergy; Reform rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise serving soft-shell crab to his kosher guests at an 1883 banquet; and Wovoka, a Paiute man who envisioned the Ghost Dance movement, which persisted in the face of violent government repression at Wounded Knee. It is also a story of community: Millerites waiting together in vain for Jesus's return on a rainy October night in 1844; Chinese immigrants bringing Daoist and Buddhist gods to their California temples; Mormons pushing westward to build their “new Zion” in Utah. And in the last fifty years, it has been a story of muscular political power, as the religious right has sought to shape the present and paint the past in its own image. At a moment when religion penetrates even the most secular aspects of American life, understanding its history is more essential than ever before. “It is in history that the very human work of religion happens,” Wilensky-Lanford shows us, “and in ordinary time that even the most carved-in-stone tenets can and do change.” Brook Wilensky-Lanford is a religion writer, editor, and teacher. The author of Paradise Lust: Searching for the Garden of Eden, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and former managing editor of Killing the Buddha, her work has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, and elsewhere. Currently the Associate Director of Sacred Writes Public Scholarship, she holds an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University and a PhD in Religion in the Americas from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she lives. This episode's host, Jacob Barrett, is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Religion and Culture track. For more information, visit his website thereluctantamericanist.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
A giant of glass and sound: St. Vitus Cathedral gets powerful new voice, unique archive documents thousands of Jews connected to Ostrava, St. Martin in the Wall: one of Prague's oldest—and most welcoming—churches
Timestamps:5:37 - UFC25034:13 - Foreign Policy Round-up57:35 - Working for Jews1:35:34 - Tates Part of the Matrix All Along? Pt4Welcome to The Morning Dump, where we dive headfirst into the deep end of the pool of current events, conspiracy, and everything in between. Join us for a no-holds-barred look at the week's hottest topics, where we flush away the fluff and get straight to the substance.Please consider supporting my work- Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/nowayjose2020 Only costs $2/month and will get you access to episodes earlier than the publicNo Way, Jose! Rumble Channel- https://rumble.com/c/c-3379274 No Way, Jose! YouTube Channel- https://youtube.com/channel/UCzyrpy3eo37eiRTq0cXff0g My Podcast Host- https://redcircle.com/shows/no-way-jose Apple podcasts- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-way-jose/id1546040443 Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/0xUIH4pZ0tM1UxARxPe6Th Stitcher- https://www.stitcher.com/show/no-way-jose-2 Amazon Music- https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/41237e28-c365-491c-9a31-2c6ef874d89d/No-Way-Jose Google Podcasts- https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5yZWRjaXJjbGUuY29tL2ZkM2JkYTE3LTg2OTEtNDc5Ny05Mzc2LTc1M2ExZTE4NGQ5Yw%3D%3DRadioPublic- https://radiopublic.com/no-way-jose-6p1BAO Vurbl- https://vurbl.com/station/4qHi6pyWP9B/ Feel free to contact me at thelibertymovementglobal@gmail.com#UFC250 #StricklandDetained #SeanStrickland #CormierTrump #DanielCormier #UFCScandal #WorkingForJews #CanceledForRefusing #JewishEmployer #CancelCultureFail #KidCanceled #RefuseToWork #AndrewTate #TateWasMatrix #TateExposed #NewYorkerTate #TatesPartOfTheMatrix #MatrixExposé #TateNewYorker #AndrewTateMatrix
Today we read the final chapter of Peter's final message before he died. He was martyred, as Jesus said he would be (John 21 v.18,19) but where is not known. Catholic's claim it happened in Rome, but there is no real evidence he ever went there, it was a story the church invented much later. St. Peters Church in Rome only began to be built in AD 320. It is much more likely that Peter died in Jerusalem.Peter's final verses are written to warn believers about scoffers and the chaos of “the last days.” His words about the last days were very apt as a warning about the fate that Jerusalem was to suffer. That was their first application, and the zealot Jews defending the city were scoffing about the promise of his return; 40 years had passed, only the elderly would remember Jesus in person.Now note what Peter is inspired to write! “Do not overlook this fact beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” [Ch.3 v.8], surely a reference to Psalm 90 v.4. Peter wrote that scoffers would ridicule those who believed in Christ's return, saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?” This is followed by the prediction that at that time people will be saying, “all things are continuing as they were from the beginning” [v.4] We see this as a reference to the belief in evolution, that there is no Creator – noting the Psalms also speak of those who say “there is no God” (Psalms 14 v.1; 53 v.1].Peter says that people will “deliberately overlook” [v.5] the fact of the destruction God brought about in Noah's time. Just as God acted to punish ungodliness then, he will do so again. Do we understand verse10? “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved … “ to be followed by a “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” [v.13] As we have seen in Isaiah. reference to “heavens” can symbolises rulers, those whom people look up to! All human governments are going to panic and fail. “But according to his promise we are waiting for the new heavens” [v.13]. “Beloved, since you are waiting for these”, writes Peter, “be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” [v.14] Let us believe his promise, it is the only hope, but it is a sure hope, for our godless world.
Chabad Chassidus is an all-embracing world outlook and way of life which sees the Jew's central purpose as a unifying link between the Creator and His world. Written by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, Tanya is the central text of Chabad Chassidus. It shows the reader a path to realizing their purpose and developing a deeper relationship with G-d. Choose from one of the two formats available: through Lessons in Tanya - a profound and clear explanation of the Alter Rebbe's writings, or through an audio class.
Caleb Drahosh Now delivered from their enemies, the Jews set aside two days for celebration known as the feast of Purim. Not even the acts that are seemingly the most random are outside of God's control; those who seek supernatural guidance against God's people are foiled. Fully free of the enemy's plot against us, we are to remember all God's wonderful works.
Ever since conquistadores claimed Taino land in the name of their Catholic God and New England Puritans formed their strictly Protestant “city on a hill,” religion has been central to American life. Even as some found religious freedom—Rhode Island welcomed the Quakers, Jews, and Baptists that Massachusetts expelled as dissenters—indigenous people and Africans forced into slavery struggled to protect their religious practices. With the constitutional separation of church and state, it fell to the American people to decide: would they sharpen religion's formidable powers of division, or reimagine its creative possibilities? In A God-Shaped Nation: Five Hundred Years of Religion in America (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2026) Brook Wilensky-Lanford follows this essential American tension from first contact through the 2024 election. This is an expansive history of extraordinary religious questions, told through the ordinary people who grappled with them. It is a story of defiance: Anne Hutchinson, preaching against Puritan clergy; Reform rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise serving soft-shell crab to his kosher guests at an 1883 banquet; and Wovoka, a Paiute man who envisioned the Ghost Dance movement, which persisted in the face of violent government repression at Wounded Knee. It is also a story of community: Millerites waiting together in vain for Jesus's return on a rainy October night in 1844; Chinese immigrants bringing Daoist and Buddhist gods to their California temples; Mormons pushing westward to build their “new Zion” in Utah. And in the last fifty years, it has been a story of muscular political power, as the religious right has sought to shape the present and paint the past in its own image. At a moment when religion penetrates even the most secular aspects of American life, understanding its history is more essential than ever before. “It is in history that the very human work of religion happens,” Wilensky-Lanford shows us, “and in ordinary time that even the most carved-in-stone tenets can and do change.” Brook Wilensky-Lanford is a religion writer, editor, and teacher. The author of Paradise Lust: Searching for the Garden of Eden, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and former managing editor of Killing the Buddha, her work has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, and elsewhere. Currently the Associate Director of Sacred Writes Public Scholarship, she holds an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University and a PhD in Religion in the Americas from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she lives. This episode's host, Jacob Barrett, is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Religion and Culture track. For more information, visit his website thereluctantamericanist.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies
Send us Fan MailRevelation has a reputation for creating fear, charts, and endless arguments. We take a different route and keep asking one question: where is Jesus in the text, and what does His presence mean for His people right now? Starting with the lampstands, we connect the imagery back to the Old Testament priest tending the lamps and forward to Christ walking among His churches, keeping the light of divine truth burning through the Holy Spirit. That single picture raises a surprisingly practical challenge to popular end-times frameworks like pre-tribulation rapture teaching and dispensationalism. If the church is removed, what happens to the lampstands? If Christ only “walks in the midst” of His churches, where does the world's gospel light come from if the church is gone? We also talk through the claim that Israel and the church are separate peoples, and why the New Testament emphasis on one body of Christ, Jew and Gentile united by faith, matters for how you read Revelation from start to finish. Along the way we anchor the conversation in clear texts like Acts 20:28 and Ephesians 5:25, showing why “purchased with His own blood” isn't just doctrine, it's comfort. We end with a final interpretive crossroads: either Revelation is written to the whole church, or huge portions get dismissed as irrelevant. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by Revelation, this is an invitation to read it as a testimony of Jesus that strengthens endurance and worship. Subscribe, share with a friend who avoids Revelation, and leave a review with the biggest question you're still wrestling with.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!
התוכן סיפור ע"ד המאסר של אדמו"ר מהריי"צ נ"ע (שיום הולדתו חל בחודש זה) בילדותו בגלל שצעק על שוטר שהכה יהודי וכו', ובהיותו במאסר שמע גניחות (שלאח"ז התברר שזה הי' מהעגל שהשוטר גנב מהיהודי וכו') ונבהל, ונזכר שה' שומר עליו וכו' והתחיל לחזור משניות בע"פ, וכשחזר הביתה אמר לו אביו, שבזה שחזר שם משניות בע"פ ראו את החילוק שבינו לבין העגל שגם ישב שם, וההוראה: על כל ילד יהודי לדעת פסוקים ומשניות בע"פ ולחזור אותם בכ"מ, ועי"ז יהי' ניכר החילוק שבינם לשאר הילדים שבעולם, ולא להתפעל מחשכת הגלות.משיחת אדר"ח תמוז ה'תשמ"א ל"הנחה פרטית" או התרגום ללה"ק של השיחה: https://thedailysicha.com/?date=15-06-2026 Synopsis Once, when the Previous Rebbe (whose birthday is in Tammuz) was a child, he was arrested after he shouted at a policeman who was hitting a Jew. When he was in jail, in a dark room, he heard groaning sounds (which turned out to be from a calf that the policeman had stolen from the Jew), and he became frightened, but then he remembered that Hashem is protecting him, and he decided to review Mishnayos from memory. When he was released, his father told him that by reviewing Mishnayos in the jail, he demonstrated the difference between him and the calf. The lesson is as follows: Every Jewish child should know Pesukim and Mishnayos by heart, and review them wherever he may be; this demonstrates the difference between a Jewish child and other children, and there is no reason to be deterred by the darkness of the exile.Excerpt from sichah of 30 Sivan, first day of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, 5741 – to Tzivos Hashem For a transcript in English of the Sicha: https://thedailysicha.com/?date=15-06-2026 לע”נ הרה"ג הרה"ח הרה"ת ר' שלום ע"ה בן הרה"ח הרה"ת ר' אלחנן דובער הי"ד מרזוב ליום היארצייט שלו אדר"ח תמוזת.נ.צ.ב.ה.*לזכות מרת אסתר בת גאלדע רחל שתחי' ליום ההולדת שלה אדר"ח תמוזלשנת ברכה והצלחה ואריכות ימים ושנים טובות
Flashback Episode: Year in John – Episode 24: While Jesus was teaching in the temple during one festival, we come to a time when the Jews present directly ask Jesus if He was the Messiah shortly before they concluded they needed to stone Him to death. Discover what happened, and why this event is important for all of Jesus’ followers living today! Join the discussion on the original episode's page: Click Here.Listen to this episode and/or subscribe on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com...
Ever since conquistadores claimed Taino land in the name of their Catholic God and New England Puritans formed their strictly Protestant “city on a hill,” religion has been central to American life. Even as some found religious freedom—Rhode Island welcomed the Quakers, Jews, and Baptists that Massachusetts expelled as dissenters—indigenous people and Africans forced into slavery struggled to protect their religious practices. With the constitutional separation of church and state, it fell to the American people to decide: would they sharpen religion's formidable powers of division, or reimagine its creative possibilities? In A God-Shaped Nation: Five Hundred Years of Religion in America (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2026) Brook Wilensky-Lanford follows this essential American tension from first contact through the 2024 election. This is an expansive history of extraordinary religious questions, told through the ordinary people who grappled with them. It is a story of defiance: Anne Hutchinson, preaching against Puritan clergy; Reform rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise serving soft-shell crab to his kosher guests at an 1883 banquet; and Wovoka, a Paiute man who envisioned the Ghost Dance movement, which persisted in the face of violent government repression at Wounded Knee. It is also a story of community: Millerites waiting together in vain for Jesus's return on a rainy October night in 1844; Chinese immigrants bringing Daoist and Buddhist gods to their California temples; Mormons pushing westward to build their “new Zion” in Utah. And in the last fifty years, it has been a story of muscular political power, as the religious right has sought to shape the present and paint the past in its own image. At a moment when religion penetrates even the most secular aspects of American life, understanding its history is more essential than ever before. “It is in history that the very human work of religion happens,” Wilensky-Lanford shows us, “and in ordinary time that even the most carved-in-stone tenets can and do change.” Brook Wilensky-Lanford is a religion writer, editor, and teacher. The author of Paradise Lust: Searching for the Garden of Eden, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and former managing editor of Killing the Buddha, her work has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, and elsewhere. Currently the Associate Director of Sacred Writes Public Scholarship, she holds an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University and a PhD in Religion in the Americas from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she lives. This episode's host, Jacob Barrett, is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Religion and Culture track. For more information, visit his website thereluctantamericanist.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies
Serendipity Bookstore, a popular spot in Chelsea, Michigan, needed to expand. The owner found a building twice the size just a block away. She wanted to make the move quickly instead of closing the store for days and boxing up all the books. So she requested help from the community. More than three hundred people showed up! They stood shoulder to shoulder forming a human conveyor belt and passed the books from one person to the next, moving 9,100 books in just under two hours. The owner said, “[The bookstore] is really a part of the community, and [the people] have ownership.” They all enthusiastically worked side by side. When Nehemiah, a Jew who was the trusted cupbearer to the Persian king, learned that the wall surrounding Jerusalem lay in shambles, he cried out for God’s guidance (Nehemiah 1:3-11). The Babylonians had destroyed the walls in 587 bc. After investigating, Nehemiah recruited help from the community. He said to the Jewish leaders, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins . . . . Come, let us rebuild the wall” (2:17). Chapter 3 describes how leaders and citizens alike willingly repaired the section of the wall that was right in front of each one. They worked side by side. We too can impact our community by serving together under God’s direction and in His strength.
Read OnlineJesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil… Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.” Matthew 5:38–39, 41The phrase “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” refers to the Mosaic Law of Retaliation (cf. Exodus 21:23–25). When Moses instituted this law, vengeance often escalated in response to an injury, leading to cycles of increasing violence. The law served as a form of natural justice, ensuring that retribution was proportional to the offense, preventing conflicts from spiraling out of control.Though the purpose of the Law of Retaliation was to curb excessive vengeance and restore order, Jesus revealed that true reconciliation is achieved only through radical mercy. He taught that unlimited mercy is a far greater remedy for discord, breaking the cycle of retaliation at its root. Before His coming and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, humanity lacked the grace necessary to live out this higher calling. However, in Christ, His followers were empowered by divine grace to overcome cycles of vengeance—not with retribution, but with mercy.To illustrate this higher form of reconciliation, Jesus references a Roman law that allowed soldiers to compel Jews to carry their military equipment for one Roman mile—approximately 4,855 feet, slightly shorter than the modern mile. This law was a source of humiliation for Jews, who were often forced to drop what they were doing to serve their oppressors. They had little recourse against this injustice, making it a painful reminder of their subjugation.Jesus does not justify this injustice; rather, He transforms it by calling His followers to freely exceed the demands of the law. Instead of begrudgingly fulfilling the imposed burden, they were to willingly double it—going two miles instead of one. This radical response would have astonished the Roman soldiers, turning an act of forced servitude into an unexpected display of generosity.The wisdom in this command lies in the freedom it offers. Carrying another's burden was not inherently evil; the pain came not from the injustice but from the humiliation. By embracing the burden voluntarily—walking the second mile willingly—Jesus' followers would rise above the sting of pride and resentment. Instead of being victims, they became witnesses to God's unmerited mercy, showing that true strength lies not in retaliation, but in generosity.The principle behind this elevated teaching on justice has countless applications in our lives. Whenever we experience injustice or unfair treatment, we face a choice: We can insist on strict natural justice, or we can choose supernatural charity. Those who cling to mere justice often find themselves trapped in cycles of outrage, condemnation, and resentment. But those who choose to lavish unmerited charity upon others—freely forgiving offenses and going beyond what is required—discover a profound interior freedom.Charity does not contradict natural reason; rather, it surpasses and elevates it, transforming mere human justice into something divine. To understand and live this truth, we need the Gift of Wisdom, which enables us to see life from God's perspective rather than our own limited view. This divine wisdom allows us to respond not as the world expects, but as Christ commands—breaking the cycle of retaliation with the transformative power of mercy.Reflect today on the ways you have been wronged. At times, the pain of injustice is real and the offense against us undeniable. Yet the true question is not whether we have been mistreated, but how we will respond. Jesus calls us to rise above our wounded pride and respond with acts of kindness and unmerited generosity. By embracing this higher way, we break free from the bondage of resentment and enter into the freedom of divine Wisdom.Most generous God, Your mercy far surpasses the strict justice I often seek. Grant me the Gift of Wisdom, so that I may grasp the infinite value of mercy and extend it freely in the face of every injustice I endure. Help me to trust not in my own sense of fairness, but in Your divine will, which brings true justice through love. Jesus, I trust in You. Image: Sermon on the mount windows at Herzogenbuchsee Reformed church near Berne. Picture by Eugène Burnand 1910, glass by Emil Gerster of Basel 1911Source: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.
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Chabad Chassidus is an all-embracing world outlook and way of life which sees the Jew's central purpose as a unifying link between the Creator and His world. Written by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, Tanya is the central text of Chabad Chassidus. It shows the reader a path to realizing their purpose and developing a deeper relationship with G-d. Choose from one of the two formats available: through Lessons in Tanya - a profound and clear explanation of the Alter Rebbe's writings, or through an audio class.
Historians began writing the history of the Holocaust in Yiddish from a distinctly Jewish perspective in the years immediately after World War II. These Yiddish historians studied the Holocaust from the perspective of its Jewish victims, rather than that of the Nazi perpetrators, examining daily life in the ghettos and camps, and stressing the importance of survivor testimonies, eyewitness accounts, and memoirs. Above all, they redefined “resistance” to include the many ways Jews struggled to remain alive under Nazi occupation. Mark Smith chronicles and contextualizes this largely overlooked yet significant set of scholars in his recently published work, The Yiddish Historians and the Struggle for a Jewish History of the Holocaust. This book talk originally took place on October 29, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Foolish Confounds the Wise What if the very thing you trust most is the thing keeping you from seeing God clearly? For centuries, people have struggled with Jesus for the same reason. The Jews wanted power. The Greeks wanted wisdom. The Romans wanted strength. Yet God sent a crucified Savior. What looked foolish to the world became the very wisdom and power of God. In this message, we’ll explore Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1 and uncover why the gospel still challenges our assumptions today. Why do some people embrace the cross while others reject it? Why do we so often trust our own logic, intelligence, expectations, and abilities instead of God’s ways? And what wisdom have we embraced that might be making Jesus harder to recognize? The gospel is not advice about how to become a better version of yourself. It is the announcement of what God has already done through Christ. Because every culture has a kind of wisdom that makes Jesus harder to recognize, but God’s wisdom is still greater than our own. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Discussion topics HEAD – What did Jesus say to you through the Word? What do you think Paul means when he says, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise”? Which of the five points from this week’s message stood out to you the most, and why? The gospel doesn’t fit our logic. The gospel cannot be discovered through intelligence alone. The gospel offends our expectations. God uses the wrong people. God’s method doesn’t impress the world. Pastor David said, “The gospel is not advice. It is news.” What is the difference between those two ideas? HEART – How did it make you feel? The message challenged us with this question: “What wisdom have we embraced that might be keeping us from seeing Jesus clearly?” How would you answer that personally? Examples of things that some people trust: Your own logic? Your own experience? Your own abilities? Other people’s opinions? Have you ever found yourself disappointed with God because He didn’t work the way you expected Him to work? Which statement hits closest to home right now? “The cross starts where self-help ends.” “Information can inform the mind, but only revelation transforms the heart.” “God often chooses people human wisdom wouldn’t even interview.” “The power was never in the packaging. The power was always in the message.” HANDS – What are you going to do with it? Is there a situation you’re currently trying to solve through effort, strategy, or control that may require surrender and prayer instead? Who is one person in your life that needs to hear the hope of the gospel? What is one practical step you can take to engage them this week? Check out our other audio series and video playlists that can help you find Jesus in every moment and then discover what’s next
One of the most important Jewish events in modern Jewish history, was the split in Hungarian Jewry in 1870. It marked the first time Jewish communities officially split over theological differences, changing how Jews have since thought about their identity. A fascinating class about an unknown but important event in history whose impact continues to this day.
Historians began writing the history of the Holocaust in Yiddish from a distinctly Jewish perspective in the years immediately after World War II. These Yiddish historians studied the Holocaust from the perspective of its Jewish victims, rather than that of the Nazi perpetrators, examining daily life in the ghettos and camps, and stressing the importance of survivor testimonies, eyewitness accounts, and memoirs. Above all, they redefined “resistance” to include the many ways Jews struggled to remain alive under Nazi occupation. Mark Smith chronicles and contextualizes this largely overlooked yet significant set of scholars in his recently published work, The Yiddish Historians and the Struggle for a Jewish History of the Holocaust. This book talk originally took place on October 29, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
Click here to WATCH LIVE STREAM Worship Service on our Youtube Channel. That You May Believe, Part 21 John 10:22-42 John 10:22-23 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. John 10:24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” John 10:25-26 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:28-29 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. John 10:30 I and the Father are one.” John 10:31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. John 10:32-33 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” John 10:34-36 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods'? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,' because I said, ‘I am the Son of God'? John 10:37-38 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” John 10:39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. John 10:40-42 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there. The Shepherd knows us. Psalm 139:1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! Psalm 139:13-14a For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 103:13-14 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. The Shepherd leads us. Psalm 32:8-9 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. The Shepherd cares for us. Ezekiel 34:15-16 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice. Isaiah 40:11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Psalm 145:14-16 The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Shepherd assures us. 1 John 5:11-13 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. Isaiah 43:1b “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Jude 24-25 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Psalm 95:6-8a Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts… Respond | Connect | Next Steps The post John: That You May Believe appeared first on Charleston Baptist Church.
Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share, Publicly, Your Relationship with Jesus? MESSAGE SUMMARY: Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share Publicly Your Relationship with Jesus? (Resurrection Anglican Church; Woodstock, GA) To what extent are you willing to share with others your relationship with Jesus? What price are you willing to pay, personally, so that others may know the good news of Jesus – the Gospel? What are you willing to go through to advance the Kingdom of God? In Ephesians 3:1-2, the Apostle Paul summarizes the price that he joyfully accepts to carry the news of the Gospel to the Nations: “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentile -- assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you.". In Acts 26:19, Paul gives his public testimony, in his hearing before King Agrippa; and told the King and everyone in attendance that he, Paul, felt privileged to testify, to the Nations, about his conversion and his relationship with Jesus: “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.". Paul was in prison facing a trial by the despotic Emperor of Rome, Nero. However, you may never have to go to prison or face death to communicate the Gospel; but you will face both physical and emotional discomfort as you become a visible follower of Jesus. While articulating the Gospel to others is important, the most effective way to communicate the Gospel is not by what you say but how you live – walk the talk and let others see Jesus in you. The world, the country, your friends, and your family have so many issues and hurts for which Jesus and His Gospel are the answer; but we keep this good news a secret by our unwillingness to live a visible life walking the talk of the Gospel and sharing the Gospel. Do you have the faith and courage and are you willing to share the Gospel? If you do, then pray for God's guidance to you for His will and role for you. TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 3:1-21; Acts 9:15; Acts 26:12-23; Psalms 124:1-8. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “God Sees Jesus Followers as “In Christ”: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Morning Service Series - A Series covering the Book of Romans: Today we cover Romans 1: 1-15, SO You need Proof! Romans is a theological letter written by Paul the Apostle explaining the gospel and how God saves humanity through grace by faith in Jesus Christ. It teaches that all people—both Jews and Gentiles—are sinners in need of salvation, and that righteousness comes not through the law but through faith in Christ. The letter also calls believers to live transformed lives marked by humility, unity, love, and obedience to God. If you are interested in attending our LIVE teachings (Wednesdays @ 7:00 pm & Sundays @ 10:00 am), you are invited to visit us at 4218 Boston Ave. Lubbock, Texas. To connect with us, you can call us at (806) 799-2227, email us at calvarylubbock@hotmail.com, or checkout our website at CalvaryChapelLubbock.church. You can also watch us on Facebook and contact us through Facebook Messenger. Please feel free to let us know about your walk with Jesus, as we would love to hear it and pray with you. If you'd like to partner with us to help us take the Gospel to the world, just click on the DONATE button on our website, let us know through Facebook Messenger, or in person. We pray that the rest of your week be blessed and that you share the love of Jesus with everyone that you encounter.
In the 1870s, Charles Taze Russell began leading Bible classes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a small group that came to be known as Bible Students. In 1879, he began publishing a Bible journal later known asThe Watch Tower.Then, in 1884, he incorporated what became the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Through Russells publishing work, the movement spread beyond Pennsylvania and eventually laid the foundation for what later became Jehovahs Witnesses under Joseph Rutherford. Russell rejected several historic Christian doctrines, including eternal conscious punishment in hell and, most seriously, the doctrine of the Trinity. After Russell died in 1916, Rutherford became president of the Watch Tower Society in 1917. Under his leadership, the movement became more centralized and aggressive in its evangelism, and in 1931 the name Jehovahs Witnesses was adopted. The Watch Tower Society is not merely another Christian denomination. It is a cult that rejects essential doctrines of the Christian faith, including the Trinity and the full deity of Jesus Christ. To be clear, misunderstanding Revelation 7 or using poor hermeneutical principles does not automatically mean someone will develop a cult or reject the core tenets of the Christian faith as Russell, Rutherford, and the Jehovahs Witnesses have done. Many faithful Christians have differed over the meaning of the 144,000. But the Watch Tower Society shows us why careful interpretation matters. When Scripture is mishandled repeatedly and forced into a system, the results can be spiritually dangerous. Revelation 7 is one of the passages central to their teaching. Jehovahs Witnesses teach that the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14 are a literal number of anointed Christians who will be resurrected to heavenly life to reign with Christ as kings and priests. They also teach that the great multitude in Revelation 7:912 is a separate group with an earthly hopethose who survive Armageddon and live on a restored earth. I mention this because Revelation 7 shows us why context matters. When this chapter is separated from the question at the end of Revelation 6, it can be made to say things John is not saying. John is not trying to create two separate classes of Gods people. He is answering the question,Who can stand?So as we come to this passage, we need to pay careful attention to what John hears and sees, allowing Scripture itself to serve as our primary commentary before we look to any system to determine the meaning of the text. The People of the Lamb are Sealed by God (vv. 1-8) At the end of Revelation 6, with the opening of the sixth seal and the first description of the Day of the Lord, we are left with one of the books most haunting questions:for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?(Rev. 6:17). The kings of the earth cannot stand. The powerful cannot stand. The wealthy cannot stand. The strong cannot stand. Neither slave nor free can stand, as all hide among the rocks and mountains, begging creation to conceal them from the face of Him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. So who can stand? Revelation 7 gives the answer. Before the seventh seal is opened, John is shown another vision, but do not think of this vision as occurring strictly after the sixth seal and before the opening of the seventh. Instead, if the seals were acts in a theatrical production, what happens in Revelation 7 shows us what is happening behind the curtain sometime during the sixth seal and before the seventh. Throughout Revelation, the visions often pause, circle back, or open a new window to help us understand more clearly what God is doing. In this case, Revelation 7 functions as an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals, answering the question raised at the end of chapter 6. John then sees four angels who arestanding at the four corners of the earth,each holdingback the four winds of the earth(v. 1). We are told they do this so that no wind blows on the earth, sea, or any tree. What John sees is not four angels manipulating the weather. Likewise, the four corners of the earth is not a description of the earths shape or design. As you are aware, the number four often points to the created order in Scripture. What you may not be aware of is that the four winds frequently symbolize judgment. Because Revelation is a picture book rather than a puzzle book, the image John sees is one of restraint. The message conveyed is that judgment is being held back. Listen, every day before the final Day is a day of mercy, a day of restraint, and a day for the Lamb to gather His people. What is being shown and communicated to us in these verses is that we are living in a time of divine restraint as we move closer to the Day of the Lord. The world is not free from judgment, but the final winds of judgment have not yet been unleashed. What judgment is being held back? The judgment described in the sixth seal. As to why it is being held back, we do not have to wait long for an answer, because in the very next verse we are told that a fifth angel, ascending from the rising of the sun, declares with a loud voice:Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads(v. 3). Do you now see why context is so important? The angels declaration answers the question,Who can stand?Those who can stand are those who belong to God. Before judgment is unleashed, God marks His people as His own. The earth, sea, and trees are not harmed until the servants of God are sealed. This does not mean Gods people will avoid all suffering, for we have already seen in the fifth seal the souls under the altar crying out in a loud voice,O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long...(Rev. 6:10). What it does mean is that the coming judgment will not sweep Gods people away under His wrath, for He knows who belongs to Him. The four winds of Gods judgment do not descend upon the earth in blind rage. When God executes justice, His wrath is holy, measured, and righteous. He does not fly off the handle. Before the wrath of the Lamb is poured out, the people of the Lamb are sealed by the God who embraces them as His children. This distinction is not new in Scripture. In Exodus 12, God distinguished His people from Egypt by the blood of the lamb. A stronger parallel appears in Ezekiel 9, where God marked those who grieved over Jerusalems sin before judgment fell on the nation. In both cases, God identified those who belonged to Him before judgment fell on the wicked. This is what is happening in Revelation 7. The seal on the foreheads of Gods servants is not a literal, physical mark. It signifies that they belong to the living God. This language appears throughout the New Testament. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1 that those who believe in Christ aresealed with the promised Holy Spirit(Eph. 1:13). This sealing is possible because of the blood Jesus shed on the cross as the Lamb of God, and it is received by faith (Eph. 2:19). The seal is Gods mark of ownership, assurance, and future inheritance. It is not first a statement about the strength of our faith in Him, but about the certainty of Gods possession. He promises never to let His redeemed go (John 10:2730). Those who belong to the Lamb are not hidden from God, forgotten by God, or abandoned in the day of trouble. They belong to God. This all seems clear enough, but the passage can become confusing when it says that those who are sealed are also numbered. Verse 4 says,And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel(v. 4). Here, we must not only pay careful attention to the context of Revelation 7 but also do what Revelation has already taught us to do: pay attention to what John hears and what John sees. What John hears isthe number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel(v. 4). Many have understood this as a literal number of ethnic Israelites, primarily because John goes on to name the tribes in a specific order. Some believe the 144,000 are a specific group of ethnic Jewish Christians who come to faith in Jesus during a future seven-year tribulation and serve as evangelists after the rapture. I understand why many read it that way, but there are some problems with that interpretation. First, Revelation 7 functions as an interludea symbolic pause within the visionrather than a chronological sequence following the great Day of the Lord described in 6:1217. Second, Revelation often follows a pattern in which what John sees clarifies what he first hears. So before we assume the 144,000 is a literal headcount, we need to pay attention to how numbers and images function in this book. Listen, the number twelve is associated with the people of Godthe twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The number one thousand signifies immensity, fullness, and completeness. This is why the psalmist describes Gods ownership by saying,For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills(Ps. 50:10). It is not that God only owns the cattle on one thousand hills and not hill number one thousand and one. The point is fullness. Everything belongs to Him. Likewise, when Moses speaks of Gods covenant faithfulness, he says,Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations... (Deut. 7:9). So, what do you get when you take the twelve tribes of Israel, multiply them by the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and then multiply that by the fullness of the covenant-keeping faithfulness of God (12x12x1000)? You get144,000. In other words, this is not about limiting the people of God. It is about showing us that every one of Gods people is known by God, sealed by God, and secure in God through the blood of the Lamb. This is also why the tribes John lists begin with Judah. Reuben was the firstborn, but Judah is listed first because the Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered. The people of God are numbered, sealed, and secure because they belong to the Lamb who came from Judah. Even the list itself urges us to read carefully. John is not simply giving us a standard tribal roll call; he is showing us the complete people of God through the imagery of Israels tribes. The People of the Lamb are Gathered by God (vv. 9-12) Now, if you miss what I am about to say next, you will miss the point of Revelation. John hears the number of the sealed people of God described as 144,000 from the tribes of Israel, but when he looks, he seesa great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages(v. 9). John hears of 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel, but when he looks, he sees a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language. What John sees is not a different people from the 144,000; it is the reality of Gods promise to Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to David, and to Mary. What John sees is the promise of God to every generation of His people coming into full bloom. The Lamb who was slain has purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, just as Revelation 5 declared. This should not surprise us, because the salvation of the nations was never Gods contingency plan. It was His purpose from the beginning. When God called Abraham, He promised thatall the families of the earthwould be blessed through him (Gen. 12:13). That blessing comes through Abrahams Seed, who is Christ (Gal. 3:2629). So Revelation 7 does not show us Israels replacement but the fulfillment of Gods promise through Israels Messiah, gathering Jews and Gentiles into one redeemed people before the throne. This is also where Revelation 5 helps us understand Revelation 7. In Revelation 5, the elders sing that the Lamb purchased people for God by His bloodfrom every tribe and language and people and nationand made thema kingdom and priests to our God(Rev. 5:910). In Revelation 7, John sees that kingdom of priests standingbefore the throne and the Lamb. What was promised in Genesis is now seen in glory:a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages(Rev. 7:9). So when John sees the nations gathered before the Lamb, he sees Israels hope fulfilled and expanded through Israels Messiah. The Lamb has gathered a people from the nations, and now they stand where no one in Revelation 6 could: before the throne and before the Lamb. Conclusion I want to leave you with the three As of Revelation 7, and here is why: eschatology does little good in the Christian life unless it affects your ethics. We are called to live each day in light of the Day that is coming. So, here are the three As: Assurance If you believe in Jesus Christ, confess Him as Lord, and desire to follow and obey Him, then you are sealed by God. Here is what the Bible says:if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved(Rom. 10:910). If this is true of you, then you are sealed by God, and if you are sealed by God, then 1 John 3:1 is for you:Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!(1 John 3:1, BSB). If you belong to the Lamb, then you are known by God, sealed by God, and secure in God. Allegiance If you call yourself a Christian, does your life show that you belong to the Lamb? If you are a Christian, your identity is now in and with the Lamb of God. To belong to Jesus means that you are not an acquaintance of Jesus, but an apprentice of Jesus. Jesus said to all who would seek to follow Him:If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple(Luke 14:2627). The seal is not merely about future security; it is about present identity. If you belong to the Lamb, your loyalty cannot ultimately belong to Babylon, comfort, approval, politics, money, or self-preservation. Action We have been saved and sealed, and now we are sent to join the mission of the Lamb as He gathers peoplefrom every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages(Rev. 7:9). The question is: Are we living on mission with the Lamb? We were purchased by the blood of the Lamb not to be passive about the nations, our neighbors, or the lost. Jesus did not suggest that we engage His mission; He commanded us to do so:Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age(Matt. 28:1920). Today is a day of mercy. Today is a day of restraint. Today is a day for the Lamb to gather His people. Today is the day of salvation! We are living in a time of divine restraint as we move closer to the Day of the Lord. So live in the confidence of your salvation, make sure your allegiance to the Lamb is clear, and commit your heart to action by dedicating your life to His mission.
Damon Woods discusses Paul and The Jews, volume 10.
Chabad Chassidus is an all-embracing world outlook and way of life which sees the Jew's central purpose as a unifying link between the Creator and His world. Written by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, Tanya is the central text of Chabad Chassidus. It shows the reader a path to realizing their purpose and developing a deeper relationship with G-d. Choose from one of the two formats available: through Lessons in Tanya - a profound and clear explanation of the Alter Rebbe's writings, or through an audio class.
Acts 28:17-22
Send us Fan MailIf you've ever leaned on “I'm a good person” in the back of your mind, Romans 3 walks into the room like a courtroom verdict. We take our time with Paul's line that whatever the law says, it speaks to those under the law, and yet it still ends up doing something universal: it stops every mouth. Not just the obvious sinner's mouth. The religious mouth. The defensive mouth. The mouth that wants one more excuse. From there we work through the core gospel tension: the law was never given to justify anyone before God. It exposes sin, names guilt, and shows us what God's holiness actually demands. “By the law is the knowledge of sin” is not a throwaway phrase. It explains why information, morality, and even sincere effort cannot manufacture righteousness. If God is the judge, it is God's sight that matters, not our own, not our friends', not even our church crowd's. We also confront a modern trap: claiming salvation by grace while insisting we must stay saved by keeping a law. That mindset quietly turns the Christian life into self-representation, as if we can argue our case with improved behavior. Paul's logic cuts it down to size and prepares us for the only hope that can hold up in court: a righteousness given by God, not earned by human obedience. We close with heartfelt final words from the group on head, heart, and hands, the law as a mirror, repentance as a gift, and the humility that grows when God shows us what we really were. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review with the line that hit you hardest. What excuse do you most want to let go of?Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!
Send us Fan MailWords can sound holy and still be deadly. We sit with Romans 3 and let Paul's diagnosis land where it hurts most: our speech. He doesn't treat lying, cursing, and bitterness as random “bad moments.” He traces a straight line from inner corruption to the throat, tongue, lips, and mouth, calling it what it is: spiritual death spilling outward. If you've ever wondered why online “discernment,” spiritual hot takes, and smooth religious talk can wreck people so quickly, this passage explains the mechanics.From there, we press into a hard comparison: the serpent in Eden. Satan's temptation isn't always loud or obvious, it's often gentle, logical, and motivating. We talk about how modern self-help Christianity can mirror that same pattern by teaching people to trust themselves, believe in themselves, and look inward for strength. Then we draw a bright line back to the gospel: Jesus doesn't point us to the self. Scripture keeps pointing us to Christ, the only One who heals, saves, and crushes the serpent.We also widen the lens from speech to conduct as Paul moves to “feet swift to shed blood,” destruction and misery, and the world's failure to find real peace. That includes a sober word about politics, a courtroom picture of human guilt before God, and the root issue underneath it all: no fear of God before their eyes. If you want a clear, Scripture-driven episode on total depravity, repentance, and why peace is impossible without reverence for God, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!
Send us Fan MailRomans 3 doesn't let any of us keep our favorite loophole. When Paul says “there is none righteous, no, not one,” and “none seeks after God,” he isn't being dramatic, he's being precise. We sit with that precision and ask the uncomfortable questions it raises: if no one seeks God, what exactly are we claiming when we say we found Him on our own? And if no one understands, what does “just accept Jesus” even mean without God first doing something in us? We work through Romans 3:10–13 and trace the argument where Paul places Jew and Gentile under the same indictment. From there, we tackle the free will debate by separating two ideas people often confuse: having choices versus having spiritual ability. Using everyday analogies and straight Bible reasoning, we talk about why fallen human nature doesn't drift toward God, why the new birth matters, and why regeneration precedes faith. We also discuss the difference between outward religious moments and inward conversion, including a candid critique of altar calls and decision-based Christianity. Along the way, you'll hear personal testimonies of God's mercy that breaks pride and brings real repentance, plus biblical snapshots like Jonah and the parable of the sower that highlight God's sovereignty in salvation. We close by stepping into Romans 3:13 to show how depravity reaches all the way to our words, our motives, and what our mouths reveal about our hearts. If you want a clear, Scripture-first look at total depravity, salvation by grace, and what it means to call Jesus “Lord,” hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!
Send us Fan Mail“Nobody's perfect” can sound like humility, but we've seen how it often works like a mask. We open Romans 3 by following Paul's relentless logic: whether you're Jew or Gentile, privileged or overlooked, religious or irreligious, the ground is level when it comes to righteousness before God. “All are under sin” is not a mild comment about bad habits, it is a verdict on the human condition and a shutdown of every excuse we use to boast, compare, or hide.Then we sit with one of the most confronting lines in Scripture: “There is none righteous, no, not one.” We talk about what Paul is actually saying, why the statement is absolute, and why it reaches deeper than outward behavior into what God requires. That is where the conversation turns practical: when someone says “none of us are perfect” after they've lied, harmed, or acted selfishly, it can shift attention away from the offense and away from repentance. Romans 3 does not allow universal sin to become an escape hatch from personal responsibility.We also talk about mercy and grace, and why the law's role is to condemn us before a holy God so we finally stop pretending we can fix ourselves. The group reflections land on a simple, steady truth: we need a Savior, and gratitude grows when we tell the truth about our guilt. If you want a clear, Scripture-driven look at sin, accountability, and why the gospel is actually good news, press play.Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who loves Bible study, and leave a review to help others find the show. What's one phrase you've heard that people use to avoid owning their sin?Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!
D'fiku D'Liba – The Beating Heart (Gimmel Tammuz- The Rebbe's Yahrtzeit)The Zohar's remarkable answer to why the Jewish people suffer—and how the Rebbe's heartbeat continues to give life and hope to every Jew.
A lawyer asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life, and the answer is “love.” Love God and love neighbor. But because the lawyer is practiced in manipulating the law, he follows this up with a question we all secretly ask: who can I exclude from my love? Jesus answers with a story that inverts everything. Not only is the Samaritan the neighbor, he is the very one who does the heart of the law by loving the neighbor, and by virtue of this fact, it is assumed that he is the one to inherit eternal life. Jesus' point is this: if you want to walk the path of abundant life now and eternal life in the future, you must learn to love. Dr. Eric J. Gilchrest | June 14, 2026 The Good Samaritan Download Check out the weekly sermon here or on our SRBC podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. While you're at it, check us out on Facebook and Instagram too. What We'll CoverWhy eternal life begins now, not in the next lifeWhy "Who is my neighbor?" is really a question about exclusion and why Jesus refuses to answer it on those termsHow you can tell whether you actually love God (hint: it's not about your feelings on Sunday morning; its about how you love your neighbor)Why love is a verb, and the difference between the right words and the right worksWhat the Samaritan teaches us about empathy and compassionWhy self-giving love isn't a rule we're forced to keep but the design we were made to live Like what you hear? We'd love to know.At South Run, we read every message personally. Whether you have a question, want to share how God is moving in your life, or are thinking about visiting in person, this is the place to start. If you click the link below, Pastor Eric will personally reach out to you. Listening online? Let us know. Sermon Transcript The Good Samaritan and the Age of Life: Love, Eternal Life, and the Narrow Road of Luke 10 — Sermon TranscriptSouth Run Baptist Church | Springfield, VARev. Dr. Eric GilchrestLuke 10:25–37June 14, 2026 This is a full sermon transcript from South Run Baptist Church in Springfield, Virginia. In this message, Rev. Dr. Eric Gilchrest preaches on the Parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10:25–37. This sermon is part of the ongoing "The Jesus Way" transformation series and addresses what eternal life actually means in the original Greek, why love and life are inseparable in Jesus' teaching, and how the Good Samaritan parable reveals that walking the narrow road means active, costly, others-centered love. Opening Prayer: A Church on MissionHeavenly Father, we come today offering you thanksgiving for Ian and for Emma, the great work that they're doing at GW, but also for this church and for the work that those who are in these walls do for those who are outside of these walls. We, Lord, desire to be a church on mission, and we need to keep that front and center. And so, Lord, plant it in each of our hearts that as we go where we go throughout the week on Monday and Thursday and random points on a Saturday afternoon, that we be reminded that we bear your image, we bring your word to the world, and we make new disciples. And so, God, we pray all of this in Christ's holy name. Amen. Where We Are in The Jesus Way SeriesWe are in a series on two ways, right? There is the narrow way that leads to abundant life, and this morning we are talking about that way, and the way that Jesus teaches us to walk — a way that leads to abundance and to life eternal. And then the other way we'll get back to next week, and that's the broad way. It's the easy way, frankly, and it's the way that leads to death and destruction. On Father's Day next week, we will cover the lovely topic of gluttony, so you definitely won't want to miss that, dads. You're welcome. For today, though, we are in a parable that you are probably familiar with. Whether you've been around the church much or not, you definitely know what a Good Samaritan is. We even have like Good Samaritan laws, right? Well, I want to dive down deep, and I'll say this whole framing for me — the whole like two ways, the life, death — has become clarifying, we'll say, in ways that I've not anticipated and I have quite enjoyed as we've gone throughout this series. And I almost think of it as like this lens that I take and then I put it over top of the scripture that we're reading and then I kind of see what pops out, like what's new. And so here we are in a very familiar passage and it is, well, it came as a little bit of a surprise to me, exactly how Jesus frames this. So I hope you have a Bible with you. If you don't, go ahead and grab the one that's in front of you — we definitely want to turn to Luke 10 together. Luke 10:25–28: A Lawyer Asks About Eternal LifeSo again, Luke chapter 10, starting in verse 25. It starts this way as you're turning there. "Behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test." Here we have lawyers doing what lawyers do, right? A lawyer, though, you should know in this day and age is not what you're thinking of as a lawyer. He does not work for the IRS. He does not do like tax law or something like this. He is a lawyer of the Torah, the Jewish law, right? And so this is a man who knows his law well, but very specifically the first five books of our Bible. And this is going to become important because Jesus is going to say to him, like, what does the law say? Like, what does our Bible say, the one you and I share together, right? And so this lawyer, he has spent lots of time in the law, as we'll see, as good lawyers often do. They know the law in order to kind of skirt through it, and he's trying to do this in this passage, but he actually knows what he's talking about. So the passage goes on, and he says, "Teacher" — rabbi, this is Jesus here, our rabbi, the one we should be listening to and following — "what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And as I'm pulling that lens, remember, and I'm putting it on and I see this phrase, eternal life, I think to myself, well, here it is. This is part of what we're trying to do for this season of our church history — looking at ways that lead to life and ways that lead to death. And here Jesus is being asked like the exact question I'm asking you and I'm trying to get us all talking about, and that I think is of utmost importance. We might even say a matter of life and death. And he says, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Now, if you were asked this question, if somebody on the street came to you, it's worth asking, like, what would you say? How would you answer that question? What "Eternal Life" Actually Means in the Greek: The Age of Life vs. The Age of Death Backing up just a minute, this phrase eternal life needs just a little bit of clarification. The word for eternal here is not exactly the platonic, like, eternal sense that you and I often use it. Now, it might mean that to a degree, but only in like a secondary sense. It actually comes from a Greek word, eon — or the English version is eon. Eon is an age, right? There's one eon, and then there's the next eon, there's one age, and then there's the next age. And he's asking him, well, how do I get myself into the age of life? It's important that you know that there is an age of death — or as Paul calls it, the evil age, right? This age actually is that, right? It's the age that ultimately we all know is hovered over by these two things of sin and death and evil, and it lurks about, and none of us get out of here alive, right? That's why this age is the age of death. And this is why the Bible speaks to this matter over and over and over again. And this is the final enemy, death. And so the man is asking a very good question, which is, how do we make it out of the age of death and then make it into the age of life? And he has in mind — he thinks like a good first century Jew — and I need you to think this way for a second so that we can maybe make it a little more complicated. His timeline goes like this. There's the age in which we live, the age of death. There's then an ending to that, and there is a resurrection that happens of all people, good and bad. And then there's a judgment that happens, and the people are either judged good or bad. And then there is the age of life. That might be how you're thinking of things right now, in fact. But here's the important wrinkle. A resurrection has already happened. A resurrection has already happened. And so when Jesus is resurrected, the timeline gets shoved into the present. And then also, with that happening, there is a real sense in which judgment has also happened, and yet is also going to happen. It's a both-and. And Paul, if we had time, he gives us both of these. But the point is actually this — what Jesus does is he drags eternal life and he puts it smack dab into this life. And this life is where eternal life begins. And he'll say things like, "the kingdom of God is in your midst, is among you." He's referring to himself. He's saying, through me starts this eternal life. It's here and it's now. And so when Jesus is being asked this question — what must I do to enter into this age of life? — he doesn't say it out loud, but he is saying, well, it starts right now. It's not something we're pushing off to the future. We don't just kind of do all the right things now and then punch a ticket and then we get into the thing. No, you're in it right now. Jesus Tosses the Question Back: How Do You Read the Law?And so he says to this lawyer — well, he refuses to answer his question, actually. What does he do? He tosses it right back to him. And he says to him, well, you tell me, you lawyer, you know the law. What's written in the law and how do you read it? I actually love that last question — the "how do you read it" — that is so important. I don't have time to dig down deep here, but just know that we should all be asking, like, how do we read this scripture? Like, how do you read it? We all read it slightly differently, but Jesus wants to teach us how we read our scripture. And so the man says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." And Jesus, maybe to his shock, certainly to my shock, says, wow, you're correct. You got it right. Like, that is the answer. And in fact, in the other Gospels, Jesus is the one to say these things. Who knows? Maybe this lawyer got it from Jesus. And he says, you're supposed to love God. And by the way, all of those categories — that just simply means your whole being, everything you are. You're just supposed to love God with like every last ounce of who you are. And then love your neighbor as yourself. And this is the simplification of all things. It's the simplification of the law, the scriptures, what God is trying to do with the world. It is just love, right? Love God, love your neighbor. Now, I'd add this. When we talk about loving our neighbor, the Bible breaks down for us to love God with our souls and our minds and our strength and all these various aspects of who we are. And I would say, well, that's just a description of how to love. And we should do the same with the people in our lives. We should love them in similar kinds of ways, with our whole being. "He said to him, you have answered correctly. Do this and you will live." Again, there's our word — life, right? Well, how do we live a life? And how do we do it right? And how do we stay on that narrow path? He says, well, do this. The guy gets it. "Who Is My Neighbor?" — The Question Jesus Refuses to Answer DirectlyAnd if we stopped there, we would feel really good about this passage and it'd all be done. But the man, remember, he's a lawyer and he knows his law. And the job of the lawyer is to get around the law and to kind of sneak through it. And so he says the follow-up. He wants to justify himself and says to Jesus, well, excuse me, who is my neighbor? Jesus does not answer this question. I'll just go ahead and say that very clearly here. Jesus does not answer who the neighbor is. He pulls up the example of somebody being a good neighbor — that is the Samaritan — treats the robbed man that we're going to meet here as the neighbor, but the Samaritan is not actually technically the neighbor here. He's the one who's doing it right, who is loving his neighbor well. All of this explodes the boxes that this lawyer no doubt has, and it should explode ours too. And I can't go into exactly what a Samaritan is, but I assure you, the lawyer is thinking the Samaritan is not one of us. Whoever the "us" is for you — not one of us. He's over there. He's one of them. And Jesus is saying, well, look at the them. Whoever your "them" is, they're doing it right. They're the one who's loving well. And it should cause us to stop in our tracks and to ask, well, if they're able to love well, and they're finding what Jesus is calling eternal life or abundant life in this life that's leading to this eternal life, well, maybe I've got some work to do. Jesus replies to the question that the lawyer asks. He doesn't answer it. He, of course, does what Jesus does, which is to either ask a question — which is what he did the first time — or to tell a story, which is what he does this time. Luke 10:30–32: The Priest and the Levite Pass ByAnd so he says, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance, there was a priest going down the road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Well then likewise, a Levite came to the place, saw him, passed by on the other side." I assure you, the Levite knows the law too, right? And the priest, well, he knows the law too. And Jesus is saying, do the priest or the Levite do the law? That is, do they love their neighbor? And the answer is very clearly no, right? They do not. Luke 10:33–35: The Samaritan and the Meaning of CompassionNow the Samaritan, whether or not he knows the law is actually not exactly clear, and in some ways not even to the point. The Samaritan does the law. He does the thing that should be done here, which is he sees the man half dead, and he goes to help him. I would stop here for just one minute and point out this word to you — compassion, at the end of verse 33. Compassion. This word shows up only three times in your gospel of Luke. It shows up in the following ways. The widow of Nain — Jesus encounters this woman who already is a widow. She's lost her husband. She then loses her son in the story that is being told. And Jesus looks at this woman who has lost her husband and her son, and he has compassion. Which is to say, the word itself means like his insides are like turning outside, and he's like physically in pain watching this woman and is feeling her pain, right? It also shows up in the passage we're going to talk about next week as you join us for gluttony, which is the story of the prodigal son, actually. When the prodigal son returns home from his gluttonous encounters, the father is there and he looks at him from afar and he has compassion on him. His insides are turned outside. And then here, the Samaritan — he looks at this man and he has compassion on him. I would say if we are going to love at all, we need compassion. If we are going to love our neighbor as ourselves, it is going to require us to put ourselves into the very shoes of the neighbor, to walk the mile with them, to see ourselves as the dead man on the side of the road who needs help, and to ask the question, if I were that dead man, what would I want this priest to do for me? If I were that dead man, what should that Levite do? I'm crying out for him, and he walks right on by. That is not keeping the law. But the Samaritan — the Samaritan sees him and is able to put himself into his place and to see the position that he's in, which is helpless, and he has the ability to do something, and he does. Interestingly, this idea of love is then here for the next few verses explained not as a feeling the Samaritan has — because we all have the feeling when we see something bad happen, and we're like, oh, that's awful, oh man, I feel so bad for this person — love requires action. It requires actually doing something, which is precisely what the Samaritan does in the verses that follow. In verse 34, "He went to him, to the man dying on the side of the road, and he bound up his wounds, he poured on oil and wine to heal them, and then he set him on his own animal, and he brought him to an inn, and he took care of him." This doesn't even account for the fact that he took time out of his own, no doubt, busy schedule to stop and to help this man and to assist him to a place. And he probably missed a really important meeting. And I'm sure some friends and some family were probably upset with the Samaritan who was supposed to be home for dinner. And he missed the kid's soccer game. But he did this very important thing that was in front of him. But it doesn't even stop there. "The next day, he took out two denarii. And he gave it to the innkeeper. And he said, take care of him. And if you spend more, keep track of that, because I will repay you when I come back." This is a man who loves in a way that goes above and beyond, and it is active. It's not just a man who walks and says, oh, there's a person that is almost dead over here, and that's tragic, as he keeps walking on by. This is the kind of love that God is calling us into as well, and this is the narrow road that leads to life. You might understand why now it's a narrow road, because it's difficult to walk. It's the road less traveled. It's the one that requires something of you. "Go and Do Likewise": Love and Life Are InseparableAnd then Jesus finishes up. He says, "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" And the lawyer has to confess, well, I guess it's the one who showed mercy. And then Jesus says again, well, you got it right. "Go and do likewise." Go and do likewise. When I think about this passage and this idea that we are to walk down this narrow road that leads to life — life and love, in my mind, are almost like one in the same. They all come together, these two come together in ways that are almost impossible to pull apart as you dig down deeper and deeper and deeper into what a full life is. I was trying to wrestle with the question, why does this road lead to life? Like, why does loving someone lead to life? And here's what I think Jesus is doing. Remember, Jesus has pulled eternal life into this life. The very one that you're in now, listening to me speak. And love in this life, this eternal life we're hopefully, prayerfully in — it is the substance of it all. Love is the design of humanity. It is what we were made for. In Eden, when we were created, we were created to love God. And then it was not good for man to be alone. So he creates Eve, and we were meant to love one another. And then he looks at the first couple and he says, multiply, make more of you, and then love them too. And this is what it's all for and all about. The God who made us is in himself self-giving love — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If the Trinity means one thing, it means pouring out love one to the other to the other. And we are made in that kind of image, which means the great commandment — love God and love neighbor — this is not a rule that gets bolted onto the side of life, as if it's like some sort of external hope that you might do this at some point. It is the manufacturer's description of how this whole thing runs. Withholding love doesn't keep you safe, and spending love doesn't drain your life. Jesus, in fact, says, do these things and you will have life. Jesus Is the Good Samaritan: He Crosses the Road to Find Us Half DeadWe see this love most clearly in the person of Jesus. When he pours himself out on the cross, he redeems us. He snatches us out of death and delivers us into an age of life, eternal life. If Jesus has done this for me, well, then he must love me, right? And if Jesus has done this for you — and he has — then he must love you. But Jesus has loved the whole world and God has sent his son that we all might have eternal life, that we all might be entered into the age of life. And why love? Because God loves you, and he wants us to love one another and to love him as we were intended to do. Communion: The Table as the Place Where Love and Life MeetAs we come to the table this morning, it is important that we recognize that this two-fold command of love — to love God and love our neighbor — it is kind of one thing. I would suggest to you that when God says to us that we are to love him, what he does not mean is that we have like a really nice worship service together and I have all the feels and it's just me and God and I'm loving every minute of it. And I don't even think he means like, well, I love God and therefore I pray every day and I love God and I'm reading my Bible every day. These are all very good things and they actually do lead you to God. So don't misunderstand me. But what I think he means is he pairs that with love your neighbor, because that is the ultimate understanding of whether or not you love God well. Because every person in this room around you right now and every person you've ever met in your life is bearing the image of God. And if you can't love them well, it is worth asking whether you're loving God. And so this morning as we come to the table, we are reminded that Jesus has poured himself out for us. He has shown us what love looks like. He literally puts his hands on the cross like this, and he opens himself up for humanity. And he takes the penalty that was due to us, and he offers us a way to God. I find Jesus directly in the parable of the Good Samaritan. In fact, many interpreters have. It turns out he's not the priest, he's not the Levite, he is the Samaritan, though. He is the outsider, the despised one, yet the one who actually does the law of love. And he comes to our roads where we are lying half dead and he has compassion on us. He looks at us in our estate and he is moved. His insides turn outside. He says, I want something better for this child of mine. I want them to live a full life now, and eternal life forever. This is what I want for them. And so what does he do? He binds up our wounds. He pours the oil and the wine on them. He pays the price. And he promises he will come back to pay the rest of it. And this is what the table is. On the night before Jesus died, he took bread and a cup and he said, this is my body and this is my blood. And it is poured out for the forgiveness of your sins. We have all been robbed by the age of death. But we have also participated in the age of death. And we need forgiveness from that. So Christ, he crosses the road and he offers us a hand up and out of it. And this morning we get to participate in the forgiveness of sins that he offers to each and to every one of us. Our Call: To Be the Samaritan for OthersHe then expects something of us. As people who are walking down that road with him, the dust of the rabbi getting all over us — you remember that? — as we walk that way of love, we then too must take up the role of the Samaritan for the others who are around us. Our job in this world is to bandage those who are hurt and broken and to pour whatever oil and wine Jesus has given to us onto their wounds too. And we're to lift them up out of their estate. And this, this is what it means to be a follower of Christ. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit, you are self-giving love, perfected. God, we have fallen short of your glory, no doubt. We have sinned and are in need of a Savior. And so, Jesus, this morning, we come asking one more time for your salvation. Some of us, this might be the first time, saying, I need a Savior. I need someone to bandage up the wounds that are just too deep. I can't do it myself. Or somebody is lying there saying, I am half dead. I can't do this by myself. And Jesus, we know you are saying to them right now, I am here for you. I am here to bind those wounds and to raise you back to life again. So God, as we prepare our hearts for the communion table, we ask that we do so with sincerity and with gravity, knowing the cost that you have paid — your very life. And that out of this should flow for all of us gratitude, a thanksgiving. And for all this and more, we give you thanks and praise. In Christ's holy name we pray. Amen. South Run Baptist Church | 8712 Selger Drive, Springfield, VA 22153 | Sunday Worship at 11am Serving Springfield, Burke, West Springfield, Lorton, Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, and Franconia, Virginia. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
This is part 1 of a 4-part Series called: 'The Truth.' In this message, Pastor Derek discusses the different approaches needed to share the Gospel with various audiences, focusing on the Hebrew and Greek worldviews. For the Jews who'd already received the foundational biblical truths of God, Creation, Adam, the Fall (sin), and the Messianic Hope, the apostles focused on proving that Jesus is the promised Messiah, because He fulfilled all the Messianic Prophecies (Acts 2,3 and13). For those who do not have this foundation of Truth, as is the case for many people today, because of secular humanism, we have to build this foundation first before they can understand the Gospel. This is what Paul did in Acts 14 and 17. Derek demonstrates this by expounding Acts 14:8-17 and 17:16-21. As we share the TRUTH of God and the GOSPEL of Christ, we are SHINING His LIGHT on them, and if they desire to know God, they will SEEK Him, and the eyes of their heart will gradually open more and more to the light, and they will FIND Him, because He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:27).
This is part 1 of a 4-part Series called: 'The Truth.' In this message, Pastor Derek discusses the different approaches needed to share the Gospel with various audiences, focusing on the Hebrew and Greek worldviews. For the Jews who'd already received the foundational biblical truths of God, Creation, Adam, the Fall (sin), and the Messianic Hope, the apostles focused on proving that Jesus is the promised Messiah, because He fulfilled all the Messianic Prophecies (Acts 2,3 and13). For those who do not have this foundation of Truth, as is the case for many people today, because of secular humanism, we have to build this foundation first before they can understand the Gospel. This is what Paul did in Acts 14 and 17. Derek demonstrates this by expounding Acts 14:8-17 and 17:16-21. As we share the TRUTH of God and the GOSPEL of Christ, we are SHINING His LIGHT on them, and if they desire to know God, they will SEEK Him, and the eyes of their heart will gradually open more and more to the light, and they will FIND Him, because He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:27).
Pastor Jeremiah Gabbard | Acts 15:1-11
התוכן אחז"ל "לפיכך נברא אדם יחידי ללמדך" שכל א' מישראל הוא "עולם מלא": ה' שינה את אופן בריאת האדם כדי שכל יהודי, אפי' בעקבתא דמשיחא ובחו"ל, ידע שכל יהודי הוא "עולם מלא"! ו"עולם מלא" במעמד ומצב בעת בריאת אדם "בגן עדן מקדם" – שבזה נכלל כל סדר השתלשלות שנברא "בשביל ישראל"! וזה מחזק עוד יותר המדובר כמ"פ אודות מצות "פרו ורבו" – שגם לאחרי הולדת בן ובת יש להשתדל בהולדת ילדים נוספים. ופשיטא שאין מקום לדאגת ההורים כיצד יוכלו לספק לילד הנוסף כל צרכיו, כמו שאין מקום לשאלה כזו בנוגע לבריאת אדם "בגן עדן מקדם"! בודאי נותן להם ה' הכחות הדרושים לספק לילד צרכיו הגשמיים והרוחניים; יש גם הענין ד"פרו ורבו" ברוחניות ששייך אצל כאו"א כל ימי חייו, כמאחז"ל "כל המלמד את בן חבירו תורה מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו ילדו", שזה כללות ענין החינוך. משיחת אור לכ"ט אלול ה'תשמ"ב, ערב ר"ה ה'תשמ"ג ל"הנחה פרטית" או התרגום ללה"ק של השיחה: https://thedailysicha.com/?date=14-06-2026 Synopsis Our Sages taught: “Therefore man was created alone, to teach you…” that every Jew is “an entire world.” Meaning: Hashem changed the manner of man's creation so that every Jew, even in the era of the footsteps of Moshiach and even in the diaspora, should know that every Jew is an entire world. And an “entire world” in same state as when Adam Harishon was created “in Gan Eden of old,” which encompasses the entire seder hishtalshelus all of which was created “for the sake of the Jewish people.” This further strengthens what we've discussed many times regarding the mitzvah to be fruitful and multiply: Even after one has a son and a daughter, he should strive to bring more children into the world. And there is no room for parents to worry about how they will provide for the child, just as there is no room for such a question regarding the creation of man “in Gan Eden of old: Hashem will surely give them everything they need to provide for the child both physically and spiritually. There is also an obligation to “be fruitful and multiply” in the spiritual sense, which applies to every person no matter what stage of life they are in. As our Sages taught: “Anyone who teaches the son of his fellow Torah, Scripture considers it as if he fathered him”; this is the whole concept of chinuch.Excerpt from sichah of the night of 29 Elul 5742, Erev Rosh Hashanah 5743 For a transcript in English of the Sicha: https://thedailysicha.com/?date=14-06-2026 לע"נ הרב לוי יצחק ע"ה בן – יבלח"ט – הרב חיים צבי שי' וואלאסאוו
58 MinutesPG-13Dr. Matthew Raphael Johnson is a researcher, writer, and former professor of history and political science, specializing in Russian history and political ideology.Pete and Dr. Johnson continue a reading and commentary of Ivan Ilyin's 1925 book, "On Resistance to Evil by Force."Tolstoy's "What is a Jew?"The Lies of Leftism: Ivan Ilyin, Atheism and the Death of Reason in the East and West by Dr. Matthew Raphael JohnsonDr Johnson's PatreonDr Johnson's CashApp - $Raphael71RusJournal.orgTHE ORTHODOX NATIONALISTDr. Johnson's Radio Albion PageDr. Johnson's Books on AmazonJohnson's Law in Action: Venezuela and the Foreign Policy of Mass PresumptionDr. Johnson's Pogroms ArticleThe Orthodox Nationalist: Karl Marx “On the Jewish Question” (1844)Article: Karl Marx's Theses on the Jews and the Necessity of Free Trade: Zur Judenfrage (1844) by Matthew Raphael JohnsonPete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's SubstackPete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.
Ari Shaffir jokes about weird religion in his Netflix special, "Jew".