Podcasts about Kingdom

Phoebe has a whole host of questions for the esteemed Dr Wyman about the crusades in this latest carpet time, spurred by our episode on Kingdom of Heaven (on the Patreon now for subscribers!). Expect Popes and dysentery. Milo will return next week. Catch Milo on tour here: www.miloedwards.co.uk/liveshows Get loads more episodes like this (and the entire Seinfeld back catalogue) on the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/mastersofpod

The church is more than just a building—it's the establishment of God's Kingdom on Earth. In Part 3 of our series, Pastor Alvin teaches that your dominion has been restored through Jesus Christ! It's time to stop the passivity and start using the authority you've been given to bring Heaven to Earth in your everyday life. This message gives you the scripture and practical examples you need to walk in that power. Listen now!     Scripture References: Matthew 4:23 Mark 16:15–19 John 15:5–8     ABOUT US At Nashville Life Church, our vision is dedicated to following Jesus & building leaders. We are here to point every person to Jesus Christ.   CONNECT Ready to connect? Click this link so we can stay in touch and get you connected here at Nashville Life: http://www.chrch.es/ap9bd   GIVE To support this ministry & help us continue to reach people all around the world: http://www.chrch.es/3a843   PRAYER REQUESTS If you have a prayer request or need, we'd love to pray with you. Click this link to let us know how we can pray with you: https://bit.ly/3fVDSDh

The word "smashing" has two meanings. To crush. And, something that is beautiful. It's interesting how the Christian life is built to reveal those two "smashings." On one hand, we are called to crush the spiritual powers that oppress the weak. And on the other hand, we are called to be beautified by the Holy Spirit, to be a Bride, holy and blameless. When we get these two "smashing" dimensions of the Christian life humming, the power of the Kingdom of Heaven is revealed on earth.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Job 17; Acts 24-26 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: TODAY'S DEVOTION: TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Livestream with Jonathan MS Pearce - The shocking slaying of Charlie Kirk has huge implications. Politicization and attempts to weaponize of this tragic event are inevitable. ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainDonate and Receive - Collectable PatchAUTUMN HARVEST TRUCKS 2025. Part of our 2025 patch collection. Everyone who contributes €100 (~$115) or more will be able to receive it.For our Autumn patch, we present the Galician Lion. The rampant lion represents power and intelligence. It has represented Western Ukrainian people since the 1100s. The Ruthenian lion, also known as the Ukrainian lion or Galician lion, was featured on the historic coat of arms of: The Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia (Ruthenia)1199-1349, The battle flag of the Lviv land in the Battle of Tannenberg, 1410 The Ruthenian Voivodeship (Administration) 1434-1772 and The Western Ukrainian People's Republic 1918-1919. The Ukrainian national liberation movement, 1948----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------

Jesus doesn't give signs to decode the end, but calls his people to endure deception, disaster, and difficulty with calm faithfulness, trusting that the gospel will advance until he returns.

Jeff McCullough is an ordained minister and has served in ministry for over 25 years, including 15 years in pastoral ministry. He holds a Master's in Biblical Studies from Moody Theological Seminary. Now serving in Utah, Jeff previously spent two decades preaching and leading in the St. Louis area. He focuses on using online platforms to create content that fosters curious, honest, and respectful interfaith conversations about faith, Jesus, and scripture. Jeff and his wife, Joy, have four children. Links @HelloSaints on YouTube @Hello.Saints on Instagram Fitting in With Other Christian Churches | A Discussion with Jeff McCullough When a Pastor Explores The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | An Interview with Jeff McCullough Allowing Our Pain to Turn Us to Christ | An Interview with Joy McCullough A Latter-day Saint Bishop Sits Down with Four Evangelical Pastors Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community Highlights Jeff discusses the evolution of his content creation, and his intentions regarding the Latter-day Saint community. The conversation centers on the dynamics of interfaith dialogue, the pitfalls of theological simplification, and the challenge of keeping Christ—rather than cultural rules or personal motives—at the center of Christian faith and ministry. Key Insights A Shift in Intent: Jeff's channel has evolved from initial exploration to intentionally maintaining a safe space for sustained, nuanced dialogue between Protestants and Latter-day Saints. His primary goal is to foster a conversation where all parties focus on the shared desire to see Christ "high and lifted up" [48:44]. Authenticity Over Stereotype: To improve dialogue, Jeff's method is to learn to recognize the authentic core beliefs of the Latter-day Saint tradition. This allows him to push past misconceptions and stereotypes, making for more efficient and productive conversation [06:13]. Beware of Theological Shorthand: Both traditions are guilty of using "theological shorthand," which reduces complex doctrine (e.g., heaven, grace) to superficial, culturally driven explanations. They encourage leaders to move past these simplifications to grasp the deeper, more complex theological concepts [12:42]. Bridging vs. Converting: They discuss the idea of Jeff converting, concluding that his ongoing role as a non-Latter-day Saint bridge-builder and model of interfaith respect is a more fruitful endeavor for the greater Kingdom than a simple conversion [52:03]. The Dangers of Cultural Gatekeeping: Jeff shares his concern over "cultural Christianity" in the Evangelical world, where non-essential cultural rules and political positions become the "litmus test" for faith, resulting in toxicity and obstructing the clarity of the gospel [57:33]. Faith Maturity: A mature faith should be able to sit with the complexity of opposing views and challenging historical or doctrinal issues. Viewing such dialogue as a threat indicates an opportunity for spiritual inoculation and growth [46:10]. Leadership Applications Prioritize the "Point": Leaders should distinguish between things that "matter" (secondary doctrinal debates, value systems) and "the point" (the centrality of Christ and the message of redemption), ensuring that cultural expectations do not overshadow the core gospel message [01:02:25]. Model Curiosity, not Criticism: Leaders should approach different faith traditions, complicated church history, and internal member struggles with curiosity over criticism to foster a culture of sincere, thoughtful engagement [01:04:40]. Address Motives Directly: Leaders should push back against cynical or superficial tropes like the misuse of the word "priestcraft," instead encouraging members to seek to understand a person's heart and genuine intentions [23:29]. The award-winning Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' miss...

Mold produces mycotoxins that get into your cells, tissues, organs and glands. It manifests first in walls after a water leak and then becomes airborne and you breathe the mold spores in. Once you're exposed, it causes a whole host of health and autoimmune issues.  Symptoms I've had (but not limited to)   *Note that these symptoms don't hit all at once and progressively get intensified the longer you're exposed. This is important to mention that just because you don't (yet) have intense symptoms, doesn't mean that it won't happen* -Chronic fatigue -Thyroid issues/swollen throat -Lack of drive and motivation -Brain fog (memory issues) -Poor sleep -Dizziness (Tommy got vertigo often and nose bleeds) -Histamine issues -Sinus issues, yellow/green snot (like you should only get with a cold) -Constant sneezing -Head and sinus pressure -Inflammation throughout whole body -Headaches (sharp pings) -Metallic taste in mouth Get your home checked! Make sure you're in a safe environment that's conducive to your healing. I'll be sharing all of the supplements I took inside of the Kingdom membership next week which you can get for free for 7 days!   Free 7 day trial to The Kingdom Membership and receive access to my entire course library ($5,500 value) immediately after you enroll. Free meditations and self paced courses and programs: https://taylorstone.samcart.com/products/taylorstonemastery/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtaylorstone   Website: https://iamtaylorstone.com  Email: info@iamtaylorstone.com     

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:Job 16; Acts 21-23 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, “October 25th, 2025,” your host and Bible Reading Coach, Hunter, guides us through a heartfelt journey in Scripture, exploring Job 16 and Acts 21-23. Together with listeners from around the world, we dive into the depths of discouragement found in Job's suffering and Paul's dangerous mission to Jerusalem. Hunter illuminates the resilience and faith shown by these biblical figures and encourages us to find comfort and hope in God's abiding love—especially when life gets hard. Through prayer, reflection, and the reminder of Christ's ever-present encouragement, this episode invites you to warm your heart by the fire of God's love and to carry that strength forward into your day. Let's gather, reflect, and be reminded: we are never alone. You are loved. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Jesus appears to Paul and tells him to be encouraged. Paul, you're going to be my witness here and in Rome. Paul had every reason to be discouraged. Many of his Jewish brothers who had come to Christ were looking with suspicion on him. They didn't quite understand his teaching regarding grace. Those who had rejected the way looked to kill him. He had been beaten and locked up. Once again, he was no doubt discouraged. And then there were those who warned and begged him all along the way not to go to Jerusalem. And all those ominous signs that were spoken to him were now coming to pass. It seemed to be playing out just as they said it would. It was at this lowest point, in the midst of all this discouragement, that Jesus appeared to Paul. Notice that Luke doesn't say that Paul saw Jesus in a vision. Jesus didn't send a holy hologram. Jesus shows up himself, inside the prison cell. And he told Paul to be encouraged. What an incredible moment that must have been for Paul. Imagine Jesus in the cell with you, talking to you, encouraging you. No doubt that moment sustained him for a long time. It encouraged him for many more days to come. Hard days. He had met with Jesus. So he knew that Jesus was somehow directing and overseeing all of this messed-up life that he was in the middle of. Some of you have experienced something like this. Maybe Jesus didn't physically show up with you in a prison cell, but at your lowest, when you were most discouraged, at that moment you experienced God's presence like none other. In the sweetest, most intimate of ways. You experienced an overwhelming sense that God was with you. The Holy Spirit has been given to us and he is called elsewhere in the Bible a counselor, a comforter and an encourager. He is someone who can encourage us when we are in the midst of our hardest moments. The Holy Spirit will shine the light on Jesus and shine the light of Jesus into your life. And when Jesus encourages us, we can hold on, we can keep going on, we can find strength. Jesus is in the room with us even now. Live encouraged. Be strengthened today by the abiding presence of Christ with you. That's the prayer that I have for my own heart. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters and my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Dr. Crawford Loritts takes a look at Jesus teaching about divorce. In part one of his message, Crawford outlines God’s vision and purpose for marriage.Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/livingalegacySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Regnum Christi Daily Meditation. Sign up to receive the text in your email daily at RegnumChristi.com

We have so many great questions that come in each week and only have time for a handful of them on our Weekly Cultural Update. So we're devoting this entire episode to your questions. This time the questions deal with the following: Is there a biblical mandate to vote?Should we use gene editing to cure Down syndrome?Where does national identity fit with our allegiance to God's Kingdom?Does God control everything in our lives?Should women be held criminally liable for their abortions? and that's just the beginning!Join us for this stimulating conversation about a variety of important issues. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.

If you want to unleash the power of God in every area of your life, it's going to take intentionally putting yourself under His rule. Dr. Tony Evans shares from his book “Unleashed: Releasing God's Glorious Kingdom in and Through You.” Check out Susie's new podcast God Impressions on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: click here

Read Online“‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?' He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'”  Luke 13:7–9How much good fruit is born from your life? This is an important question to answer honestly. One of the best ways to discern whether or not we are serving the will of God is to look at the fruit being born from our lives.Good fruit is born in various ways and manifests itself in various forms. However, the fruit you must look for is twofold. First, it is the fruit found within your own soul resulting from a life of true prayer and union with God. Second, we must look for the fruit that is born of charity in our actions toward others. When you look honestly at your own soul, what do you see? Often, you may see a sort of war within you in which your disordered passions and appetites fight against the Spirit of God. Good spiritual fruit will require interior purification. Through prayer, fasting, spiritual reading and the like, you must look for ways in which God's Spirit takes control of your disordered human nature and reorders it in accord with His holy will. Though we are all sinners and will all fall at times, we must work diligently to overcome every action, desire and temptation that we can objectively discern to be contrary to the will of God. At times, your fallen human nature can so forcefully draw you into sin that it can confuse your intellect and lead you to rationalization of your sins. But if you want the fruit of God's presence in your life, then you must continually choose to make your interior life a fruitful garden in which the virtues of God grow and are nourished in abundance. So, again, what do you honestly see as you look into your own soul?As God nourishes the virtues within us, and our disordered passions and appetites fall under the control of the Spirit of God, then we will also discover a need to allow the interior fruits of God's love to flow forth from our lives into the lives of others. We will begin to desire selfless and sacrificial living. We will begin to desire to put others first. We will consider others' lives as precious and filled with dignity. And we will overcome judgment, harshness, anger, and the like. We will find ourselves desiring the good of others and will supernaturally be drawn to do many small acts of kindness toward all. But it all starts with one's interior life which our Lord desires to cultivate and fertilize with His grace so that the interior fruits of His love will grow within and ultimately become very manifest in one's daily exterior actions toward all. Reflect, today, upon your soul being like this fig tree that has not been bearing fruit. See our Lord coming to you and asking you to allow Him to cultivate the ground and fertilize it. Know that this requires change on your part. If you are to bear good fruit, then you need this intervention by our Lord. Work with Him, be diligent, and do all you can to begin to bear an abundance of good fruit so that you are not among those who are ultimately cut down by God's justice. My laboring Lord, You never cease to work diligently to cultivate the soil of my soul so that the seeds of Your mercy will grow and produce the good fruit You desire to come forth from my life. Please give me the grace I need to be faithful to a daily life of prayer, a practice of penance and a search for Your holy Word. Transform me, dear Lord, and bring forth the good fruit of Your holy Kingdom in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Carl Rahl, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Job 15; Acts 19;-20 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode for October 24th, 2025, your host Hunter takes us through another inspiring day in our journey through the Bible. We begin with the story of Job—hearing Eliphaz's second response and wrestling with the questions of suffering, justice, and the nature of God. Then, we move into the Book of Acts, chapters 19 and 20, where we follow Paul's powerful ministry in Ephesus, witness miracles, confrontations with false teachers, public upheaval, and ultimately Paul's heartfelt farewell to church leaders he loves deeply. Hunter reflects on Paul's last message to the Ephesians—a message centered on God's grace, encouraging us to trust not in our own efforts, but in Christ alone. In the midst of life's chaos and busyness, Hunter invites us to ground ourselves in the peace and love of God, joining together in prayer and finding strength in the truth that we are deeply loved. Whether you're starting your day or looking for a moment of quiet, today's episode is all about embracing God's comfort, direction, and unfailing grace. Let's dive in together and draw closer to the heart of God. TODAY'S DEVOTION: I'm going to trust you. We hear Paul in Acts 20 saying farewell to a church that was dear to him, to people he had spent years with, nurturing, living among, pouring out his life for. He tells them this is his final message, entrusting them not to rules or traditions or a complicated system of religious effort, but to the message of God's grace—grace that builds us up and gives us what we need. “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those who have been set apart for himself.” This isn't just any message. It's the only message Paul gives. It's the good news that what we need most—life, forgiveness, inheritance, a way forward—comes to us through Christ alone. We so easily twist this message, turning our attention away from Jesus and onto ourselves—our striving, our trying, our religious observance—as if we could earn or construct what has already been given. But grace is not about trying harder, hoping we measure up or wondering if we've done enough. Grace is about resting, trusting, and participating in the life of Christ, knowing that he is enough to make us new, equip us for all of life, and bring us into the fullness of God's love. Paul's final charge is simple: build your life on this message. Trust that the work is done, that Christ is enough. Step into his grace, the only ground safe enough and strong enough for our joy, our hope, and our peace. That's a prayer I have for my own soul. That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's a prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Almighty and ever loving God, you have brought us to the light of a new morning. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit that we may walk this day in peace. Guard our steps from temptation. Shield us from the weight of fear and shame, and lead us deeper into the joy of your presence, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. O Christ, light of the nations, shine in every place where shadows dwell. Call the scattered home. Heal the wounds of division and gather all people into the communion of your grace. May the knowledge of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Amen. And our Lord make my hands ready And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus and Senior Team Reporter Matt McMullen break down the Chiefs' upcoming matchup with the Washington Commanders, plus Xavier Worthy joins the show! Ari Wolfe also stops by to talk through some storylines from around the AFC West and the NFL as a whole.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this profound episode of the Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb delve deeply into the Parable of the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30), exploring its implications for Christian assurance. Building on their previous discussion, they examine how this parable speaks to the mixed nature of the visible church, the sovereignty of Christ over His kingdom, and most significantly, the doctrine of assurance. Through careful theological reflection, the hosts unpack how true believers can find solid ground for assurance not in their own works or fruit-checking, but in the promises of Christ and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. This episode offers both encouragement for those struggling with doubts and a sobering challenge to those resting in false assurance. Key Takeaways The Parable of the Tares teaches that the visible church will be mixed until the final judgment, containing both true believers (wheat) and false professors (tares) who may appear outwardly similar. True assurance is not based primarily on good works but on the promises of Christ, the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit, and the evidences of grace in our lives. False assurance is a real danger, as many who think they belong to Christ will discover at the final judgment that they never truly knew Him. The Westminster Confession of Faith (Chapter 18) provides a helpful framework for understanding biblical assurance as the proper possession of every Christian. Christ's role as the divine Master of the house (the world) and Lord of the angels is subtly yet powerfully affirmed in this parable, grounding our assurance in His sovereignty. Good works are the fruit of assurance, not its cause—when we are secure in our salvation, we are freed to serve Christ joyfully rather than anxiously trying to earn assurance. The final judgment will bring perfect clarity, revealing what was hidden and separating the wheat from the tares with divine precision that humans cannot achieve now. The Doctrine of Assurance: Reformed Understanding The Reformed tradition has always emphasized that believers can and should have assurance of their salvation—a conviction recovered during the Reformation in contrast to Rome's teaching. As Tony noted when reading from the Westminster Confession of Faith (Chapter 18), this assurance is "not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope, but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation." This assurance rests on three pillars: the promises of God in Scripture, the inward evidence of grace, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit witnessing with our spirit. What makes this understanding particularly comforting is that it shifts the foundation of assurance away from our performance to God's faithfulness. While self-examination has its place, the Reformed understanding recognizes that looking too intensely at our own hearts and works can lead either to despair or to false confidence. Instead, we're directed to look primarily to Christ and His finished work, finding in Him the anchor for our souls. The Problem of False Assurance One of the most sobering aspects of the Parable of the Tares is its implicit warning about false assurance. Just as the tares resemble wheat until maturity reveals their true nature, many professing Christians may outwardly appear to belong to Christ while inwardly remaining unregenerate. As Jesse observed, "The tares typically live under false assurance. They may attend church, confess belief, appear righteous, yet their hearts are unregenerate. Their faith is maybe historical, it's not saving, it could be intellectual, but it's not spiritual." This echoes Jesus' warning in Matthew 7 that many will say to Him, "Lord, Lord," but will hear the devastating response, "I never knew you." The parable teaches us that this self-deception is not always conscious hypocrisy but often the result of spiritual blindness. As Jesse noted, referencing Romans 1, Ephesians 4, and 1 Corinthians 2, the unregenerate are "not merely ignorant, they're blinded... to the spiritual truth by nature and by Satan." This understanding should prompt humble self-examination while simultaneously driving us to depend not on our own discernment but on Christ's perfect knowledge and saving work. Memorable Quotes "Assurance is the believer's arc where he sits Noah alike quiets and still in the midst of all distractions and destructions, commotions and confusions." - Thomas Brooks, quoted by Jesse Schwamb "When we are confessing, repenting, seeking like our status in Christ because of Christ, then we have confidence that we are in fact part of the children of God. When everything is stripped away from us and all we're crying out is only and completely and solely and unequivocally Jesus Christ, then I think we have great reason to understand that we should be confident in our assurance." - Jesse Schwamb "The sacrifice and the service that a husband performs for his wife, whom he loves and trusts and is committed to and knows that she's faithful and committed to him, that is not causing that faithfulness. It's not causing that trust and that love. It is the outcome and the outflow of it." - Tony Arsenal on how good works flow from assurance rather than cause it Resources Mentioned Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 7:21-23, Romans 1, Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 2, 2 Timothy 3:5 Westminster Confession of Faith: Chapter 18 "Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation" Thomas Brooks: "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices" YouTube Channel: My Wild Backyard Khan Academy: Educational resource recommended during "Affirmations and Denials" segment Full Transcript Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 466 of the Reform the Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. We're going back to the farm again. Can't stop. Won't stop. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. I'm stoked. [00:01:02] Discussion on the Parable of the Tears Tony Arsenal: The last week's discussion was interesting and I think, um, it's gonna be nice to sort of round it out and talk about some things you might not think about, uh, when you first read this parable. So I'm, I'm pretty excited. Jesse Schwamb: Oh, what a tease that is. So if you're wondering what Tony's talking about, we're hanging out. In Matthew 13, we are just really enjoying these teachings of Jesus. And they are shocking and they're challenging, and they're encouraging, and they're awesome, of course. And so we're gonna be finishing out the Parable of the Tears and you need to go back and listen to the previous conversation. This, this is all set up because we have some unfinished business. We didn't talk about the eschatological implications. We have this really big this, this matza ball hanging over us. So to speak, which was the, do the TAs in this parable even know that they are tarry, that they are the TAs? And so in this parable, the disciples learn that the kingdom itself, God's kingdom, the kingdom that Jesus is enumerating and explaining and bringing into being, they are learning that it's gonna be mixed in character. So that's correcting this expectation that the kingdom would be perfectly pure and would have, would evolve righteous rule over all of the unrighteous world. And so it's a little bit shocking that Jesus says, listen, they're gonna be. Tears within the wheats that is in the world, the seed that God himself, the sun has planted and that they're gonna exist side by side for a long time. And so we, they have to wait patiently and give ourselves to building up the wheats as the sons of the kingdom and be careful in their judgment, not to harm those who are believers. We covered a lot of that last week, but left so much unsaid we couldn't even fit it in. This is gonna be jam packed, so I'm gonna stop giving the tees instead start moving us into affirmations and denials. [00:02:45] Affirmations and Denials Jesse Schwamb: It's of course that time in our conversation where we either affirm with something really like or we think is undervalued or we deny against something that we don't really like or is a little overvalued. So as I usually say to you, Tony, what have you got for us? [00:03:00] YouTube Channel Recommendation: My Wild Backyard Tony Arsenal: I am affirming a YouTube channel. Um, I, I think the algorithm goes through these cycles where it wants me to learn about bugs and things because I get Okay, like videos about bugs. And so I'm, I'm interested. There's been this, uh, channel that's been coming up on my algorithm lately called My Wild Backyard, and it, it's a guy, he's like an entomologist. He seems like a, a like a legit academic, but what he does is he basically goes through and he talks about different bugs, creepy crawlies, looks at like snakes, all that kinds of stuff. It seems like his wheelhouse is the stuff that can kill you or hurt you pretty bad. Nice. But, um, it's interesting and it's. It's good educational content. It's, you know, it's not sensationalized, it's not, uh, it's not dramatized. Um, it's very real. There's occasionally an instance where he, he's not, sometimes he will intentionally get bit or stung by an, uh, by an animal to show you what it does. So he can experience and explain what he's experiencing. And sometimes he just accidentally gets bit or stung. And so those are some of the most interesting ones. So like, for example, just looking at his, his channel, his most recent, um, his most recent video is called The most venomous Desert Creatures in the US ranked the one previous was. The world's most terrifying arachni isn't a spider. And then previous to that was what happens if a giant centipede bites you? So it's interesting stuff. If you are one of those people that likes bugs and likes creepy crawlies and things, um, this is definitely the channel for you if you're not one of those people. I actually think this probably is the channel for you too. 'cause it kind of demystifies a lot of this stuff. Um. You know, for example, he, he will commonly point out that, um, spiders don't wanna bite you and they just wanna leave you alone. And, and as long as you leave them alone, even, even something like a black widow, which people are terrified of, and I think, right, rightfully so. I mean, they can be scary. Those can be scary bites. He'll, he'll handle those, no problem. And as long as he's not like putting downward pressure on them, uh, they have no interest in biting, they really just want to get away. So even seeing that kind of stuff, I think can help demystify and, and sort of, uh, make it a little bit easier. So my Wild Backyard, he can find it on YouTube. Um, he's safe for kids. He's not, he's not cussing even. I mean, I think occasionally when he gets bit on accident, you might, you know, you might have a beep here or there, but, um, he's not, he's not regularly swearing or things like that. And he does a pretty good job of adding that stuff out. Jesse Schwamb: What a great title for that, isn't it? This, yeah. Confluence of your backyard. That space that seems domesticated is also stealing its own. Right. Wild. And there's a be Yeah. Both those things coming together. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. It, it's interesting stuff and it's really good. I mean, it's really compelling videography. He does a good job of taking good photos. You'll see insects that you usually won't see, or spiders you usually won't see. Um, so yeah, it's cool. Check it out. [00:05:51] Discussion on Spiders and Creepy Crawlies Jesse Schwamb: What are you, uh, yeah, I myself would like to become more comfortable with the arachni variety. If only be, I mean, I don't know. It's, it's a weird creature, so my instinct is to be like, kill them all. And then if I can't find them and I know they're around, then we just burn everything that we own. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Jesse Schwamb: They just can't sink into the ground fast enough. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. There's something about the way they move, like their, their bodies don't move the way you would anticipate them to. Right. And it freaks, it just weirds out human sensibilities, so. Right. Jesse Schwamb: They're also like, I find them to be very surprising. Often. It's not kind of a, a very like, kind of measured welcome into your life. It's like you just go to get in the shower and there's a giant spider. Yeah. Oh yeah. Although I guess that spider, he's, he or she's probably like, whoa, where'd you come from? You know, like, yeah. He's like, I was just taking a Tony Arsenal: shower. You know what's interesting? Um, I saw another video was on a different channel, um, like common jumping spiders. Yeah. Which there are like hundreds of species of common jumping spiders. Jesse Schwamb: True. Tony Arsenal: Um, but spiders and jumping spiders specifically, actually you can form almost like a pet bond with, so like the, that jumping spider that like lives in your house and sees you every day. He, he probably knows who you are and is like, comfortable with you. And they've done studies that like you can actually domesticate jumping spiders, so they're not as foreign and alien as you might think. Although they certainly do look a little bit strange and weird. And the way their bodies move is almost designed to weird out people like it just the skinness, like the way their legs skitter and move it, it just is, it's, it triggers something very primal in us to That's wild. Be weirded out by it. Yeah. Jesse Schwamb: It's wild. I love it. That's a good, a affirmation. I'm definitely gonna check that out. I, any, anything? I really want to know what the, what like the terrifying arachni is. That's not a spider. Tony Arsenal: It's a, well, it's called a camel spider, but it's not really a spider. Oh, Jesse Schwamb: I know what you're talking about. That is kind of terrifying. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. They, they actually don't have any venom. Um, yeah. Check out the video. I mean, it, it was a good video. Um, but yeah, they're freaky looking and, um, but even that, like he was handling it No problem. Yeah. Like it wasn't, it wasn't aggressive with him once Wow. Once it figured out it wasn't, he wasn't trying to hurt him and, and that it couldn't eat him. Um, it, it just sort of like hung out until he let it go. So Jesse Schwamb: yeah, just be careful if you watch it one before bed or while in bed. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Probably not right before bed. Yeah. You'll, you'll get the creepy crawlies all night. Jesse Schwamb: I love it. But there's something somewhat. Like invigorating about that isn't there? Like it's, it's kind of a natural, just like kind of holy respect for the world that God has created, that they're these features that are so different, so wild, so interesting and a little bit frightening, but in the sense that we just draw off from them because they're so different than what we are. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Jesse Schwamb: And you know, again, there's places you would be happy to see them, but maybe your bathtub or like shooting out, like, you know, like where you live, the jumping spiders are legit and they will just pop out on you, you know? Yeah. You're just doing your own thing and then all of a sudden they're popping out. I think part of that is just that what, what gets me is like them just, you know, like I remember in my basement here, once one popped out from a rafter and then I was holding, happened to be holding up broom. My instinct just naturally was to hit it. I hit it with the broom and it went across the room and fell on an empty box and sounded like a silver dollar had hit the box. Like it was just a massive, I mean, again, like, it's like fish stories, like it's a massive spider. It was a big spider. Yeah. But you just don't expect to, to see that kind of thing. Or maybe, maybe I should, but anything that moves in that way, and again, like centipedes, man, forget it. We have those too, like in our basement. Like the long ones. Oh yeah. Yeah. That thing will come like squiggling down the wall at you, like eye level and you just wanna run up the stairs screaming like a little girl. Tony Arsenal: Yeah, you do run up the stairs screaming like a little girl. It's not that you want to, it's that usually you do. I don't mean like you specifically, although probably you specifically. Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. There's, yeah, you just react. Well, j Jesse enough freaking out. I mean, we're getting close to Halloween, so I suppose it's appropriate, but, uh, enough of that. What are you affirming or denying today? Jesse Schwamb: Once again, without like any coordination, mine is not unlike yours. I know you and I, we talk about the world in which we live, which God has created, and this lovely command, this ammunition to take dominion over that. And one of the things I appreciate about our conversations is I think you and I often have maybe not like a novel. Kinda perspective on that, but one that I don't hear talked about often and that is this idea of taking dominion over what it is possible to know and to appropriate, and then to apply onto wisdom. [00:10:27] Affirmation: Khan Academy Jesse Schwamb: And so my information is in that realm. It's another form of taking ownership of what's in the wild of knowledge that you can possess. And again, equal parts. What an amazing time to be alive. So I'm affirming with the website, Khan Academy, which I'm sure many are familiar with. And this website offers like. Thousands of hours. Uh, and materials of free instructional videos, practice exercises, quizzes, all these like really bespoke, personalized learning modules you can create for topics like math, science, computing, economics, history, art. I think it goes like even starting at like. Elementary age all the way up into like early college can help you study for things like the SAT, the LSAT AP courses, and I was revisiting it. I have an open account with them that I keep in love and I go back to it from time to time. And I was working on some stuff where I wanted to rehearse some knowledge in like the calculus space, do some things by hand, which I haven't done. And I was just like, I'm blown away at how good this stuff is. And it's all for free. I mean, you should donate if you. You get something from this because it's a nonprofit, but the fact that there are these amazing instructional videos out there that can help us get a better understanding of either things we already know and we can rehearse the knowledge or to learn something brand new essentially for free. But somebody's done all the hard work to curate a pedagogy for you. Honestly, this is incredible. So if you haven't looked at that website in a long time or maybe ever, and you might be thinking, what, what do I really wanna learn? Lemme tell you. There's a lot of interesting stuff there and it's so approachable and it's such a good website for teaching. And if you have children in particular, even if you're looking for help, either helping them with their own coursework or maybe to have like kind of a tutor on the side, this is so good. So I can't say enough good things recently about Khan Academy 'cause it's been so helpful to me and super fun to like just sit and have your own paced study and in the private and comfort of your own home or your desk at work or wherever it is that you need to learn it. To be able to have somebody teach you some things, to do a little practice exercises, and then to go on to the world and to apply the things you've learned. Ah, it's so good. Tony Arsenal: Nice. Yeah, I've, I've never done anything with Khan Academy. I'll have to check it out. There's, um, there's some skills of needing to brush up on, uh, at work that I am probably not gonna be able to find in my normal channels, so I'll have to see if there is anything going on there. Um, but yeah, that's, that's good stuff. And it's free. Love freestyle. It's, and of course, like Jesse Schwamb: things like this are legion. So whatever it is, whatever your discipline or your field of study or work is, there's probably something out there and, uh, might, I humbly maybe encourage you to, if you use something like that and it's funded by donations, it's worth giving, I think, because again, it's just an amazing opportunity to take dominion over the knowledge that God has placed into the world and then to use it for something. I mean, I suppose even if all it is is you just wanna learn more about, like for me, I, I find like the subjects of, of math and science, like just endlessly fascinating and like the computing section I was looking at, I, I don't know much about like programming per se, but there is such a beauty. Like these underlying principles, like the, the organization of the world and the first level principles of like physics for instance, are just like baffling in the most glorious kind of way. How they all come together. So having somebody like teach you at a very like simplistic level, but allow you to grasp those concepts makes you just appreciate it leads me to doxology a lot when I see these things. So in a weird way, it ends up becoming maybe not a weird way and the right way. It becomes worship as often as I'm sitting at my desk and working through like a practice problem on like, you know, partial differential equation or, or derivatives is what I was working on today. And ah, it's just so good. I don't know, maybe I'm the only one. I, it's not be super nerdy, but you, are you ever like at your desk studying something? And it might not be like theological per se, but you just have a moment where you're overcome with some kind of worship. Do you know what I'm talking about? Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I, um, this we're the nerdiest people on the planet, but let's Jesse Schwamb: do it. Um, Tony Arsenal: when I find a really fun, interesting. Uh, Excel formula and I can get it to work right. Uh, and it, and then it just like everything unlocks. Like, I feel like I've unlocked all the knowledge in the universe. Um, but yeah, I hear you like the, the Excel thing is, is interesting to me because, like, math is just the description. Like it's just the fabric of reality is just the way we describe reality. But the fact that we can do basically just take math and do all these amazing things with it, uh, in a spreadsheet is really, uh, drives me to praise. Like I said, that's super nerdy, but it is. Oh, you're speaking my language. Jesse Schwamb: I, we have never understood each other better than just this moment right now. We, we had some real talk and, uh, a real moment. Tony Arsenal: Yes. Welcome to the Reformed math cast. Jesse Schwamb: We're so glad that you're here. Tony Arsenal: Yes. We're not gonna do any one plus one plus one equals one kinds of heretical math in, up in here. Jesse Schwamb: No. Tony Arsenal: Well, Jesse, I have a feeling that, excuse me. Wow. Jesse Schwamb: We don't edit anything out. Listen, I'm choked up too. It's it, listen, love ones just so emotional. The moment Tony and I are having it. We're gonna try our best right now to pivot to go into this text, but it's, it's tough because we were just really having something, something special. You got, you got to see there. But thank you for trying to Tony Arsenal: cover for me for that big cough. Jesse Schwamb: This is like presuppositional editing. You know, we don't actually do anything in post. It's not ex anti editing. It's, it's literally presuppositional. [00:15:52] Theological Discussion on Assurance Jesse Schwamb: But to that end, we are in Matthew 13. This is the main course. This is the reason why we're here. There's lots of reasons to worship, and one of them is to come before and admire and love our God who has given us his specific revelation and this incredible teaching of his son. And that's why we're hanging out in Matthew 13. So let me read, because we have just a couple of really sentences here, this really short parable and that way it'll catch us up and then we can just launch right back into we're, we're basically like, we're already in the rocket. Like we're in the stratosphere. We're, we're taking it all the way now. So this is Matthew chapter 13. Come hang out here. It's in the 24th verse. And this is what we find written for us. This is the word of the Lord. He put another parable before them saying. The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the weeds and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also, and the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds? He said to them, an enemy has done this. So the servant said to him, then, do you want us to go and gather them? But he said, no less than gathering the weeds, you root up the weed along with them. Let both grow until the harvest. And at harvest time, I will tell the reapers, gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn. Tony Arsenal: That's good stuff. That's good stuff. Um, you know, we, we covered most of. I don't know, what do you wanna call it? The first order reading of the parable last week. Jesse Schwamb: Right. Tony Arsenal: On one level, the parable, uh, as Christ explains it, uh, a little bit down further in the chapter is extremely straightforward. It's almost out, it's almost an allegory. Each, each element of the parable has a, a, a figure that it's representing. And the main purpose of the story is that the world and specifically the church, um, is going to be a mixed body until the last days, until the end of time. And so there's, there's the Sons of God or the Sons of the Kingdom, uh, and then there's the sons of the evil one. And we talked a lot about how. These two figures in the parable, the, the, the weeds or the tears? Um, tears is a better word because it's a specific kind of, uh, specific kind of weed that looks very much like wheat at its immature stages. Right. And you can't actually discern the difference readily, uh, until the weed and the wheat has grown up next to each other. Um, and so, so part of the parable is that. The, the sons of the kingdom and the sons of the enemy, or the sons of the evil one, they don't look all that different in their early stages. And it's not until the sort of end culmination of their lives and the end culmination of things that they're able to be discerned and then therefore, um, the, the sons of the devil are, are reaped and they go off to their eternal judgment and the sons of the kingdom are, uh, are harvested and they go off to their eternal reward. What we wanted to talk about, and part of the reason that we split this into two episodes. Is that we sort of found ourselves spiraling or spiraling around a question about, uh, sort of about assurance, right? And false assurance, true assurance. And there is an eschatological element to this parable that I, I think we probably should at least touch on as we we go through it. Um, but I wanted to just read, um, it's been a little while since we've read the Westminster Confession on the show. So I wanted to read a little bit from the Westminster Confession. Um, this is from chapter 18, which is called of assurance of grace and salvation. This is sort of the answer to Jesse's question. Do the, do the tears know their tears or, or could they possibly think that their wheat? So this is, uh, section one of chapter eight. It says, although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presuppositions or presumptions of being in favor with God in the state of salvation. Which hope of their shall perish yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed. And so we, in the reform tradition at least, which is where we find ourselves in the reform tradition, um, we would affirm that people can. Deceive themselves into believing that they're in proper relation with God. Jesse Schwamb: Right? Tony Arsenal: And so it's not the case that, uh, that the weeds always know they're weeds or think they're weeds. It's not even the case. And this was part of the parable. It's not even the case that the weeds can be easily distinguished even by themselves from, uh, from the weeds. So there is this call, uh, and this is a biblical call. There's a call to seek out assurance and to lay claim to it. That I think is, is worth talking about. But it's not as straightforward as simple proposition as like, yeah, I'm confident. Like it's not just like, right, it's not just mustering up confidence. There's more to it than that. So that's what I wanted to start with, with this parable is just maybe talking through that assurance. 'cause I, I would hate for us to go through this parable. And sort of leave people with maybe you're a weed and you don't know it. 'cause that's not right. That's not the biblical picture of assurance. Um, that's the, that's the Roman Catholic picture of assurance that like, yeah, there's no such thing as assurance and people might not realize, but assurance of salvation is actually one of the, one of the primary things that was recovered particularly by the Reformed in the Reformation. Um, and so I think we, we often sort of overlook it as maybe a secondary thing. Um, but it really is a significant doctrine, a significant feature of reformed theology. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. I'm glad you said that because it is a, is a clear reminder. It's a clearing call as the performers put forth that it is. Under like the purview of the Christian to be able to claim the assurance by the blood of Christ in the application of the Holy Spirit in a way that's like fully orbed and fully stopped. So you can contrast that with, and really what was coming outta Catholicism or Rome at the time. And I was just speaking with a dear brother this past week who. Grew up in the Catholic church and he was recounting how his entire religious experience, even his entire relationship, if we can call it that in a kind of colloquial sense with God, was built around this sense of deep-seated guilt and lack of true performance, such that like assurance always seemed like this really vague concept that was never really fully manifested in anything that he did. Even while the church was saying, if you do these things, if you perform this way, if you ensure that you're taking care of your immortal sins and that you're seeking confession for all the venial stuff as well, that somehow you'll be made right, or sufficiently right. But if not, don't worry about it. There's always purgatory, but there'd be some earning that you'd have to accomplish there. Everywhere along the way. He just felt beaten down. So contrasting that with what we have here. I don't believe, as you're saying, Tony, that's Jesus' intention here to somehow beat up the sheep. I, I think it is, to correct something of what's being said about the world in which we live, but it's at the same time to say that there are some that are the TAs is to say there are some that are the children of God, right? That there are some that are fully crisply, clearly identified and securely resting in that identity without any kind of nervous or anxious energy that it might fall out of that state with God that, that in fact their identity is secure. And as I've been thinking about this this week, I, I'm totally with you because I think part of this just falls, the warning here is there's a little bit of the adventures in Romans one here that's waiting for us, that I like what you said about this idea of, of self deception and maybe like a. Subpart to this question would be, are the, are the terrors always nefarious in their lack of understanding? So we might say there's some that are purposely disruptive, that the enemy himself is, is promulgating or trying to bring forward his destruction, his chaos by way of these tears. But are, are there even a subgroup or another group, uh, co-terminus group or, you know, one in the same hierarchy where there's just a lot of self deception? I, I think that's probably where I fall in terms of just trying to explain that. Yes, I think it was present here is a real quantity, a real identity where they're self-deceived. Imagining themselves to be part of God's people, yet lacking that true saving faith. And this just, I'm gonna go in a couple places where I think everybody would expect in the scriptures, if we go to like Ephesians four, they're darkened and they're understanding alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them. And one Corinthians, when Paul writes, the natural person does not accept the things of the spirit of God, and he's not able to understand them because they're spiritually discerned. And then the book that follows the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. And of course then like everything in Romans one, so I bring all that up because E, even at the end, we're gonna get there, the Es, this eschatological reality when you know God is separating out the sheep and the goats. Still, we find this kind of same trope happening there. But the unregenerate, what I'm reading from this. Importantly is that the unregenerate, they're not merely ignorant, they're blinded, as we all were on point to the spiritual truth. Yeah. By nature and by Satan. That that is also his jam. He loves to blind, to lie, to kill, steal, and destroy. So thus, even if they're outwardly belonging to the church, they're outwardly belonging to the world. They're outwardly belonging to some kind of profession. They cannot perceive the reality of their lost condition apart from divine illumination. Who can, that might be stating the obvious, but I think that's like what we're getting after here. I I, I don't know if there's like any kind of like conspiracy here. It's simply that that is the natural state of affairs. So why wouldn't we expect that to be reflected again in the world and that side by side, we're gonna find that shoulder to shoulder. We are, there are the children of God, and there are those that remain blind and ignorant to the truth. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And, and you know, it, again, I, I, um, I don't know why I'm surprised. Uh, I certainly shouldn't be surprised. Um. But Matthew is like a masterful storyteller Yeah. Here, right. He's a masterful, um, editor and narrator. Um, and he's, he's put together here, of course, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Um, and, and there's some good reason to think in the text we're not gonna get too, in the nitty gritty here, there's some good reason to think in the text that Christ actually delivered these parables as a set as well. So it's not just, it's not just Matthew coating these, although it could be. Um, but it, it seems like these were all delivered probably as like a common set of parables. And the reason I say that is because when we start to look at this parable and the one we previously went through, the parable of the soils, um, or the parable of the sower. Um, what we see is the answer to your question of why do some people, you know, why are some people deceived? Well, yes, there is secondary causation. The devil deceives them. They blind themselves. They, you know, suppress the, the, the truth and right unrighteousness. But on a, on a primary causation level, um, God is the one who is identi, is, is identifying who will be the sons of the, you know, devil and the sons of the kingdom. Mm-hmm. This is another, and yet another example of election is that the, the good sower sowed good seed, and the good seed was the elect and the enemy. Although in God's sovereignty, God is the one who determines this. The enemy is the one who sows the reprobate. Right? So all, all men. Star, and this is, I, I guess I didn't really intend to go here, but this is good evidence in my mind for, um, infra laps, Arianism versus super laps. Arianism, right infra laps, arianism or sub lapse. Arianism would say that God decrees, uh, to permit the fall and then he decrees to redeem some out of the fall, right? Logically speaking, not temporally speaking. Super laps. Arianism, which is the minority. It's the smaller portion of, of the historic tradition, although modern times, I think it's a little bit louder and a little bit more vocal, but super relapses. Arianism would argue that God, um, decrees. Sort of the, the decree of election and reprobation is logically prior to the decree of the fall. And so in, in that former or in the super laps area model, the fall becomes a means by which the reprobate are justly condemned. Not, um, not the cause of their condemnation, but a way to sort of justify the fact that they will be separated from God, right? Because of their reprobate. [00:28:36] Exploring the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares Tony Arsenal: I know that there's, there's probably some super lab streams that would nuance that differently and some that are probably just screaming straw man, uh, in a coffee shop somewhere and, and people are thinking you're crazy. Um, but by and large, that's actually a rel, a relatively accepted, um, explanation of it. There are certainly potential problems with, uh, sub, sub lapse agonism as well. But in this, in this parable, what we see is the people who are, um, who are elect, are sowed into the field and the people who are reprobate are also sowed into the field. And so God saves the people who are sewed into the field that are, they elect, he saves them out of this now mixed world by waiting and allowing them to grow up next to the reprobate, um, in sort of this mixed world setting. And then he redeems them out of that. Um, and, and, and so we have to sort of remember. Although it is a pretty strict, sort of allegorical type of parable, it's still a parable. So we shouldn't, we shouldn't always draw like direct one-to-one comparisons here. It's making a theological point, but, um, but it's important for us to re remember that, that it is ultimately, it is God who determines who is the elected and who is not. But it's, it's our sin. It's the devil deceiving us. It's the secondary causes that are responsible for the sons of the devil, right? It, the, the men come to the, to the sower and say, who is done this? He says it was an enemy. Jesse Schwamb: Right? Right. Tony Arsenal: He doesn't say like, well, actually I put the seed there and so, you know, I'm, I, it's not an equal distribution. He's not sowing good seed and bad seed. He sows the good seed and the devil sows the bad seed. [00:30:24] Theological Implications and Assurance Tony Arsenal: Um, and, and that's a, I think that's an important theological point to make. And as far as assurance goes. We, we can't depend on our ability to perceive or sort of like discern election in a raw sense, right? We have to observe certain kinds of realities around us. Um, and, and primarily we have to depend on the mercy and, and saving faith that God gives us. That's right. Um, you know, our, our assurance of faith does not primarily come from fruit checking. Um, we have to do that. It's important, we're commanded to do it, and it serves as an important secondary evidence. But a, a, a person who wants to find assurance. Of salvation should first and foremost look to the promises of Christ and then depend on them. Um, and, and so that's, I think all of that's kind of wrapped up into this parable. It's, it's, it's amazing to me that we're only like two parables in, and we're already, you know, we're already talking about super lapse arianism and sub lapse arianism, and it's, it's amazing. I, I love this. I'm loving this series so far, and we're barely scratching the surface. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, it's all there. I think you're right to call that out. It strikes me, like, as you were speaking, it really just hit me higher that I think you're right. Really the foundation on this, like the hidden foundation is assurance and it's that assurance which splits the groups, or at least divides them, or it gives us, again, like the distinct, kind, discrete compartments or components of each of them. So. Again, I think it's help saying, 'cause we wanna be encouraging. That's, that's our whole point here is when the Apostle Peter says, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing of you. That herein we have the scripture saying to us, time and time again, be sure of what God has done in your life. Be confident in that very thing. And so if assurance is, as we're saying, that's the argument hypothesis we're making. That's the critical thing here. [00:32:11] False Assurance and True Faith Jesse Schwamb: Then the division between the children of God and the children of the devil is false versus true assurance. So the tears, I think what we're saying here, basically they typically live under false asserts. They may attend church, confess, belief, appear righteous, yet their hearts are unregenerate. Their faith is maybe historical. It's not saving, it could be intellectual, but it's not spiritual. And of course, like just a few chapters before this, we hope those famous verses where Jesus himself drops the bomb and says, listen, many of you, he's talking to the people, the, the disciples around him, the crowds that we're gathering and thronging all about. He says, many of you're gonna say to me, Lord, Lord, do we not prophesy your name? Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Jesse Schwamb: And then I will declare to them, I never knew you depart from me. These are not people who knew they were false, they thought they belonged to Christ. Their shock on judgment day is gonna reveal this profound self-deception. And that self-deception is wrapped up in a false type of assurance, a false righteousness. So I think one of the things that we can really come to terms with and grab a hold of is the fact that when we are. Confessing, repenting seeking like our status in Christ because of Christ. Then we have confidence that we are in fact part of the children of God. When everything is stripped away from us and all we're crying out is only and completely and solely and unequivocally, Jesus Christ, then I think we have great reason to understand that we should be confident in our assurance. [00:33:38] Historical Perspectives on Assurance Jesse Schwamb: You know, I was reading this week from Thomas Brooks and did incidentally come across this, a quote, an assurance and reminded me of this passage, and here's what he writes. You know, of course he's writing in like 16 hundreds, like mid 16 hundreds. It's wild, of course, but we shouldn't be surprised that what you're about to hear sounds like it could have been written today for us. In this conversation, but, uh, he writes, assurance is the believer's arc where he sits Noah alike quiets and still in the midst of all distractions and destructions, commotions and confusions. However, most Christians live between fears and hopes and hang, as it were, between heaven and hell. Sometimes they hope that their state is good. At other times they fear that their state is bad. Now they hope that all is well and that it shall go well. Well with them forever. Then they fear that they shall perish by the hand of such corruption or by the prevalency of such and such temptation. They're like a ship and a storm tossed here and there, and. I think that he's right about that. And I think the challenge there is to get away from that. I love where it starts, where he says, what wonderful turn of phrase assurance is the believer's arc or Noah, like, you know, we're sitting and the commotion, the destructions, the commotion, the confusions of all the world. That's why to get this right, to be encouraged by this passage, to be challenged by it is so critical because we're all looking for that arc. We all want to know that God has in fact arrested us so completely that no matter what befalls us, that everything, as we talked about before, all of our, all of the world, in fact is subservient to our salvation. But that's a real thing that cannot be snatched away from us because God has ordained it and intended it, built it, created it, and brought it to pass. And so I think that's all like in this passage, it's all the thing that's being called us to. So. I, I don't want us to get like too hung up. It's a good question, I think to ask and answer like we were trying to talk about here, but you're right. If we focus too much just on the like, let's gaff for these tears. Who are they? Like let's people's, like Readers Digest in People's magazine these tears. Like who are they? Do we have a list of them? Who do we think they are? How could it be me? Is it really me? Am I, am I anxious about that? Really what we should be saying is following what Peter calls us to do that is to be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and his choosing. So even there like our emphasis and focus, isn't it like you're saying Tony about like, let me do some fruit inventory. I got like a lot of good bananas. I got a lot of ripe pears. Like, look at the tree. This, this is good. Even there, the emphasis is to turn our eyes on Jesus, as it were, and to make certain about his work, his calling and his choosing of us. And I think when we do that, we're falling down in worship and in yielding and submission to him, rightfully acknowledging that the righteousness of Christ is the one that is always in every way alien to us and imputed. And that is what makes us sons and daughters of God, that good seed sown by Jesus himself. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. I just wanna read, I wanna um, round out a few more paragraphs here out of the Westminster confession because I do think, you know, when we even talk about assurance, we're not even always all saying the exact same thing. And I think that's important because when we talk about assurance of faith, we need to be understanding that this is the rightful, not only the rightful possession of all Christians, but it's the rightful responsibility of all Christians to seek it. So here's, here's section two of that same chapter. It says, this certainty referring to assurance. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a, a fallible hope, but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the spirit of adoption, witnessing with our hearts that we are the children of God, which spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption. So. One of the, the things that I think is, is important here is people read this and say the inward evidences of those graces unto which these promises are made. They read that and they think that it's referring to like good work and like spiritual renewal, but it's, it's not, it's the inward evidence of those graces unto which of the promises are made. So it's this inner, inner renewal. It's the spirit testifying to our spirit. And then, um, chapter, uh, section three here, it says. This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of it, yet being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given of God. He may without extraordinary revelation there, right there is response to Roman Catholicism in the right use of ordinary means at attain there unto. And therefore, it is the duty of everyone to give all diligence, to make his calling and election. Sure. And thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and in joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience. The proper fruits of this assurance so far is it from inclining men to looseness? Right. [00:38:53] The Role of Good Works in Assurance Tony Arsenal: So we often hear and and I, I think there are good, um, there are good reformed Christians that put. The emphasis of assurance on, or they, they put an overemphasis, in my opinion, on how good works function within our assurance. Right. They, they often will ask us to look to our good fruit as sort of, not the grounding, but as a strong evidence. But at least in terms of the confession here, the cheerfulness in the duties of obedience is the fruit of assurance. Jesse Schwamb: That's right. Not Tony Arsenal: the cause or grounding of assurance. So rather than, this is what this last line says. It says so far, is it from inclining? Mental looseness assurance should drive us to obedience and fruitfulness in Christ. And so yes, it is in a certain sense an evidence because if that fruitfulness and obedience is absent from our lives, there's a good reason for us to question whether this infallible assurance is present in our lives. But the assurance is what drives us to this obedience. Um. You know, like, I think you could use the analogy of like a married couple. A married couple who is very secure in their relationship and in their, uh, love for one another and their faithfulness to each other is more likely to cheerfully serve and submit to each other and to respect each other and to sacrifice for each other than a couple that's maybe not so sure that the other person has their best interest in mind. That's or maybe isn't so sure that this thing is gonna work out. I think that's the same thing, like the sacrifice and the service that a husband, uh, performs for his wife, whom he loves and trusts and is committed to and knows that she's faithful and committed to him. That is not causing that faithfulness. It's not causing that trust and that love. It is the outcome and the outflow of it. It's good evidence that that love exists, but it's not caused by it. And assurance here is the same kind of dynamic assurance is not. We can't assure ourselves of our salvation by doing good works. No matter how many good works you do, there are lots and lots of people who are not saved and who will not be saved, who do perfectly good works in appearance. Right. They have the, the outward appearance of godliness, but lack its power. Right, right. Out of right outta Paul, writing to Timothy there. Yes. So that's, that's important for us as we continue to parse all this out, is yes, the fruit is present. Yes. The wheat is to, is discernible from the tears by its final, fruitful status. Right? It grows up to be grain, which is fruitful rather than weeds and tears, which are only good to be burned, but it is not the fruit that causes it to be wheat. It's wheat that causes the fruit to grow. If, if it wasn't wheat, it wouldn't grow fruit, not because the fruit makes it grain, but because it is in fact wheat to start with. Jesse Schwamb: Right. Yeah, that's right on. So I think like by summation we're kind of saying. At least the answer to this question. You know, do the tears know that they're tears? Yes and no. Some do, some don't. I think, yes, there are some that are gonna be consciously hypocritical, willfully rejecting Christ while pretending for worldly gain. I think that's, that's certainly plain to see. And at the same time, do the tears know the tears? Sometimes? No. There's self deceived under spiritual blindness and they have some kind of false assurance. And this idea of, again, coming in repentance before God and seeking humbly to submit to him is I think one of those signs of that kind of true assurance, not a false assurance. And you already stole where I was thinking of Tony by going to Second Timothy again. Thomas Brooks in precious remedies against Saint's device is one of like the best. Books ever. I know that he's really outspoken. He loves to harp on the fact that one of Satan's most effective snares is to make men and women content with a form of godliness without its power. Yeah. And that's often what we're talking about here, I think, is that Satan loves to fish in the shallow waters a profession. And really that can happen in any kind of church or religious culture, that there is this shallowness where that loves religious appearance, prayer, knowledge fellowship, but not the Christ behind them. And so whether we're looking to somebody like Brooks or Jonathan Edwards and we're trying to parse out what are our true affections, not in a way again, that somehow leans well, I feel enough, then somehow that justifies, not inwardly, but again, definitely trying to understand our conviction for conversion tears. For repentance that. Really what we're after is not like just the blessings of Christ, but Christ himself, which I think really leads us to this eschatological perspective then to round all everything out because you know, we talked about before, there's an old phrase, it's like everywhere. A lot of people talk in heaven. Not everybody's going there. And so this idea of like, people will talk about be so great to be there and it's sometimes this, the heaven that they speak of is like absent Christ, you know, as if like, if Christ wasn't there, at least in their perspective, it still wouldn't be half bad. And so I think that does lead us to understand what is this in gathering? What is this? You know, bringing everything into the barn and burning everything else up. And like you just said, if at the beginning you cannot tell the injurious weed aside from that beautiful kernel of wheat that's coming up, but if in the end you can see what's happening in the end, then that brings us all to consummation. What does it mean in this parable? Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:44:19] Eschatological Judgment and Assurance Tony Arsenal: And, and I think this actually sort of forces us to grapple a little bit with, with another sort of persnickety feature of this parable that, that I think, I think personally sometimes gets overlooked is we are very quick to talk about this parable to be about the church. And it is. Right. And, and there's reasons to talk like that. But when Christ explains the parable, he doesn't say the field is the church. He says the field is the world. Right. And so we have to, we have to, we have to do a little bit of, um. We have to do a little bit of hermeneutics to understand that this is also speaking of the church, right? It's not as though the church is some hermetically sealed off body that the dynamics of the world and the, the weed and the tears like that, that doesn't happen in the church. But when we talk about the end of the age here, he says the son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom. All causes of sin in all lawbreakers. Right? So, so the, the final eschatological judgment, it's all encompassing. And I dunno, maybe I'm, maybe I'm becoming a little bit post mill with this, um, the, the world is already the Kingdom of Christ. Right? Right. That's right. It, it's not, it's not just the church on earth that is the kingdom of Christ. And so when we talk about this eschatological reaping, um, what we see is, is very straightforward. There are those who are, uh, who belong to Christ, who were sown by him into the world, who were, uh, were tended by him, who were protected by him, who he intended to harvest from the very beginning, right? The good sower sows good seed into the field, and that good seed is and necessarily will be wheat. It's not as though, um, it's not as though, and again, this is one of those ways where like the parables sometimes, uh, are telling a little bit of a different story. Even though they're sharing some themes in the first parable, in the parable of the sower, he sows the same seed into the world. But the seed in that first parable is not the, is not the person receiving the seed. The seed is the one is the word of God. Yes. And so the word of God is sewn promiscuously, even to those who will be hard soil and who will be rocky soil and have thorns. The word of God is, is sewn to all of those people. Across the whole world in this parable. The seed that is the good seed that is sown is and always was going to be weed that was, or wheat, which was going to grow into fruitfulness and be gathered into the barn. Right? That was a foregone conclusion. The, the, when the sower decided to sow seed, all of that said he is the one who did that. He's the one that chose that. He's the one that will bring us to completion, right? And then also the ones that are not of his kingdom, the sons of the devil, they will also be reaped at the end. Actually we'll be reaped before the, you know, they'll be reaped and gathered and, and tossed into the furnace before the sons of the kingdom are gathered together. Jesse Schwamb: Right. Tony Arsenal: So it, again, this is a parable and even though this is Christ's explanation of the parable, I don't think that Christ was intending to give us like a strict timeline. Right. I don't think he was encouraging us to draw a chart and try to map out where this all happens in order. Um, I do think it's relevant that, that, at least in the explanation of this parable, I mentioned it last week, that, that the rap, the rapture is actually the wicked being raptured. They're the ones that are gathered and taken out of the world and cast into the fiery furnace before the, before the righteous are gathered together and, and brought into Christ Barn. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, there's a great unmasking that's happening here in this final stage. I mean, that's critically the point. I think there's a lot of stuff we could talk about open handedly and kind of hypothesize or theorize what it means. But what is plain, I think, is that there's this unmasking, this unveiling of the reality of the light of Christ's perfect judgment. But that judgment is for both parties Here it is coming and what was hidden beneath outward religion or more, a facade is gonna be revealed with eternal clarity. That's just the reality. It is coming. So in some ways it pairs. I think at least well in this, well purposely of course in this teaching because Jesus is saying, hold on, like we talked about last time. Do this is not for you to judge. You are ill-equipped. You are not skilled enough to discern this. And therefore though, you wanna go in hot and get spicy and try to throw out all the weeds. Wait for the right time. Wait for the one like you're saying, Tony has from all of eternity past intended for it to be this way. Super intending his will over all things in the casting of the seed. And as we say, Philippians, of course, finishing that good work, which was started, he will finish. It is God's two finish again. And so he says, listen, that day is coming. There's gonna be a great unmasking. Uh, get ready for it. And the scriptures bear witness to that in so many other ways. So. There's such a journey in these like handful of verses, isn't there? I mean, it's really wild. The things that not like we come up with or we read into the text, but as we sit in it a little bit, as we just spend even a cursory amount of time letting it pour over us, that we find there's like a conviction in a weight in these things that are beyond just the story and beyond just even like the illustrations themselves. What we find is, again, it's as if Jesus himself in his brilliance, of course, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is illuminating the mind in the spirit to open up our conception, understanding of the kingdom of God by bringing it to us through his perspective in our own terms, of course, which is both our language and like the context of the world in which we live, and that simple example of farming and seed. And again, even just that there are these interest weeds that look like wheat. I went on this like rabbit hole this week and did a lot of research on like tears and Yeah, like especially people in like the Midwest United States who like know a lot more about agriculture than I do have a lot to say about this. It's not just like we shouldn't be surprised like. Isn't it incredible that like there are actually weeds out there that look like, yeah, it's a brilliance of just knowing that this teaching is so finely tuned. Like we can even just talk about that. Like the world is finely tuned. This teaching is so finely tuned to these grant theological principles that we can at one point be children and appropriate them enough and assume them into our own intellectual capacity so that we can trust in them. And yet even as like adults with like, let's say like the greatest gift of intellectual capacity, still find that we cannot get to the bottom of them because they're so deep. They draw us into these really, really grand vistas or really like extremely deep cold theological waters. And I just find. That I am in awe then of what Jesus is saying here because there's a truth for us in assurance that we ought to clinging to. And there's also like stuff that we should come back to. We shouldn't just stop it here and put it out of our minds until the next time we, we want to just be stimulated by something that's interesting or that we want to just grab somebody and shake them cage style, cage two style and say like, look at this great thing that I just learned about this, this particular parable. But instead, there's so much here for us to meditate on. And in that, I think rather than the Christian finding fear in this parable, what they should find is great comfort. We should be Noah alike sitting in the ark saying, it is well with my soul. And our reason for that is because we know God has cast a seed through his son Jesus Christ. And to be a child, a child of God is the greatest thing in all the universe. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And I, I think that, um, transitions nicely to, uh, I'll make this point quick because we're coming up on time here. Um. [00:52:04] Christ's Divinity and Sovereignty Tony Arsenal: The other little subtle thing that Christ does here in this parable is he, he absolutely asserts his divinity and sovereignty overall creation. Jesse Schwamb: That's right. Yep. Tony Arsenal: Right. It, it's almost like a throw. There's a couple little like lines that are almost throwaway lines, right in the, the first, the beginning of the parable here. Um, the parable itself, uh, he says, um, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed into a field. And then he says, um, the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, right? And then when he interprets the parable, he says, well, the, the servants are, the field is the world, right? So he's the master of the world, and the servants are the angels. So he's the master of the angels. And then if, if there was any doubt left in your mind. Says in verse 41, the son of man will send his angels. That's right. And they will gather out of his kingdom, which is the world, all the causes of sin and all lawbreakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. Right? So we have this, this robust picture that there is election. The the good sower sows good seed into the world, and the good seed will necessarily grow into wheat and will be preserved and protected and ultimately harvest Well, why can we have assurance that that will be the case? Well, because the master of the house is the son of man who is the Lord of the universe and the creator of all things. And his angels do his will. That's right. So, so the whole thing is all wrapped up. Why can we have assurance? Because God is a good God and Christ is a good savior, and the savior of the world is the creator of the universe, right? If any of those facts were not true. Then we couldn't have assurance. If God wasn't good, then maybe he's lying. If Christ wasn't the savior of the world or the God of the universe, the creator of the universe, then he wasn't worthy to be the one who saves. All of this is wrapped up in the parables, and this is what's so exciting about the parables. In most of the instances that we look up, especially of the sort of longer parables, these kinds of dynamics are there where it's not just a simple story making a simple point, it is making one primary point. Usually there's one primary point that a, that a parable is making. But in order to make that primary point, there's all these supporting points and supporting things that have to be the case. If the, if the good sower was not the master of the house and a, a competent, uh, a competent landowner who knew the difference between wheat and weeds, even at the early stage, right? His, his servants go and go, what happened? What's with all of these weeds? They can tell the difference somehow, Jesse Schwamb: right? Tony Arsenal: He's immediately able to go, well, this was an enemy. Jesse Schwamb: That's right. Tony Arsenal: And while they're bumbling around going, should we go rip it all up and start over? He is like, no, no, no, no. Just wait until, wait until it all grows up together. And when that happens, the Reapers will come and they'll take care of it and they'll do it in my direction, right? Because he's competent, he's the savior, he's the creator, he's the good master, he is the good sower. Um, we can be confi

When you buy something, it's a simple transaction—money goes out, and something tangible comes back in. But giving is different. Scripture tells us that when we give, we also receive—but not always in the way we expect. The return God promises isn't measured in bank balances or possessions. It's measured in freedom, joy, and purpose.Many people hear the phrase “give to receive” and imagine a divine transaction: give to God or others, and blessings—perhaps even financial—will return. But biblically, generosity is never a get-rich scheme. It's an invitation to live the kind of life God designed for us—a life marked by open hands and open hearts.God's Kingdom Is Not a Vending MachineSome interpret verses like Luke 6:38 (“Give, and it will be given to you”) as a spiritual formula: “If I give, God owes me something.” But this is a distortion of Jesus' teaching. God isn't running a cosmic vending machine where our dollars purchase His favor.Instead, He invites us to live differently—to find life not in what we keep but in what we release. If money itself were the ultimate reward, God would be reinforcing the very idol He seeks to break in our hearts. Jesus reminds us in Luke 12:15, “One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” That truth echoes through every page of Scripture: generosity is not about loss—it's about liberation.What We Actually Receive When We GiveSo, if giving isn't transactional, what does Scripture say we receive in return? The Bible highlights three beautiful gifts that generosity brings.1. We Receive FreedomMoney has a unique power to capture our hearts. Jesus warned, “You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Every act of generosity is a declaration of allegiance: we are not owned by our wealth. Giving loosens money's grip and frees us to serve a greater Master.2. We Receive JoyIn Acts 20:35, Paul quotes Jesus saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” True joy doesn't come from what we accumulate—it comes from participating in God's generosity. John Bunyan put it this way: “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”3. We Receive PurposeWhen we give, we join God's mission in the world. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:11, “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.” The goal isn't self-enrichment—it's being a conduit of blessing. Generosity connects our story to God's story, reminding us that every resource we have is meant to reflect His generous heart.Giving Flows from GraceIf we're honest, our motives for giving can become mixed. We might give to feel good, earn approval, or to gain favor with God. But the gospel frees us from all of that. Ephesians 2:8–10 makes it clear: we're saved by grace, not by works. Our generosity is not a means of earning God's love—it's a response to already having it.Once we understand that truth, giving transforms from obligation into worship. We don't give to get something back. We give because we've already received everything in Christ.At the center of our faith stands Jesus—the One who gave everything. Paul captures it beautifully in 2 Corinthians 8:9:“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.”Jesus didn't give to gain something for Himself. He gave because of love. Through His sacrifice, we received reconciliation with God and eternal life in His Kingdom—riches far beyond material wealth.When our giving mirrors His, our motivation becomes love, not return. And in that kind of giving, we experience the true riches of life in Christ.Living With Open HandsEven when generosity brings blessing, the return is never shallow or predictable. We don't give to multiply our possessions—we give to multiply love, freedom, and trust.Every act of giving draws us deeper into God's life—freeing us from greed, filling us with joy, anchoring us in purpose, and reminding us that He is our ultimate treasure.The world says, “Give so you can get.” The gospel says, “Give because you've already been given everything.”When we live with open hands, we discover that the richest life is the one fully surrendered to God.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:My wife had student loans before we got married, and the balance has now grown to about $65,000. I didn't realize how much debt she had until recently, and it's been hard to manage on our income—especially since her payments are currently set to $0 through an income-based repayment plan. How should we approach this situation, and what can we do to manage or reduce this debt given our financial limitations?I've been giving to my church using funds from my Required Minimum Distribution, even though I'm still working. Someone recently asked why I'm taking RMDs if I'm not yet required to. Do I have to take RMDs from my retirement plan while I'm still employed, or do the rules only apply to my IRA?I have both a Roth IRA and a brokerage account that I'd like to transfer to a new investment firm. The accounts have been open for more than five years. If I move my Roth IRA, does that five-year clock restart, or does the time I've already had it stay intact?I recently received an inheritance of about $200,000 after my father's passing. My mortgage balance is around $175,000. I don't have any other debt, but I do have five kids at different stages of life, including some in college, and I haven't saved much for retirement. Should I use the inheritance to pay off the mortgage and invest the remaining amount, or keep the mortgage and invest the entire amount for the future? What's the best move for my family right now?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure of infinite worth. Jesus' parables reveal the supreme value of Christ and His Gospel; He is the treasure who gave up everything to purchase the field (the world) for the sake of His people. When Jesus offers up this priceless treasure, he is rejected in His own hometown, a stark reminder that the saving power of the Gospel is lost where unbelief holds sway.  The Rev. Steven Theiss, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Matthew 13:44-58.  The Gospel of Matthew bridges Old and New Testaments, presenting Jesus as the promised Messiah who fulfills the Law we could never keep and establishes His kingdom of grace for all nations. Written by a tax collector transformed by pure grace, Matthew reveals Christ as the true Son of David and Emmanuel (God with us) who challenges us with the crushing demands of the Law in His Sermon on the Mount to the sweet comfort of the Gospel in His death and resurrection. From royal genealogy to glorious resurrection, this verse-by-verse study proclaims the One who conquered sin, death, and the devil for us, now delivering forgiveness, life, and salvation through Word and Sacrament as He remains with His church always, even to the end of the age.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

In this powerful episode exploring biblical masculinity and Kingdom leadership, we honor the profound legacy of Charlie Kirk. Drawing from scripture and Kirk's own journey, we unpack three core attributes that define authentic Christian manhood: unwavering courage, unshakeable conviction, and Spirit-led boldness.Through personal reflection and biblical wisdom, discover:• How to cultivate warrior-like courage in an increasingly hostile culture• Keys to developing conviction that stands firm against cultural pressure• Practical steps to walk in godly boldness without compromiseWhether you're a father, husband, ministry leader, or man seeking to deepen your faith, this episode provides actionable insights for stepping into your God-given role as a Kingdom warrior. Learn how to practically apply these masculine virtues in your family, workplace, and spiritual life.Perfect for:✝️ Christian men seeking authentic biblical masculinity

What if your God-given purpose isn't about power, but perseverance in weakness? John and Arden Bevere reveal how the Church of Philadelphia earned Christ's highest praise by staying faithful despite “little strength.” Drawing from his early ministry, John shows the difference between doors we try to force open and doors God opens. Learn why faithful obedience matters more than personal ambition, how to discern God's timing, and how perseverance in faith leads to lasting Kingdom influence. Listen now and discover how faithfulness shapes your purpose and sets the stage for God's plans to unfold in your life.______________________________________FREE Show Notes Here: https://page.church.tech/fa38a7ea______________________________________Order premium meat now through Good Ranchers—use code “BEVERE" at checkout: https://go.goodranchers.com/john______________________________________Click here to start your free extended trial with LOGOS today: Logos.com/Bevere______________________________________Support this podcast by becoming a Patron here (tax-deductible): https://3szn.short.gy/JBgive 

In today's episode, Pastor Todd shares from our Sunday AM service (10/19/25) about knowing who we are in the Lord and then moving upon that. God has given us His word and His promises in it, but do you believe them?We must focus on His Word and when we do that we can and WILL see Him move through us. We are dangerous FOR the Lord and against the Kingdom of Darkness! NEW EPISODES every Monday & Friday @ Noon.https://www.facebook.com/TheRiverOfTriCities/https://www.youtube.com/@TheRiverofTriCitiesChurchhttps://www.instagram.com/rivertcchurch/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/thelastdayspodcast/?hl=en

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel is no cuck philanthropist. The co-founder of Palantir is leading his company at the bleeding edge of mass surveillance, facial recognition, predictive policing, and AI-assisted warfare. He also fancies himself a political player, responsible for funding his protege, JD Vance, to a heartbeat away from the presidency. Considering this CV, the announcement that Thiel would give a series of four lectures on the AntiChrist was puzzling.  Why would a tech-bro with a notoriously awkward and inarticulate speaking style hold forth on religious prophecy? Or would this be a coming out party, where he would finally confirm his alliance with Satan? Now that the lectures have happened, we can finally tell you—and later, we'll frame it in the context of Thiel's mentor, René Girard. Show Notes Inside tech billionaire Peter Thiel's off-the-record lectures about the antichrist It Kind of Seems Like Peter Thiel Is Losing It Battling to the End: Conversations with Benoît Chantre: René Girard I See Satan Fall Like Lightning: René Girard “A Geometry of Desire: René Girard's Mimetic Theory, Part 1.”: John Ganz “The Iron Triangle: René Girard's Mimetic Theory, Part 2.”: John Ganz “Escaping the Kingdom of Futility: René Girard's Mimetic Theory, Part 3.”: John Ganz “The Cure for Envy: René Girard's Mimetic Theory, Part 4.”: John Ganz Know Your Enemy Ep 87, featuring John Ganz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Job 13-14; Acts 17-18 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible, your daily companion on a journey through the Scriptures. In today's episode, host Hunter invites listeners from around the world to gather by the “fires of God's love” on this 23rd day of October. Together, we dive into Job chapters 13 and 14, where Job passionately argues his case before God, wrestling with suffering, justice, and hope. Next, we move into Acts chapters 17 and 18, following Paul and Silas as they face opposition and share the message of Jesus throughout Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. Along the way, we encounter inspiring figures like Priscilla and Aquila, who gently guide Apollos into a deeper understanding of faith in Christ. Through thoughtful reflection, heartfelt prayer, and words of encouragement, Hunter reminds us that our true rest and identity is found in Jesus. So grab your Bible, settle in, and let's explore these powerful stories together—trusting that through it all, we are deeply loved and never alone. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Aquila and Priscilla and the Invitation to Rest Aquila and Priscilla went to help Apollos. And they want to help us too. They want to point us to our baptism into Christ. Apollos, we're told, only knew about the baptism of John, but Priscilla and Aquila point us beyond that—to our baptism into Christ, an even greater hope and assurance. This is the amazing, liberating news: that God has reconciled us to himself and drawn us into his life. Our identity is not wrapped up in our striving, our performance, or our attempts at holiness. Our identity is in Christ—deeply rooted in what He has done, not what we can do. Baptism, Priscilla and Aquila would remind us, signifies this new reality. Ours is not to strive after some unattainable perfection, but to rest in who Jesus says we are—trusting in His perfection, His holiness, and His love. In Christ, God assumed all of humanity into Himself, so that we might participate in the loving life that Jesus shares with the Father and the Spirit. This is what Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos to discover: not just a message about repentance, but the ongoing, participatory life in Christ, where we rest, and our joy and strength is found. And that is the invitation laid before us today—to rest in what Jesus has done, to find our strength and joy there. Let us not be anxious or strive in our own strength, but remember that Jesus has included us, adopted us, and called us His own. That's a prayer I hold for my own soul. That's a prayer I have for my family—for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's a prayer I have for you: may we rest in our true identity in Christ, and live each day from that grace-filled place. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

A new proposal makes the case that paraparticles — a new category of quantum particle — could be created in exotic materials. The story ‘Paraparticles' Would Be a Third Kingdom of Quantum Particle first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

The Bible teaches that the Kingdom of God is within us, but releasing it is contingent on how we choose to show up in faith, hope, and love. In this message, Ps. Jenny shares her family's personal journey and the keys to bringing Heaven to earth in the midst of our battle.

Did you know that over the next two decades, trillions of dollars will pass from one generation to the next?The question is—what kind of legacy will that transfer leave behind? Today, Boyd Bailey joins us to talk about how generosity is about more than dollars—it's about discipleship, financial literacy, and passing on wisdom along with wealth.Boyd Bailey is the President of the National Christian Foundation (NCF) in Georgia, an underwriter of Faith and Finance. He is also the author of several books, including his latest, The Power of Generosity: Experiencing God's Amazing Abundance – How to Change the World Through Acts of Kindness.What Makes NCF UniqueFounded in 1982 by Larry Burkett, Ron Blue, and Terry Parker, the National Christian Foundation (NCF) has helped mobilize over $21 billion for more than 90,000 charities and ministries worldwide.From the beginning, NCF has understood that when you carry Christian in your name, you also carry a sacred responsibility. Their mission is to walk alongside believers—to help them make the most of what God has entrusted to them—and they always start with the heart.Before discussing strategy, NCF encourages donors to discern God's call on their generosity through prayerful consideration. Only after that heart work do they explore practical tools—how to give wisely, save on taxes, and maximize Kingdom impact.One of NCF's most effective tools is the Giving Fund, a type of donor-advised fund that functions like a “charitable checking account.” Even with limited tech experience, you can open a Giving Fund online in less than a minute. It makes giving spontaneous and simple—whether you're inspired at a church service or a fundraising dinner.But convenience isn't the goal—discipleship is. Many families establish Giving Funds for their children, helping them embark on their own journey of generosity. And NCF encourages creative giving, too—through appreciated stock, real estate, or even a business interest—allowing donors to give more while paying less in taxes.Generosity and Wise StewardshipStewardship and generosity aren't opposites—they're two sides of the same coin. Stewardship manages what God provides; generosity releases it for His purposes. Without generosity, stewardship is incomplete.As Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:17–18, believers are to “put their hope in God, who richly provides,” and to “be rich in good deeds.” Generosity, then, isn't just about giving—it's about protecting our hearts from the idols of wealth and security that compete for our devotion.For those struggling to give during uncertain times, it helps to broaden the definition of generosity. It's not limited to money—it also includes time, attention, and hospitality.Still, fear and busyness often prevent families from discussing giving or wealth transfer. The best approach? Plan early. Invite everyone. Don't go it alone. Bring in a trusted advisor or friend to help facilitate the conversation. Why wait until after you're gone for your kids to experience the joy of giving? Use your influence now to model Kingdom-minded generosity.A Simple Way to StartAs year-end approaches, consider whether an NCF Giving Fund could help you take your next faithful step in generosity. It's simple to set up, easy to use, and profoundly impactful for both you and those you bless.To learn more—or to open your own Giving Fund—visit FaithFi.com/NCF.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:My husband and I are helping our young adult son build credit. I've heard you discuss secured credit cards, but I'm also curious about whether utility bills can serve a similar purpose. You mentioned something about reporting—where does that information actually go when utilities are reported? Also, my husband and I have been debt-free for years—not even a mortgage. We share one credit card, and he was listed on it with me. We thought that would help both of our credit scores, but recently discovered that his credit disappeared. Do we need to specifically list him as an “authorized user” for it to be counted toward his credit history? I'm not sure what went wrong.I'm considering changing financial advisors and would like to understand the key concerns to keep in mind—whether it's switching to a new advisor within the same company or transferring my investments to a different institution. How does that process work?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)National Christian Foundation (NCF)The Power of Generosity: Experiencing God's Amazing Abundance – How to Change the World Through Acts of Kindness by Boyd BaileyExperian BoostWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jesus describes the hidden, mysterious nature of His Kingdom. It grows from the smallest of beginnings to become a refuge for all, yet the Church on earth will always be a mixed body of believers and hypocrites. Jesus makes clear that the work of separating them belongs to the angels at the end of the age, not to men. These parables comfort the Church, reminding us that the Kingdom's growth and purity are God's work, not ours.  The Rev. Dan Grimmer, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Mitchell, SD, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Matthew 13:24-43.  To learn more about Zion Lutheran, visit zionmitchell.org The Gospel of Matthew bridges Old and New Testaments, presenting Jesus as the promised Messiah who fulfills the Law we could never keep and establishes His kingdom of grace for all nations. Written by a tax collector transformed by pure grace, Matthew reveals Christ as the true Son of David and Emmanuel (God with us) who challenges us with the crushing demands of the Law in His Sermon on the Mount to the sweet comfort of the Gospel in His death and resurrection. From royal genealogy to glorious resurrection, this verse-by-verse study proclaims the One who conquered sin, death, and the devil for us, now delivering forgiveness, life, and salvation through Word and Sacrament as He remains with His church always, even to the end of the age.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Will I be LEAST in the Kingdom of Heaven?Support the show

Livestream with Yuri Rashkin and DW Phillips----------Partner on this video: KYIV OF MINE Watch the trailer now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJUcE1rxY0'Kyiv of Mine' is a documentary series about Ukraine's beautiful capital, Kyiv. The film production began in 2018, and much has changed since then. It is now 2025, and this story is far from over.https://www.youtube.com/@UCz6UbVKfqutH-N7WXnC5Ykg https://www.kyivofmine.com/#theprojectKyiv of Mine is fast paced, beautifully filmed, humorous, fun, insightful, heartbreaking, moving, hopeful. The very antithesis in fact of a doom-laden and worthy wartime documentary. This is a work that is extraordinarily uplifting. My friend Operator Starsky says the film is “Made with so much love. The film series will make you laugh and cry.” ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainDonate and Receive - Collectable PatchAUTUMN HARVEST TRUCKS 2025. Part of our 2025 patch collection. Everyone who contributes €100 (~$115) or more will be able to receive it.For our Autumn patch, we present the Galician Lion. The rampant lion represents power and intelligence. It has represented Western Ukrainian people since the 1100s. The Ruthenian lion, also known as the Ukrainian lion or Galician lion, was featured on the historic coat of arms of: The Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia (Ruthenia)1199-1349, The battle flag of the Lviv land in the Battle of Tannenberg, 1410 The Ruthenian Voivodeship (Administration) 1434-1772 and The Western Ukrainian People's Republic 1918-1919. The Ukrainian national liberation movement, 1948----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------

Picture this: a sunny Sunday morning in Paris. The Louvre is packed with tourists — and then, bam!A group of thieves pulls off a heist so smooth it feels like a movie. They scale the building, smash a window, and in just four minutes, they've stolen priceless jewels from the French Crown Jewels collection.And that got me thinking…Even in a world where everything seems to be taken — peace, time, security — there's one thing no one can steal: what belongs to the King.In this episode, we dive into the Louvre heist and what it teaches us about God's Kingdom — how the treasures of heaven can't be touched, broken, or stolen. Because when your worth is in Christ, no thief can take that from you.

Stay Connected With UsWebsite: anchorfaith.comAnchor Faith Church Facebook: www.facebook.com/anchorfaithAnchor Faith Church Instagram: www.instagram.com/anchorfaithPastor Earl Glisson Facebook: www.facebook.com/earlwglissonPastor Earl Glisson Instagram: www.instagram.com/earlglisson

Stay Connected With UsWebsite: anchorfaith.comAnchor Faith Church Facebook: www.facebook.com/anchorfaithAnchor Faith Church Instagram: www.instagram.com/anchorfaithPastor Earl Glisson Facebook: www.facebook.com/earlwglissonPastor Earl Glisson Instagram: www.instagram.com/earlglisson

Business, not government, drives the economy. And we all want to do business with – or work for – businesses that operate with values of trust, respect, uprightness, and excellence. Linda's guest, Mason Burchette, is co-founder of True Metal Supply, a company whose values are etched into an acronym to form the company name. Mason is committed to honoring God with his business and discusses with Linda the blessings and challenges of living boldly for his faith and patriotic values. His perspective as a young entrepreneur leading a rapidly growing company will encourage and challenge you to work with excellence and stand boldly for your beliefs.  ©Copyright 2025, Prosperity 101, LLC __________________________________________________________ For information about our online course and other resources visit: https://prosperity101.com To order a copy of Prosperity 101 – Job Security Through Business Prosperity® by Linda J. Hansen, click here: https://prosperity101.com/products/ Become a Prosperity Partner: https://prosperity101.com/partner-contribution/ If you would like to be an episode sponsor, please contact us directly at https://prosperity101.com. You can also support this podcast by engaging with our Strategic Partners using the promo codes listed below. Be free to work and free to hire by joining RedBalloon, America's #1 non-woke job board and talent connector. Use Promo Code P101 or go to RedBalloon.work/p101 to join Red Balloon and support Prosperity 101®. Connect with other Kingdom minded business owners by joining the US Christian Chamber of Commerce. Support both organizations by mentioning Prosperity 101, LLC or using code P101 to join. https://uschristianchamber.com Mother Nature's Trading Company®, providing natural products for your health, all Powered by Cranology®. Use this link to explore Buy One Get One Free product options and special discounts: https://mntc.shop/prosperity101/ Unite for impact by joining Christian Employers Alliance at www.ChristianEmployersAlliance.org and use Promo Code P101. Support Pro-Life Payments and help save babies with every swipe. Visit www.prolifepayments.com/life/p101 for more information. Maximize your podcast by contacting Podcast Town. Contact them today: https://podcasttown.zohothrive.com/affiliateportal/podcasttown/login Check out VAUSA, America's choice for virtual assistants- https://hirevausa.com/connect" Thank you to all our guests, listeners, Prosperity Partners, and Strategic Partners. You are appreciated!   The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast do not necessarily represent those held or promoted by Linda J. Hansen or Prosperity 101, LLC.

Featured playlist: The Church (That Meets in My Home) — https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5Yobt1jZDd9Zzn8Ufa-BNciyYv04Cl6mMy books:Exalted: Putting Jesus in His Place — https://www.amazon.com/Exalted-Putting-Jesus-His-Place/dp/0985118709/ref=tmm_pap_title_0God's Design for Marriage (Married Edition) — https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Design-Marriage-Married-Amazing/dp/0998786306/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493422125&sr=1-4&keywords=god%27s+design+for+marriageGod's Design for Marriage (Pre-married Edition) — https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Design-Marriage-What-Before/dp/0985118725/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_topSupport us - become a CTC Partner: https://crosstocrown.org/partners/crosstocrown.org@DougGoodin

Today on Exploring the Marketplace with Shawn Bolz and Bob Hasson — we're diving into how your everyday work can become your mission field.Whether you're running a business, managing a team, or parenting full-time, God wants to use your ordinary work in extraordinary ways. Our guest, Rhea Lana Riner, founder and CEO of Rhea Lana's Children's Consignment Events, shares how what started as a small clothing swap in her living room became a national franchise with 120 locations in 26 states—built on faith, courage, and God's guidance.Rhea opens up about her journey from accidental entrepreneur to industry leader, navigating government battles, growing through challenges, and turning obstacles into divine opportunities. Her story reminds us that the marketplace isn't separate from ministry—it is your ministry when you walk with God.Tune in for:How to make your work your worshipThe power of faith in leadershipHow to face business challenges with integrity and graceWhat it means to bring God into every decision

We shouldn't have to apologize for taking our faith into the public square. It's not the only worldview in the public arena, and we have every right to live out our faith intentionally. In this sermon, Pastor Allen Jackson discusses the need for us to stop hiding our Christian identity and instead shine the light of God's Kingdom purposefully in our homes and communities. We are responsible for instilling our biblical values and morals in the next generation, and that begins at our kitchen tables. It won't be easy. We will face pushback and hardship, but most things worth doing require discomfort and effort. Let's determine to do the difficult thing in pursuit of God. 

"In Luke 18, Jesus says the tax collector—not the Pharisee—went home justified. What does that teach us about the kind of heart God responds to? Jesus talks a lot in these chapters about the coming Kingdom—sometimes it sounds like it's already here, and other times like it's still coming. How should we understand that tension? In today's episode, Watermark Health Director, Christy Chermak talks with Watermark member Jelani Rainey about Luke 17-18. Additional References: Psalm 40; Psalm 139; Psalm 51 Check out Watermark South Dallas on a Sunday! https://www.watermark.org/southdallas You can also check out the Join The Journey Jr. Podcast: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/join-the-journey-junior/id1660089898 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6SG7aaE1ZjjFkgB34G8zp3?si=c960a63736904665 Check out the Join The Journey Website for today's devotional and more resources! https://www.jointhejourney.com/ Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Watermark-Community-Church/author/B0BRYP5MQK?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1755623322&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=8aeeec3b-6c1c-416d-87ae-5dfbbb6981df"

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Job 11-12; Acts 15-16 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this October 22nd episode, your Bible reading coach Hunter guides us on day 296 of our journey through scripture. Today, we're diving into Job chapters 11 and 12, where we hear Zophar's pointed response to Job and Job's own powerful reflections on God's wisdom and sovereignty. Then, we turn to Acts 15 and 16, walking with Paul, Barnabas, and the early church as they wrestle with what it truly means to follow Christ—wrestling with old traditions, experiencing miraculous events, and witnessing the beautiful simplicity of faith and grace in action. Hunter reminds us that it's all too easy to let religion complicate our relationship with God, but the saving love of Christ is offered to each of us—freely, simply, and without distinction. Through prayer, reflection, and encouragement, this episode invites you to lay down your burdens, live in the sufficiency of God's grace, and keep moving forward in faith. Let's open the Scriptures together and rekindle our hearts by the fires of God's love. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Let's not make it difficult. That's the heartbeat from today's reading, echoing from the council at Jerusalem and resounding in the gospel itself. James spoke those words in Acts: let's not make it difficult for people to come to God. And yet, so often, our human nature, our systems, our religions, much like those early believers who wanted to add circumcision to the requirements of faith, try to put hurdles in the way. The question was, Who is in and who is out? Is it by human effort, tradition, or ritual? Is there some check box, some work or procedure, some pedigree that makes us right with God? But if we're not careful, the simple invitation of Christ becomes a complicated checklist. The apostles—Paul, Peter, James—they recognized how quickly we can move from freedom into burdens. But the truth, straight from the heart of God, is that nothing stands in the way of experiencing His love through Christ. God's life, His gracious gift, offered to all—Jew and Gentile, man and woman, young and old—is received by faith alone, not by effort, not by merit, not by works, not by anything we can add. The letter that went out from Jerusalem is a letter for us, too. It's a call back to simplicity, to childlike trust. “He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts through faith. We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” That's the message. Don't let your heart or religion complicate what Christ has made simple. Even the things we cling to as saviors—our rules, our observance—cannot save us. Lay them down. Receive the gift: the righteousness that comes by faith in the finished work of Christ. Put away the extra burdens, the additions, the anxiety of performance. Trust Him. Rest in His love. Walk in the gift that's been given to you—full acceptance, full forgiveness, full belonging—in Christ alone. Live in the sufficiency of God's life in you, today and every day. That's a prayer I have for my own soul. It's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

In this Gospel Hour, Peter shares how a “full gospel” doesn't just save us — it transforms how we live, love, and build the Church. He unpacks the four pillars that sustain a healthy body of Christ, reveals why many believers still live as if they're “not enough,” and calls us back to the simplicity of obeying the truth: believing God loves us. This is a call to stop striving, stop comparing, and start living from a purified soul that overflows with real love.Join us weekly on Zoom for Gospel Hour on Wednesdays at 9a CST: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9657760302THE BRAVEHEART SUMMIT REGISTRATION IS LIVE! SECURE YOUR SPOT TODAY! The Braveheart Summit is a gathering point for people who are hungry to get trained in the Gospel and commissioned to take action for the furthering of God's Kingdom. Whether you're brand new to Braveheart or you've been with us for years, the Summit is for you.Join us in San Antonio and expect to get equipped, encouraged, strengthened and sent home on fire with a flame that never burns out.Details - November 6th-8th in San Antonio, Texas Click here to register.Click here to pay it forward.Send us a textSupport the show

"Suffering is where our faith is made real... And anything you see of enduring faith in me, that's God. That's his strength in my weakness."— Christine HooverToday's Episode: Listen in as Natalie talks with Bible teacher Christine Hoover about how God brought her through the most difficult year of her life. She shares how she learned to rely on God's strength in her weakness, to relinquish control, to accept the help and love of others, and to believe God through even the darkest times. More than that, she walk us through how she heard God's tender, faithful voice speaking to her in 2 Corinthians. You won't want to miss her amazing story!This month's memory verse: "For we live by faith, not by sight." — 2 Corinthians 5:7Today's guest: Christine Hoover is Bible teacher who serves as the Women's Ministry Associate at The Austin Stone Community Church's Northwest congregation in Austin, Texas. She has authored seven books, including Messy Beautiful Friendship and You Are Not Forgotten, as well as a Bible study of Matthew, Seek First the Kingdom. Her work has been featured on The Gospel Coalition and Christianity Today. Christine is married to Kyle, a pastor, and they have three sons. Want to go even deeper in this month's verse? Study along with Natalie in the monthly Bible Study Membership. Get the first month FREE with the code: PODCAST.Love this show? Support us by leaving a review.Links from today's show: Find out more about Christine at christinehoover.net or @christinehoover98.Get Christine's 2 Corinthians Bible study, More than Enough. Check out the Piper and Leaf Tea Advent Calendar. Use: DWELL10 to save 10%.Get the ESV Prayer Journals for 30% off with a free Crossway Plus account.Check out the Forever Welcomed bible study, by Oghosa Iyamu. Get your copy of Scarlet Hiltibidal's book, Hopeful-ish.Check out our FALL SALE October 13 through the 23rd! Support the showFollow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

The Kingdom for You: Hearing God's Voice and Partnering in the Battle In this episode of the Exploring More Podcast, Michael Thompson and SJ Jennings explore the profound reality that the Kingdom of God isn't just coming—it's for you. Picking up the thread from previous episodes on the map of darkness and light, they discuss how Jesus didn't just defeat the enemy—He invites us to join Him in bringing the Kingdom to earth. From stories like The Chronicles of Narnia and 50 First Dates, to biblical truths and personal experience, Michael and SJ unpack what it means to recognize God's voice, partner with the Holy Spirit, and live as image bearers of light in a world still shadowed by darkness. They emphasize that hearing from God isn't a spiritual elite experience—it's part of our design. With tools like the Pause app and YouVersion devotionals, they offer practical ways to slow down, be still, and listen deeply. This episode is a call to engage: to practice stillness, recognize the King's voice, and live as an agent of redemption in the Story we've been invited into. We hope you enjoy this episode and invite you to connect with us!

We don't like to admit it, but a lot of what we call ministry is just Christianized self-promotion. In this episode, James Griffin, Matt Moody, and Carlos Fernandez talk honestly about pride, performance culture, and why needing to be seen might actually put you in opposition to God. They unpack how to know whether you're building God's Kingdom or just your own platform, why pride is the most accepted sin in church culture, and how to kill it before it kills your calling.Subscribe for more messages and conversations that will help you know and follow Jesus.SHOW NOTESThese notes are packed with key insights and scripture to help you know and follow Jesus – https://mycpcc.com/notes153To submit a question, send us a DM on Instagram or Facebook.Crosspoint City Church exists to relentlessly pursue those far from God to help them know and follow Jesus. To help support this mission and work, visit https://www.mycpcc.com/giveTo learn more about all of our locations or what is coming up at Crosspoint City, check out https://www.crosspointcity.com/ or follow us on your favorite social platform ‪@CrosspointCity

In this episode of Simple Faith, host Rusty George sits down with Dubb Alexander—author, speaker, and global Kingdom influencer—to ask a powerful question: “Is the Kingdom of God different than the Church?”Dubb, author of From the Cult to the Kingdom and Kingdom Theology Vol. 1, shares his incredible journey from growing up in a cult to becoming a voice of Kingdom transformation at the U.N. and beyond. Together, Rusty and Dubb unpack what it really means to live in the Kingdom, not just go to church.If you've ever wondered how God's Kingdom and the Church intersect—or differ—this conversation will challenge, inspire, and deepen your faith.

Rabbi Steve Berkson takes us on a deep dive through the scripture into the spiritual underworld led by an entity known in scripture as HaSatan. Understanding the enemy of our belief is crucial to successfully living a Torah-observant life.• Opener• Review• Matthew 12:22-24 – Demons?• A lack of understanding of authority • Matthew 12:24-27 – They shall be your judges? • Matthew 12:28-29 – Blinded by what? • Matthew 13:3-9 – The parable of the sower • Matthew 13:10 – To those who possess it?• Matthew 13:13-15 – Hear and perceive • Matthew 13:16-18 – Teachers are still necessary • Matthew 13:19 – Who is this “wicked one”?• Matthew 13:20-21 – Pressure and persecution • Matthew 13:22 – Sown among the thorns• Matthew 13:23 – It's all about the effort? • Matthew 13:24 – This is what the Kingdom is like• Matthew 13:24-41 – The parable of the darnel and the wheat• Matthew 13:42 – Wailing and gnashing of teeth? • Matthew 13:43 – HaSatan's role when this happens?• If you do this, you will be thrown out • Double-minded? • Prayer Listen to the Afterburn tomorrowSubscribe to take advantage of new content every week.To learn more about MTOI, visit our website, https://mtoi.org.https://www.facebook.com/mtoiworldwide https://www.instagram.com/mtoi_worldwidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@mtoi_worldwide You can contact MTOI by emailing us at admin@mtoi.org or calling 423-250-3020. Join us for Shabbat Services and Torah Study LIVE, streamed on our website, mtoi.org, YouTube, and Rumble every Saturday at 1:15 p.m. and every Friday for Torah Study Live Stream at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Did you know your financial advisor can actually help you invest in ways that reflect your faith?Advisors do more than just help you hit financial targets—they can also guide you in making a lasting impact with your investments. Today, Josh Bean joins us to share how to start the conversation about faith-based investing.Josh Bean is the National Sales Manager for Praxis Investment Management, an underwriter of Faith & Finance.25 Years of Change in Faith-Based InvestingAbout 25 years ago, Praxis conducted its first major study on faith-based investing. This year, they decided to revisit that research and see how investor attitudes have evolved.Partnering with Bellomy Market Research, the Praxis team surveyed over 1,000 individual investors and 400 financial advisors to explore the motivations, opportunities, and concerns surrounding faith-aligned portfolios.The exciting part is that the results confirmed what they've believed all along: people genuinely want to align their investments with what matters most to them. You can explore the full report at PraxisInvests.com/FaithBasedInvesting.According to the study, nearly half of all investors—48%—have already aligned their portfolios with their faith or are interested in doing so. What's striking is that this number encompasses all investors, not just those with a religious background.People see investing as more than performance—it's about purpose. They want their portfolios to reflect their convictions.The Advisor Gap: 78% Want Guidance, But Only 9% Are AskedPerhaps the most surprising finding is the communication gap between clients and advisors.78% of investors said it's important for their advisor to discuss faith-aligned options, but only 9% of advisors say they actually bring it up.That gap is one of the biggest barriers to growth. Investors are eager. Advisors often just don't know how to start the conversation. That's where firms like Praxis can help bridge the gap.One reason some advisors hesitate? The lingering myth that values-driven investing means sacrificing returns.That's just not the case anymore. At Praxis, they aim for benchmark-like returns through diversified, optimized portfolios. They screen out approximately 15% of companies that don't align with their values and incorporate positive impact strategies—all while closely tracking performance.This approach isn't just about numbers—it's about stewardship. In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus commends the faithful servants who wisely managed what they were given. That's our model—faithful stewardship with Kingdom impact.An Expanding Landscape of Faith-Based OptionsFaith-based investing has come a long way. What once seemed niche now includes mutual funds, ETFs, and multi-fund portfolios that reflect a range of Christian values and causes.Investors today can build diversified, competitive portfolios entirely within the faith-based space. There are more options—and better tools—than ever before.Among those tools are screening systems that allow investors to exclude companies that conflict with biblical values or to include those that make a positive social or environmental impact.Taking the First Step: Talk With Your AdvisorFor those new to this space, start the conversation. Ask your advisor, Can my faith be reflected in my investment strategy? That one question could open the door to an entirely new way of stewarding your money.To help, Praxis has created a free Faith-Based Investing brochure, available at PraxisInvests.com/FaithBasedInvesting. It provides practical guidance on initiating faith-aligned conversations with your financial advisor.And if you'd like to find a Certified Kingdom Advisor who specializes in Faith-Based Investing, you can visit FindACKA.com. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I'm 82 years old and recently got a cold call from someone asking if I'd like to sell my house for cash. I don't owe anything on it—just pay for homeowners' insurance and utilities. Since God has blessed me to live mortgage-free, should I even consider their offer?I'm considering taking out a $20,000 loan, but I'd rather not use a home equity loan, even though my credit is good. I was thinking of a personal loan through Bank of America instead. My husband is retired, and I'm the only one working—so which option would be more cost-effective for us?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Praxis Investment ManagementReport on Faith-Based Investing from PraxisWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Let’s say you want to sell your car. You think it’s worth about 10 thousand dollars. But right away, someone pays you 15 thousand dollars. Sold! So what was your car worth? Well, it was worth what the buyer was willing to pay. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us some encouraging insights on OUR worth based on the One who purchased us with the blood of His only begotten Son. And given our real worth, we’ll see how the Lord has equipped us for real Kingdom work. Listen on harvest.org --- Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A right vision of the Gospel of the Kingdom is the better path to forge.  __________ Stream Truth Rising today at truthrising.com/colson.

The Wilderness E8 –– In the Bible, God often turns wilderness wanderings into times of testing, purification, and preparation for returning to the garden land. The tragedy of the Hebrew Bible, however, is that when people do return to the garden, they keep following their own distorted wisdom and desires. This is why the beginning of every gospel account features a wild prophet named John, who is out in the wilderness by the Jordan River, preaching a baptism of repentance. It's a symbolic reenactment of when God purified the exodus generation through the deadly chaos waters and treacherous desert. But then Jesus approaches John, also asking to be baptized. Why? In this episode, Jon and Tim unpack the background and ministry of John the Baptizer and how Jesus' baptism connects to his larger Kingdom mission.CHAPTERSRecap of Theme and Setup for John the Baptizer (0:00-15:53)John's Background and Words to the Pharisees (15:53-38:03)Why Jesus Participates in a Baptism of Repentance (38:03-44:47)The Heavenly Announcement After Jesus' Baptism (44:47-51:33)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode's official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, translated by Geza VermesYou 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“Lunch Break ft. Abstractv” by Lofi Sunday“Old Record” by Lofi Sunday, Marc VanparlaBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today's episode and 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. Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.