Podcast appearances and mentions of John the Baptist

Full Text of ReadingsFeast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Lectionary: 572The Saint of the day is Visitation of the Blessed Virgin MaryThe Story of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary This is a fairly late feast, going back only to the 13th or 14th century. It was established widely throughout the Church to pray for unity. The present date of celebration was set in 1969, in order to follow the Annunciation of the Lord and precede the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. Like most feasts of Mary, it is closely connected with Jesus and his saving work. The more visible actors in the visitation drama (see Luke 1:39-45) are Mary and Elizabeth. However, Jesus and John the Baptist steal the scene in a hidden way. Jesus makes John leap with joy—the joy of messianic salvation. Elizabeth, in turn, is filled with the Holy Spirit and addresses words of praise to Mary—words that echo down through the ages. It is helpful to recall that we do not have a journalist's account of this meeting. Rather Luke, speaking for the Church, gives a prayerful poet's rendition of the scene. Elizabeth's praise of Mary as “the mother of my Lord” can be viewed as the earliest Church's devotion to Mary. As with all authentic devotion to Mary, Elizabeth's (the Church's) words first praise God for what God has done to Mary. Only secondly does she praise Mary for trusting God's words. Then comes the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Here, Mary herself—like the Church—traces all her greatness to God. Reflection One of the invocations in Mary's litany is “Ark of the Covenant.” Like the Ark of the Covenant of old, Mary brings God's presence into the lives of other people. As David danced before the Ark, John the Baptist leaps for joy. As the Ark helped to unite the 12 tribes of Israel by being placed in David's capital, so Mary has the power to unite all Christians in her son. At times, devotion to Mary may have occasioned some divisiveness, but we can hope that authentic devotion will lead all to Christ and therefore, to one another. Click here for a meditation on the Joyful Mysteries! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

(John 1:26-36) In today's study we find what it means to become a true witness for Jesus. 4 things characterize every faithful witness and we learn them from the first witness, John the Baptist. (09130250529)  Keep Studying  Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. 

RSV 19 And John, calling to him two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?'” 21 In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many that were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is he    FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

Is the sacrament of Confirmation really found in Scripture? In this episode of Catholic Answers Live, we tackle one of the most common questions about Catholic sacramental theology. Karlo Broussard explains the biblical roots of Confirmation, where it shows up in the New Testament, and how early Christians understood the laying on of hands and the gift of the Holy Spirit. If you've ever wondered how to explain Confirmation to your Protestant friends—or just want to understand it better yourself—don't miss this segment! Help us reach our goal by donating! Catholicanswersradio.com Join The CA Live Club Newsletter: Click Here Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 04:15 – If it was revealed to John the Baptist that Jesus was the Messiah, then why did he later send one of his disciples to ask Jesus?  07:33 – Why do Catholics primarily receive the Body of Christ (the bread) vs. the Body and Blood (bread and wine)?  11:45 – If a married protestant pastor converts, can he seek the priesthood?  13:03 – What does Jesus mean by the Kingdom of God?  17:21 – How biblical is Confirmation?  21:07 – What authority does the magisterium have over changing the TLM and what’s the current rule?  23:05 – Was Jesus in the Garden of Eden? When Genesis refers to “Our image”, is this referring to the Trinity?  31:22 – Based on Genesis, is the world flat? Is there firmament in the sky keeping us from falling off?  33:59 – Why do some people still blame the Jews for the death of Christ?  37:45 – Why would God ask Moses to build a bronze serpent if the serpent is the symbol of Satan?  42:12 – My coworker got arrested and I went around asking to know what happened. Did doing this cause me to commit the sin of detraction?  49:53 – Why are baptisms outside the faith valid even though they don't share the same beliefs?  52:13 – I was raised non-denominational and I want to know what the difference is between the Jesus I know and what Catholics believe. 

Behold the Lamb of God (John 1:29–34) — Why This Title MattersIn this episode of the Jesus Everyday Podcast, we dive into John 1:29–34 to uncover why John the Baptist was the only one to call Jesus the "Lamb of God"—and why that matters for your faith today. Join Ethan Callison, Andrew McPheron, Matt Thieman, and Matt Novitsky as we explore the connection between Jesus and the Passover lamb, what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, and how believers can live boldly as witnesses of Christ.We also unpack common questions like:What's the difference between water baptism and Spirit baptism?Do you have to speak in tongues to be saved?Why does John leave out Jesus' actual baptism?How do we avoid becoming numb to the wonder of salvation?

(Mark 3:7-12) John the Baptist used fire as an object lesson for the coming of Christ. Fire is either friend or foe. "Our God is a consuming fire." Are you looking forward to seeing Jesus or fearful of that day? (09127250526)  Keep Studying  Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. 

Text UsLuke 7:29-49 In this episode, Josh and Dan discuss various topics ranging from home improvement to spiritual growth. They reflect on the importance of hiring professionals for home projects, drawing parallels to the purification process in spiritual life. The conversation transitions into a deeper exploration of Luke chapter 7, focusing on the role of John the Baptist and the significance of abiding in Christ. The guys discuss forgiveness, repentance, and the contrasting responses of sinners and religious leaders to Jesus' message. They discuss the significance of the powerful actions of a sinful woman's interaction with Jesus, highlighting the depth of her faith and love. The conversation emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's sinfulness and the transformative power of faith in Christ, His forgiveness of sins, and peace. 

This week, Pastor Thomas Terry dives into John 3:22-36, exploring the themes of ministry ambition, comparison, and true humility. He contrasts the growing influence of Jesus' ministry with John the Baptist's humility, emphasizing that all successes and callings come from God. Addressing the dangers of self-focused ambition and the pressure of social media, Pastor Thomas encourages the congregation to find joy in exalting Christ rather than seeking personal glory. The sermon underscores that true fulfillment comes from making Jesus known, not from personal recognition or platform-building.

Welcome to Wellspring Church!What does it mean to live as the people of God in the kingdom of God? In this message, Pastor Billy Waters continues our series on The Parables of Jesus by unpacking Matthew 13:31–33, where Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as a mustard seed and yeast—small beginnings with expansive, transformative outcomes.Billy reminds us that Jesus' entire mission was to bring and establish the kingdom of God—and so must ours be. The call is to re-center on the “big why,” tightening the load so that we don't drift from the vision. As a church and as individuals, everything we do is about the kingdom.

41Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If youhad known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for yourpeace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  As I mentioned yesterday, I'm in Kingsland, Georgia. Iprerecorded this video for you, and I trust it'll be a blessing. This morning,I'll be attending a worship service with Edith at Kings Bay Submarine Base to hear my son Nathan,a Navy chaplain, speak. Let'scontinue in Luke chapter 19:28-48, which take place on what we call Palm Sundaymorning, and in verses 35-44, Jesus is entering Jerusalem, riding a colt. Thecrowd comes out to meet Him, proclaiming, “Blessed is the King who comes in thename of the Lord.” They are singing praises, throwing palm branches and clothesin front of the colt Jesus is riding. The Pharisees criticize, saying, “Rebukethese people.” Then, in verse 41, as Jesus draws near, He sees the city andweeps over it. Ican picture this, having been there many times. I can imagine seeing Jesus comingdown the Mount of Olives with a clear view of Jerusalem. The crowd isrejoicing, but Jesus is weeping. In verse 42, He says, “If you had known,even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! Butnow they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when yourenemies will build an embankment around you, surround you, and close you in onevery side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; andthey will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know thetime of your visitation.” Jesusgoes from this rejoicing and celebration of the people, to weeping overJerusalem. No matter where He looks, He finds a cause to weep. Looking back, Hesees how the nation wasted its opportunities to receive Him as the Messiah,ignorant of the time of His visitation. Looking within, He sees spiritualignorance and blindness in the people's hearts.  Theyshould have known who He was. God gave them His Word with all the prophecies concerningHis first coming and had also sent John the Baptist to prepare the way. Jesus Himselfhad been preaching for three and a half years for the nation to repent because theKingdom of Heaven was at hand. And by His miracles and healings and power overthe demons, the elements of nature, manifesting Himself to be the Son of God. Lookingaround, Jesus sees religious activity that accomplishes little. The temple hadbecome a den of thieves, the religious leaders were out to kill Him, and thoughthe city was filled with pilgrims celebrating Passover, their hearts were heavywith sin and life's burdens.  Lookingahead, Jesus weeps because He sees the terrible judgment coming. In AD 70,about 40 years after His death, the Romans would come, and after a 143-daysiege, they would kill over 600,000 Jews, take thousands captive, and destroythe temple and city. Why? Because the people did not know God had visited them.As Scripture says, “He came to His own, and His own received Him not.” Thepeople are rejoicing, but Jesus is looking within, around, and ahead. I believeHe's looking into our hearts today, too. What does He see in our lives thatwould cause Him to weep if we don't believe, trust, and are not living for Himas we should?  Whata powerful passage. Jesus sees the crowd celebrating, calling Him King, yet Heweeps because He knows the reality of what will happen. He knows in a few daysthis same crowd will be yelling “crucify Him” and have Him nailed to a cross todie. Jesus know that will reject Him and will not trust Him to be their Messiahand Savior. MayGod give us grace today to bring a smile to the face of Jesus as we live toglorify His name in everything that we say and do!

 750 Shall We Look For Another?, A Guided Christian Meditation on Luke 7:19-23 with the Recenter With Christ app The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in  and connect wi h the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving jor anything tensing or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:   Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation Luke 7 NASB 19 And after summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for another?” 20 When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for another?'” 21 At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. 22 And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: people who were blind receive sight, people who limped walk, people with leprosy are cleansed and people who were deaf hear, dead people are raised up, and people who are poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” RSV 19 Aznd John, calling to him two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?'” 21 In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many that were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” Meditation on Scripture: I've heard multiple commentaries on this scripture. On the one hand John knew the divinity of Jesus from the womb when he leaped in his mother when she drew near the pregnant Mary. In the book of John it is John the Baptist who confirms to his disciples that Jesus is the lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. Yet I have heard other commentaries stating that John was legitimately investigating the divinity of Jesus. In any case I love this scripture. John points out to these disciples needed to find out for themselves that Jesus was the one they were waiting for. Many times when people start their journey in faith they do so with a tentative and borrowed faith. This is a normal development. The hope is that at some point we all do what these disciples of John did. We need to find out for ourselves.  Additionally the thing that they were comparing was eventually related to prophecy in scripture. When these disciples hear the answer Jesus gave they would have seen Jesus works and compared that to the prophecies Jesus mentioned here. The Messiah would do these things and Jesus had done them. Regardless of how long we have been in the faith it helps to continually confirm our faith in Jesus through scripture, talking to spiritual leaders we trust, and prayer and reflection.  Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind?  FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod  

To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (NOT a Morning Mindset resource) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Mark 6:21–29 - [21] But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. [22] For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” [23] And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” [24] And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” [25] And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” [26] And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. [27] And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison [28] and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. [29] When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. (ESV) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen -- Support our SPANISH TRANSLATION: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/supportSpanish -- Support our HINDI TRANSLATION: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/supportHindi -- Support our CHINESE TRANSLATION: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/supportChinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/ ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate.

Daily Dose of Hope May 23, 2025 Day 5 of Week 8   Scripture - Matthew 4:12-25   Prayer:  Holy God, We come to you today with expectancy.  We need to hear your voice.  We need to feel your presence.  Lord Jesus, we know that we are weak.  Our lives are incomplete and empty without you.  Our world is nothing without you.  Help us go through this day remembering that we belong to you.  With your Spirit in us, we have power.  With your Spirit in us, we can be bold and courageous.  We give you our day, Lord.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Friday, everyone!  Today, we are finishing up Matthew, chapter 4.    Jesus' public ministry begins after his time in the wilderness and after the arrest of John the Baptist.  We don't know how Jesus felt about John's arrest, as Matthew doesn't give us that information, but we know they were first cousins and may have been close.  We also know that John's arrest foreshadows Jesus' own.   The Scripture for today says that Jesus moves from Nazareth to Capernaum.  Could it have been John's imprisonment that led Jesus to move?  We don't really know.  Capernaum was a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee and it becomes Jesus' base of operations.  It's strategic location also allowed Jesus to reach a wider audience and travel more easily.  Matthew points out that what Jesus was doing was also a fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah 9.  Remember, Matthew is weaving in this theme of Jesus as the Messiah from the line of David, the one who the Jews have been waiting for.    Next, Jesus begins to call his first disciples.  I think it's hard for us to imagine how abruptly these four men responded to Jesus.  While there was probably more back story here that we aren't privy to, the reality is that they left everything to follow Jesus.  They left all human sources of security, all human goals and aspirations to respond to a call by God.  They left their jobs and probably their families to respond to a call, and did so as far as we can tell, without hesitation or doubt.   Could we do the same?  God calls each and every one of us but we still hold on to various aspects of the world.  How often do we fully and completely let go of everything to simply follow Jesus?  This is the demand of the kingdom of God–turn away from the kingdom of the world and give all to a bigger, deeper purpose.  Stop worrying so much about fishing for money, power, or admiration and simply fish for people.  We may live 2000 years later but this is our mission and call as well.  Do you believe this?  Are you ready to say yes?   It's right after this that Jesus begins his ministry.  He travels around the region to heal the sick and proclaims the Kingdom of God.  He preached in synagogues too.  But all kinds of people followed Jesus.  It says those from Syria, Judea, Jerusalem, and even the Decapolis (those would have been the pagans), brought their sick to Jesus and then followed him.  That means very early on, there were both Jews and Gentiles who were getting a picture of God's Kingdom.  Very early on, Jesus was crossing boundaries.    Let's end by talking a bit about the Kingdom.  What does it mean that Jesus was proclaiming the Kingdom of God?  This is actually a really important point.  Bear with me here, because I'm going to go back a bit.  God's mission from the beginning was to redeem his world and restore it to its intended purpose.   We see throughout scripture how God's plan unfolds. First, he pours himself into the nation of Israel, revealing his character, shaping a new kind of people. But, if you've read the Old Testament, you know what happens. Israel repeatedly disobeys God and eventually rebels against God until there is no turning back. And just when we think all is lost, God speaks through the prophets and the next part of his mission begins to unfold. He says, “It may seem like things are hopeless now but they aren't because someday, I'm going to send someone who will restore the people of Israel to me. This person will be a light to the Gentiles, and will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth and it will be obvious once more that your God reigns.” Then, 600 years after that prophecy in Isaiah, in God's perfect timing, his mission becomes more full and complete through the person of Jesus Christ who fulfilled this promise of reconciliation and “making things right again.”   Central to Jesus' ministry was the announcement of God's reign, that God's Kingdom was here. Think about Mark 1:15, Jesus says, “The time promised by God has come at last!” In Luke 4, we read that Jesus announces, “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” and then later in that same chapter, “I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” Because that is why he was sent - to proclaim the GOOD NEWS of the Kingdom of God.    So what is the Kingdom of God?  Sorry it took me so long to get here. The Kingdom of God is anywhere that God reigns and his values are at work, anywhere where the world is working in the way that God always intended it to work. This means the Kingdom of God is present when values like justice, mercy, forgiveness, hope for the poor and oppressed, compassion, righteousness, are lived out by God's people.   What Jesus was saying, and I want you to understand how radical and revolutionary this was at the time, is that the Kingdom of God is here. He was saying that he represents the Kingdom. He represents a new way of doing life, a new way of being human, a way of doing life that demonstrates the reign of God. And so everything he does–all his miracles, all his parables---they were all intended to show what the Kingdom of God is like, what the new way of being human is all about.   Why did Jesus feed people? Because in God's Kingdom, in the kind of world that God always intended for us to have, there is no hunger. In God's Kingdom, there is no sickness, so Jesus healed people. In God's Kingdom, there is no discrimination, so he elevated the status of those who were rejected by society. He ate with the people that everyone else hated–the tax collectors and the prostitutes–because in God's Kingdom, every single human life has value. In God's Kingdom, there is justice, mercy, and love. Thus, he offered acceptance. He offered love in everything he did, ultimately giving up his life in the greatest act of love in the history of the world.   Jesus' ministry was not just about getting individuals right with God. That was part of it but certainly the good news of the Kingdom is more than “you can go to heaven when you die.” It's “you can be reconciled to God now. You can live under the reign of Christ and live life abundant.” Yes, Christ came to ensure individual salvation but it was one part of something much bigger. By dying on the cross and being raised from the dead, there was final victory over sin and the barrier between heaven and earth was broken for good.   Enough for today.  You can see I might be just a teensy bit passionate about this.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

So, who is "Elias?" Is it John the Baptist? Is it just the Greek version of the name Elijah? Is it Noah? Is it all of them? But ultimately, who is the "Elias" who visited the Kirtland Temple in Section 110 of the Doctrine and Covenants and restored the keys of the Gospel of the Dispensation of Abraham? Bruce Porter joins Greg to give his idea on who this elusive character is. Isn't there a "Spirit of Elias" and a "Spirit of Elijah?" Website- www.cwicmedia.com

Christ the Fulfillment: St. Paul Proclaims the Past, and the Power of the Present The Church marks the midpoint of the Easter season and . . . . . . highlights a shift in the liturgical readings toward Jesus' teachings during the Last Supper. These teachings serve to deepen the understanding of the mysteries of Christ's death and resurrection. The Homily emphasizes that these events are not just historical but living realities made present through the liturgy, especially in the Mass. The Decisive Moment in History Saint Paul's speech in the synagogue, in the First Reading, underscores that the entire history of Israel . . . Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets . . . was not merely a buildup to Christ, but served the purpose of revealing Him. Paul proclaims that Jesus' resurrection is the decisive moment in history, fulfilling and surpassing all that came before. Jesus' act of washing the disciples' feet sets the tone for discipleship: humility, service, and fidelity. The Mass is emphasized as the place where Christ's sacrifice is made present, where believers physically engage with the saving mystery. The upcoming gospel are not just teachings but revelations that invite Christians to enter more deeply into the death and resurrection of Jesus . . . a reality proclaimed and professed in every Eucharist. Listen to: Christ the Fulfillment: St. Paul Proclaims the Past, and the Power of the Present ------------------------------------------------------------ A Quote from the Homily What a powerful statement that is. That the fulcrum of all of this, the point of all of this, the goal of those many centuries of history of that tortured relationship of Israel with its God, this history of faithfulness and unfaithfulness all comes down to this glorious point now where we see that God has indeed done something unexpected, something marvelous, something new. And so it is. Paul concludes his reflection with those words of John the Baptist. I am not the one. Nothing in the past is the one. There is one who is greater than I, and now Paul announces the one who is greater, the one who is greater than all of the others, is the one who has risen from the dead. The one who is greater, the one who is the reason for all of these other things. ------------------------------------------------------------ Christ the Savior with the Eucharist: Spanish Painter: Juan de Juanes:  1545 – 1550 This oil-based painting on wood is one of three parts. This part shows Our Lord holding the Eucharist and Chalice ------------------------------------------------------------ Gospel Reading: John 13: 16-20 First Reading: Acts 13: 13-25

To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (NOT a Morning Mindset resource) ⇒ Get a copy of the MM Companion Journal: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/journal ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:   ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen -- Support our SPANISH TRANSLATION: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/supportSpanish -- Support our HINDI TRANSLATION: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/supportHindi -- Support our CHINESE TRANSLATION: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/supportChinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/ ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate. To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (NOT a Morning Mindset resource) ⇒ Get a copy of the MM Companion Journal: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/journal ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Mark 6:14–16 - [14] King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” [15] But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” [16] But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” (ESV) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen -- Support our SPANISH TRANSLATION: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/supportSpanish -- Support our HINDI TRANSLATION: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/supportHindi -- Support our CHINESE TRANSLATION: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/supportChinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/ ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate.

(John 3:25-30) Do you think of John the Baptist as a stern and unhappy man? Nothing could be further from the truth! Find out the secret of his joy and you will have found a supply of strength for your own life. (09123250521)  Keep Studying  Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. 

Daily Dose of Hope May 21, 2025 Day 3 of Week 8   Scripture – Matthew 3   Prayer: Amazing Father and Lord, Thank you for who you are.  Thank you for how you care for us.  We get distracted.  We veer away from you and your Word.  For that, we are so very sorry.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us to abide in you.  Help us to remain close so that we can be fruitful and effective for your Kingdom.  Help us get outside ourselves and see others as you see them.  Lord, we belong to you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are taking a look at Matthew 3.   Matthew begins by quoting from the book of the prophet Isaiah about a messenger who would be sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for him.  And this person, Scripture says, is John the Baptist.  We learn from reading other Gospels that John the Baptist is actually Jesus' first cousin.    The whole Judean countryside came out to see John the Baptist.  Picture this, masses of people were leaving their villages and coming into the wilderness (which looks more like desert than forest) to get baptized by John.  But why?  I mean, he was a weird dude, wearing camel hair and eating locusts dipped in wild honey.  He had taken a vow of poverty.  Maybe they wanted to check out this really bizarre guy but that doesn't explain everything.  John was offering them something they desperately needed – good news, forgiveness, cleansing.  And the good news he offered wasn't that they would receive something good when they die, but that there is good news, there is hope, for life right now.  And remember, these were dark days.  The people were yearning for hope.   He also calls out the Pharisees and Sadducees.  He knows their hearts are evil so he refers to them as a brood of vipers.  Vipers are venomous so John is not hiding his dislike.  He is saying that the Pharisees (the religious teachers) and the Sadducees (the wealthy Jewish aristocracy) are evil, deceitful, hypocritical, and connected to Satan.  Those are fighting words. It's surprising John didn't get in trouble right then and there.    But then John says something interesting.  He says that someone else is coming, one more powerful than him, whose sandals he is not worthy to stoop down and untie. That's pretty extreme. I mean, slaves were typically the ones who untied sandals because they were so filthy.  And John says that while he baptizes with water, the one coming after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit.  For those who were listening to John, this may have been scary.  What kind of person would John feel so humbled by?    And then, we meet him.  It's Jesus, whose birth we have just heard about.  He comes to John to be baptized.  John is hesitant.  He knows that Jesus should be baptizing him.  But he relents.  John knows that this needs to happen. Remember, Matthew is clearly pointing out here that Jesus is Messiah and the fulfillment of prophecy for the Jews. Then, there is this beautiful scene, depicting the Trinity, in which God the Father announces his approval of God the Son and then God the Holy Spirit descends as a dove.  There is a voice from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”   Before we move on in Matthew, let's spend a little bit of time talking about repentance.  The people were coming to John to confess their sins, repent, and receive cleansing.  Every single one of us need that.  When is the last time you have spent time in confession and repentance?  Talk to God right now.  Receive the ultimate cleansing as only he can give.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Matthew 3  Listen to other great sleep mediations on Amen.Sign up for a 7-day free trial of Formed.Support this podcast and the Augustine Institute by becoming a member of the Mission Circle.

How would the words of John the Baptist sound coming out of the mouth of today's ultra-popular preachers and evangelists?  Check out my blog, my other podcasts, my books, and so much more at http://linktr.ee/craigtowens  ►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

In this week's episode of The Jesus Every Day Podcast, Matt Novitsky, Andrew McPheron, and Josh Horne unpack John 1:19–28, where John the Baptist boldly prepares the way for Jesus. As questions swirl about his identity, John declares with humility and clarity, “I am not the Christ,” pointing beyond himself to the One who is coming.Together, we explore:• How John the Baptist models gospel-centered humility• The prophetic significance of “a voice crying out in the wilderness”• What it means to live as a witness, not the main character• The tension between religious expectations and true messiahship• How wcan we prepare the way for Jesus in our own relationships and communitiesLinks:• The Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John • Jesus the King by Timothy Keller This episode encourages listeners to live as witnesses for Christ—clearly, boldly, and faithfully.#PrepareTheWay #JohnTheBaptist #JesusIsGreater #GospelWitness #John1 #BiblePodcast #Evangelism #JesusEveryDay

Basic Bible Study | Matthew, Mark, Luke & John (Part 3) This is part 3 of 6 In today's podcast, join Chris and Robyn as they continue their discussion in Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. Here is a breakdown of what was discussed: - John the Baptist knew his role was to pave the way & prepare people for Jesus - our true mission is to influence people to follow Christ, not us - Herod put John the Baptist in jail - the Pharisees resented Jesus' popularity as well as His message which challenged many of their teachings - Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABOUT Opening a Bible for the first time can be intimidating. Join Amy & Robyn in an easy-to-follow discussion. This Basic Bible Study is perfect for beginners & those who have never read the Bible. Look for new podcasts every Tuesday & Friday! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIBLE RESOURCES https://biblehub.com/ https://www.bible.com/ http://betterdaysarecoming.com/bible/pronunciation.html https://biblespeak.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/mybasicbiblestudy WEBSITE http://www.mybasicbiblestudy.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can contact us via e-mail or regular old snail-mail: Basic Bible Study 7797 N. 1st St. #34 Fresno, CA 93720 basicbiblestudy19@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Message - Alex Stack  Scripture - Acts 9 Date - May 18th, 2025  

Message - Alex Stack Scripture - Acts 9 Date - May 18th, 2025

Join us as we explore Matthew 11 and the story of John the Baptist, diving into how we can navigate disappointment in our spiritual journey. Discover practical tools to maintain faith and hope when life takes unexpected turns. Whether you're on a high or facing a challenging season, this message offers encouragement and insights to help deepen your trust in God. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more uplifting content!Join us Sunday's 8:15 | 10:00 | 11:45 Authentic Church 2416 N Center St Hickory, NC 28601 GIVING To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: https://authenticchurch.com/give GET CONNECTED Ready to check out Authentic Church in person? We can't wait to meet you in person. Simply fill out the form below and we'll make sure to give you the VIP treatment upon your first visit. https://authenticchurch.com/plan-a-visit ABOUT AUTHENTIC CHURCH Authentic Church exists so that people will have an authentic encounter with God, be set free, and grow in Christ. Our mission is to help each person at Authentic believe in Jesus, belong to family, inspire true worship, walk in God's Spirit, and build the kingdom of God.

Text UsLuke 7:18-28This week on the One Truth they guys pick up in Luke 7, with a question posed by John The Baptist - and we see tons of info in Jesus' answer to him. Old Testament prophets, Old Testament prophecy, and the Savior who was to come and did, all wrapped up in this week's episode, as it heats up across Texas and summer time comes upon us. 

Discover the transformative power of living all-in with the Holy Spirit in this powerful sermon, "To The Ends of The Earth: Living All-In with The Holy Spirit." This message explores the life-changing promise of the Father—the baptism in the Holy Spirit—and its vital role in empowering believers to boldly share the gospel and deepen their faith. Learn how biblical prophecy, from Abraham's covenant to John the Baptist's declaration, reveals God's unchanging plan for salvation and hope. Through key passages in Matthew 3, Acts 1, and Genesis 12, this sermon unpacks the profound significance of the Holy Spirit as a source of strength and guidance for living out your faith. It's a timely reminder that Jesus not only calls us to salvation but also commissions us to be His witnesses, filled with the Spirit's dynamite power to reach "to the ends of the earth." If you've been seeking a deeper connection with God or wondering about the next steps in your spiritual journey, this message offers guidance and encouragement. Jesus' present-day ministry continues to build His church, and His promise of the Spirit is as relevant today as it was at Pentecost. Embrace the call to live fully for Jesus and experience the incredible blessing of the Holy Spirit. Take this moment to respond to the message of faith, hope, and salvation. If you're ready to follow Jesus and explore what it means to walk in the fullness of His Spirit, we're here to help guide your next steps. Let this message inspire you to live boldly, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and make an eternal impact for His kingdom.

In this episode, we once again return to the Christ myth, in our search for the devil in Science Fiction with The Matrix. The Christ Myth is usually the story of a chosen one, a demi god, not exactly god but more than human with supernatural powers coming to rescue us all from evil. I would argue, Matrix is the most blatant and obvious of our Christ myth stories.  Special guest stars include Keanu Reeves, Thomas Anderson, Neo, Kung Fu, Trinity, John the Baptist, Morpheus, Jesus, River Jordan, red pill, Roman, Ovid, Metamorphoses, Cypher, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Oasis, Blur, Niki Minaj, Lil' Kim, Agent Smith, Wachowskis, Geocites, Sydney, 2000 Olympics, Australia, Melbourne, Athens, Greeks, Olympic Games, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, George Lucas, Star Wars, The Phantom Menace, September 11, 2001,   #666 #SketchComedy #Sketch #Comedy #Sketch Comedy #Atheist #Science #History #Atheism #Antitheist #ConspiracyTheory #Conspiracy #Conspiracies #Sceptical #Scepticism #Mythology #Religion #Devil #Satan #Satanism #Satanist #Skeptic #Debunk #Illuminati #Podcast #funny #sketch #skit #comedy #comedyshow #comedyskits #HeavyMetal #weird #leftist #SatanIsMySuperhero #ScienceFiction #SciFiSend us a text

It's pretty easy to get caught up in being jealous of the success of others, but thankfully, John the Baptist gives us a recipe for humility! www.renovationchurch.org

This week, we’ll be in John 3:22–30, where John the Baptist gives us a powerful example of what it means to find joy in becoming less so that Christ may become more. In a world that often tells us to seek recognition and status, we’ll be reminded that true joy is found not in making much of ourselves, but in making much of Jesus.

Many parts of the world indulge in what is called ‘the blame game.' Very few admit anything is their fault – and lawyers become very wealthy! There is less and less genuine honesty in our world: men and women may deceive one another – but God is never deceived!In Paul's 1st letter to the Thessalonians he is exceedingly anxious for news of them. He worries as to whether they are standing firm in the faith. His letter to them, we read today, shows he is relieved “that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love …” [3 v.6], adding, “we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.” [v.7,8]What causes us to “live”? Is it the same as what causes Paul? He is keen to visit them and see them “face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?” [v.10] Is anything lacking in our faith? Those striving to be true believers today have greater and greater challenges that threaten to undermine their faith.We particularly noted Paul's next words, ”may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness” [v.12,13] That word “establish” indicates a strengthening so your heart, your outlook on life becomes ‘fixed' How fixed is your mind?It is very interesting that it is the same Greek word as Jesus used in warning Peter of the ordeal he would face in and after the Garden of Gethsemane. He told Peter, “but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” [Luke 22 v,32] We all need to strengthen our hearts so that they are established and become “blameless.” The Greek word here is first used in Luke 1 v.6 about the parents of John the Baptist that they were “walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord”Our reading, meditation and prayers on God's word are the source of the ‘glue' to fix our minds – that will “establish” our “hearts blameless” – so that when “the Lord himself (will) descend from heaven with a cry of command with the voice of an archangel… then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up … to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” [4 v.16,17] And where will the Lord be? He will establish a world-wide kingdom as we read on Monday in Isaiah ch, 2 v.2-5.Paul ends his letter with another pressing appeal and prayer, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord … He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” [5 v.23,24] He will surely do it, – so let us “establish” our “hearts.”

In a world where our identity is constantly challenged by comparison, criticism, and change, this message reminds us of the unshakable truth: our identity is not something we achieve—it's something we receive from Christ. When we know whose we are, we can live with clarity, confidence, and peace, no matter what comes our way. John the Baptist knew who he was, and who he wasn't and his own confession and realization of his identity teaches us today.

Introduction: Two Problems Jesus Has with Divorce (Matthew 5:31–32): Divorce TRIVIALIZES MARRIAGE. (Matt 5:31) Genesis 2:24 – Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Deuteronomy 24:1–4 – When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. Divorce RESULTS In ADULTERY. (Matt 5:32) Ephesians 5:24–25 – Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her... Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 5:31-32 & Mark 10:2-12What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What are some beliefs you've heard Christians believe about divorce and remarriage? How do these line up with Scripture?Explain what Jesus meant in Matt 5:32, how someone's divorce even leads to other people committing adultery.How exactly would you counsel a trusted Christian friend who is considering divorce?BreakoutPray for one another. Audio Transcript Matthew chapter 5, are you there?This section we are in on the Sermon on the Mount is about the heart of God's law.And we saw that Jesus said, "I didn't come to abolish the law or destroy the law."That's what we would call the Old Testament.Jesus said, "I didn't come to do away with the Old Testament."He said, "I came to carry out everything that was said in it."It's not irrelevant at all.And through this section you're going to see, as we've already seen many times, Jesus says,"You have heard that it was said, but I say to you."And when Jesus says that, what He's saying is, "You've lowered God's standard."And Jesus is correcting them, and He's correcting us when we take the Word of God and just makeit purely external.God wants your heart.God wants your heart.That's what we saw a couple of weeks ago.Pastor Taylor taught us, Jesus said, "Murder isn't just the physical act of killing someone.It's a heart issue."We saw last week adultery is not just the physical act.It's a heart issue.And in these verses we're looking at today, Jesus is continuing His teaching on the destructivenessof adultery.And today we're going to talk about divorce.And look, there's so much controversy on this topic.And if we're going to be honest, the controversy doesn't come really from God's Word becausethe Bible is clear.The reason there's so much controversy is because if you are a divorced person, thisgets very personal and it gets very painful.And look, I've done so many weddings over the past 20-some years, so many weddings.And I can tell you emphatically that nobody gets into marriage wanting a divorce.That doesn't happen.I've never seen the wedding ceremony where the vows include something like, "I can'twait to be done with you."Or "I love you today, but in six months I will hate you more than anybody on the planet."Nobody thinks that.Nobody expects that.And when divorce happens, it's always, it's just always so painful.And we get through a passage like, "Look, I know some of you are going to be temptedto tune out because you're going to think, 'Well, you know what, Jeff, you don't knowmy circumstances.'And you're right.I don't.I don't know your circumstances."And I'm certainly not trying to be dismissive of the pain that you've gone through.And I'm certainly not trying to be judgmental for what brought about your divorce if that'syour situation.And I'm also keenly aware that I cannot exhaust everything that the Bible says on the subjectin just one sermon.What I want us all to do, it's nothing new.I just want us to do what we do every week.We're just going to take a giant step back and we're going to see what our Lord sayson the subject.And we're going to see Jesus speaks on divorce here.And I can't undo anything that happened in the past, nor can you as much as we mightwant to.It's gone.But I'm hoping with this message that we can prevent any future pain and hurt that comesfrom divorce.So let's look at Matthew chapter 5, looking verses 31 and 32.Jesus says, "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate ofdivorce.'But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality,makes her commit adultery and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."What is going on in these verses?Well, first of all, look at verse 31.Jesus says, "It was also said," what?Jesus gives a quote, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce."You're like, is that what the Old Testament says?Ish.Here's the problem.This statement was used by the scribes and the Pharisees as a gross misrepresentationof a passage in the Old Testament.So does the Old Testament say that?Yeah, it kind of does, but they took a direction that the Lord never intended it to go.The scribes and the Pharisees took a passage from Deuteronomy, we're going to look at herein a few moments, and they twisted it for their own purposes.Jesus says, "But I say to you," and this is one of the most difficult verses in yourBible.Jesus says, "I say, everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexualimmorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commitsadultery."So here's the short version.See the scribes and the Pharisees, as I said, twisted this passage in Deuteronomy, and theyreduced it to this.Look, divorce and remarriage is okay as long as it's legal.As long as you do the paperwork, it's fine.It's just fine.It is just fine.And I think it's obvious that Jesus did not agree with their assessment because He saiddivorce leads to adultery.That's the short version.So let's unpack that a little bit today.On your outline, excuse me, we're just very simply calling this "two problems Jesus haswith divorce."All right, let's look at these two verses very intently, and we see there's two problemsthat Jesus has with divorce.Number one, write this down, divorce trivializes marriage.Divorce trivializes marriage.That's the problem.Quick review, marriage was defined once and for all to the first two people that God created,Adam and Eve.And I know there have been attempts to redefine marriage.It doesn't matter.God defined marriage once and for all.With the first two people that He created, Adam and Eve, and the most important versein your Bible on marriage is Genesis 2.24.It says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to hiswife, and they shall become one flesh."That's the most important verse in the Bible about marriage.And I can say that emphatically because when Jesus was asked about marriage and divorce,this was the verse He quoted, Matthew 19, Mark chapter 10, when the Apostle Paul waswriting about marriage and divorce and husband and wife issues, this was the verse He quoted,1 Corinthians chapter 6, Ephesians chapter 5.God's plan in marriage is two people turning into one person.That's the plan.There's not a relationship on the earth like that.Not a business partnership.Not members of a sports team.There's nothing like the marriage relationship.This was God's intention of marriage in the very beginning.I want two people to turn into one person.And when you study Genesis, you'll see divorce was never part of God's original design formarriage.Like, "All right, well, if it wasn't part of God's plan, where did divorce come from?Where did this idea for divorce come from?"So allowance was made for divorce in the Old Testament law.I want you to look at this.We're going to put this passage on the screen.I want you to look at it very closely because this is the passage that's in question herewhere Jesus is confronting the scribes and the Pharisees.This is from Deuteronomy chapter 24.Because, again, Law of Moses here, when a man takes a wife and marries her, if thenshe finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her and he writesher a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house andshe departs out of his house and she goes and becomes another man's wife and the latterman hates her and writes her certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sendsher out of his house.Or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, whosent her away, that's husband number one, may not take her again to be his wife aftershe has been defiled for that as an abomination before the Lord.And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for aninheritance.Now listen, it's a tough passage but we're going to get through this together.Here's what Moses was saying.Divorce had to have a cause.And here it's defined in the Law as some "indecency."It could have been a natural or a moral or a physical defect or whatever.It had to be something that they categorized as unclean, whatever that is.This limited the possible reasons for divorce.This was the purpose, understand.The reason Moses wrote this Law was so that a man couldn't just divorce his wife for anyreason whatsoever.Just make up some excuse, something frivolous.I'm just divorcing you because I feel like it.I don't like the meatloaf you made or I don't like your new haircut or those shoes lookhorrible.You can't just willy nilly divorce your wife.Moses is saying, "Look, there has to be a reason for the divorce."So this was actually to emphasize the importance of marriage.Like, well why would he allow the divorce then?Why go through this?Don't miss this.The purpose of divorce in this case in Deuteronomy 24 was to protect the woman.You see, when you give her the certificate of divorce, that woman had legal proof that,listen, she was dismissed from the marriage but it was not because she was unfaithful.You see that certificate for the woman showed, "Look, I did not have an affair.My husband found something wrong with me and dismissed me but it wasn't because I wasunfaithful."That's what's going on in Deuteronomy 24.But I want you to see here, listen, because this is where the Pharisees and the scribesmissed it.In Deuteronomy 24, there is not a command to divorce.That passage is just simply describing a scenario.In that passage, if we're going to boil it down, we would say this, they were told towrite a certificate of divorce if there was a divorce.The only command that you see in this passage, the only one in that passage is this, if youdivorce your wife, you cannot take her back if she's rejected by her next husband.Or if he croaks, you cannot take her back.Again, the reason for this was to protect the woman.It was to keep women from being used and discarded.It was to keep men who are hogs admittedly, it's to keep men from saying, "You know what?I'm going to try out women."But you know what?My first wife was better than this one.So I'm going to get rid of her and I'm going to take the first one back because I preferredher.That's a horrible, horrible way to treat a woman.See, that's the heart of the law here.Like God's like, "No, no, no, no, no, you're not going to treat women that way, men.This isn't a high school relationship, boyfriend, girlfriend, on again, off again.No, no, no, no, no, no.We're not treating women like that.Marriage is a very serious covenant and you're not going to just have a woman on a leashwhere you let her go and you anchor back and let her go and you anchor back.No, you are not allowed to do that."That's the heart of the law here.Deuteronomy 24 was intended to stop divorce from happening willy-nilly.Everybody on board with me now.Okay, because now I want you to see how the scribes and the Pharisees twisted it.Look at verse 31 again in Matthew chapter 5.Jesus quotes them.He says, "It was also said, whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate ofdivorce."What the scribes and the Pharisees did was through their twisting this passage, theyactually made it say the opposite of what God intended.They used this passage to justify easy divorce, that you can get a divorce for any reasonat all so long as the paperwork is done.That's what they reduced this to.Like, well look, you studied the Old Testament, it tells you very plainly.If you get a divorce, make sure that all the documents are filled out appropriately.That's really all that matters, right?That's all that matters.Just that we signed on the right line and we crossed our T's and we dotted our I's.That's really what matters.As long as you do the paperwork, as long as the divorce is legal, hey, everybody's goodwith that because everything's above board then, right?I mean, I'm not like one of those illegal divorcers, right?You know, that I get some janky, unofficial, illegal divorce document from online, fromthe dark webs.I'm not like that guy.You better be sure that when I get a divorce, it's done right.That was their mindset.The Law of Moses commands divorce to be done legally, so make sure that you do it right.And see, that's Jesus' problem with their attitude.He says your attitude about divorce trivializes marriage.And you have justified in your mind the mistreatment of women in the name of making sure the paperworkis filled out properly.That's not what the Law is about, Jesus is saying.Now, over the years, I have heard all kinds of unbiblical justifications for people wantinga divorce.And I don't even have time to get into all that today.And we're going to get to the biblical reason for divorce in a moment.But we need to stop here and say, listen, marriage should not be taken so lightly amongGod's people.The scribes and the Pharisees were so diligent to make sure that the divorce was done right.We church should be so diligent to make sure that the marriage is done right.So that's the first problem Jesus has with divorce.You trivialize marriage.You trivialize marriage.Not on board with that.But here's the second problem Jesus says I have with your attitude towards divorce.Scribes, Pharisees, church in 2025, divorce results in adultery.Look at verse 32 again.Like I said, this is a difficult verse.But this is what our Lord said.Jesus said, but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the groundof sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery.And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.So Jesus is saying, listen, with divorce, even when the paperwork is done properly, divorceleads to nothing but more and more adultery.And I think one of the troubling things about this passage is I could see in my mind thatI make choices that cause me to be guilty and suffer consequences for my own choices.But it's very clear here in verse 32, Jesus is saying that a choice for a divorce resultsin other people being guilty of sin.That's a tough pill to swallow, but that's what He said.What does He mean?In Deuteronomy 24, that passage we just looked at, when the woman was divorced for somethingless than sexual immorality, which by the way, sexual immorality breaks the bond of marriage,but in the Deuteronomy 24 case, she was divorced for something less than that, right?Jesus said, even when you divorce for less than sexual immorality, that still makes foran adulterous situation.Jesus said the divorced wife moves on, she consummates a new union when there was nogrounds to break the first one, and if you do that, if you divorce like that, you arenow guilty of adultery, and whoever marries that woman is guilty of adultery, and whoevermarries you is guilty of adultery.And Jesus is saying when you unbiblically break the marriage covenant and people gooff and get remarried, He says now we've resulted in more and more adultery happening in otherpeople.That's what He said.He says now everybody's guilty.So what Jesus is saying to the scribes and the Pharisees is that you could sit here andsay, "Oh, I'm not an adulterer.I have never slept with another man's wife.I have never committed adultery."Jesus says you shouldn't think that way.Actually, you've made adultery worse because you have such a shallow view of divorce.Jesus said you lowered God's standard because all you're focused on is the external.I didn't commit adultery.Jesus said you did.You commit adultery when you look at a woman lustfully.It proves that you already had adultery in your heart.And furthermore, when you divorce without biblical grounds, which Jesus says is sexualimmorality, Jesus said you have committed adultery and you've made her and you've made her newhusband commit adultery too.Your sin not only affects you, but it affects so many more people than just you.And I really don't have to sell people who have experienced divorce how far reachingthe damage goes.The pain is not limited to just the two people in the marriage.I mentioned biblical grounds for divorce.Biblically, now looking at the whole counsel of God, I believe that there is one biblicalgrounds for divorce and it's hardheartedness.Like wait, wait, wait, wait.How do you know when somebody is heart-hearted?Because it would be real easy, right?You're like, "I'm divorcing you because I think you're heart-hearted."Like how do you know that somebody is heart-hearted?Biblically, heart-heartedness in a marriage manifests in two ways.One is abandonment.I don't have time to get into all this today, but just jot down 1 Corinthians 7 verse 15.Abandonment.When you have a spouse who just walks out of the marriage, "I'm not willing to counsel,I'm not willing to reconcile, I'm not willing to consider anything, I'm leaving you, I don'tcare.I am done."Abandonment.My best understanding from Scripture is that is biblical grounds for divorce.When you've tried, but your partner is completely unwilling.That gives evidence that their heart is so hard, they're not willing at all to investin a covenant.Abandonment.And the other evidence of heart-heartedness in marriage, well Jesus references here,and that's adultery.Your heart is so hard towards your spouse that you were willing to physically sleepwith somebody else.It's evidence of a heart-hearted.I want you to listen very closely because even these conditions, even the issue of adulterydoes not obligate anyone to divorce.Because you study God's Word.God's Word never condones divorce and it never commands divorce.There is not one passage in your Bible where God says, "If this happens, I command my peopleto get a divorce."That it is legitimate in abandonment and adultery, but it's still not commanded.So if you're married, you should do everything that you can to avoid divorce.See the scribes and the Pharisees, they live their marriages with one hand over the ejectseat button.It's like I'm not happy with you for any reason.I am done.Jesus said, "No, no, no, no, no, that's not how it should be.You should do everything you can to avoid divorce."You're like, "Well, what about abuse?What if I'm in a relationship where there's abuse that absolutely should not be happening?"And listen, if you're in an abusive situation, you need to let me know as soon as possible.Because we will protect you.We will get you out of harm's way.We will do everything to keep you from being abused.That should not be happening.Somebody else would say, "Well, what about neglect?What about detachment?What about my husband's a lazy bum?Do not be too proud to get biblical counsel.Because there's something else I've seen over the last two and a half decades or so.No marriage is beyond saving.I've seen couples come in hours away from filing for divorce whose marriage ended upin a better place than it ever has been through the result of the ministry of the Word ofGod.If both parties are willing, the marriage can be saved.And when we talk about, yes, abuse and neglect and things like that, we have to readily admitthat there are extreme cases that require extreme action, 100%.But in our day, like in Jesus' day, the vast majority of divorces weren't because of that.The vast majority of divorces were motivated by sinful, selfish desires.The vast majority of divorces result from people treating people like used cars.Like, "Well, this one isn't working out for me.I thought I would like it, but I'm not really digging it anymore.I'm just going to trade it in."That's most divorces.And Jesus says, "Now, you've reduced the marriage covenant.You've trivialized it.You've made it purely external.And now, as a result, all kinds of adultery is happening because you're unwilling to takemarriage seriously."That should not be among God's people.It's a hard passage.What I want us to do, just so I don't want anybody to think that this is some oddballpassage, this is a one-off.Because I want you to turn to Mark chapter 10, because what I want you to see here isJesus teaching the exact same thing, but in a different context.In Mark chapter 10, the context, you'll see they were testing Jesus.They were trying to trap Jesus.They were always trying to trap Jesus.And they thought, "Oh, we know how to trap Jesus.We'll ask Him about marriage and divorce.That'll get them for sure.Why?"Well, you know the story of John the Baptist.He objected to a marriage and divorce, and he lost his head.And I go, "We get Jesus on that.They'll get them for sure.We'll trap them."So I want you to see, now we have context, but I want you to see Jesus teaching the exactsame thing, but in a different context.Mark chapter 10, verse 2, "The Pharisees came up and in order to test Him asked, 'Is it lawfulfor a man to divorce his wife?'"They're like, "We got them.We got them."Slam dunk.Because, see, if Jesus says no, we're like, "Oh, you disagree with the Old Testament,which tells us to get a divorce."If Jesus says no, you shouldn't get a divorce, rather.You're disagreeing with the Old Testament.If Jesus says, "Oh, yeah, you can get a divorce.Oh, now Jesus is taking marriage lightly, and we're going to get Him either way."You know, Jesus is disregarding the serious system of marriage, or He's disregarding whatthe Old Testament says about divorce.We got them.We got them."Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"I love this.Jesus answered them, "What did Moses command you?"Jesus is like, "What's the Bible say?"Turned it back on them.They said, "Look at this.Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away."Do you see?It's about the stinking paperwork again.That's all they were fixated on.Yeah, Moses said, "Fill out form A-27, and you're good."Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart," there it is, "because of yourhardness of heart," He wrote to this commandment."But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and thetwo shall become one flesh."Sound familiar?Genesis 2.24.And Jesus comments on it.He says, "So they're no longer two, but one flesh.But therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."Verse 10 says, "And in the house the disciples asked him again."That's controversial, wasn't it?Disciples asked him again about this matter.And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adulteryagainst her.And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."See, it's the same teaching.Same two points in this exchange that we see in Matthew chapter 5.Jesus says you've trivialized marriage, and it just causes more adultery.God takes marriage very seriously, especially to those who claim to be followers of JesusChrist.Why is God so...Why does God seem so strict about marriage?Why is God seems so serious about marriage?It's because divorce ultimately misrepresents God.See God takes marriage seriously because there's a picture that's to be on displayin the marriage.So when that picture is broken, God is misrepresented.Ephesians chapter 5 tells us what the picture is.It says, "Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everythingto their husbands."Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.See this, this is the idea behind marriage.The ultimate goal of marriage is the ultimate goal of everything else in the universe isto glorify God.And the way God is glorified in your marriage is by demonstrating the relationship thatJesus Christ has with His bride, the church.And in this picture, the wife represents the church following, submitting, honoring, andthe husband is to represent Jesus loving, leading, laying His life down.And when you live this out, God is glorified and your marriage is blessed.But when you divorce, you're misrepresenting God.So my friends, what are we showing the world about God and the way we conduct ourselvesin our marriages?Our worship team and communion servers would come up.It's only appropriate that we close by gathering around the Lord's table.Like, well, what does this have to do with marriage?The answer is everything.Because we gather around the Lord's table, we are reminded that Jesus Christ has a covenantlove for us.This love that Jesus Christ has for us is forever.It's never going to change.And even when His bride fails Him, and we do.Oh, and we will.Jesus isn't going to give up on us.This is our reminder of what covenant love looks like.And this is a reminder of how covenant love is to be demonstrated in our marriages.

John the Baptist expresses doubt that Jesus is the Saviour that he had prophesied would come. The mystery of Jesus' revelation begins as He invites all troubled souls to come and find rest in Him. Who will see and behold the glory of Jesus?

(Matthew 11:7-15) The only testimony that matters in the end is the one the all-knowing God gives about our life. Discover how your life can make an even greater impact than the man Jesus called the greatest. What will your testimony be? (09119250516) 

Recently, my brother Scott acquired our dad’s military service records from World War II. As I studied the pages, there was nothing startling or shocking—nothing about who Dad was. There were mere facts. Data. It was interesting to read but ultimately dissatisfying because I didn’t come away feeling like I learned anything new about Dad. Thankfully, in giving us a record of the life and work of Jesus, the four gospels are much more than just data. They are descriptions that reveal who Jesus was in His time on this earth as well as what He did and said. In Mark’s gospel, that record was for the purpose of proving Mark’s thesis statement: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (1:1). Immediately, Mark tells us how John the Baptist testified about this Messiah. John said, “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie” (v. 7). Mark’s account makes it clear that Jesus is the Son of God. As John the disciple added in his own account of Jesus’ life, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). The evidence of Jesus’ life is abundant. These questions remain: what does He mean to you? How has He changed your life?

Mind game: a psychological tactic used to ___________ or _______________. The devil will attack us with ___________. When doubt comes it can ________________ our faith or ________________ our faith. [John 1:29-30] The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! [30] He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.' John is the first one to _____________ that Jesus is the Messiah. [Matthew 11:2-3] John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Even people with strong faith ask __________ _______________ in stressful times. [Matthew 11:4-11] Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— [5] the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” [6] And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” [7] As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? [8] Or were you expecting to see a man 'dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. [9] Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. [10] John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.' [11] “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! John had doubts, but instead of ________________ on them, he ___________________ them. [James 1:5-8] Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. [6] But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, [8] being double-minded and unstable in all his ways. Doubt HAPPENS. Doubt causes us to focus on what we ___________ do rather than on what God __________ do. Doubt should drive us to seek ______________. [Luke 11:9-10] “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

In this episode of our It's Personal series through the Gospel of John, we're joined by Pastor Mark, our lead pastor, Jay Austin and Harmony Charters, for a powerful conversation on John 3:22-30 titled “Confident Humility.” Together, we unpack the struggle of comparison—especially in the age of social media—and how it quietly robs us of joy and clarity in our purpose.We explore what it means to live like John the Baptist, who boldly declared, “I am not the Christ,” and modeled a life pointing others to Jesus, not himself. From the imagery of a wedding to the challenge of letting Christ increase while we decrease, we dive into what it means to live with true humility without losing confidence.You'll hear personal reflections, real-life examples, and honest dialogue about pride, identity, and what it really looks like to find freedom by embracing our God-given roles. Whether you're wrestling with comparison or seeking deeper purpose, this episode offers encouragement to step out of the spotlight and into joyful surrender.Website: www.churchatviera.comEmail: sharinggrace@churchatviera.com

(Luke 1) A great home has more to do with what you put into it than what you take out of it. One vital ingredient is repeated three times in the home of John the Baptist. Apply it to your family and see how God uses it! (09118250515) 

Pastor Bryan shares the second half of a lesson from John 3. Dr. Chapell investigates the life of John the Baptist who first declared the coming of Jesus, and is later sent out by Him on mission. It is a life full of great trial, but also the promise and hope of grace. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1286/29

Someone is going to teach the next generation. It may be the secular humanist, the atheist, or the skeptic. It should be a father and mother full of faith in God. Learn from the example of John the Baptist's parents how to instruct your children for the Lord. 

Wednesday, 14 May 2025   And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Matthew 10:7   “And going, you proclaim, saying that ‘It has neared – the kingdom of the heavens'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told His twelve to specifically go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Next, He instructs them, “And going, you proclaim, saying.”   Jesus uses the same word that has been used several times already, kérussó. It signifies to proclaim or herald an announcement. HELPS Word Studies says of it, “bringing eternal accountability to all who hear it.”   Consider it! Jesus is sending His chosen twelve out among the people of Israel. He has already been conducting His ministry for some amount of time, but the harvest field is so ready for reaping that He has decided to send forth those who have followed Him and learned from Him to expand the process. What words will He ask them to proclaim? The answer is “that ‘It has neared – the kingdom of the heavens.'”   In Matthew 3:2, the first recorded words of John the Baptist were, “Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens!” Likewise, in Matthew's gospel, after His baptism and temptation, the first words of Jesus' ministry to the people were, “Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens!”   Now Jesus instructs these disciples to likewise tell the people that the kingdom of the heavens has neared. In each instance, there is the anticipation that a great change in the economy and focus of God's redemptive plans is set to take place.   This is just the beginning of the instruction to these men. In Luke 9, there is a complementary account of Jesus' instructions to the twelve. That is followed in Luke 10 with Jesus sending out seventy more to continue the proclamation throughout Israel.   Life application: A common question that arises concerns the terms “kingdom of the heaven(s),” and “kingdom of God.” The words are certainly used interchangeably at times. For example, Jesus says that the kingdom of God is the kingdom of the heavens in Matthew 19 –   “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'”  Matthew 19:23, 24   In those two verses, which are given in parallelism, He is clearly indicating that they are the same thing. The term kingdom of the heaven(s) is not used in the epistles. Rather, they refer to the kingdom of God. However, Paul does say that the Lord would deliver him and preserve him for His heavenly kingdom.   As such, there is certainly overlap in the thought. At times, however, it is clear that the promised kingdom to Israel is a literal earthly kingdom. This is how the disciples understood it when asking Him about the restoration of the kingdom in Acts 1:6.   The best approach to understanding the idea of a kingdom, then, is to check the surrounding context to see what is spoken of. God is working through time and dispensations in various ways to bring man to a state of restoration.   As He does this, a kingdom is either set up or being set up that is being expressed in various ways, actual or anticipated. In Romans 14, Paul speaks of the kingdom as a reality for believers now, and yet it is something that is only so positionally, as indicated elsewhere. The actual kingdom is something anticipated for believers at this time.   As such, it is good not to get overly dogmatic about things but rather to consider that there is a positional belonging and an actual belonging that may apply in one way or another.   For us, because of faith in Christ, we can be reassured that we are accepted into the kingdom now, even if we have to await the rapture to be actually received into the marvelous blessing of the kingdom that lies ahead for us. Be assured that Christ has accepted you if you have believed. Every good promise He has made will, therefore, be realized on that day.   Lord God, despite not yet being with You in heaven, we know we are with You through faith in what You have done. Help us to remember this in our times of trial and difficulty. We have a better and surer hope ahead than anything this fallen world can provide. May You come soon for Your people so that we can forever rejoice in Your presence. Amen.  

A look at John the Baptist and pointing to Christ from Mark 1:1-8 and a brief talk about repentance leading to mercy!Ben's Instagram and email: @ben.mitchell04 and ⁠bmmitch04@gmail.com⁠.          LACIDAR's Instagram and email: @lacidarpodcast and ⁠LACIDAR2020@gmail.com⁠.  LACIDAR Facebook: Lacidar

(Luke  1) The first family we are introduced to in detail in the New Testament is the family of John the Baptist. Each individual embodies a lesson that God has for our homes. Home is the greatest classroom on earth! (09116250513)  Find additional Bible study resources and Bible teaching at https://enjoyingthejourney.org/ Extend the work/ Enjoying the Journey provides thousands of Bible studies and resources for free worldwide. If you would like to help extend this Bible teaching, you may give at https://enjoyingthejourney.org/donations/ Thank You! All new and returning donors will receive FREE access to two of Scott's audiobooks (read by him). You may make a one-time gift or set up a fully customizable recurring donation.

Aloha and welcome to The Mission North Shore's podcast! Join us as Tripp explores key themes from Luke 1, focusing on Zacharias and Elizabeth's story and the prophecy of John the Baptist. In his message, he highlights the distinction between man-made traditions and true scriptural teachings, encouraging believers to live righteously and deal sincerely with sin. God bless and have a great week!

When pregnancy complications threaten the life of the mother, what does the Catholic Church actually teach? In this episode, Karlo Broussard clarifies the Church's position on morally complex medical cases. He explains the principle of double effect, what treatments are permissible, and why direct abortion is never considered a moral solution—even in rare or tragic circumstances. If you've heard myths about what the Church requires in these cases, this episode brings clarity and compassion. Join The CA Live Club Newsletter: Click Here Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 19:17 – What does the church teach on rare pregnancy complications and abortion? 34:20 – Is hocus pocus taken from the Latin of the words of consecration? Is it similar to book bell and candle? 43:03 – What does attachment to sin mean? 48:09 – At what point does a cardinal who is elected pope pick their new name? 51:03 – Is Mary considered the highest creature? If so, how does that relate to how Jesus says John the Baptist is the greatest?

Why did John the Baptist call Jesus the Lamb of God? How does the message of John the Baptist relate to us today? Rabbi Schneider shares that John the Baptist was a real, historical person. His purpose is what ours is today: 1. A voice crying in the wilderness and, 2. John the Baptist was a forerunner of Jesus. By pointing out Jesus as the Lamb of God, he introduces Jesus as the fulfillment of the ancient Passover Lamb from Exodus chapter 12. As John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness, so are we to also cry out in the wilderness to prepare the world for Jesus' return. The New Testament is not separate from the Old Testament. It's the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The Bible is for revealing God, but is not God. Expect God to reveal Himself to you as you learn more about God through the Bible.   Visit our website at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com

The Exodus Way E12 (Bonus Interview) — If we come to the New Testament without much knowledge of the Hebrew Bible, we may think that baptism is just something that John the Baptist made up and Jesus carried on for new disciples. But there are multiple levels of meaning in this practice, including ritual purification, Israel's passage through the Red Sea, entry into the promised land, and, most importantly for Jesus, a symbol of his death on our behalf. In this episode, Jon and Tim have a wide-ranging conversation with prolific author and theologian N.T. Wright about the meaning of baptism and its connections to the Exodus story.View all of our resources for The Exodus Way →CHAPTERSWelcoming N.T. Wright (0:00-10:20)Baptism as Repentance and Ushering in the Kingdom (10:20-33:17)Baptism as Death and New Life in the Messiah (33:17-47:37)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode's official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESN.T. Wright mentions the online learning platform Admirato, which hosts dozens of his theology courses.God's Big Picture Bible Storybook by N. T. Wright“Sonnet X” or “Death, be not proud” from Holy Sonnets by John DonneYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Faithful” by Marc Vanparla“Sanctuary” by Asaph's ArrowsBibleProject theme song by TENTS SHOW CREDITSProduction of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who edited today's episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Special thanks to N.T. Wright.Powered and distributed by Simplecast.