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What does baptism say about our freedom in Christ? Like Israel crossing the Red Sea, baptism pictures our deliverance from sin's power. We now walk free, no longer slaves, but alive in Christ.In this four-part series on the command “Baptize My Disciples,” we are invited to see baptism not as a symbolic obligation, but as a profound declaration of our union with Christ. Rooted in the authority and love of the risen Savior, baptism marks the believer's identity in Him, testifying that we have died to sin and been raised in newness of life. Through teaching, testimony, and Scripture, we are reminded that this command is both deeply spiritual and practically essential—anchored in Christ's power, pointing always to His glory, and flowing from a life of discipleship. Join Nate and Gabe as they explore Christ's command to “Baptize My Disciples.”Want to go deeper in studying this command of Christ? Download a free study guide at https://homediscipleship.comStudy guide includes: Scriptures referenced in podcastReview of Old Testament contextGuide for Scripture meditationQuestions for application and prayerFor more information, visit us at https://homediscipleship.comFind us on Facebook and Instagram @homediscipleshiphttps://www.facebook.com/homediscipleshipnetworkhttps://instagram.com/commandsofchristpodcast
Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!Good morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)YouTube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comHebrews 4 Fear can be healthy for Christians if it fosters concern about falling short of God's promised rest. Israel had great assurances of rest but lost them due to a lack of faith, which led to disobedience and punishment from God. Their example remains powerful for believers, as a promised rest continues for the people of God. Disciples must diligently enter that rest by paying consistent attention to God's word. The word is living and active, penetrating the heart and revealing what does not belong. God sees all, even the depths of the heart. Fortunately, Jesus is a constant source of help on the path to rest, serving as a sympathetic high priest, so that the faithful can confidently approach the throne of grace for assistance in times of need. We must take God's promise of rest seriously, not with a sense of anxiety, but with a deep awareness that we might miss it if we stop trusting Him. Like Israel, we know His voice and power, but we must still choose faith every day. It is easy to drift or harden our hearts when life feels overwhelming. That is why we must stay grounded in His word, allowing it to shape us and reveal what needs to change. Nothing is hidden from God, not even our secret doubts or fears. But we are not alone: Jesus knows our weaknesses. He invites us to come near, to find mercy, to find grace, and to keep walking with Him toward true rest. Worthy Lord, we come with humble hearts, thankful for the promise of heavenly rest that You freely offer to those who trust in You. We confess that at times we get distracted and allow things into our hearts that do not belong. Please cleanse our sins and make us holy and righteous in Your sight. Help us develop the discipline to be in Your word every day, knowing it is sufficient to touch our hearts and minds and direct us in Your ways. Please continue to bless us with the protection of Jesus, and give us grace in difficult times. Thought Questions: Is it possible for someone saved by God to turn from Him in unbelief and lose heaven? How do you make sure that does not happen to you? How does daily Bible reading help you remain diligent in entering heaven's rest? What can God accomplish in your life with an open bible? What is the benefit of having Jesus as your sympathetic high priest? How does He assist you in confidently drawing near to the throne of grace?
Have you ever noticed how whenever you see someone promoting hatred toward Muslims, nine times out of ten it will be someone who supports Israel? There's a reason for that. Zionists promote Islamophobia because convincing westerners to hate Muslims is easier than convincing them to love Israel. Reading by Tim Foley.
* Life is full of tests—moments designed not to punish, but to reveal what's truly in our hearts. From everyday decisions like patience and humility to major areas like finances and relationships, God's testing us to shape us into who we're called to be. Like Israel before entering the promised land, these seasons of testing are vital for our growth and preparation.In this message, we'll explore the biblical foundation of tests—God's purpose isn't to harm but to develop trust, obedience, and character in us. We'll see how every test serves as a confirmation of what's already inside, and how passing them positions us for blessings and fruitfulness.Key Highlights:* The Purpose of Testing: God tests us to develop patience, humility, and trust—especially when it comes to our finances and priorities.* God's Invitation to Test Him: Malachi 3:10 challenges us to "test" God through tithing—revealing His promise to bless and open the floodgates of heaven.* Understanding Tithing in Perspective: Whether under the law or grace, giving willingly and cheerfully aligns our hearts with God's kingdom.* The True Test of Our Hearts: It's not just about what we know but about what we do—our attitude, obedience, and trust matter most.* Three Critical Areas of the Test: Heart, Stewardship, and Priority. Your financial choices are reflections of what's truly important to you.* Living Open-Handed: Every day is an opportunity to choose generosity over greed, trust over worry, and obedience over hesitation.* Turning Tests into Testimonies: When we trust God, even in tough times, we open the door to His blessings, purpose, and future.This isn't just about money—it's about aligning your entire life with God's plan. It's about trusting His promises, living with purpose, and letting your faith move from belief into action.
The National Security Hour with Brandon Weichert – The Middle East is a region where everyone plays the game—but Qatar (and Israel) has convinced Washington to help it cheat. We must rethink the U.S.-Qatar relationship from the ground up. Ban lobbying from all foreign powers with ties to extremist ideologies. Reinstate a Muslim immigration moratorium—not as a religious rebuke, but as a national...
The National Security Hour with Brandon Weichert – The Middle East is a region where everyone plays the game—but Qatar (and Israel) has convinced Washington to help it cheat. We must rethink the U.S.-Qatar relationship from the ground up. Ban lobbying from all foreign powers with ties to extremist ideologies. Reinstate a Muslim immigration moratorium—not as a religious rebuke, but as a national...
In this episode of Arise + Abide, Sally and Curtis read Hosea chapter 8, where the prophet declares that Israel has “planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind.” Through Hosea's message, God warns His people that their idolatry, self-appointed kings, and misplaced alliances will lead to destruction. Israel has built altars meant to remove sin, yet those very altars have become places of sin. They've forgotten their Maker and trusted in their own strength, seeking security in palaces, fortified cities, and foreign powers instead of the Lord. As Sally and Curtis reflect, this passage reveals the danger of turning to anything other than God for hope and stability. Like Israel, we may strive to secure life through our own works or alliances, but these efforts are fruitless apart from the Lord. Curtis draws a parallel to modern faith, noting how our attempts at righteousness can drift into legalism when we depend on our own strength rather than Christ's finished work. Sally reminds us that life and fruitfulness come only from seeking God first—echoing Matthew 6:33: “Seek the kingdom of God above all else…” Even amid judgment, there is grace. God still sends warnings—signs of His steadfast love calling us back to Him. As the hosts conclude, the true hope of this chapter is not in avoiding discipline but in trusting the Maker who loves, warns, and redeems His people.
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Get behind our through the Bible project. Read more here Project23. Our text today is Judges 6:7–10. When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites, the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.' But you have not obeyed my voice.” — Judges 6:7-10 Israel is desperate. Seven years of Midian's oppression has broken them, and they cry out to God for help. But instead of sending an army or a leader, God sends a prophet with a hard word. Before God deals with the enemy outside, he exposes the enemy within. He reminds them of his past faithfulness and their present disobedience. The message is raw, but it's true: because Israel's bigger problem isn't Midian — it's their unfaithfulness. No follower likes this part — the confrontation of God about who we are. We'd rather God just fix the crisis, remove the stress, and make life comfortable again. But God loves us too much to patch up the problems. Like Israel, our circumstances are often symptoms of the problem, not the real problem. The deeper problem is the drift of our hearts — the quiet compromises, misplaced loyalties, and neglected obedience that weaken us from within. And God knows that if he delivers us without dealing with those things, we'll just end up back in the same problematic pit. This is why he sometimes sends a word before providing a way out. It feels like a delay, but it's actually mercy. His goal isn't temporary relief — it's lasting change. That means the painful work of letting him search, confront, and reshape us is not punishment. It's preparation. And if we skip that work, we risk skipping the real victory he wants to give. So ask yourself the hard question: “What in me needs to change before my situation changes?” ASK THIS: Have you been asking God to fix your situation without letting Him change your heart? What hard truth might God be speaking to you right now? How could this season be preparation, not just punishment? Are you willing to let God do the deeper work before He brings the outward relief? DO THIS: Ask God in prayer: “What in me needs to change before my situation changes?” Write down whatever He brings to mind, and commit to addressing it today. PRAY THIS: Lord, don't just change what's around me — change what's in me. Even if it's painful, do the deep work that will make the victory last. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Give Us Clean Hands."
In this prophetic message, by Prophet Shyju Mathew, unpacks the strategy of victory that God gives His people. Breakthrough doesn't come by chance but through persistence, consistency, and faith-filled action. Like Israel circling Jericho, we are called to build spiritual momentum—soaking our battles in prayer, worship, fasting, and obedience—until the walls fall. This word will stir your faith to keep moving, keep declaring, and keep trusting until your testimony is revealed.
Introduction to “The New Snake”This sermon was born out of a burden. I could not stay silent while serpents slither freely through our nation, poisoning our faith, our politics, and our common life. Violence stalks us—mass shootings, assassinations, wars abroad and wars at home. But beneath the bullets and the blood lies a deeper venom: the rise of White Christian nationalism, the glorification of guns, and the corrosion of truth.I preach this message as part of the Black church's long tradition of prophetic witness. Our ancestors taught us that silence in the face of lies is complicity, and that the pulpit is not for comfort only but for courage. This sermon is an attempt to name the poison clearly, so God's people will not mistake the serpent for a savior.But “The New Snake” is not just a warning—it is also a word of healing. Like Israel in the wilderness, we do not deny the snakes, nor do we pretend their bite is harmless. Yet God has given us a way to live: by lifting our eyes to Christ, the One lifted up for our salvation. In a season of venom, the only vaccine is love.I offer this sermon because I believe the world needs to hear it. Our communities cannot survive on hatred disguised as holiness or nationalism masquerading as gospel. We need a faith that heals rather than harms, a church that resists poison and spreads love. My prayer is that these words help us become God's factory of peace, justice, and new life in the wilderness of our times.Here is some of the text: Sermon Title: “The New Snake” Text: Numbers 21:4–9Introduction: Church,every day we are besieged with acts of violence across the globe. From Gaza toGoma, from Orem to Evergreen, we watch families, communities, and nationsbuckle under the unbearable weight of grief. Violence leaves behind an emptychair at the table, a silenced voice in the choir, and a wound in the body ofhumanity that will not heal easily.This past week, the assassination of Charlie Kirkshocked the nation. And whether we agreed with him or not, we must be clear: the taking of a life is never justified. Violence dehumanizes both victim andperpetrator. It eats away at our souls and corrodes the very fabric of our common life. As Bishop Fairley has reminded us, “We must and we canbe better than this.”Yet even as we face death, we must not close our eyesto the deeper sickness beneath the violence — the poisonous rhetoric of WhiteChristian nationalism, the normalization of gun culture, and the toxic divisions that are making serpents rise among us. Like Israel in the wilderness, our discouragement hasbred snakes. And the question before us is: will we keep feeding the snakes, or will we lift our eyes to the One who heals?This is where we turn to Numbers 21:4–9. The peoplecomplained. The snakes bit. And God provided a strange but powerful remedy: a bronze serpent lifted up, so that all who looked upon it would live. Today, God is calling us again — not to deny thesnakes, not to pretend the venom isn't real — but to lift our eyes to Christ, to resist the poison of nationalism and hate, and to take the only vaccine thatheals: the vaccine of love.“Snakes still bite, but God still heals.” Three pointsand I'm out of your way I. The Snakes We InviteThe children of Israel were on their way from slaveryto freedom, but in the in-between — the wilderness — they grew discouraged. Thetext says they spoke against God and against Moses. They let their complaintsovertake their calling. And in their discouragement, serpents appeared.
From the pages of Judges comes a timeless truth: The saviors we seek are merely shadows of the real Savior we need.Like Israel in Judges 3, we cycle through sin, struggle, and searching for salvation in all the wrong places. Money provides temporary security. Relationships offer fleeting comfort. Fame leaves us still insecure. But these broken saviors—these shadows—point us to our need for something greater, someone greater. Pastor Louis reminds us in this message that unlike the Judges who eventually died, Jesus conquered death itself, offering not just temporary relief, but eternal peace with God.
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Send us a textPrayer for Joy, Gratitude, and Strength in Difficult Times | Philippians 4:4 – Daily Christian Prayer PodcastHave you ever struggled to feel joy when life feels overwhelming? In today's Daily Christian Prayer Podcast, recorded in London, England, Reverend Ben Cooper leads a powerful five-minute devotional prayer on Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”This prayer devotional explores the difference between fleeting happiness and lasting joy rooted in God's presence. True joy is not dependent on circumstances—it is a spiritual discipline grounded in gratitude and strengthened by faith.As we pray together, Reverend Cooper invites listeners to embrace gratitude as the foundation for breakthrough joy. Whether you face financial pressure, grief, anxiety, or uncertainty, this time of prayer reminds us that joy can exist alongside hardship. We learn that “the joy of the Lord is our strength,” empowering us to rise on wings like eagles, to stand bold as lions, and to walk through life's valleys without fear.This devotional highlights how intentional gratitude for even the simplest blessings—the breath in our lungs, the chance to pray, the presence of loved ones—can transform our perspective. Joy is not passive; it is an act of faith that shifts our mindset, lifts depression, and renews hope.Through biblical life application, you are encouraged to see every day as a breakthrough day, filled with divine opportunities for renewal. Like Israel at the Red Sea or the Jordan River, we are reminded that God can make a way when there seems to be no way.Scripture: Philippians 4:4 – “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”Prayer Points prayer for joy in daily lifeprayer for gratitude and thanksgivingprayer for joy when feeling sadprayer for grateful heart in hard timesprayer for joy in the morningprayer for gratitude in all circumstancesprayer for joy and happiness in my familyprayer for joy and peace in Jesusprayer for gratefulness to God todayprayer for lasting joy in difficult seasonsLife Application: Today, choose joy not as an emotion but as a spiritual weapon. Practice gratitude in your circumstances, declare God's promises over your life, and discover strength through rejoicing.Call to Action: Subscribe to the Daily Christian Prayer Podcast for fresh five-minute devotionals every day. Share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement, and support RB Christian Radio with a £3 monthly gift at rbchristianradio.net. Together, let's bring prayer, faith, and renewal to London, England, and to the nations of the world.Support the showThank you for listening! For more inspiring content, visit our main site at RBChristianRadio.net. Explore our ministry services and celebrations at LifeCelebrant.net. If you'd like to support our work, you can now Buy Me a Coffee and help us keep spreading the word. Every bit makes a difference! God bless and see you in the next episode.
Jacques and Jennifer look at the homogenous, so-called 'balanced' middle ground adopted by our two main parties and mainstream media - in particular, in relation to the illegal actions of Israel, and local efforts here to clamp down on pro-Palestine solidarity under the guise of a controversial definition of anti-semitism that includes criticism of the State of Israel.They also look at the complicity of international corporations in Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land, and military attacks on the people there.https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/profiting-from-genocide?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=778851&post_id=167313571&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=noz8m&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email https://johnmenadue.com/authors/federica-marsi/ Read about the report here: https://ow.ly/Ho5r50WnpGr
Since last week, Israel has been attacking Iran's nuclear facilities, along with many other targets around the country. Iran has fired hundreds of missiles in response. NPR correspondent Geoff Brumfiel has been watching all of this very closely because Israel's missile defenses have been a focus of the Trump White House. This year, President Trump requested funding from Congress for a "Golden Dome for America" — a missile defense system that would protect all of the United States. The idea comes from Israel's Iron Dome — a network of interceptor missiles stationed at points across the country. Iron Dome and related Israeli air defenses don't get every missile fired — including some launched in the past few days by Iran — but the Israeli military says it has intercepted thousands of rockets since it was built. Trying to get that kind of protection for America, though, might be a very different matter. Read more of science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel's reporting on this topic and find NPR's coverage of the Middle East here. Questions about nuclear science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Like Israel following the Cloud of Glory, we must learn to trust the Ruach's leading—whether to move or to wait. Listen to Rabbi David's Shabbat message based out of Parasha B'ha'alotcha at Congregation Mayim Chayim.
Chuck Zodda and Mike Armstrong discuss stocks retreating as havens rally after Iran strike. US crude oil jumps more than 8% on the heelds of Israeli strikes. Consumer sentiment reading rebounds to much higher level than expected. The case for rate cuts is growing.
This week we take a look at Zerubbabel and how God sent a word to encourage him through the prophet Zechariah. Like Israel and Zerubbabel we often times face enemy opposition which can cause discouragement or we can become indifferent to the assignment God is calling us to do, but we must understand it is not by might nor by power, but by the Lord's Spirit that we will do what He is calling us to do. No matter how many natural resources or people we have none of it matters if it is not driven by the Holy Spirit. Unless the Lord builds the house then it is done in vain.
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In this episode, we explore another request in Solomon's prayer as he dedicates the Temple in 1 Kings 8:41–43, and the words he speaks to Israel after his prayer in 8:54–61. In both portions, Solomon reflects growing awareness of Israel's calling to be a light to the nations. Unlike earlier parts of Israel's story, Solomon's prayer and his exhortation to the people reflect a maturing vision that first began to be expressed more fluently through David in the Psalms, and is now taking shape in Solomon's words: Israel was never meant to flourish for its own sake. It was intended to attract the nations to the glory of God through the strength, justice, and prosperity He brings to His people.Solomon prays that foreigners—those who do not belong to Israel—would hear of God's great name and mighty hand, come from distant lands, and pray toward the Temple. This moment captures God's desire from the time of Abraham: that Israel, His firstborn son among the nations, would carry the responsibility of representing Him to the other nations. The Temple, then, was not just a national symbol but a global invitation—an epicenter of encounter where outsiders might experience what no other god could do.We then look at Mark 11:15–19 where we see Jesus reflecting God's vision for the Temple to be a place of prayer for the nations. His righteous anger in the Temple was not just about corrupt practices—it was about how those practices hindered and disrupted the nations from getting an accurate representation of God. Quoting Isaiah, Jesus declares that the Temple was meant to be "a house of prayer for all nations," and his actions reveal the heart of the firstborn Son of God: one who zealously guards the integrity of God's mission for the world.We conclude by reflecting on how this biblical pattern still speaks to us today. Like Israel and like Jesus, we are blessed not just for our own benefit, but so that others might come to know and glorify the name of the Lord through our lives. How we steward what God gives us—our influence, our resources, our worship—can either open the way for others or hinder them. The question is: are we building lives that help others see and seek the living God?Key Passages:1 Kings 8:41-43, 54-61Mark 11:15-19Explainer Video on how to use www.biblehub.com and www.blueletterbible.orgLeave us a question or comment at our website podcast page.* Intro Music: "Admirable" Carlos Herrera Music
Ada Karmi-Melamede is an architect who has designed famous buildings across Israel, including the Supreme Court building and the gateway to Ben Gurion airport. Her daughter, filmmaker Yael Melamede, talks to us about her new film, ADA: My Mother the Architect, which is a heartfelt investigation of Ada's work, philosophical approach, and her relationships with her family.
Today, Pastor Al Dagel reminds us that we can learn wonderful lessons from the mistakes of others, as revealed in God's Word.
In this sermon from Exodus 14, we looked at how God rescues His people from impossible situations—not just through Israel's dramatic escape through the Red Sea, but ultimately through the resurrection of Jesus. God led Israel into what looked like a trap—not to harm them, but to show His power to save. With the sea in front of them and Pharaoh's army closing in behind, the people were overwhelmed by fear, doubt, and the temptation to return to slavery rather than trust God with the unknown. But God wasn't asking them to save themselves—He was asking them to be still and watch Him move. The Red Sea wasn't just a miracle of deliverance—it pointed ahead to the cross and resurrection, where Jesus stepped into death for us and rose again to bring us into new life. Like Israel, we're invited to stop striving, surrender control, and trust God to do what only He can do—bring us into a life of freedom, purpose, and identity in Christ.
In this sermon from Exodus 14, we looked at how God rescues His people from impossible situations—not just through Israel's dramatic escape through the Red Sea, but ultimately through the resurrection of Jesus. God led Israel into what looked like a trap—not to harm them, but to show His power to save. With the sea in front of them and Pharaoh's army closing in behind, the people were overwhelmed by fear, doubt, and the temptation to return to slavery rather than trust God with the unknown. But God wasn't asking them to save themselves—He was asking them to be still and watch Him move. The Red Sea wasn't just a miracle of deliverance—it pointed ahead to the cross and resurrection, where Jesus stepped into death for us and rose again to bring us into new life. Like Israel, we're invited to stop striving, surrender control, and trust God to do what only He can do—bring us into a life of freedom, purpose, and identity in Christ.
In this sermon from Exodus 14, we looked at how God rescues His people from impossible situations—not just through Israel's dramatic escape through the Red Sea, but ultimately through the resurrection of Jesus. God led Israel into what looked like a trap—not to harm them, but to show His power to save. With the sea in front of them and Pharaoh's army closing in behind, the people were overwhelmed by fear, doubt, and the temptation to return to slavery rather than trust God with the unknown. But God wasn't asking them to save themselves—He was asking them to be still and watch Him move. The Red Sea wasn't just a miracle of deliverance—it pointed ahead to the cross and resurrection, where Jesus stepped into death for us and rose again to bring us into new life. Like Israel, we're invited to stop striving, surrender control, and trust God to do what only He can do—bring us into a life of freedom, purpose, and identity in Christ.
A Sermon for Easter Day Colossians 2:20-3:4 & St. John 20:1-10 by William Klock Sometimes there's a way that seems right, you try to follow it, and you just get yourself into trouble. I parked at the Big Qualicum fish hatchery and went for a ride on my gravel bike on the Horne Lake-Cook Creek Forest Service Road loop. It's a beautiful ride, but it's not the easiest. There's a hill at one point that's so steep the logging trucks actually have to be towed to the top by one of those giant trucks with eight-foot tall wheels. It's too steep to ride and even walking it while pushing your bike is hard, because your shoes just slip out from under you in the dry sand and gravel. I saw that 20% grade in my mapping app and thought I'd be smart. There's another logging road on the map that bypasses that big hill. It would also cut the loop down from 90km to about 75km. So off I went down the mountain on that other logging road. I should have known better. My mapping app shows how heavily travelled various routes are. I could see that everyone took the main road and went up the giant hill. I could see that no one went the way I was going. I thought I was smart and had found a secret no one knew about. And then that shortcut suddenly ended at ravine. There was a cliff on both sides and Nile Creek babbling away sixty feet below. The logging company had decommissioned the road and removed the bridge. I climbed about thirty feet down the cliff with my bike over my shoulder, sure I'd find a way. I didn't. And I had to climb back up and then ride back up the mountain, back to the main road with scraped knees and elbows to show for my folly. I got to climb two big hills that day. We're always looking for the easy way, no one wants to take the hard and difficult way even if it's the right way to go. Jesus' words were looping in my head as I rode back up that hill to the main road: The gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. I was picturing myself barreling down that road, happy I found the easy way, not paying attention, and riding right off that cliff. This is what St. Paul's getting at in our Epistle today from Colossians when he writes, Think about the things that are above, not the things of earth. Here's what was happening in Colossae—or, at any rate, what Paul feared would happen if the church there didn't get on the right track. Just as in Galatia, the Christians were being tempted to fall back into a form of Judaism—to start finding their identity in things like circumcision, sabbath-keeping, and diet. They were facing the same sort of persecution the Galatians were and it was very tempting to avoid it by backing away from their identity in Jesus and to instead identify themselves as Jews. Jews were exempt from all the requirements of Roman religion. But that wasn't the only thing that made Judaism tempting. Even before Jesus came on the scene, there had been gentiles who were attracted to Judaism for its ethics and morality. The ancient pagan world was grossly immoral and barbaric in ways that we—living in a world shaped for two thousand years by the gospel—it was filthy in ways we struggle to imagine. And some of the pagans got sick of it. Yes, the torah made heavy demands, but it also offered a way of life along very clearly delineated lines of holiness and purity. That was attractive to some people. This is what Paul is getting at, at the end of Colossians 2—which I think really needs to be part of today's Epistle if we're going to get a sense of the context. Staring in Colossians 2:20 Paul writes: If you died with the Messiah, coming out from the rule of the worldly elements, what's the point of laying down laws as though your life was still merely worldly? “Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!” Rules like that all have to do with things that disappear as you use them. They are the sort of regulations and teaching that mere humans invent. They may give an appearance of wisdom, since they promote a do-it-yourself religion, a kind of humility, and severe treatment of the body. But they are of no use when it comes to dealing with the indulgence of the flesh. Paul had in mind these gentiles who were thinking that the laws and regulations of the torah would give them a sense of wisdom and religion and humility, but it's not hard to see our own culture in his warning. Everyone it seems is looking for some way to feel better about themselves. Sometimes it's just a sort of generic do-gooderism. Some people get this way with life-style and fitness routines, disciplining themselves in ways that become a sort of religion. Some people pursue conservation and environmentalism with the fervency of religion. Things like recycling or cutting down Scotch broom or driving an EV become almost sacramental. These things atone—or at least begin to atone—for our sins and the sins of our ancestors. And then there's the full-on Post-moderns who have bought into various critical theories and the whole dichotomy of oppressor and oppressed. In that system, if you find yourself in the oppressor category—usually because you're white or male or heterosexual or—God forbid—all three—there is no atonement, there is no forgiveness. You must simply spend the rest of your life genuflecting at the woke altar and confessing your sins and those of your ancestors. There is no forgiveness, but at least you can feel better for constantly signaling your virtue and for being an “ally”. You can even feel holier-than-thou and look down your nose—a Post-modern Pharisee—when you see your fellow oppressors who aren't kowtowing at the woke altar. These are all just modern expressions of Paul's “do-it-yourself religion”. They may make us feel better or feel like we're doing something or even that we're working to heal creation and make the world a better place, but to put it in his words, They are of no use when it comes to dealing with the indulgence of the flesh. None of these things address our real problem. None of these things will make us genuinely holy. In the end, they turn out to be indulgences of the flesh themselves. They're shortcuts. Instead, we need to take that hard and narrow way. We need to take the road that climbs that giant hill, even though it means pushing the bike while your feet slip out from under you in the sand and gravel. Because the hard way is the only way that will get us to the end goal. Every other way will eventually turn into a dead end—with the emphasis on dead. There is only one way that leads to life. Brothers and Sisters, we have to die and be raised back to life. That's the only way to get out of this worldly sphere and to escape the “worldly elements”—the powers and gods of the present evil age, the powers and gods that keep us perpetuating our sins and our rebellion against God. Because no matter what we do, no matter how many good works we think we've done, as long as we're enslaved to those false gods and systems, we're just feeding, we're just perpetuating the fallenness of the world and this present evil age. Something has to change. We have to leave behind the present age—it's days are numbered anyway and as Christians we should know that—and we need to take our place in the age to come, in God's new creation. We all know that the world is not as it should be. God didn't create us for pain and tears and it's good that we instinctively want to fix that. But we can't. Not on our own. Our sin and rebellion have broken God's creation and there's no fixing it with the broken tools it offers. To get back to where we should be—to get back to that place of fellowship with God, of living in his presence, of being the stewards of his world—means leaving behind the old and joining in the new. This is what drew people to Jesus during his ministry. He was preaching good news, yes, but he was also wiping away the tears and giving people a taste of new creation. He healed the blind and the deaf and the lame. He cast out demons. He even overturned death on a few occasions. In Jesus, God's new world, Gods' new age was breaking in. And then there's that first Easter morning that we read about in John's Gospel. We see Mary standing at the tomb and weeping. Sin and death, all the powers of this evil age had risen up at once and killed Jesus. If there was a time for tears, that was it. The most evil of evil things evil has ever done. Mary represents us all as we cry in the midst of this broken and fallen world full of evil. She was so overcome with the sadness of it all that she doesn't seem to have been moved even by the presence of the two angels. “Why are you crying?” they asked. And she just kept sobbing. “They've taken away my lord and I don't know where they've put him!” And then Jesus walks up and asks her again, “Why are you crying?” And she turns around and asks him, “Sir, if you've carried him off somewhere, tell me where you've put him.” John says she thought he was the gardener. We pass over that little detail without much thought. At least I did for years and years. But then I started noticing how so many artists in history depict Jesus that Easter morning with a shovel or a hoe in his hands. There's something to that bit of detail. John mentions it for a reason. Mary mistook him for the gardener because he must have been doing gardener things. So there was Mary crying at the tomb and talking to angels, while Jesus knelt nearby pulling up weeds or tending to a fallen plant. The second Adam was alive. God had raised him from the dead and rolled away the great, heavy stone from the tomb. That was the greatest event on the greatest day in the history of the world. When Jesus burst forth from the tomb, I like to say that he sent a shockwave of life through a dead world. Nothing would ever be the same. And yet what does he do? He walks out of the tomb and starts tending to the garden. My first thought is something like, “Doesn't he have bigger and better things to do?” But it shouldn't really be surprising. This is the same Jesus, God incarnate, who humbly took on our flesh and who humbly went to the cross for the sake of his enemies. Why shouldn't he act the part of a humble gardener first thing after his resurrection? But, too, it shouldn't be surprising, because this is what he came to do: to set his creation, broken by our sin and rebellion, he came to set it to rights. Why not start with those weeds just outside the tomb and then that rosebush starting to fall over. Mary keeps weeping uncontrollably. And then he says her name and suddenly she knew, suddenly she recognised him. “Rabbi!”she said. And the tears stopped—or maybe they turned into tears of joy. John doesn't say. But the weeds, the rosebush, Mary's tears—Jesus didn't just burst out of the tomb to be some highfalutin and abstract doctrine of resurrection to be studied and discussed by theologians in ivory towers. No, he came out of the tomb, resurrected indeed, but immediately working out that resurrection for his beloved creation and for his beloved people. First the garden and then Mary, and pretty soon everyone. One by one Jesus has come to each of us as we've been confronted with the good news of the gospel. He's spoken our names. He's wiped away our tears. We've believed. We've been baptised. And coming out of those baptismal waters, we've been filled with God's own Spirit and made new. We still wait for the day when we will be resurrected as Jesus was, but the Spirit is a down-payment, an earnest on that day. In our baptism we have died and been raised up with Jesus to a new life. Like Israel delivered from Egypt at the Red Sea, we've been delivered from our slavery to sin and death as we've passed through the waters of baptism and now Jesus sends us out. Now we're the gardeners, sent out into the world to proclaim and to live the good news. To tend to the weeds and the falling rosebushes and the tears. To do the things we knew all along needed to be done, the things maybe we tried to do, but that we could never really accomplish on our own or with the world's broken tools. But now they get done, because the power of the Lord goes with us in the gospel and the Spirit. We are—again—like Israel. Consider. Israel passed through the Red Sea and then the Lord sent her to conquer Canaan. And yet it wasn't Israel who won the victory, but the Lord. Yes, Israel had to march and Israel had to fight, but it was always the Lord who won the battle. And just so with us. Jesus has brought us through the waters of baptism and now he sends us out into the world to reclaim what rightly belongs to him. And it won't happen if we don't go, but at the same time, it is not we, but he who wins the victory. The kingdom of God fills the earth because of the power of the gospel and the Spirit. But, again, Paul's warning to the Colossians: We are so prone to forgetting all of this and we fall back into do-it-yourself religion. And so he says in verse 1 of Chapter 3: So if you were raised to life with the Messiah, search for the things that are above, where the Messiah is seated at God's right hand. Think about the things that are above, not the things of earth. Don't you see: you died, and your life has been hidden with the Messiah, in God! When the Messiah is revealed (and he is your life, remember), then you too will be revealed with him in glory. Here's the good news. Throw away all the do-it-yourself religion. Get off those dead-end trails and get back on the main road. Because if you belong to the Messiah, you're also already part of his new creation. This is one of the greatest themes all through Paul's epistles. Paul wants us to understand that what is true of Jesus is already true of us because we are “in him”—or as he puts it “en Christos”, “in the Messiah”. It may not always feel like it, but this is one of the fundamental things about the life of faith that Paul wanted these new believers to understand. It's often hard, but we need to learn to believe that this is true even if it doesn't always feel that way. Because it's in those time when we're not feeling it—feeling like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, feeling like we're far from God, feeling like there's no escape from sin, feeling like the world will never change—it's in those times that we're most prone to falling back into do-it-yourself religion. And there are two true things that Paul wants us to understand above everything else. If we can remember these two things, everything else is going to fall into place. Jesus has died and he's been raised from death. And that means that if we are “in the Messiah”, then we have died with him. You have died with him. You are no longer a part of the old evil age. You are no longer a slave to sin and death. You don't need any do-it-yourself religion to get close to God or to make the world a better place. You just need Jesus. You have been raised with Messiah. Even though we wait for the resurrection of the dead at the end of time, through the indwelling of God's Spirit, we have in part—here and now—the life of the age to come. Jesus has made us part of his new creation. Our hope—and the hope of the world—lies with him as he sits at God's right hand. In his incarnation, in his ministry, in his death, and in his resurrection, Jesus began the process of uniting heaven and earth, of bringing God and man back together. One day that task will be finished, heaven and earth will be rejoined and we will be resurrected and—as Adam and Eve once did—we'll live in the full presence of God. But in the meantime, we—his church—have been given the task of proclaiming the good news about Jesus and by our life together, giving a dark world a taste of God's light, of his new creation—of giving the world a taste of heaven. Brothers and Sisters, that's how the kingdom spread. That's how Christendom came to be. As Jesus' people set their minds on God's new creation and, as the church, lived it out in the midst of the darkness. And just as the God of Isreal who gave his son for their sake was unlike any god they'd ever known as pagans. This church, this community of people who identified with the Messiah and who gave their lives humbly for the sake of the world, who lived as one people regardless of whether they were rich or poor, slave or free, Jew or gentile, this people who taught the world what love and mercy and grace and justice are, this people showed the world the holiness it had been looking for, it showed the people how this broken world really can be set to rights—when we set aside our do-it-yourself ways and let the Messiah wash us clean and let his Spirit make us new. Brothers and Sisters, keep your eyes fixed on the things that are above. Keep praying with Jesus: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, one earth as it is heaven. One day heaven and earth will be fully rejoined, but only because the church, in the power of the Spirit, has proclaimed the gospel to the whole world. In his book Surprised by Hope, Tom Wright wrote this, “People who believe in the resurrection, in God making a whole new world in which everything will be set right at last, are unstoppably motivated to work for that new world in the present.” May that be true of us. While we wait for God's new world to come in all its fullness, let us never tire of being that new world here and now: as we, empowered by the Spirit, proclaim the good news that Jesus has died, that Jesus has risen, and that Jesus is Lord, as we pull the weeds, and as we wipe away the tears. Let's pray: Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant us by your grace to set our minds on things above; that by your continual help our lives may be transformed; through the same, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
When your umbilical cord is cut you're meant to begin growing into a sovereign being with a sovereign mind, and instead these empire simps are plugging the end of their umbilical cord into the Pentagon. It's pathetic. Reading by Tim Foley.
Time to Move | Jesus at the Center As Christ's followers, we are challenged to leave familiarity and trust God's better plans. Like Israel at Sinai, don't settle—name your mountain, embrace growth, and take faith-filled steps toward transformation this new year. Recorded Live at Brookwood Church on 01.05.2025
God, needing nothing, calls us to worship for our good. Like Israel called from Egypt, we are called to reflect His holiness and shine His light. As priests, we teach His truth, guard His holiness, and model His ways. Worship is about Him; our lives must tell His story. Listen and be inspired to live for His glory!
How do I, as a follower of Jesus, engage in politics?“In our clearest and most honest moments, we all too often seek security by conforming to the spirit of the times, rather than serving in the world as God's counterculture as we were created to do. Like Israel, we tend to forfeit the lordship of God in order to become like all nations. We become like all the other sheep and we follow our culture off a cliff.” Bill ArnoldHow is your life singing harmony with society's voice, rather than God's?How have your political views influenced your Biblical values?
Pakistan, founded less than a decade after a homeland for India's Muslims was proposed, is both the embodiment of national ambitions fulfilled and, in the eyes of many observers, a failed state. Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea (Harvard UP, 2013) cuts to the core of the geopolitical paradoxes entangling Pakistan to argue that India's rival has never been a nation-state in the conventional sense. Pakistan is instead a distinct type of political geography, ungrounded in the historic connections of lands and peoples, whose context is provided by the settler states of the New World but whose closest ideological parallel is the state of Israel. A year before the 1948 establishment of Israel, Pakistan was founded on a philosophy that accords with Zionism in surprising ways. Faisal Devji understands Zion as a political form rather than a holy land, one that rejects hereditary linkages between ethnicity and soil in favor of membership based on nothing but an idea of belonging. Like Israel, Pakistan came into being through the migration of a minority population, inhabiting a vast subcontinent, who abandoned old lands in which they feared persecution to settle in a new homeland. Just as Israel is the world's sole Jewish state, Pakistan is the only country to be established in the name of Islam. Revealing how Pakistan's troubled present continues to be shaped by its past, Muslim Zion is a penetrating critique of what comes of founding a country on an unresolved desire both to join and reject the world of modern nation-states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Pakistan, founded less than a decade after a homeland for India's Muslims was proposed, is both the embodiment of national ambitions fulfilled and, in the eyes of many observers, a failed state. Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea (Harvard UP, 2013) cuts to the core of the geopolitical paradoxes entangling Pakistan to argue that India's rival has never been a nation-state in the conventional sense. Pakistan is instead a distinct type of political geography, ungrounded in the historic connections of lands and peoples, whose context is provided by the settler states of the New World but whose closest ideological parallel is the state of Israel. A year before the 1948 establishment of Israel, Pakistan was founded on a philosophy that accords with Zionism in surprising ways. Faisal Devji understands Zion as a political form rather than a holy land, one that rejects hereditary linkages between ethnicity and soil in favor of membership based on nothing but an idea of belonging. Like Israel, Pakistan came into being through the migration of a minority population, inhabiting a vast subcontinent, who abandoned old lands in which they feared persecution to settle in a new homeland. Just as Israel is the world's sole Jewish state, Pakistan is the only country to be established in the name of Islam. Revealing how Pakistan's troubled present continues to be shaped by its past, Muslim Zion is a penetrating critique of what comes of founding a country on an unresolved desire both to join and reject the world of modern nation-states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
Pakistan, founded less than a decade after a homeland for India's Muslims was proposed, is both the embodiment of national ambitions fulfilled and, in the eyes of many observers, a failed state. Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea (Harvard UP, 2013) cuts to the core of the geopolitical paradoxes entangling Pakistan to argue that India's rival has never been a nation-state in the conventional sense. Pakistan is instead a distinct type of political geography, ungrounded in the historic connections of lands and peoples, whose context is provided by the settler states of the New World but whose closest ideological parallel is the state of Israel. A year before the 1948 establishment of Israel, Pakistan was founded on a philosophy that accords with Zionism in surprising ways. Faisal Devji understands Zion as a political form rather than a holy land, one that rejects hereditary linkages between ethnicity and soil in favor of membership based on nothing but an idea of belonging. Like Israel, Pakistan came into being through the migration of a minority population, inhabiting a vast subcontinent, who abandoned old lands in which they feared persecution to settle in a new homeland. Just as Israel is the world's sole Jewish state, Pakistan is the only country to be established in the name of Islam. Revealing how Pakistan's troubled present continues to be shaped by its past, Muslim Zion is a penetrating critique of what comes of founding a country on an unresolved desire both to join and reject the world of modern nation-states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies
Pakistan, founded less than a decade after a homeland for India's Muslims was proposed, is both the embodiment of national ambitions fulfilled and, in the eyes of many observers, a failed state. Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea (Harvard UP, 2013) cuts to the core of the geopolitical paradoxes entangling Pakistan to argue that India's rival has never been a nation-state in the conventional sense. Pakistan is instead a distinct type of political geography, ungrounded in the historic connections of lands and peoples, whose context is provided by the settler states of the New World but whose closest ideological parallel is the state of Israel. A year before the 1948 establishment of Israel, Pakistan was founded on a philosophy that accords with Zionism in surprising ways. Faisal Devji understands Zion as a political form rather than a holy land, one that rejects hereditary linkages between ethnicity and soil in favor of membership based on nothing but an idea of belonging. Like Israel, Pakistan came into being through the migration of a minority population, inhabiting a vast subcontinent, who abandoned old lands in which they feared persecution to settle in a new homeland. Just as Israel is the world's sole Jewish state, Pakistan is the only country to be established in the name of Islam. Revealing how Pakistan's troubled present continues to be shaped by its past, Muslim Zion is a penetrating critique of what comes of founding a country on an unresolved desire both to join and reject the world of modern nation-states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science
Pakistan, founded less than a decade after a homeland for India's Muslims was proposed, is both the embodiment of national ambitions fulfilled and, in the eyes of many observers, a failed state. Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea (Harvard UP, 2013) cuts to the core of the geopolitical paradoxes entangling Pakistan to argue that India's rival has never been a nation-state in the conventional sense. Pakistan is instead a distinct type of political geography, ungrounded in the historic connections of lands and peoples, whose context is provided by the settler states of the New World but whose closest ideological parallel is the state of Israel. A year before the 1948 establishment of Israel, Pakistan was founded on a philosophy that accords with Zionism in surprising ways. Faisal Devji understands Zion as a political form rather than a holy land, one that rejects hereditary linkages between ethnicity and soil in favor of membership based on nothing but an idea of belonging. Like Israel, Pakistan came into being through the migration of a minority population, inhabiting a vast subcontinent, who abandoned old lands in which they feared persecution to settle in a new homeland. Just as Israel is the world's sole Jewish state, Pakistan is the only country to be established in the name of Islam. Revealing how Pakistan's troubled present continues to be shaped by its past, Muslim Zion is a penetrating critique of what comes of founding a country on an unresolved desire both to join and reject the world of modern nation-states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies
Pakistan, founded less than a decade after a homeland for India's Muslims was proposed, is both the embodiment of national ambitions fulfilled and, in the eyes of many observers, a failed state. Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea (Harvard UP, 2013) cuts to the core of the geopolitical paradoxes entangling Pakistan to argue that India's rival has never been a nation-state in the conventional sense. Pakistan is instead a distinct type of political geography, ungrounded in the historic connections of lands and peoples, whose context is provided by the settler states of the New World but whose closest ideological parallel is the state of Israel. A year before the 1948 establishment of Israel, Pakistan was founded on a philosophy that accords with Zionism in surprising ways. Faisal Devji understands Zion as a political form rather than a holy land, one that rejects hereditary linkages between ethnicity and soil in favor of membership based on nothing but an idea of belonging. Like Israel, Pakistan came into being through the migration of a minority population, inhabiting a vast subcontinent, who abandoned old lands in which they feared persecution to settle in a new homeland. Just as Israel is the world's sole Jewish state, Pakistan is the only country to be established in the name of Islam. Revealing how Pakistan's troubled present continues to be shaped by its past, Muslim Zion is a penetrating critique of what comes of founding a country on an unresolved desire both to join and reject the world of modern nation-states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history
Pakistan, founded less than a decade after a homeland for India's Muslims was proposed, is both the embodiment of national ambitions fulfilled and, in the eyes of many observers, a failed state. Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea (Harvard UP, 2013) cuts to the core of the geopolitical paradoxes entangling Pakistan to argue that India's rival has never been a nation-state in the conventional sense. Pakistan is instead a distinct type of political geography, ungrounded in the historic connections of lands and peoples, whose context is provided by the settler states of the New World but whose closest ideological parallel is the state of Israel. A year before the 1948 establishment of Israel, Pakistan was founded on a philosophy that accords with Zionism in surprising ways. Faisal Devji understands Zion as a political form rather than a holy land, one that rejects hereditary linkages between ethnicity and soil in favor of membership based on nothing but an idea of belonging. Like Israel, Pakistan came into being through the migration of a minority population, inhabiting a vast subcontinent, who abandoned old lands in which they feared persecution to settle in a new homeland. Just as Israel is the world's sole Jewish state, Pakistan is the only country to be established in the name of Islam. Revealing how Pakistan's troubled present continues to be shaped by its past, Muslim Zion is a penetrating critique of what comes of founding a country on an unresolved desire both to join and reject the world of modern nation-states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies
Isaiah 35:4-7 records the prophet painting a glorious picture of restoration of the exiled Israel. This prophecy extends beyond the original audience to us. Like Israel, we remember better times. We too are exiles, exiled from our Edenic identity. We live our lives trying to regain what was lost through the fall. But through Jesus Christ, all is not lost. Bishop Ken Ross ministers a message of hope in the expectation of the restoration coming through Christ.
A Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 & St. Luke 19:41-47 by William Klock Imagine being in the crowds that surrounded Jesus as he made his way through the towns and cities to Jerusalem for the last time. By now, everyone knew who he was—or, at any rate, who he claimed to be. There were sceptics. There were believers. A lot of people weren't sure what to believe. He wasn't what people expect of the Messiah, but he was doing Messiah things. He was healing the sick and the blind and the lame. He cast out demons. He raised the dead. He preached good news to the poor. Think of the crowds in Jericho, the last city before Jesus climbed the mountain to Jerusalem. The crowds swarmed the road to see him, he'd healed blind Bartimaeus, and that thing with Zacchaeus! That little twerp had spent his traitorous life selling out to the Romans and ripping everyone off, but since he'd met Jesus he was a new man—even paying everyone back what he'd stolen. Everywhere that Jesus went, the promises of the Prophets of old were finally being fulfilled. Despite all the questions people had about him, there was definitely something about Jesus. That, and Passover was just days away. Jesus plus Jerusalem plus Passover! Surely something big was about to happen! Maybe the day of the Lord really was just around the corner and that got everyone out and lining the road as Jesus came through town. And then, on his way out of town, Jesus stopped and looked around. The crowd went silent. He was about to say something. “There was once a nobleman,” Jesus said, “who went to a far country to be given royal authority and then return. He summoned ten of his slaves and gave them ten silver coins. ‘Do business with these,' he said, ‘until I come back.' His subjects, however, hated him, and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don't want this man to be our king.' “So it happened that when he received the kingship and came back again, he gave orders to summon these slaves who had received the money, so that he could find out how they had got on with their business efforts. The first came forward and said, ‘Master, your money has made ten times its value!” “ ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!” he said. ‘You've been faithful with something small; now you can take command of ten cities.' “The second came and said, ‘Master, your money has made five times its value!' “ ‘You too—you can take charge of five cities.' “The other came and said, ‘Master, here is your money. I kept it safe, hidden away in this handkerchief. I was afraid of you, knowing that you are a hard man. You profit where you made no investment and you harvest where you did not sow.' “ ‘I'll condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I'm a hard man, profiting where I haven't invested and harvesting where I haven't sown, so why didn't you at least put my money in the bank? Then, at least, I'd have earned some interest when I got back!” “ ‘Take the money from him,' he said to the bystanders, ‘and give it to the man who turned my one coin into ten!' (‘Master,' they said to him, ‘he's got ten coins already!') And then paused and he looked around at the crowd and his face was sombre and the people could tell, he wasn't just telling a story anymore. Now he was the king from the story talking directly to them “ ‘Let me be clear,” he said, “To everyone who has will be given more; but if someone has nothing, even what he has will be taken away from him. But as for these enemies of mine, who didn't want me to be king over them—bring them here and slaughter them in front of me.” And with that, Luke says that Jesus went on his way, setting out on that winding road up to Jerusalem. No further interactions with the crowd. No further commentary. Did the people understand? I think they must have. Of course, the problem was—as so often seems to be the case—everyone was pointing fingers at everyone else. Jesus the Messiah had come to judge—to bring God's justice—but it was the other guys who were the problem. The Pharisees looked down on everyone who wasn't a Pharisee. The Essenes looked down on everyone who wasn't an Essene. The am ha'artez—the regular Joes—they looked down in return on those other folks because they were always looking down on everyone else. And the Sadducees? Pfft. Judgement. It'll never happen—just like the resurrection of the dead will never happen. But everyone understood what Jesus was saying. He was the king finally coming back to see what his servants have been up to in his absence. The crowds already saw Jesus as part of the story of Israel. If he was the Messiah, then he was the rightful king returning to Zion to take his throne—just like the king in the parable. And that—if Jesus really was the Messiah—that meant the day of the Lord—the day when God would judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous—that meant it was coming—almost here—just like in the parable. So this was the day the prophets had spoken of. The Jewish exiles had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon hundreds of years before, they'd rebuilt the city and the temple, but the Lord's presence had never returned. The temple, as glorious as it was—especially after Solomon's recent renovations—the temple sat empty. The priests went about their business of offerings and sacrifices, but the cloud of glory that had once rested on the ark of the covenant, the presence of the God of Israel, had never returned and, because of that, the people questioned whether their exile had really ever ended. They were back in the promised land, but the most important part of the promised land—the presence of the Lord—was still missing. The prophet Malachi had announced that the “the Lord whom you seek” would come to the temple, but that he would come in fiery judgement. Zechariah, too, spoke of the Lord, one day, finally, returning to Zion. Again, everyone would have understood Jesus' story. He was saying that in him, the Lord was finally returning to Jerusalem as he had promised through the Prophets. And Jesus has left them with that big question: Who will stand before the Lord's judgement. And the part of the story about the talents entrusted to the servants made perfect sense to the people. That was them. They knew that the Lord had given them a purpose. They knew that the Lord had called Abraham, that he had delivered their ancestors from Pharoah's bondage, that he had led them to the promised land to be a light in the midst of the nations—a witness to what it looks like to be the people who live with the Creator God in their midst. They knew that their ancestors had gone off into exile in judgement for their faithlessness and idolatry. And that judgement still hung over them. The people of Israel were called to be stewards of God's covenant, his law, his grace and when he returned he would judge them. Had they been faithful stewards? All along the way, as Jesus made his way from Galilee to Jerusalem, he was warning the people that if they did not listen to him, if they did not repent, if they continued to treat the Lord's covenant with disdain, the Lord's judgement would fall on them: on the nation, on Jerusalem, and especially on the temple. Jesus is saying that in him, the God of Israel is coming and on that day of judgement, you don't want to be that faithless servant who has been a poor steward of God's grace and hidden away his master's treasure in a handkerchief. Jesus reminds the people that God's kingdom was about to come and that as much as it was good news for many, it also meant horrible judgement for a lot of them. Some of the crowd cheered, some wept happy tears, but there were some—the people invested in the status quo, the people with their own firmly entrenched ideas of what the Messiah would be like and how the Lord's return was supposed to go down—there were some who were angry. Like those in the parable, they didn't want this man to be their king. They couldn't bear the thought that somehow this Jesus was actually the Messiah, let alone the Lord, the God of Israel returned to Zion. And I expect that parable raced ahead of Jesus, up the long and winding road from Jericho to Jerusalem—passed from mouth to mouth down the long line of pilgrims on their way to Passover. The parable prepared the way for Jesus to enter Jerusalem. Luke leaves out the long and tiring journey up the road from Jericho—the road where we meet the Good Samaritan in another of Jesus' stories. From Jericho Luke takes us straight to the top of the mountains, to Bethany, as Jesus sends his friends to find the prophesied donkey. (That's the Palm Sunday Gospel we know so well.) As Jesus rode through the crowd into Jerusalem, the people cheered him and sang messianic chants. They knew what was happening. The Lord was returning to Zion. But just like at Jericho, there were those who were angry. How dare Jesus do this! And Jesus knew, despite the crowds who welcomed him, Jesus knew that judgement was inevitable. The Pharisees were sure to remind him. There he was, riding through the crowd to their messianic chants and the Pharisees pushed their way through and they said, “Rabbi, tell your disciples to cut it out.” As far as they were concerned, this was blasphemy. Jesus wasn't the Messiah, let alone the Lord returning to his people. That, at this kingly display was probably going to cause problems with the Romans. And with their rebuke ringing in his ears, Luke says in verse 41, that as Jerusalem came into view, Jesus stopped and wept. “If only you'd known this day—even you,” Jesus said, “the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you, when your enemies will build up earthworks around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and bring you crashing down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone on another, because you did not know the moment when God was visiting you.” Jesus' tears remind us what's at the heart of the gospel. For three years, Jesus had warned the people of Galilee that judgement was coming to the nation, to Jerusalem, and to the temple. Over and over he called his people to repent. His message hadn't gone over any better than it had for the prophets of old, like Jeremiah, who was known for the tears he wept over his people. Jerusalem would be no different than Galilee and Jesus knew it. He'd been rejected there—they even tried to stone him once. His reception in Jerusalem was going to be even worse. And as much as he knew rejection meant his own death, that's not why he wept. He wept for their sake. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish,” he had said a few chapters earlier. And now he looks across the valley to Jerusalem where Pilate had just recently killed a bunch of Galileans and where the tower of Siloam had fallen, crushing people alive, and it was all just a foretaste of another, greater catastrophe soon to come. A few decades later and the hills around the city would be covered with Roman crosses, bearing executed Jews and the city and the temple would be brought crumbling down. The people had heard the warning, but they would not listen and Jesus wept. Again, not for himself or for his own coming death. And not with any sense of, “I told you so!” Jesus wept, because discipline and justice do not come from the cold heart of a distant God, but from the God who loves so deeply that he was willing to give his own life to summon his beloved to repentance, from a love that is faithful and that will set things to rights, in order to bring what's best. A love that wept over a rebellious people intent on their own agendas and their own interests, who refused to be stewards of his goodness and grace. And the temple—the temple was at the heart of it all. There's a reason why Jesus went straight to the temple when he entered Jerusalem. That was what the Messiah was supposed to do. And so Luke goes on in verses 45-48: He went into the temple and began to throw out the traders, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers.” And he was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men of the people were trying to destroy him. They couldn't find any way to do it, because all the people were hanging on his words. If all we take away from this is that it was Jesus' angry protest of the commercialisation of the temple, we'll have missed the point. This is another of his acted-out prophecies. It's a warning—in the vein of Jeremiah—that if the temple becomes the hide-out of a bunch of robbers, it will fall under the Lord's judgement. And, of course, that's just what had happened. But the robbers weren't necessarily who we might at first think. The money-changers and the folks selling animals for sacrifice had to be there. Roman coinage wasn't allowed in the temple. People needed animals for their sacrifices and not everyone could bring one from home. Maybe the exchange rates and the prices were gouging the people, but the real robbers were the priests and leaders of Israel, who were robbing God in far more important ways. The temple stood at the heart of Jewish identity. It represented the covenant between the Lord and his people. And even though the cloud of his glory had never returned to it after the exile, it was still seen as that one place on earth where heaven and earth, where God and human beings met. And so it was the symbol of the Lord's faithfulness to Israel, of the sureness of his covenant promises. But in return the leaders of Israel used the temple to put on a show of faithfulness. The overt idolatry, the altars to Baal and Asherah that sent Israel into exile were long gone, but the leaders of Israel had found other ways to be unfaithful to the Lord. They lived as if a mere outward façade of faithfulness would bring his blessings and Jesus has been reminding them over and over and over, that the only real response to the Lord's covenant faithfulness is faithfulness and obedience in return. Disobedience to the Lord's covenant doesn't just result in a lack of blessing. No, if you're in covenant with the Lord, disobedience eventually calls down judgement. The Lord will set this world to rights and if the people he has called to be stewards of his grace for the sake of the world will not be true to their calling, he will remove them from that stewardship and give it to another—just as in the parable. The leaders of Israel had done nothing with their talent but bury it in the ground. Soon it would be time to take it and give it to another. Again, this wasn't unexpected. Throughout his ministry Jesus had pointed—sometimes subtly and other times not-so-subtly—to the fact that the temple's days were numbered and that, in him, the Lord was doing something new. Maybe the greatest hints were those times when he announced the forgiveness of sins, without people having to go to the trouble of offering a sacrifice. Repeatedly, Jesus bypassed the priests and the temple and offered, himself, what the temple had offered the people. Later, he would announce that he would tear down the temple and rebuild it in three days. All of this was blasphemy to the priests and to the scribes and the Pharisees. And they never did grasp what he meant when he said he would rebuild the temple in three days, but those who saw him raised from the dead did. Jesus was the new temple. Heaven and earth, God and man no longer meeting in a building on the mountaintop, but now meeting in Jesus himself. In him we meet the God of Israel. In him we know his justice, but in him we also know his grace and his mercy and his love as he weeps for those about to face God's wrath, as he prays for the very people who crucified him. In him, most of all, we see the profound faithfulness of God and his worthiness to receive glory and praise. And then the amazing thing. As the Lord judged the old Israel for her unfaithfulness to her calling, in Jesus he creates a new people, a new Israel, and establishes a new covenant—a covenant this time ratified with his blood shed at the cross and in the pouring out of his own Spirit on his people. We go from Jesus, in whom God and man, heaven and earth intersect, to his church—to a people—in whom the Lord himself dwells. The old Israel looked to a law written on stone tablets, while the new—while we—live with the law written by the Spirit of God on our own hearts. And in the same way, the old Israel looked to a temple of bricks and mortar on the mountaintop above Jerusalem, but by his Spirit, Jesus has made us the new temple. He incorporates us into his ministry. As we saw a couple of weeks ago. We have been adopted we share in his inheritance. And so, because our Lord is prophet, priest, and king, we too as a people share in his prophetic, priestly, and ruling ministry. In our Epistle today, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, St. Paul reminded the Christians in Corinth of their calling—of the riches the Lord had entrusted to them. The Spirit had empowered them with amazing gifts, but like the old Israel, they'd forgotten their calling and were using those gifts for their own agendas—again, burying the king's wealth in the ground—turning the Lord's temple into a den of robbers. Paul writes: There are different types of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are different kinds of service, but the same Lord; and there are different types of activities, but it is the same God who operates them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7) This leads Paul into Chapter 13, where he writes about the nature and supremacy of love. “Love never ends,” he says. These other gifts are temporary, but they're meant to build up love. They're meant to create a community of people who will be stewards of God's grace—a community of people redeemed and made new by his own blood, shed at the cross, a people who, by his grace, have a share in his new creation, a priestly and prophetic people called to go out as the Messiah's royal heralds to proclaim that he has died, that he has risen, and that he is the world's true Lord. A people who live with the Lord in their midst and who show the world his faithfulness, to show the world that he is worthy of glory and praise. Brothers and Sisters, that's us. Like Israel in Jesus's day, we live in an in-between time. One day the Lord will return again to judge the earth, when the gospel has done its work, when every last one of his enemies has been put under his feet, when he comes to remove every last vestige of sin and rebellion and to set everything to rights, to wipe away every tear, and bring his new creation in all its fulness. But in anticipation of that day, we are his stewards, empowered by his Spirit and entrusted with the gospel, with the good news about Jesus, crucified and risen. And as Christendom wanes—at least in our part of the world—and as the darkness creeps back in, there's a powerful sense in which we, the church, are coming to know exile as the old Israel once did. Brothers and Sisters, that exile is a call to faithfulness, a call to remember that Jesus is king, and call to remember that his gospel and his Spirit will accomplish what he's sent them to do. And that means that as stewards of his gospel and his Spirit, we will accomplish what he has chosen and called us to do—to be stewards of his grace, to be his royal heralds proclaiming his death and resurrection and his lordship until he comes again. No matter how dark it gets, no matter how hated and despised we may be, the Lord is always faithful to his promises. He is our hope and he never fails. May we be faithful with the treasures of the gospel and the Spirit he has entrusted to us, that one day he may say, “Well done, good and faithful servants.” Let's pray: Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and, that we may obtain what we ask of you, teach us to ask for those things that please you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In Zechariah you see the tension of "now but not yet" - the reality of today contrasted with the promises of tomorrow. God promised Israel that one day the Messiah would be on the throne of David and would bring peace and prosperity - however that promise has not yet been fulfilled. Like Israel we also have this tension - we're living in a fallen sinful world, struggling with our own fallen desires, while longing to be with our Savior in heaven one day. How do we live and survive in this tension? Today, Pastor Rich will answer this as we look at Zechariah 2. Zechariah 2
The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma. Ordinary Weekday First Reading: Hosea 14: 2-10 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 51: 3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 14 and 17 Alleluia: John 16: 13a; 14: 26d Gospel: Matthew 10: 16-23 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com
The last couple of chapters have been about Egypt; Ezekiel 31 is the same. We are going to learn Pharaoh is not going to make it. Like Israel, do you look to others for help? Do you depend on others to protect and provide for you?
Following Iran's latest attack on Israel over the weekend Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said that Greece plans to develop a defense system similar to Israel's Iron Dome aimed at safeguarding the country against airborne threats. Meanwhile, while Iran was also the focus of a summit in Brussels, EU leaders also highlighted relations with Turkey, linking them to progress on the Cyprus issue. Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini's defense and diplomatic editor, joins Thanos Davelis to explore this plan for a Greek Iron Dome, discuss the view from Athens following Iran's attack on Israel, and look at the key takeaways from the EU summit on Cyprus.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Athens seeks air defense system like Iron DomeTurkish threats over marine parksPM highlights Middle East crisis, Euro-Turkish relations at European Council SummitCyprus President optimistic on EU-Turkey talksTurkey-EU relations fracture over Cyprus connectionMitsotakis to meet Erdogan on May 13 in AnkaraEU to tighten Iran sanctions after Israel attack
Dive deep into the historical saga of Israel—a story of promise, prosperity, and the peril of lost inheritance. From the heights of King David's reign to the depths of captivity and exile, witness how unfaithfulness led to the loss of a land promised by God. But this isn't just history. It's a reflection on our own spiritual journey. Like Israel, we too stand at the crossroads of inheritance and loss. Through tales of modern excess and ancient warnings, we explore the true cost of squandering what's most precious. This sermon isn't about condemnation; it's a call to introspection and faith. How do we safeguard our spiritual inheritance in Christ? How do we navigate a world that tempts us with temporary pleasures, risking eternal loss? Join us as we uncover the parallels between Israel's story and our own spiritual lives. Scriptures Today: Revelation 12:7-9, Matthew 7:21-22, James 2:19, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Peter 3:17, Galatians 1:6-9, Ephesians 2:8-9, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:20-23, Matthew 7:15, James 4:4, 1 Samuel 15:22, John 14:21 We're so glad you joined us for this powerful message! Any music performed live is performed under all appropriate licenses from CCLI, and all musical rights remain reserved by their respective artists; license details are available upon request. No other rights are reserved; share this message of hope, light, direction, and peace with anyone and everyone who needs to hear it. If you cannot find a shareable copy, reach out to tech@lotwchurch.org and we will make one available for you. God bless.
"Israel's constant fixation on attacking healthcare facilities makes no sense from a military strategic point of view, but it makes plenty of sense from a genocidal point of view." Reading by Tim Foley.
In this installment of the “If I Were King” message series, Pastor DJ Garces goes through Biblical stories of kings and how Israel suffered the consequences of wanting a human king and rejecting God as the only divine true King. Like Israel, if you're in a dark season and experiencing stress, negativity, anger, bitterness, or brokenness in failures, don't self-sabotage! Instead, let God shape and condition your heart with His skillful hands. You're called to receive a different, better season and encounter something greater. Discover the life God calls us to live of blessings, favor, peace, healing, prosperity, and provision. Align yourself with God and follow “God's Path to Promotion” to achieve a fulfilled and impactful life! ------ We would love to connect with you------ To find out more about Inspire Church, visit us at: http://www.InspireChurch.Live https://www.facebook.com/inspirechurchtv https://instagram.com/inspirechurchtv https://twitter.com/inspirechurchtv https://www.youtube.com/inspirechurchtv
My wife, Miska, has a necklace and hoop earrings from Ethiopia. Their elegant simplicity reveals genuine artistry. What’s most astounding about these pieces, however, is their story. Due to decades of fierce conflict and a civil war that rages on, Ethiopia’s geography is littered with spent artillery shells and cartridges. As an act of hope, Ethiopians scour the torched earth cleaning up the scraps. And artisans craft jewelry out of what remains of the shells and cartridges. When I heard this story, I heard echoes of Micah boldly declaring God’s promise. One day, the prophet announced, the people would “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (4:3). Tools meant to kill and maim would, because of God’s powerful action, be transformed into tools meant to nurture life. In God’s coming day, the prophet insisted, “nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (v. 4). Micah’s pronouncement was no harder to imagine in his day than ours. Like Israel of old, we face violence and war, and it seems impossible that the world could ever change. But God promises us that by His mercy and healing, this astounding day is coming. The thing for us, then, is to begin to live this truth now. God helps us to take on His work even now, turning scraps into beautiful things.
On Monday's Mark Levin Show, we bring you the Best of Mark Levin on Christmas Day! Sen Mitt Romney and Rep Jamie Raskin see no reason or actions that suggest President Biden has committed impeachable offenses and do not support an impeachment inquiry. Biden has not faithfully executed the laws of the United States, specifically immigration laws, and has our southern border wide open, which is a high crime and grounds for impeachment. Joe Biden's conduct and the conduct of his subordinates have violated a score of immigration laws, undermined the ability of border patrol and administrative law judges, and prevented local law enforcement from protecting their community and the entire country. Democrats have bent over backward to impeach Donald Trump but Biden's high crimes of defying immigration law are ignored. Also, Biden and Antony Blinken have leaked to the media that the world is losing support for Israel, all while funding Iran, Hamas, the PLO, and terrorism all over the Middle East. Biden is trying to control what Israel does next and trying to oust a duly elected Prime Minister of Israel in Benjamin Netanyahu, and at the same time calls Trump a dictator. The Union did not win the Civil War by feeding the Confederate cities but starved them to victory, which is why Biden's proposal to feed and aid Hamas while trying to defeat them is ridiculous. Like Israel, Biden and Blinken have kneecapped Ukraine too and are restricting them from fighting back against a much larger Russian army. Later, the case of Hunter Biden is straightforward tax evasion because Hunter did not pay any federal income taxes for 4 years, from 2017-2020. When he did file tax returns, Hunter knowingly filed false tax returns, and it is calculated that he owes $1.4 million in taxes. The Democrat media has a problem defending Hunter now because on one hand they say he cannot function properly because of addiction, but on the other hand you have over $30 million coming in from places like Burisma and China. President Biden will pardon his son whether he is re-elected or not because these are federal charges and he can do it even if he is not convicted yet. This should be another charge in the case of impeachment of Joe Biden, with the main reason being the violation of our immigration laws and violating his oath of office. Hunter Biden is the gold standard of people who you file under FARA for having influence from other countries and being a threat to national security. It is ridiculous to claim that Joe Biden did not know about Hunter's business activities, especially with his claim on video to fire the Ukrainian prosecutor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show, Sen Mitt Romney and Rep Jamie Raskin see no reason or actions that suggest President Biden has committed impeachable offenses and do not support an impeachment inquiry. Biden has not faithfully executed the laws of the United States, specifically immigration laws, and has our southern border wide open, which is a high crime and grounds for impeachment. Joe Biden's conduct and the conduct of his subordinates have violated a score of immigration laws, undermined the ability of border patrol and administrative law judges, and prevented local law enforcement from protecting their community and the entire country. Democrats have bent over backward to impeach Donald Trump but Biden's high crimes of defying immigration law are ignored. Also, Biden and Antony Blinken have leaked to the media that the world is losing support for Israel, all while funding Iran, Hamas, the PLO, and terrorism all over the Middle East. Biden is trying to control what Israel does next and trying to oust a duly elected Prime Minister of Israel in Benjamin Netanyahu, and at the same time calls Trump a dictator. The Union did not win the Civil War by feeding the Confederate cities but starved them to victory, which is why Biden's proposal to feed and aid Hamas while trying to defeat them is ridiculous. Like Israel, Biden and Blinken have kneecapped Ukraine too and are restricting them from fighting back against a much larger Russian army. Later, Mark is joined by lawyer and author Alan Dershowitz about his book, War Against the Jews: How to End Hamas Barbarism, and how the Hamas attack unveiled the radical anti-Semitism of the Democrat party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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