Podcasts about Lord

Some people think that when they're in God's will, everything will go smoothly and when they're not, it won't. But Dr. Tony Evans explains why following the Lord is a risk that's worth taking, even if things seem to get temporarily worse.

The writer of Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” That's the same important message we receive in this study from the Old Testament prophet Haggai who reminds us to obey and fear God in all we do.

The way we understand the character of God determines the way we live in this world. Today, R.C. Sproul testifies to the foundational significance of knowing the Lord as He has revealed Himself in His Word. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/ultimately-with-rc-sproul/a-god-centered-perspective/ Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

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 1Jesus is the supreme Son of God. In the past, God spoke through prophets, but now He has spoken through His Son, the heir of all things and the creator of the universe. Jesus reflects the glory of God and represents His exact nature. He sustains all things by His power and has made purification for sins. After doing so, He sat at the right hand of the majesty in heaven. This chapter explains that Jesus is superior to angels, receiving a greater name and position. God never addressed an angel as His Son, nor told any angel to sit at His right hand. Angels are servants of God and His people, while the Son reigns in glory over all. This establishes the divine authority and eternal kingship of Jesus Christ. Our Savior is not just a messenger or a prophet; He is the very Son of God, the exact imprint of the Father's nature. As we go through life, we find strength in knowing that the One who upholds the universe by His word is also holding us. When we feel uncertain, we remember that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, reigning with power and love. We are not following empty tradition; we are following the risen and exalted Son. Let us listen closely to Him, trust in His authority, and live with the confidence that He is greater than any challenge and helps us through His power and the angels sent to minister to us. Almighty Lord, we come before You in awe of who Jesus is. He is more than a teacher and prophet; He is Your Son, radiant with Your glory and speaking with divine authority. Thank You for sending Him to cleanse us from sin and to sit at Your right hand in power as our protector and king. We feel humbled knowing He holds everything together yet still cares for each of us. Help us to see Him clearly, to listen when He speaks, and to walk in the confidence that He is above all. May our lives exhibit trust in Him. Thought Questions: What does it mean to say that God “has spoken to us in His Son”? What qualities of Jesus make Him worthy to be heard, trusted, and obeyed? Why does Hebrews 1 cite so many Old Testament passages? How does this show that God's plan for His Son was intended for centuries? Angels are “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.” What does that mean in your life?

“Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word” by Kirk Meyer The post 290. The Book of Proverbs, Part 27 (Proverbs 8:32-36) – Pr. Will Weedon, 10/17/25 appeared first on The Word of the Lord Endures Forever.

Hey y'all ! Welcome to another Friday with CWCOI ! In this week's episode, our host, Ally Yost reads through submissions sent in by you guys and we talk about one of the top submissions which was, "how to have faith without feeling anything." Ally talks through what it looks like to have faith in the Lord without our feelings taking over and affecting our belief in Him and His promises. "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar." Psalm 139:1-2  _____________________________________________ ☆ REP CWCOI MERCH ➤ https://allyyost.com ☆ MY BIBLE (code ‘ALLYYOST' at checkout) ➤ https://hosannarevival.com/collections/beautiful-bibles/products/nlt-notetaking-bible-versailles-theme ☆ TUMBLER LINK ➤ https://allyyost.com/products/travel-tumbler ☆ EARLY ACCESS TO EPISODES AND BONUS PERKS ➤ https://patreon.com/CWCOI ☆ GIVE TO CWCOI ➤ https://www.paypal.me/CWCOI _____________________________________________ Connect further with us ! TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@christwithcoffeeonice Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/christwithcoffeeonice _____________________________________________ Connect further with Ally ! TikTok (2M) ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@ally_yost Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/ally_yost/ ShopMy ➤ https://shopmy.us/allyyost Pinterest ➤ https://www.pinterest.com/ally_yost1/_created/

(Acts 20:24) As we conclude our study of the great journey's of the Bible, we look at one verse and three simple ways to enjoy our own life-long journey with the Lord.   (09251251017)  Keep Studying  Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. 

Have you been struggling in life? Watch Believer's Voice of Victory as Kenneth Copeland and Professor Greg Stephens share personal examples of hearing God's voice and following His commandments. Be inspired to obey the instructions of The LORD, which will always lead you into His BLESSING!

Share this program with a friend or family member at www.joniradio.org!  --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Read OnlineThe Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Luke 10:1–2Saint Luke, whom we honor today, was a true evangelist. As an evangelist, he followed the inspiration from our Lord and was used to bring God's saving message to the ends of the earth. And there is little doubt that his ministry will continue to have a transforming effect on the lives of many until the end of the world. Tradition states that Saint Luke became a martyr, being hanged on an olive tree. He is identified in the New Testament as a physician and as a disciple of Saint Paul. Both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are attributed to him.Saint Luke is often spoken of as an evangelist to the gentiles. His Gospel was written in such a way that it didn't presume a full understanding of the Jewish faith and customs. Therefore, it is believed to have been primarily written for those who are not of Jewish origin. Thus, the life and mission of Saint Luke must remind us that the Gospel needs to be shared with all people, especially with those who do not have a deep and sustaining relationship with God.In today's Gospel from Saint Luke, we read that Jesus sent seventy-two disciples “to every town and place he intended to visit.” Only Luke mentions the larger scale sending of seventy-two disciples. The other Gospels only mention the sending of the Twelve. Though many of these seventy-two disciples would have gone to Jewish territory, some would have unquestionably gone to non-Jewish territory. The mission of these seventy-two was to prepare everyone they encountered for the preaching of Jesus and for the establishment of the Kingdom of God.As we honor Saint Luke today and read this passage from his Gospel, we are reminded that we are all sent by our Lord. We are sent to those who share our faith, such as family, friends and fellow parishioners. We are sent to love them and do all we can to help deepen their faith and love of God. But we are also called to share the Gospel with those who do not yet know Jesus as their Savior. There are so many people we encounter every day who have never truly met our Lord. Are there people in your life that God is calling you to reach out to? Who do you know that God may be calling you to share the Gospel with? Reflect, today, upon the fact that the Gospel is meant for everyone. Speak to our Lord and tell Him that you are ready and willing to be used by Him to bring His saving message to others. As you do so, wait on the Lord, listen to His inspiration, and respond when He calls. If someone comes to mind whom you sense God is calling you to evangelize, begin to pray for that person. Pray for them every day and be attentive to any inspiration God gives you to share His love and saving message with them. Do not be afraid to be an evangelist like Saint Luke. Doing so might make an eternal difference in someone's life. My saving Lord, You sent Your disciples on a mission to share Your saving message with all. Today I especially thank You for the life and ministry of Saint Luke. Please use me, dear Lord, to imitate his wonderful example and to share Your glorious life with others. Please lead me and inspire me to especially reach out to those whom You have put into my life. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Window: workshop of Franz Borgias Mayer (1848–1926); Photo: Andreas Praefcke, 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.

The book of the prophet Haggai addresses the people of Judah who returned from exile and who had prioritized making their homes comfortable while neglecting to rebuild the Lord's temple. The letter known as 2 John is addressed to “the elect lady and her children” which is most likely a reference to the church body to whom he was writing. In it, he encourages the church to continue in love and to reject false teaching. In 3 John, the apostle commends his friend Gaius, who is likely a pastor, and writes to warn him about Diotrophes who loves attention, power, divisive speech, and who probably already had an active social media following. In the letter from Jude, we see a saint who zealously defends the faith against false teaching and practice.Haggai 1 - 1:12 . Haggai 2 - 4:10 . 2 John - 10:12 . 3 John - 12:41 . Jude - 15:14 . Psalm 125 - 20:36 . Psalm 126 - 21:27 . Psalm 127 - 22:26 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Job 1-2; Acts 6-7 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 podcast! In today's episode, recorded on October 17th, 2025, Hunter—your host and Bible reading coach—guides us through a profound journey in scripture, exploring the beginnings of the book of Job (chapters 1 and 2) and continuing through the impactful story found in Acts chapters 6 and 7. Hunter opens with a warm greeting and a reminder of God's promise for abundant life through Jesus. Together, we witness Job's world being stripped away and unravelled, yet his unwavering faith becomes a testament to spiritual endurance and the comfort of God's presence, even in silence. In Acts, the story of Stephen unfolds—his faith, wisdom, and courage shine as he faces accusations, delivers a passionate speech recounting Israel's history, and ultimately forgives his persecutors in the midst of suffering. This episode draws us toward the heart of God, who sits with us in our grief and restores us, embodying co-suffering love through Jesus. Hunter wraps up with prayers for peace, perspective, and thanksgiving, encouraging us to allow God to elevate our perspective and fill us with His joy. So, settle in as we reflect on endurance, grace, and new perspectives—discovering the reminder that through it all, you are deeply loved. TODAY'S DEVOTION: He comes to sit with us in our suffering. As we open the book of Job today, we are invited into the depths of pain, loss, and silent grief. Job, a man of integrity, is plunged into unimaginable suffering as all is taken from him – his family, his wealth, his health. He is undone, stripped bare, descending into a silence that is "too deep for words.” His friends come and sit with him, not offering answers, but sharing in his sorrow, simply being present in his suffering. Yet the story goes deeper. Job's pain and silence point beyond his own experience to something profoundly divine. Even though we don't see it yet in the story, God Himself has come to sit with Job, too. This is the remarkable message of the Bible: that God does not remain distant from our suffering; He draws near. Not as one seeking to offer easy answers or to blame, like Job's friends, but as One who fully identifies with our pain. In His silence and presence, God sits in the midst of all the suffering and darkness. Job's story points us to Jesus, the One who steps into the depths of humanity's pain. Jesus comes and puts on flesh to sit with us, bearing all our suffering in His own body. He abolishes death, sin, and the grave through His co-suffering love. He restores us, heals us, and renews the very nature of humanity in Himself. Here in Job's story, we are given a picture of the God who comes and sits with us, right where we are, just as we are. In Jesus, God enters into the brokenness and offers Himself for us. He does not promise that life will be free from hardship, but He does promise His presence – presence so deep and abiding that even in our silence and sorrow, we are not alone. May we see in Job the God who draws near in our darkest hours, who sits with us in our pain, and who restores us to life. May we recognize Jesus, who tasted death for all, and offers comfort for every broken heart. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that 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: 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  

Numbers 11:29 - But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!”

Ezra8: 15-20: Servants for the Temple. What does this couple of verses have to do with a future peek into the New Millennium and what we will be doing in the Temple with Jesus?  Come and see!  ;() If you are blessed by today's Bible study, please support my channel by liking, subscribing, commenting, and sharing with your friends and family!  I am not a Pastor, and agree with God's word that women are not supposed to be Pastors.  However, all people are called to share the gospel. It is perfectly acceptable and Biblical for women to lead Bibles studies outside the church as an ancillary addition to the church, and especially if it is a viable avenue for study of the Word on a daily basis, like I'm doing on this show, and paving the way for all of us to be closer to the Lord and become more knowledgeable of the Bible.  If you care to contribute to my work with the Daily Bible study and sharing the Gospel, as part of your tithes and offerings, you can do so through PayPal by sending it to my PayPal address of: ReneHoladay@gmail.com You are also welcome to email me at the same email address above if you have any thoughts you'd like to share about this episode!    Thank you for watching and God Bless you all! ;()

Let this truth fill your soul today. You are loved by God. No matter who you are, where you have been, or what you have done, God loves you. And his love is as high as the heavens.Main Points:1. Have you ever questioned the love of God? Have you ever thought, “How could God love someone like me?” May you wonder if there was a limit to God's love.2. When we understand the depth of his love for us, it creates security. We will believe His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. We are confident in his grace and mercy. We will trust that His Word is true and that He can be counted on.3. In this life, love can sometimes be conditional. If expectations are not met, if trust is violated, if mistakes are made, sometimes people will withdraw their love. But God's love for us is unconditional. Even though we have failed God many times, his love for us remains. Today's Scripture Verses:Psalm 103:11 - “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.”Ephesians 3:17-19 - “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”1 John 3:1 - “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God, and that is what we are!”Quick Links:Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on SocialJoin The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

Believers Voice of Victory Audio Broadcast for 10/17/2025. Have you been struggling in life? Watch Believer's Voice of Victory as Kenneth Copeland and Professor Greg Stephens share personal examples of hearing God's voice and following His commandments. Be inspired to obey the instructions of The LORD, which will always lead you into His BLESSING!

In episode 465 of The Reformed Brotherhood, hosts Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb explore Jesus's parable of the wheat and tares (weeds) from Matthew 13. This thought-provoking discussion examines Christ's startling teaching that good and evil will always coexist within the visible church until the end of time. The brothers carefully unpack the theological implications of Jesus's command not to separate wheat from weeds prematurely, challenging our natural tendency to judge others while offering wisdom about God's sovereign plan for final judgment. This episode wrestles with difficult questions about church purity, assurance of salvation, and how believers should approach the reality of false professors within Christ's church—providing biblical guidance for faithfully enduring in a mixed communion. Key Takeaways The Coexistence of True and False Believers: Jesus teaches that the visible church will always contain a mixture of genuine believers and false professors until the final judgment. The Danger of Premature Judgment: Christ explicitly warns against attempting to completely purify the church before the harvest (end of age) because doing so would damage the wheat (true believers). Proper Biblical Interpretation: Unlike some parables, Jesus provides a detailed allegorical explanation of this parable—the sower is Christ, the field is the world, the good seed represents believers, and the weeds are the sons of the evil one. The Challenge of Discernment: One of the most difficult theological pills to swallow is that it's often impossible to perfectly distinguish between true and false believers. Final Judgment as God's Prerogative: The separation of wheat from weeds is reserved for the angels at the end of the age, not for current church leaders or members. The Reality of False Assurance: Some professing Christians may have false assurance of salvation while genuinely believing they are saved. The Importance of Theological Integrity: Public theologians and pastors have a moral responsibility to be transparent about their theological convictions and changes in their beliefs. Deeper Explanations The Difficult Reality of a Mixed Church Jesus's teaching in the parable of the wheat and weeds directly challenges our natural desire for a perfectly pure church. By instructing the servants not to pull up the weeds lest they damage the wheat, Christ is establishing an important ecclesiological principle that will hold true until His return. This means that no matter how rigorously we apply church discipline or how carefully we examine profession of faith, we will never achieve a perfectly pure communion this side of eternity. The visible church—which can be understood as those who profess faith and are baptized—will always include both true and false believers. This reality should cultivate humility in how we approach church membership and discipline. Jesus isn't suggesting that all attempts at church purity are wrong (as other Scripture passages clearly call for church discipline), but rather that perfect purification is impossible and attempts at achieving it will inevitably damage true believers. This teaching directly refutes movements throughout church history (like Donatism) that have sought absolute purity in the visible church. The Problem of Discernment and Assurance One of the most challenging aspects of this parable is Christ's implicit teaching that true and false professors can appear nearly identical, especially in their early development. Like tares growing alongside wheat, false believers can profess orthodox doctrine, participate in church life, and exhibit what appears to be spiritual fruit. This creates profound implications for how we understand assurance of salvation. As Tony notes, while "assurance is the proper and rightful possession and inheritance of every Christian," there's also the sobering reality of false assurance. Some may sincerely believe they are saved when they are not, raising difficult questions about self-examination and spiritual discernment. This doesn't mean believers should live in perpetual doubt, but rather that we should approach assurance with both confidence in God's promises and healthy self-examination. True assurance must be grounded in the finished work of Christ rather than merely in our experiences or behaviors, while false assurance often lacks this proper foundation. The brothers wisely note that final judgment belongs to God alone, who perfectly knows who belongs to Him. Memorable Quotes "The visible church is set before us as a mixed body. Maybe everybody else's churches, but certainly not my church, like the one that I actually go to on the Lord's day. So it seems like there might be this shocking statement possibly that he has for us, whether you're Episcopalian or Presbyterian or independent or Baptist or Christian life assembly, whatever it is, that no matter what we do to purify the church, our churches, we're never gonna succeed in obtaining a perfectly pure communion." - Jesse Schwamb "I think that's what I find shocking. It is like a massive statement of reality that is at equal points totally sensible. And other times we would think, 'well, surely not in the church Lord, like of all the places, like aren't we talking about a kind of purity of your people?' ...and what I think he's striking at, which I do find a little bit wild, is that Jesus is essentially saying, at least to my ear, anything we try to do, even the purest preaching of the gospel, is not gonna prevent this in every age of the church." - Jesse Schwamb "I'm affirming that assurance is the proper and rightful possession and inheritance of every Christian." - Tony Arsenal Full Transcript Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 465 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I am Jesse. Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. Guess what? It looks like you and I are taking another trip back to the farm on this episode. Tony Arsenal: Yes. For a couple episodes. Jesse Schwamb: For a couple episodes. Yeah. [00:01:01] Exploring Jesus' Parables in Matthew 13 Jesse Schwamb: Because what, Jesus will not stop leading us there. We're looking at his teachings, specifically the parables, and we're gonna be looking in Matthew chapter 13, where it seems like, is it possible that Jesus, once again has something very shocking for us to hear? That is for all the ages. 'cause it seems like he might actually be saying, Tony, that good and evil will always be found together in the professing church until the end of the world. Like in other words, that the visible church is set before a mixed body. I mean. Maybe everybody else chose churches, but certainly not my church, like the one that I actually go to on the Lord's day. So it seems like there might be this shocking statement possibly that he has for us, whether you're Episcopalian or Presbyterian or independent or Baptist or Christian life assembly, whatever it is, that no matter what we do to purify the church, our churches, we're never gonna succeed in obtaining a perfectly pure communion. Could that possibly be what Jesus is saying to us? I don't know what we're gonna find out. Tony Arsenal: We are. We are gonna find out. Jesse Schwamb: It's gonna be definitive. And if now that makes sense. If you don't even know why we're looking at Jesus' teachings, you could do us a favor even before you go any further. And that is just head on over in your favor, interwebs browser to or reform brotherhood.com, and you can find out all of the other episodes, all 464 that are living out there. There's all kinds of good stuff, at least we think so, or at least entertaining stuff for you to listen to. And when you're done with all of that in a year or two, then we'll pick it up right back here where we're about to go with some affirmations or some denials. [00:02:39] Affirmations and Denials Jesse Schwamb: So Tony, before we figure out what Jesus has for us in Matthew 13, in the parable of the weeds, or the tears, or the tears in the weed, what gets all of that? Are you affirming with, are you denying against, Tony Arsenal: I am denying. First of all, I'm denying whatever this thing is that's going on with my throat. Sorry for the rest of the episode, everyone. Um, I'm denying something that I, I think it is. How do I want to phrase this? Um, maybe I'll call it theological integrity, and maybe that's too strong of a word, but maybe not. So the listener who's been with us for a little while will remember that a while back. Um, you know, we've, we've talked about Matthew Barrett and he was a Baptist, uh, who's heavily involved in sort of the theology, proper controversies. He wrote Simply Trinity, which is just a fantastic book. He was a teacher or a professor at Midwestern, um, Baptist Theological Seminary. And he recently, um, uh, converted is not the right word. I hate calling it a conversion when you go from one faithful Bible tradition to another. But he recently, um, changed his perspective and joined the Anglican Church. And at the time I kind of, you know, I kind of talked about it as like, it's a little bit disappointing, like the reasons he cited. [00:03:57] Theological Integrity and Public Disclosure Tony Arsenal: Where I'm bringing this into a matter of sort of theological integrity. And it's not, it's not just Matthew Barrett. Um, there's other elements of things going on that I'll, I'll point to too is it's often the case when someone who is in some form of professional theological work or professional vocational ministry, that as they start to change perspectives, um, there comes to be like an inflection point where they should notify whoever it is that they are accountable to in that job or vocation, uh, uh, and then do the right thing and step down. Right? And so with Matthew Barrett, um. He continued to teach systematic theology at a Baptist Theological Seminary, which has a faith statement which he was obligated to affirm and hold in good faith. He continued to teach there for quite some time, if, you know, when he, when he published the timeline and he's the one that put all the timelines out there. So it's not like people had to go digging for this. Um, he continued to teach under contract and under that, that faith statement, um, for quite some time after his positions changed. I remember in college, um, sim very similar situation, one of my professors, um, and I went to a Baptist college. It was a General Baptist college. Um, one of my professors became Roman Catholic and for quite some time he continued to teach without telling anyone that he had converted to Roman Catholicism. Um. And I think that there's a, there's a, a level of integrity that public theologians need to have. Um, and it, it really makes it difficult when something like this happens to be able to say that this is not a moral failing or some sort of failure. Um, you know, James White has jumped on the bandwagon very quickly to say, of course we told you that this was the way it was gonna lead. That if you affirm the great tradition, you know, he was very quick to say like, this is the road to Rome. And I think in his mind, um, Canterbury is just sort of one, one stop on that trip. Um, it becomes very hard after the fact to not have this color and tarnish all of your work before. 'cause it starts to be questions like, well, when, when did you start to hold these views? Were you writing, were you, were you publicizing Baptist theology when you no longer believed it to be the truth? Were you teaching theology students that this is what the Bible teaches when you no longer thought that to be true? Um. Were you secretly attending Anglican services and even teaching and, and helping deliver the service when you were, you know, still outwardly affirming a Baptist faith statement. And the reason I, I'll point out one other thing, 'cause I don't want this to be entirely about Matthew Barrett, but there's a big, uh, hub glue going on in the PCA right now. Um, a guy named Michael Foster, who some of our audience will probably be familiar with, um, he and I have had our desktops in the past, but I think he and I have come to a little bit of a, of a uneasy truce on certain things. He, uh, went to work compiling a, a list and there's some problems with the data, like it's, it's not clean data, so take it for what it's worth. But he compiled a list of. Every publicly available church website in the PCA. So something like 1800 websites or something like that. Huge numbers. And he went and looked at all of the staff and leadership directories, and he cataloged all the churches that had some sort of office or some sort of position that appeared to have a, a woman leading in a way that the Bible restricts. And that more importantly, and starting to say it this way, but more importantly, that the PCA itself restricts. So we're not talking about him going to random church websites and making assessments of their polity. We're talking about a, a denomination that has stated standards for who can bear office and it's not women. Um. So he compiled this and people in the PCA are coming out of the woodwork to basically defend the practice of having shepherdess and deacons. There was one that he cataloged where, um, the website actually said, uh, that was the pastor's wife and the title was Pastor of Women. Um, and then as soon as it became public that this was the case, they very quickly went in and changed the title to Shepherd of Women or Shepherdess of Women or something like that. So it's, it's really the same phenomena, not commenting, you know, I think we've been clear where we stand on the ordination of female officers and things like that, but not that all that withstanding, um, when you are going to be a part of a body that has a stated perspective on something and then just decide not to follow it, the right thing to do the, the upstanding morally. Uh, in full of integrity move would be to simply go to another denomination where your views align more closely. PCA churches, it's not super easy, but it's not impossible to leave the PCA as an entire congregation and then go somewhere like the EPC, which is the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, which still on the spectrum of things is still relatively conservative, but is in general is in favor of, uh, female officers, elders, and diegans. So I, I think, you know, and you see this with podcasters, there was the big, there was a big fu and Les became a Presbyterian, and then when Tanner became a Presbyterian on the pub, I think it is, um, incumbent on people who do any form of public theology and that that would include me and Jesse when our views change. There comes a point where we need to disclose that, be honest about it, um, and not try to pretend that we continue to hold a view that we don't be just because it's convenient or because it might be super inconvenient to make a change. I don't even want to pretend to imagine the pressures, uh, that someone like Matthew Barrett would face. I mean, you're talking about losing your entire livelihood. I, I understand that from an intellectual perspective, how difficult that must be, but in some ways, like that kind of comes with the territory. Same thing with a pastor. You have a Baptist pastor or a Presbyterian pastor. It can go both ways, I think. I'm more familiar with Baptist becoming Presbyterians. I don't, I don't see as many going the other direction. But you have a, a Baptist pastor who comes to pay to Baptist convictions and then continues to minister in their church for, I've, I've seen cases where they continue to minister for years, um, because they don't, they don't have the ability to now just go get a job in a Presbyterian context because there's all sorts of, um, training and certification and ordination process that needs to happen. Um, so they just continue ministering where they are, even though they no longer believe the church's state of, you know, state of faith statement. So that's a lot to say. Like, let your yes be yes and your no be no, and when we really all boil it down. So I think that's enough of that. It, it just sort of got in my craw this week and I couldn't really stop thinking about it. 'cause it's been very frustrating. And now there are stories coming out of. Doctoral students that, um, that Barrett was teaching who have now also become Anglican. Um, so, you know, there starts to be questions of like, was he actively pros? I mean, this is like Jacob Arminius did this stuff and, and like the reform tradition would look down on it, where he was in secret in like sort of small group private settings. He was teaching convictions very different than the uni. I'm talking about Arminius now. Not necessarily Barrett. He was teaching convictions very different than the, the stated theology of the university he taught for, and then in public he was sort of towing the line. You have to ask the question and it is just a question. There's been no confirmation that I'm aware of, but you have to ask the question if that was what was going on with Barrett, was he teaching Baptist theology publicly and then meeting with, with PhD students privately and, and sort of convincing them of Anglican theology. I don't know. I'm not speculating on that, but I think it, the situation definitely right, brings that question to mind. It forces us to ask it. Um, and had he. Been transparent about his theological shifts sooner than that may not be a, a question we have to ask. Um, the situation may not be all that different, but we wouldn't have to ask the question. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's totally fair. I mean, disclosure is important in lots of places in life and we shouldn't think that theological dis disclosure, especially like you're saying among our teachers, among our pastors, it is a critical thing. It's helpful for people to know when perspectives have changed, especially when they're looking to their leaders who are exhibiting trust and care over their discipleship or their education to express that difference. If there's been a mark, change it. It's worth it. Disclose, I'm guessing you don't have to over disclose, but that we're talking about a critical, we're talking about like subversive anglicanism, allegedly. Yeah. Then. It would be more than helpful to know that that is now shaping not just perspective, but of course like major doctrine, major understanding. Yeah. And then of course by necessary conviction and extension, everything that's being promulgated or proclamation in the public sphere from that person is likely now been permeated by that. And we'd expect so. Right. If convictions change, and especially like you're talking about, we're just talking about moving from, especially among like Bible believing traditions, just raise the hand and say loved ones, uh, this is my firm conviction now. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. I think if someone walks up to you and says, do you think that we should baptize babies? And you're like, yeah, I think so. Then you probably shouldn't be teaching at a Baptist seminary anymore. Like, seems like a reasonable standard. And that seems to be what happened, at least for some period of time. Um, you know, and, and it, that's not to say like, I think, I think there are instances where the church, a given church or um, or a university or seminary or, or whatever the situation might be, can be gracious and recognize like, yeah, people's perspectives change and maybe we can find a way for you to continue to finish out the semester or, you know, we can bridge you for a little while until you can find a new, a new job. Um, you know, we'll, we'll only have you teach certain courses or we'll have a guest lecturer come in when you have to cover this subject that is at variance and like, we'll make sure we're all clear about it, but it doesn't seem like any of that happened. And that's, um, that's no bueno. So anyway, Jesse. What are you affirming and or denying Tonight? [00:13:43] Music Recommendations Jesse Schwamb: I'm just gonna go with something brief. I suppose this is an affirmation of me. I'm saying that like somewhat tongue in cheek, but maybe it's, wait, I'll rephrase. It's because this will be more humble. I'm affirming getting it right, even more than I thought. So I'm just gonna come back to the well and dip it into something that I mentioned on the last episode. So the keen listener, the up-to-date listener might remember. And if you're not up to date, uh, just let this be fresh for you. It'll, and I, it's gonna be correct because now I have posts, you know, I'm on the other side of it. I've clear hindsight. I am affirming with the album Keep It Quiet by Gray Haven, which I affirmed last week, but it came out on the same day that the episode released. And since you and I don't really like record in real time and release it like exactly as it's happening, I only did that with some, a little bit of reservation because I only heard they only released three songs in the album. And I thought I was overwhelmed that they were, they were so good that I was ready to jump in and loved ones. Oh, it, it turns out. I was so correct and it was, it's even better than I thought. So go check it out. It's Grey, GRE, YH, and they are, this is the warning, just because I have to give it out there and then I'll balance it with something else for something for everybody here today. So, gr Haven is music that's post hardcore and metal core. You're getting two cores for the price of one, if that is your jam. It has strong maleic sensibilities. It's very emotional, it's very experimental. But this new album, which is called, um, again, keep It Quiet, is like just a work of arts. It real like the guitar work is intricate haunting, lovely, and it's bold, like very intentional in its structure and very el loose in its construction. It's got hook driven melodies and it's got both heart and soft. It really is truly a work of art. So if you're trying to, to put it in your minds, like what other bands are like this? I would compare them to bands like, every Time I Die, Norma Jean, let Live Hail the Sun. If you just heard those as combinations of words that don't mean anything to you, that's also okay. No worries. But if you're looking for something different, if you're looking for something that's maybe gonna challenge your ear a little bit, but is like orchestral and has all of these metal core post hardcore, melodic, textured movements, there's no wasted notes in this album. It's really tremendous. If that's not your thing. I get, that's not everybody's thing. Here's something else I think would be equally challenging to the ear in a different way. And that is, I'm going back to one other album to balance things out here, and that's an album that was released in 2019 by Mark Barlow, who I think is like just. So underrated. For some reason, like people have slept on Mike Barlow. I have no idea why he put together an album with Isla Vista Worship called Soul Hymns, and it's like a distinct soul and r and b album of praise with like these really lovely like falsetto, harmonies. It's got these minimalistic instrumentation, warm keys, groove oriented percussion, like again, like these false soul driven melodies. It's contemplative. It's got a groove to it. This is also equally a beautiful album for a totally different reason. So I think I've given two very book-ended, very different affirmations, but I think there's something for everybody. So my challenge to your loved ones is you gotta pick one or the other. Actually, you could do both, but either go to Gray Havens, keep it quiet, or go to Mike Bellow's Soul hymns. I do not think you will be disappointed. There's something for everybody on this one. Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I, it was funny because as you were saying the names of those bands, I literally was thinking like Jesse could be speaking Swahili and I wouldn't know the difference. And then you, you, you know me well, yeah. Uh, I haven't listened to Gray Haven. Uh, I probably will give it a couple minutes 'cause that's how it usually goes with songs that meet that description. Uh, I can always tell that the music that Jesse recommends is good from a technical perspective, but I never really, I never really vibe with it. So that's okay. But I mean, lots of people who listen to our show do so check that out. If, if you ever. Want a good recommendation for music. Jesse is the pers so much so that he can recommend amazing music before it's even available and be a hundred percent correct, apparently. That's right. So Jesse Schwamb: affirm with me everybody, because turns out I was right. Uh, it was easy to be correct when of course I had all of that fair sightedness by being able to listen to those. Yeah, those couple of songs, it, this is a kind of album. Both of these, both of these albums. When I heard them, I reacted audibly out loud. There are parts of both of 'em where I actually said, oh wow. Or yeah, like there's just good stuff in there. And the older you get, if you're a music fan, even if you're not, if you don't listen to a lot of music, you know when that hook gets you. You know when that turn of melody or phrase really like hits you just, right. Everybody has that. Where the beat drops in a way. You're just like, yes, gimme, you make a face like you get into it. I definitely had that experience with both of these albums and because. I've listened to a lot of music because I love listening to music. It's increasingly rare where I get surprised where, you know, like sometimes stuff is just like popular music is popular for a reason and it's good because it's popular and it follows generally some kind of like well established roots. But with these albums, it's always so nice when somebody does something that is totally unexpected. And in these, I heard things that I did not expect at all. And it's so good to be surprised in a way that's like, why have I never heard that before? That is amazing. And both of these bands did it for me, so I know I'm like really hyping them up, but they're worth it. They're, they're totally worth it. Good music is always worth it. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. I, uh, I think that is a good recommendation. I will check those out because, you know, you're a good brother. I usually do, and I trust your judgment even though it, you'll like the second one. Yes. Hopefully. Yeah. Yeah. Jesse Schwamb: You'll like the second one. Second one is like, just filled with praise and worship. And like, if, if you're trying to think, like say, here's how I'd couch the proper atmosphere for Mark Barlow's soul hymns you're having, you know, it's, it's a cold and chilly. A tal evening, the wind is blowing outside. You can hear the crisp leaves moving around on the pavement and the sun has gone down. The kids are in bed, the dinner dishes are piled up in the sink. But you think to yourselves, not tonight. I don't think so, and you just want that toneage to put on. You want that music as you dim the lights and you sit there to just hang out with each other and take a breath. You don't just want some kind of nice r and b moving music. You don't want just relaxing vibes. You want worshipful spirit filled vibes that propel your conversation and your intimacy, not just into the marital realm, but into worship and harmony with the triune God. If you're looking for that album, because that situation is before you, then sol hymns is the music you're looking for. Tony Arsenal: See, I'm gonna get the, I'm gonna get the recommendations backwards and I'm gonna sit down with my wife with a nice like evening cup of decaf tea and I'm gonna turn the music on. Yes, it's gonna be like, yes. That was me screaming into the microphone. That was not good for my voice. Well, the good news is it's gonna, it's gonna wake the kids up. That's, I'm gonna sleep on the couch. That's, it's gonna be bad. That's, Jesse Schwamb: honestly, that's also a good evening. It's just a different kind of evening. It's true. So it's just keep it separated again, uh, by way of your denial slash affirmation. Tony disclosure, I'm just giving you proper disclosure. Everybody know your music KYM, so that way when you have the setting that you want, you can match it with the music that you need. So it's true. Speaking of things that are always worth it. [00:21:30] Parable of the Weeds Jesse Schwamb: I think the Bible's gotta be one of those things. Tony Arsenal: It's true. Jesse Schwamb: And this is like the loosest of all segues because it's like the Sunday school segue into any topic that involves the scriptures. We're gonna be in Matthew 13, and how about we do this? So this is one of these parables and in my lovely ESV translation of the scriptures, the, we're just gonna go with the heading, which says the parable of the weeds. You may have something different and I wanna speak to that just briefly, but how do we do this, Tony? I'll hit us up with the parable and then it just so happens that this is one of the parables in the scripture that comes with an interpretation from our savior. It's true. How about you hit us up with the interpretation, which is in the same chapter if you're tracking with us, it's just a couple verses way. Does that sound good? Tony Arsenal: Let's do it. Jesse Schwamb: Okay. Here is the parable of the weeds. Jesus puts another parable before them saying The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sewed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sewed weeds among the weeds and went away. So when the plants came up and bork rain, then the weeds also appeared, 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? Then he said, no. Lest in gathering the weeds, you root up the wheat along with them, but let them grow together 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 gather the wheat into my barn. Tony Arsenal: Alright, so then jumping down. To verse 36. We're still in Matthew 13, he says, then he left the crowds and went into the house and his disciples came to him saying, explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field. He answered, the one who sows the good seed is the son of man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angel. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age, the son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom, all that, all causes of sin in all lawbreakers and throw them into the fiery furnace. It is that in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears let him hear. Jesse Schwamb: So let me start with just like a little bit of language here, which I've always loved in this passage because where else in like the contemporary context, do you get the word tear? Yeah. Aside if you're like using a scale, and that's a totally different definition. I like this. I like the word tear. It force, it forces to understand that what's common to our ear, why that's being used, it often is translated weed. Here's just like my, my little like linguistic addition to the front end of our discussion and is the reason I like it is because here does have a specific definition. If like you were to look this up in almost any dictionary, what you're gonna find is it's like a particular type of weed. It's actually like an injurious weed that is indistinguishable in its infant form from the outgrowing of green. So I like that because of course that is exactly why. Then there's all this explanation of why then to not touch anything in the beginning because one, it causes damage to it looks like everybody else. I just thought I'd put that out there as we begin our discussion. Tony Arsenal: Yeah, yeah. You know, I, um, I am a homeowner and I don't own the land that I'm on, but I'm responsible for the land that I'm on. And we have this really gnarly weed problem. There's this, uh, sort of floor growing, uh, carpeting weed called, uh, I think it's called like a carpeting knob, head weed or something like that. Some really descriptive thing. And I went out there the other day and there's really nothing you can do about this other than to rip it up. But I went out there the other day to start to pull some of it up and it totally wrecks the yard. Like it totally pulls up the grass, it destroys the sod. And when you're done, this is why it's kind of nice that I don't have, I'm not responsible for the land as I'm not gonna have to pay to resod the land. But when you're done pulling up this weed, you have to resod the whole place. You have to regrow all the grass because it, first, it takes over for the grass, and then when you rip it up, it rips the roots of the grass up as well. And so this parable, um, on one level is immediately obvious, like what the problem is, right? The situation is such. That the good, uh, the good sower, right? He's a good sower. He knows what he's doing. He understands that simply ripping up the weeds. Even if you could distinguish them right, there's this element that like at an early stage, they would be very difficult, if not impossible to distinguish from, uh, from wheat. Even if you could distinguish them, you still wouldn't be able to pull up the weeds and not do damage to the grain. And so we, we have this sort of like, um, conflict if you wanna follow like literary standards, right? We have this conflict and as we come to sort of the climax of this, of this plot is when all of a sudden we see that, that the problem needs a resolution and there is a resolution, but it's not necessarily what we would think it would be. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I think that's what I find shocking. It is like a massive statement of reality that is that like equal points or equal times totally sensible. And other times we would think, well why surely not in the church Lord, like of all the places, like aren't we talking about a kind of purity of your people, the very people that you're assembling together, the chief of which is Christ and the apostles being the building stones and Christ of course being the cornerstone. And I, I think that's what I find and I wonder the people hearing this, if they thought like, well, surely Lord, that not be the case like you are bringing in and ushering in this new kingdom. Isn't this new kingdom gonna be one of absolute purity? And, and what I think he's striking at, which I do find a little bit wild, is that Jesus essentially saying, at least to my ear, anything we try to do, even like the purest preaching of the gospel, is not gonna prevent this in every age of the church. The same state of the things that's existed in that is in the time of the early fathers. In the first century, and the church as it stands right now in the land and the time of the reformers, and of course with the best ministers at this hour right now and on your next Lord's day, and everyone after that, there is always and ever will be a visible church or a religious assembly in which the members are not all wheat. Yeah. And then I like what you're saying. It's this idea that. There's a great harm that's gonna come about if you try to lift them up because you cannot tell. So, and this is what's hard, I think this does influence like how we interact with people online. Certainly how we interact with people in our own congregations, but we are going to have no clear convicted proofs. We might only have like probable symptoms if we're really trying to judge and weigh out to discern the weeds from the weeds, which at most can only give us some kind of conjectural knowledge of another state. And that is gonna sometimes preemptively judge cause us to judge others in a way that basically there's a warning against here. It, it's, it's not the right time. And ba I think mainly from the outside where I find like this parable coming together, if there's like maybe a weird Venn diagram of the way Christians read this and the way unbelievers hear this, the overlap between them is for me, often this idea of like hypocrisy and you know. When people tell me that the church is full of hypocrites, either like Christian or non-Christian, but typically that's a, a, you know, statement that comes from the non-Christian tongue. When people say that the church is full of hypocrites, I do with a little bit of snark, say it's definitely not full of hypocrites. There are always room for more in the church and, and there's like a distinction of course between the fact that there is hypocrisy in the Christian or whether the Christian is in fact or that person is a hypocrite. So like when I look through the scriptures, we see like Pharaoh confessing, we see Herod practicing, we see Judas preaching Christ Alexander venturing his life for Paul. Yeah, we see David condemning in another, what he himself practiced and like hezeki glorifying and riches Peter. Doing all kinds of peter stuff that he does, and even all the disciples forsaken Christ, an hour of trouble and danger. So all that to say, it goes back to this like lack of clear, convicted proofs that I think Jesus is bringing forward here, but only probable symptoms. And I'm still processing, of course, like the practicality of what you're saying, Tony, that in some ways it seems like abundantly clear and sensible that you should, you're, you're gonna have a problem distinguishing. But our human nature wants to go toward distinguishing and then toward uprooting sometimes. And the warning here is do not uproot at the improper time. And in fact, it's not even yours to uproot because God will send in the laborers to do that at the time of, of harvest. And so there will be weeds found among the wheat. It's just like full stop statement. And at the same time it's warning, do not go after them now. Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I, I'm sure this, um, I, I'm sure this will spill over into a second conversation, but we, I think we have to talk a little bit about the interpretation here before we, before we even like talk more about the parable itself, because if you're not careful, um, and, and. I need to do a little bit more study on this, but it, it's interesting because Matthew almost seems to want you to sort of blend these parables together a little bit. Jesse Schwamb: Yes. Tony Arsenal: Right. These, these, there's three, um, there's three, maybe four if you count the parable of the treasure in the field. But there's three agricultural parables that have to do with sowing seed of one, of, one way or another. And in each one the seed is something different. And I, it almost seems to me. And then on top of that, the parables are like interwoven within each other. So like right smack in the middle of this, we have the parable. Uh, is given. Then the next parable of the mustard seed, which we're gonna talk about in a future episode, is given, and then the explanation of this parable of the tears is given. Um, and so we have to talk a little bit about it and sort of establish what the seed is, because we just spent three weeks talking about the seed in the par of the sower. Um, or the parable of the, of the soils. And in that parable, the seed was the word of God in this parable. And this is where I think sometimes, um, and again, this is like the doctrine of election in parable form, right? Yes. I think sometimes we read this and we, we misstep because the seed is not, uh, is not the word of God in this. The seed is the believers. Jesse Schwamb: Yes. Tony Arsenal: Right. So the good seed is sewn into, uh, into the field, which, you know, I think maybe there'll be some, we, we can save this for, for next week. But a little sneak peek is, it's not always clear exactly what the field is. Right. And I think we often, we often talk about the field as though it's the church that doesn't necessarily align a hundred percent with how Christ explains the parable. So we'll have to, we'll have to talk through that a little bit. I affirm that it is the church in, in a, a broad sense. Um, but, but the, the way that Christ explains it slightly different, but the, the seed is sewn into the world. The sons of the kingdom of heaven are sowed into the, into the world. And then the seed of the enemy, the bad seed, is the sons of the devil that's also sewn into the world. And so these two seeds grow up next to each other. If we think about the seed here as though it's the word of God, rather than the, the actual believers and unbelievers that elect in the ate, we're gonna make some missteps on how we understand this because we're not talking about, um, the, the seed being, you know, doctrine being sewn into the world. And some of it grows up good and some of it grows up bad or good doctrine and bad doctrine. We're talking about the believers themselves. Sorry, Jesse is mocking my rapid attempt to mute before I cough, which I, I did. That was pretty good. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that was, that was pretty good. Listen, this is real. Podcasting is how it goes. Yeah, I'm with you. Thank you for pulling out that distinction. 'cause it is critical. We, we have some overlap of course, with Jesus being really ascribed as the farmer, the son of man, right. He's sowing this good seed, but not the word. It's believers or the sons of the kingdom. And it is into his field, which is the world. Part of that world of course, is necessarily the church, right? But while everybody's sleeping, this enemy, the devil, he comes, he sows weeds or unbelievers, the sons of the evil one among this weed, they grow, go up together. And of course, like if I were servants in this household, I'd ask the same thing, which was like, should we get the gloves out? Yeah. Just pull those bad boys out. Like and, and so again, that's why I find it very so somewhat shocking that. It's not just, you could see like Jesus saying something like, don't worry about it now because listen, at the end of all time when the harvest comes, uh, I'm gonna take care of it. Like it's just not worth it to go out now. Right. That's not entirely The reason he gives, the reason is lest they uproot the wheat by mistake. So this is showing that the servants who are coming before Jesus in the parable, in this teaching here to really volitionally and with great fidelity and good obedience to him to want to please him to do his will. He there, he's basically saying, you are not qualified to undertake this kind of horticulture because you're just not either skilled enough or discerning enough to be able to do it right. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I think, um. Maybe just a word of meth methodology too. Um, this parable also flies in the face of all of the, like, parables are not allegories, kind of kind of people. Um, and this is, we talked about this in our introductory episode. You have to take each parable for what it's worth, this parable very much is explained like a traditional allegory, right? Right. [00:35:39] Understanding the Parable's Symbols Tony Arsenal: It's got, it's got several different elements and Christ goes through and the first thing he does is tell you what each element represents, right? The sower is the son of man, the field is the word. The good seed is the sons of the kingdom of the weed. It's like, he's like clicking down all of the symbols and then he explains how all of it works together and like a good, all like a good allegory. Once you understand what each element and each symbol is, the rest of it actually is very self-explanatory, right? When you understand who's what in the parable. The outcome and the sort of the punchline writes itself as it were. And I think this is one of those parables that we would do. [00:36:18] Challenging Our Sensibilities Tony Arsenal: I think we would do well to sort of let marinate a little bit because it does challenge a lot of our sensibilities of what, um, what is real in the world, what is real in terms of our interaction with the world, right? What's real in terms of the role of unbelievers in the life of a Christian, um, whether we can identify who is or isn't an unbeliever. Um, I think we, you know, I, I'm not one of those people that's like, we should assume everyone's a Christian. And I'm certainly not one of those people who's like, we should assume nobody is a Christian. But I think there are a lot of times where we have figures either in public or people in our lives. Like personal acquaintances that have some sort of outward appearance. And, and that's like the key here that that distinction between weeds is a, is not a great translation as you said. Right. Because right. That distinction between wheat and weeds, to go to my analogy, like it's very clear what is grass and what is this like carpeting, knob weed. Like there's no, there's no doubt in my mind, which is the weed and which is the grass. Um, that's not what we're talking about here. And so it does, it does say here, I mean, it implies here that it's not going to be easy to distinguish the difference between exactly. The, a son of the kingdom and a son of the evil one. And I think that's a, that's a. A theological pill that is very difficult to swallow. Yes. [00:37:43] Personal Reflections on Identifying Christians Tony Arsenal: Because a lot of us, um, and this goes back to like what I, what we were saying in the last, the last parable, A lot of us were reared in our Christian faith on sort of this idea that like, you can check your fruit or you can check other people's fruits and you can determine, you can easily identify who's a Christian and who's not. I remember when I was in high school, you know, I got, I was converted when, when I was 15 and, um, I got to high school and it felt very easy to me to be able to identify the people who were play acting Christianity and the people who were real Christians. That felt like the most natural thing in the world to me. Um, it, it's an interesting story, but one of the people that I was absolutely sure was not a Christian. That he was just doing kinda civic Christianity. He was in confirmation 'cause his parents wanted him to. Um, and I had good reason to believe that at the time he was very worldly. He, he, um, did not seem to be serious about his faith at all. There was good reason to make the assessment that I did. And then I ran into him on Facebook like 15 years later and he's a pastor at the Lutheran Church and he's, you know, he loves the Lord Jesus Christ. And he would not explain it as though he had a later conversion story. It's not as though he would say like, well yeah, in high school I pretended to be a Christian. And then, you know, I got through college and uh, I really became like I got converted. He would, would grow this, or he would explain this as slow, steady growth from an immature state that knew the facts of the gospel and in a certain sense trusted that Jesus was his savior and didn't fully understand the ramifications of that. I mean, who did at 15 years old? Mm-hmm. Um. And, and that it was a slow, steady growth to the place that he's in now. [00:39:21] The Difficulty of Distinguishing Believers Tony Arsenal: So I, I think we should take seriously, and maybe this is the takeaway for this week at least, and we can, we can talk about it more, is we should take seriously the fact that the Sons of the Kingdom and the Sons of the evil one in this parable are not only inseparable without doing damage, but in many ways they are not easily distinguishable. Jesse Schwamb: Right. On. Tony Arsenal: Um, and that, that's a baked into the parable. And I think we do spend a fair amount of time and I, I'll. I'll throw myself on on this. You know, this, we, I'm not just saying we, um, we as a genuine statement, like I have participated in this. I'm sure that I still do participate in this sometimes intentionally. Other times, uh, subconsciously we spend a fair amount of time probably in our Christian lives trying to figure out who is a Christian who's not. And it's not as though that is entirely illegitimate, right? The, the, as much as we kind of poke at the, the, um, workers in this who sort of are kind of chumps, right? They're sort of like the idiots in this. They, they don't seem to know how this happened. They propose a course of action that then the master's like, no, no, that's not, that's not gonna work. They can tell the difference, right? They can see that some are weeds and some are are weeds, and they're asking, well, what do we do about it? But at the same time he is saying like, you're not really competent to tell the difference, Jesse Schwamb: right? On Tony Arsenal: a good, uh, a good. Competent farmer could probably go out and take all the weeds out. Just like a really good, I dunno, landscape technician, I'm not sure what you would call it. I'm sure someone could come into my yard and if I paid them enough money they could probably fix this knobby grass, weed, whatever it is. Um, infestation. They could probably fix it without damaging the lawn. Like there are probably people that could do it. I am not that competent person and the workers in this are not that competent person. And I would say by and large in our Christian life, we are not that competent person to be able to identify who is and who isn't, um, a Christian who is or isn't a son of the kingdom versus a son of the devil. Jesse Schwamb: And there's sometimes like we just get history reprised, or it's like, again, the same thing microwaved over and served to you three or four times as leftovers. So it's also gonna remember like any as extension that like any attempt to like purify the church perfectly, and this has happened like donatism in the fourth century I think, or even like now, certain sectarian movements are completely misguided. Yeah. And Jesus already puts that out ahead of us here. It's almost like, do not worry what God is doing because God again is, is doing all the verbs. So here's a question I think we should discuss as we, we move toward like the top of the hour. And I think this is interesting. I don't know if you'll think it's interesting. I, I kind of have an answer, but I, I'll post it here first. [00:42:01] Visible vs. Invisible Church Jesse Schwamb: So the setup like you've just given us is two things. One, we got the visible church, we talk about the visible church. I think a lot across our conversations. Yeah. And we might summarize it, saying it's like the community of all who profess faith, maybe even the community of all who are baptized. Right. Possibly. Yeah. And it's going to include then necessarily as Jesus describes it here, true and false believers. So that's one group. Then we've got this invisible church, which as you said is the elect. Those who are known perfectly to God. So the good seed is those elect true believers. The weeds, then the weeds to me, or the tears, even better, they sound a lot like that. Second and third soils that we talked about previously to some, to some degree. I'm not, I'm not gonna lump them all in because we talked about receiving the word and it taking root, all that stuff, but to some degree, and also probably like a soil one. But here's, here's the way I would define them up and against or in contradistinction to the elector believers. They're the reprobate. They're false professors or they're children of the evil one. Now here's the question, Doni, Alex, I, I think this is very interesting. I'm trying to build this up for like more dramatic effect. 'cause now I'm worried it's not that good. The question is, I'm going to presume that this good seed, the elect, true to believers, the confidence of perseverance of the saints, the justification in sanctification of God's children is in fact though we at some points have our own doubts, it is made fully aware and known to the good seed. That is, we should have, as you and I have talked about before, the confidence that God has in fact saved his elect. So the question that on the other side is for the ta, do the tears always know that they are the tears? Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I mean, you know, I think, um, I've said this before and I, I mean it, and I think it takes probably more. More discussion than we have time for tonight. And and that's fine because we can do as many episodes on this as we want to. 'cause this is our show and you can't stop us actually. Jesse Schwamb: Correct. [00:43:56] Assurance of Faith and False Assurance Tony Arsenal: Um, I've said before that assurance is the proper and rightful possession and inheritance of every Christian. Jesse Schwamb: Amen. Tony Arsenal: Right. So I, I am not one to say that the technical terminology is that assurance is not of the essence of faith. Um, I think we have to be really careful when we say that it's not, but we have to be equally careful when we say that it is. Because if we say that assurance is of the essence of faith, then what that means is someone who doesn't have assurance, doesn't have faith. Um, the reason I say that we can say that is because there's a sense that that's true, right? If you don't believe you're saved, then you don't believe you're saved and you don't trust that you're saved. But that doesn't mean that you always have full awareness of that confidence. And, you know, I think, um, I think. I think you're, you're right that, um, it may not always be, let me put it this way. I, I think that we have to consider the entire life of a Christian when we're, when we're making that analysis. And in a certain sense, like, I'm not even sure we should be making that analysis. That's kind of the point of the, the, um, the parable here, or at least one of the points. But, um, when that analysis is made, we'll, we'll channel a little bit of RC sprawl. It's not as funny when he's actually, uh, gone. I don't really mean channel RC sprawl. We will, uh, speak in the tradition of RC sprawl, um, in the final analysis, whatever that means. Whenever that is. You have to consider the whole life of a Christian, the whole life of a believer. And so there may be times in the life of a believer where they don't possess that full assurance of faith or that that full assurance is weak or that it seems to be absent. But when we look at the entire life of a believer, um, is it a life that overall is marked by a confident trust, that they are in fact children of God? Um, that a confident, uh, a confident embracing of what the spirit testifies to their spirit, to, to borrow language from Romans, I think in, in the life of a true elect Christian, um, that with the perseverance of the saints, uh, with the persistence of the saints and the preservation of the saints, um, I think that yes, those who are finally saved, those who are saved unto salvation, if you wanna phrase it that way. They finish the race, they claim the prize. Um, that assurance will be their possession in their life as a Christian. Jesse Schwamb: Right on. Tony Arsenal: All of that to say, I think there are, are, there's a good case to be made for the fact that there is also people who have false assurance, right? And this is where it takes a lot more, you know, finagling and jockeying and theological explanation of how can we know we have true assurance versus false assurance. You know, it's kinda like that question, like, does an insane person know they're insane? Well, does a false, does someone with false assurance know that their assurance is false? I don't think, I don't think so. Otherwise, it wouldn't be false assurance. Um, if they knew it wasn't real assurance, then they wouldn't have any kind of assurance. So I, I think I agree with you at least where, where I think you're going is that we do have to, we do have to make some judgements. We have to look at our own life, right? Um, there is an element of fruitfulness in this parable, right? We'll talk about that. I, I think we'll get into that next week. But it's not as though this is entirely disconnected from the parable of the soils. Both of them have a very similar kind of. End point. [00:47:20] Final Judgment and Eschatology Tony Arsenal: At the end of all things, at the end of the harvest, when the end of the age comes, and the reapers, the angels are sent, what they're gathering up are fruitful Christians, right in the parable, he sends out the, it's funny be, I love my dispensational brothers and sisters, but in this parable, like the rapture is the rapture of the unbelievers, right? The angels go out and reap the unbelievers first. The, the weeds are bundled up and thrown into the fire, and then the, the fruitful wheat is gathered into the barns. Um, there is this delineation between the fruitless weeds and the fruitful wheat or the, the grain that has borne, you know, borne fruit. That is part of what the, the outward. Elements of this parable are, so we should talk about that more, of what is this trying to get at in terms of not just the difference between weeds and wheat and how that maps up to those who are in Christ versus those who are not in Christ, but also like what is this telling us about the, the end of the age eschatology. All of that's baked in here and we haven't even scratched the surface of that Jesse Schwamb: yet. Yeah, we, we, I, and we just can't, even on this episode, probably, you're right, we're gonna have to go to two so that, I guess it's like a teaser for the next one. I'm told they're with you. It's interesting. I've been thinking about that, that question a lot. And I do like what you're saying. You know, at the end here, it's almost as if Christ is saying at the time of harvest, things become more plain, more evident In the beginning. The chutes are gonna look really, really similar, and you're gonna go in and you're gonna think you're guessing properly or using your best judgment, and you're gonna get it wrong in the end when he sends out those who are harvesting. I liken this passage here in the explanation as you read to us starting in verse 36, how there's this comparison of heat and light. And so there is the heat and light of the fiery furnace into which, as you said, all of those who are the children of the enemy will be gathered up and burned. And then there's that contrast with in verse 43, then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. So there is like a reward that comes from the bearing of the fruit and that made evidence by a different type of heat and light. So I do struggle with this question because. It's easy to answer in some ways if we're defining the weeds in pirate or the tears in pirates as false professors typically. Let's say false professors of a nefarious kind, then it seems pretty plain that somebody, right, that the enemy has implanted certain people to stir up trouble with the intention to stir up trouble that is in fact their jam. Or they know that even if they're putting on heirs, that they're in fact play acting that the hypocrisy is purposeful and that it is part of like the missional efforts that they're doing to disrupt what God is doing in the world. So I might think of somebody like when we go, when we're looking in, um, Exodus, and we find that at least to some degree, all of Pharaoh's magicians can replicate everything that Moses is doing. Moses doing that by the power of God. But the magicians are so good and whatever means they're using, but they know, I presume they know they're not, they're not using Yahweh, they're not drawing their power or their influence from Yahweh. Tony Arsenal: Right? Jesse Schwamb: But it's so convincing to the people that Pharaoh is like, eh. Obviously I've seen that before because we just, we just did that here. Come back with your next trick until God flexes his mighty muscles in a really profound way, which cannot be replicated. And at some point there's a harvest that happens there. There's a separation between the two, those who are truly professing, the power that comes from God, the one true God, and those that are just replicating the cheap copy, the one that's just pure trickery and smoke and mirrors. So. That's an easy category. I'm with you. And I'm not saying that this is an invitation to bring the kind of judgment here that we've just spoken against. I'm not condoning this. What I do find interesting though is if the enemy is crafty, is it possible that they're always going to be forms of terror in the world that do feel that they have very strong conviction and belief about biblical things? Maybe there's, there's strong hobby horses or there are misguided directions here that pull us apart, that become distractions. Or maybe it's just even attitudes, uh, things that can be divisive, disruptive, derogatory that again, pull us away. For making the plain things, the main things and the main things, the plain things, which in some ways draws us back to like the whole purpose of you and I talking every week, which is we wanna get back to what the scripture teaches. We wanna follow the our Lord Jesus Christ very, very closely. I'm gonna clinging to the hymn of his rob as we walk through life so that we do not fall to those kind of false convictions. So I'm not, please hear me, loved ones. I'm not trying to call into question your faith as Tony just said. I am saying that there, this is kind of scary, just like we talked about. There are elements of the parables of the, of the soil that were equally scary. And so it's just in some ways to say, we gotta keep our heads not theological, swivel. We, we gotta be about the Lord's business, and we gotta be about understanding through prayer and study and communion with him, what it is that he wants to teach us in the purest way, knowing that the church itself and the world, of course, is never going to be entirely pure. At the same time, it is our responsibility to, as you already said, test for ourselves to understand what is that true gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because some tears are going to be maybe easy to identify and with without, you know, throwing too much shade or. I was gonna say spilling the TI don't think that works here, but I'm not young anymore, so I'm trying to use or or put on blast. Yeah. I'm looking at you Mormons or Jehovah's witnesses. Like it's, it's easier there to be like, yeah, right, this is wrong. It is a false profession, but we've just gotta be careful even in our own hobby, horses not deviates into ground. I think that doesn't preclude us from being children of the light and children of the kingdom, but can still be disruptive or uh, you know, just distracting. But either way, yeah. I think what's scary to me about this is exactly what you said, Tony, is, is could it be that there are people that are very sincere about the Christian faith, but are sincerely wrong? Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Jesse Schwamb: And what does that mean for God's elected purpose? What does that mean for our understanding of how to interact in our churches in the world? Does that make sense? Tony Arsenal: It does. And I'm not sure whether you were trying to set up the, what might be the first genuine reformed brotherhood cliffhanger, but you did. Because we're on minute 54 of a 60 minute podcast, and, uh, there's no way we're gonna get into that and not go for another 60 minutes. So, Jesse, I, I'm, I'm glad that we are taking our time. Um, I know that sometimes it's easy when you put out a schedule or you put out a sort of projected content calendar to feel like you have to stick to it. But I wanna give these parables, the time they deserve and the effort and the, uh, the, uh, study and the discussion that they deserve. And I think the questions you're posing here at the end of this episode are really, really important. And they are questions that this parable forces us to ask. Right, right. It's not as though we're just using this as a launching pad. Um. If the workers can't tell the difference between the, the seed and the, or the, the weeds and the weeds, it's reasonable to think that the weeds themselves may not be able to tell the difference. Right? The sons of the evil one, um, are probably not in this parable, are probably not the people like in the back, like doing fake devil horns, right? And like, you know, like there's, there's probably more going on that we need to unpack and, and we'll do that next week. Jesse Schwamb: I love it. So we've got some good stuff coming then, because we've gotta, this is like, do you ever remember when you were in, uh, you know, doing your undergraduate postgraduate work, you'd get like a topic or an assignment or a paper and you'd be super stoked about it and you start reaching it, be like, okay, researching it. And you'd be like, all right, I've got some good topics here. And then you get into it, you're like, oh, but I'm gonna have to talk about this. And Oh, like before I could talk, I'm gonna have to explain this. Sometimes when we get into these, as you and I have been talking, that's what it feels li

It's Friday, October 17th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Chinese college forces students to identify as atheists According to a September 30th report from ChinaAid, a mobile app used by a Chinese vocational school, requires students to declare they're atheists.   The app, used by Tianjin Vocational College of Mechanics and Electricity in China, instructs students to check the box for “no religious belief” in their personal information sections, clearly violating their right to religious freedom.  The report stated that “point 4 under ‘personal information notes' requires filling in ‘no religious belief,' forcing all enrolled students to declare themselves as ‘atheists' or ‘non-believers.'”  The Chinese Communist Party is officially atheist and has a long history of disrespecting and persecuting religious communities, including Christians.  Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” The Gospel Coalition stated in 2022 that “[President] Xi despises Christianity … [and] fears that religion, especially Christianity, is an attempt by foreign influences to subvert his nation.”   U.S. Special Operations helicopters near Venezuela The U.S. military's elite Special Operations aviation unit appears to have flown in Caribbean waters less than 90 miles from the coast of Venezuela in recent days, reports the Washington Post. According to an unnamed U.S. official, the helicopters were engaged in training exercises that could serve as preparation for expanded conflict against alleged drug traffickers, including potential missions inside Venezuela. Already, the U.S. military has struck at least five boats carrying illegal narcotics in international waters, killing at least 27 drug traffickers. Speaker Johnson & Speaker Ohana back Trump for Nobel Peace Prize On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson explained why he believed that President Donald Trump is deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize next year. JOHNSON: “I'm proud to tell you that together with my friend, Speaker [Amir] Ohana of the Israeli Knesset, the equivalent of our Congress, we're going to rally speakers and presidents of parliaments around the world so that we will jointly nominate President Donald J. Trump for next year's Nobel Peace Prize. “No one has ever deserved that prize more. And that is an objective fact. It's an indisputable fact that no president has undertaken the work of saving lives and pursuing peace with such determination and with such remarkable success as President Trump. “Under his leadership, we are witnessing the dawn of a new golden age, not just for America, but for the entire free world. The world is changed by these actions and strong leadership. American strength is good for free people around the world, as we say always, and peace through strength is maintained.” Pentagon journalists turn in badges, refusing new Hegseth rules Dozens of Pentagon reporters turned in access badges and exited the War Department on Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work, reports the Associated Press. The nation's leadership called the new rules “common sense” to help regulate a “very disruptive” press. News outlets were nearly unanimous in rejecting new rules imposed by War Secretary Pete Hegseth that would leave journalists vulnerable to expulsion if they sought to report on information — classified or otherwise — that had not been approved by Hegseth for release. Homosexual pastor says abortion “helps the life of children” According to a viral video clip, a self-described “queer” Protestant pastor said babies should be killed in the womb so they do not grow up in an “unsupportive” situation, reports LifeSiteNews.com. Kurt Kaufman is a recently “ordained” minister who currently works as a “ministerial associate” at First Baptist Church of Denver. Protestia, which often criticizes liberal Christianity, posted a video of an interview Kaufman gave where he explains why he supports the intentional killing of innocent preborn babies. Listen. KAUFMAN: “Being in favor of reproductive rights [i.e., the destruction of the unborn], first and foremost, protects the life of the mother, and protects the life of the person that is already living, and is the person that is able to bring more life into this world should they choose,” “Furthermore, it protects the life of children. There are so many children that currently exist in this world that were forced to be born because of legislation, because of men that have decided for women. And so as a result, many children have grown up into a unsupportive, unhealthy and right-challenging household that hasn't been a life that any child should live. “And so being in favor of reproductive choice helps the life of children everywhere because they don't have to grow up in a world that dislikes them because they simply exist.” This is why, according to the so-called “minister” it's a good thing to support the killing of babies. But in Proverbs 6:16-19, there are seven things listed that God hates, including “the shedding of innocent blood.” LifeSiteNews asked Kaufman for further information on when the interview occurred, what he would say to the counterargument that society does not kill babies after they are born just because of their circumstances, and at what point he believes preborn babies are human beings who deserve protection from abortion. In a reply email this past Tuesday, Kaufman wrote, “I have no comment to provide.” Not surprisingly, Kaufman's outrageous remarks drew criticism from commentators on X. Scott Dunford wrote, “By his logic every kid born into a bad home situation should be eliminated. This is an evil and godless way of thinking.” And an account called Woke Preacher Clips wrote, “This is psychotic behavior.” Bad Bunny's Super Bowl perverse half time show vs. Turning Point's wholesome patriotic alternative And finally, Super Bowl LX (60) is set for Sunday, February 8, 2026, and will broadcast on NBC with a halftime performance featuring Benito Ocasio known as “Bad Bunny,” a Puerto Rican rapper who has championed sexual perversion, sexual immorality, self-indulgence, and hostility to Immigration Customs and Enforcement. Indeed, Ocasio has said that his sexuality may be fluid. He told Gay Pride, “At the moment, I am heterosexual and I like women, but maybe in 20 years I will like a man.” In his song, Ignorantes, he features sexual perversion, and in his song, Yo Perreo Sola, Ocasio created a disturbing video where he personally dresses and cavorts around in drag. Turning Point USA, the nonprofit created by the late Charlie Kirk and now led by his widow Erika Kirk, announced they will broadcast a wholesome, patriotic alternative that celebrates “faith, family, and freedom.” While event details and scheduled performers are still being determined, you can sign up to receive event information and vote for your preferred music genre at AmericanHalfTimeShow.com. The website again is AmericanHalfTimeShow.com.  And you can add your name to a petition, organized by One Million Moms, to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, chastising him for hiring the sexually immoral rapper “Bad Bunny.” You will find the link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com. Ephesians 5:11 says, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, October 17th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

You may sometimes wonder why bad things continue to happen in your life and in the lives of those who are seeking the Lord. If you are doing what is right and good, why should anything bad happen? Pastor Jeff Schreve will show us what God has to say on this matter in a message titled WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE, from his encouraging 7-Message series called NOW THAT'S A TOUGH ONE: ANSWERING THE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS OF LIFE.

Atheism is often pointed out as a religion, and in many ways, the obsession with health and wellness has become its own secular form of legalism. Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar remind listeners that while bodily exercise is valuable, it can easily become idolatry if it replaces worship of the Lord. Gluttony has long been a silent sin, rarely addressed in churches, yet food can just as easily become an idol as the pursuit of beauty or fitness. The guys emphasize the need for balance: a pastor should not be marked by obvious gluttony, but at the same time, believers must avoid falling into the opposite extremes. Humans are wired to worship—so the question is, what or who are you worshiping?There is nothing wrong with caring for the body, but when the motive is self-glorification rather than glorifying God, the line has been crossed. Historically, Christians have been known for fasting, generosity, and blessing others, rather than being consumed by self-care. When self-care becomes an idol, it often reveals a fear of death and a desire to earn immortality. The truth is that the outer man is wasting away, and eternal life is found only in Christ. Motivation determines whether health is pursued as an idol or as stewardship of the temple of the Holy Spirit. Oscar shares that he lifts weights to maintain strength and longevity, aiming to serve God and his family well as he ages. E.Z. adds that part of his drive is to avoid becoming a burden to his children and to maximize his impact for the Lord.The wellness industry has grown worldwide, but combining wellness practices with paganism introduces another possible danger. Practices like meditation or yoga often promise salvation through Eastern philosophies, but they are just another form of legalism that cannot defeat death. Eternal youth is a false hope; eternal glory in Christ is the true answer. Believers should desire to live fully until they die, striving to honor God with their bodies.The guys emphasize the practical benefits of activity, pointing out that humans were not made for a sedentary life in front of screens. Exercising strengthens both body and mind, and tackling tough challenges builds confidence and resilience. At the same time, they warn against being judgmental toward others who practice moderation. Rest, too, is part of God's design, and the Sabbath reminds believers that they are not machines defined solely by their productivity. Ultimately, the message is simple: avoid gluttony and laziness, reject the idolization of beauty, view health as stewardship, and above all, love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

Fear can feel overpowering—especially when circumstances press in, when we live in places that feel unsafe, or when anxiety has had time to settle in. But, as we reflect in our daily prayer and devotional, Scripture doesn’t leave us defenseless. In this devotional, Vivian Bricker reminds us that God is with us even when fear seems to surround us. Though we often don’t see His hand at work, God is always moving behind the scenes—striking down evil, guarding us, and providing strength. Even when fear grips our hearts, we can choose to turn to Him, surrender our anxieties at His feet, and let His peace guard our minds (Philippians 4:6–7). Moses’ charge to Israel in Deuteronomy 31:6 still rings for us today: “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God goes with you.” We don’t face life’s dangers alone. He never leaves us. With this promise, our fear can be met with courage rooted not in our own power, but in the faithful presence of God. Today's Bible Reading: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”— Deuteronomy 31:6 Key Takeaways God is always present—even in the darkest moments—and never abandons us. Fear doesn’t need to control us; we can bring it to God in prayer. True courage comes from trusting that God is greater than our threats. The promise in Scripture is not that trouble won’t come, but that we won’t face it alone. Let’s Pray Together Dear God, fear surrounds me and uncertainty abounds. Thank You that You are here with me. Please strengthen my heart to be strong and courageous. Remind me that You will never leave me or forsake me. Help me surrender my fear to You and cling to Your steadfast love and protection. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Related Articles When God Seems Silent—How to Pray When Fear Seizes You – Crosswalk.com Why Do I Still Feel Fear? Biblical Hope in Anxiety – Christianity.com 5 Scriptures to Speak Over Your Heart in Fear – Crosswalk.com Strong and Courageous: How God Strengthens Through Scripture – Christianity.com Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God may be speaking to us today through our difficult circumstances, even as He spoke to the people through Haggai. That's what we see as we study the people's response to Haggai's message from the Lord.

We don't have the power to transform the culture we live in, but we do have the power to be obedient to God. In this sermon, Pastor Allen Jackson discusses Satan's responses to God's movements. In the Old Testament book of 2 Chronicles, we read about King Hezekiah's obedience to the Lord, which brought about both a renewal of his culture and pushback, hardship, and threats from the enemy. However, as Pastor Allen shows, God is always faithful to intervene when we choose His ways. Like King Hezekiah, we will experience backlash when we live for Jesus—but if we will choose obedience to God in an unrelenting, courageous way, God will do what we can't: transform our culture.

In this Bible Story, we learn about the plot to kill Jesus being set into motion by Judas. Jesus, during the Last Supper, identifies his betrayer as Judas. He washes His disciples' feet, telling them to serve one another as he has served them. And gives them a new command to remember Him when they eat together and take communion until He returns. This story is inspired by Matthew 26:1-2, 21-30; Luke 22:1-13 & John 13:3-17, 26-30. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is Matthew 26:26 from the King James Version.Episode 208: The influence Jesus now held over the people was too much for the religious leaders to bear. They were starting to lose their grip of power. So, they began to think about how they could arrest Jesus away from the crowds. Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, came to them and offered to help them for a small fee. They agreed. As Jesus' disciples got ready to eat the Passover meal, He took off his outer robe and began to wash His disciple's feet. In doing so, Jesus taught both them and us what it means to serve. During the dinner, Jesus confessed that one of them would betray Him. Shortly after saying this, Judas left the room to enact his plan.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’ll hear from Dan and Sam Mathews, full-time content creators who’ve built a life rooted in creativity, family, and a passion for adventure. From backcountry camping and RV renovations to raising their kids on the road, they’ve shared their journey online—offering an honest look at the challenges and joys of living boldly and encouraging others to step outside their comfort zones and choose a more adventurous route. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Jacob Robinson, founder of Dig World, a construction theme park where kids and adults can operate real equipment. Behind the fun lies a deeply personal story. After a life-changing medical crisis with their son Pierce, Jacob’s world shifted, pushing him to navigate grief, hope, and a new way forward. Today, Dig World isn’t just a park—it’s a place where families connect, challenges are embraced, and joy is celebrated in its purest form. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Bear Grylls Upcoming interview: Lisa Harper Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith on UPTV Dan and Sam Mathews Always Choose Adventure Jacob Robinson Dig World Texas A&M Texas Children’s Hospital bacterial meningitis www.digworldnation.com Interview Quotes: “There are a lot of times when multiple doors open, and we don’t know which one to choose. As long as it’s in line with the Lord’s will and we have a peace about it, we just look through the door and go, ‘Which one’s more adventurous?’” - Dan Mathews “The more you have, it can become a distraction in a way that keeps you from fully experiencing what God has.” - Dan Mathews “Chasing a new job title or a bigger house or nicer car or more zeros in your bank account—at the end of the day, it just leaves you unfulfilled. Having time to do what we love, to share Jesus with people, to love on one another, to spend time with our kids, to go and see new places, that became our idea of success. If we don’t have the time to do what we love and to spend time with each other, then all other measures of success don’t matter.” - Dan Mathews “Adventure isn’t one-size-fits-all. Adventure can just be getting outside of your comfort zone and trying something new.” - Dan Mathews “God doesn’t want us to live a stagnant life. If you look through the stories in the Bible, you can’t find anywhere God is like, ‘Hey, just stay where you’re at. Don’t change a thing. Long-term, we just want you to hunker down and be comfortable.’ He’s always calling people. He’s telling people to go.” - Dan Mathews “Jesus welcomes us through tough questions. He says, ‘I see you, I understand you, my heart is breaking with you and I love you. And there is a bigger plan.’” - Jacob Robinson “[My son] Pierce is now profoundly deaf in both ears. He’s nonverbal, he’s epileptic, and he’s in a wheelchair. But he is the happiest little dude you’ll ever meet. He radiates joy. He sees life the way that I think Jesus wants us to see life. He doesn’t see your skin color. He doesn’t see how much money you make. He doesn’t see what car you drive or what your house looks like. He truly just wants to be with you, and I think that’s how Jesus would want us to live.” - Jacob Robinson “Don’t try to figure out your faith until you have a life experience that turns you upside down. Figure out what your faith is and lean into that faith when those times come, because Jesus promises us that challenges will come. Lean into that, and lean into Him.” - Jacob Robinson ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website TikTok Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

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.comPhilemonIn the letter to Philemon, Paul writes on behalf of Onesimus, a runaway slave who has become a believer while Paul is in prison. Paul appeals to Philemon not as an apostle demanding obedience, but as a brother in Christ urging love. He asks Philemon to receive Onesimus back not merely as a slave, but as a beloved brother. Paul offers to repay any debt Onesimus owes, reminding Philemon of the spiritual debt he owes Paul. The letter models Christian forgiveness, reconciliation, and the transforming power of the gospel in relationships. Paul expresses confidence that Philemon will do even more than he asks, showing trust in his character and receiving encouragement from his actions. The letter ends with greetings from fellow believers and a blessing of grace to Philemon. Philemon challenges us to see people through the lens of the gospel. We are not defined by our past roles, failures, or status. In Christ, we are family. We must forgive as we have been forgiven. Reconciliation is not always easy, but it reflects the heart of God. We are reminded that love must lead our decisions, even when justice feels complicated. Paul models how to be a helpful advocate between others. We are invited to do the same: to stand in the gap for others, to restore relationships, and to live out the unity we claim to believe. This short letter challenges us that the gospel changes how we see others and how we respond in moments of conflict. Forgiving Father, we thank You for the astounding grace that restores and the abiding love that reconciles. Teach us to see others not by their past, but by their place in Your family. Please help us to forgive as we have been forgiven. When conflict arises, help us develop the humility to seek peace and the courage to extend grace. Show us how to love beyond obligation, and to act with compassion even when it is difficult. Let the gospel shape our relationships and heal what is broken. May our words and actions reflect the mercy You have shown us. Thought Questions: Are there any relationships in your life where God calls you to pursue reconciliation rather than remain divided? How should you proceed? Why is a mediator sometimes valuable in relationship rebuilding? Who could be useful in helping you mend a strained relationship in your life?  How must the gospel and God's grace shape how you see others, especially those who are fellow followers of Jesus Christ?

“Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word” by Kirk Meyer The post 289. The Book of Proverbs, Part 26 (Proverbs 8:22-31) – Pr. Will Weedon, 10/16/25 appeared first on The Word of the Lord Endures Forever.

(1 Thessalonians 4:14-18) Journeying With The Church: Soon Christ is coming and we are going. The church will be caught away to be with our Lord forever. We are getting ready for our final flight. (09250251016)  Keep Studying  Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. 

The Uplift app is here! Try it free for 30 days Think back to the person you were five years ago. The routines you swore by, the songs you couldn't stop playing, the things you thought mattered most. Funny right? That version of you feels familiar, but also like someone you barely recognize. Now rewind twenty years. You'll probably see a completely different woman—different dreams, different struggles, different victories. And you know what? That's not a mistake. That's growth. That's grace in motion. We don't just wake up one day and arrive at who we're meant to be. Most of us drift, wondering how we got here. But what if you didn't drift? What if you chose? Partner with the Lord, bring intention to your days, and design the next version of you with purpose.    Listen in to learn more:  (00:36) - The Illusion of Permanence: Why We Think Today's Version of Us Is the Final Draft (03:09) -Present Self vs. Future Self (05:40) - Legacy, Not Hustle: How to Build a Life That Outlasts the To-Do List (06:50) - One-Year Vision Exercise (08:57) - Practical Steps Your Future Self Will Thank You For Links to great things we discussed:  Catalyst Mastermind Alli's Sunscreen Recommendation - Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Alli's Makeup Recommendation - IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow Protecting yourself from skin cancer as a truck driver   I hope you loved this episode!

Today we're diving into how our personal stories shape our sexuality and our experiences with sex. Joining Bonny and J for this important conversation is Kate Aldrich, a marriage coach and mentor with an emphasis on Story Work. Sponsor Want to advertise with us? We're specifically looking for women-owned businesses who'd like to get the word out to our many listeners. You can find out more HERE. From the Bible For you created my inmost being;     you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;     your works are wonderful,     I know that full well. Psalm 139:13–14 I meditate on your precepts     and consider your ways. Psalm 119:15 [Hagar] gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 Resources Aldrich Ministries Coaching Network Still Becoming One - Kate & Brad's podcast Episode 74: Getting Comfortable with Your Body Episode 181: Your Sexual Story, with Dr. Carol Tanksley Thanks for joining us at the virtual kitchen table for another great chat! We'd love for you to join our inner circle by supporting us on Patreon. You can contribute to our wonderful ministry while getting some fun perks for yourself! Check it out here: https://patreon.com/ForChristianWives If you could, leave a rating and/or review so that others can find the show. Please also check out our website and webinars at forchristianwives.com. And visit our individual ministry pages for more resources as well: Strong Wives - Bonny Burns Honeycomb & Spice - Chris Taylor Hot, Holy & Humorous - J. Parker

Are the cleaning products in your home helping or harming your family? On this episode of That's Total Mom Sense, I sit down with Kristi Lord and Lindsay Droz, co-founders of L'Avant Collective, a luxury plant-based cleaning brand that's changing the way we clean. We dive into the toxic chemicals in everyday products, why parents need to pay attention, and their journey of building a wellness-driven brand rooted in style, sustainability, and science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fall asleep to special Psalm devotionals at https://www.sleeppsalms.com Tonight's prayer is from Psalm 113:1.  Welcome to "Sleep Psalms with Bishop T.D. Jakes," a tranquil oasis of serenity for your weary soul. In each episode, you'll embark on a soothing journey guided by the wisdom of the most popular book of the Bible, the book of Psalms. Bishop T.D. Jakes' calming voice and gentle prayers will lull you into a peaceful state of mind, perfect for restful sleep or deep meditation. Allow each profound devotional soothe your soul every night. Let the verses of the Psalms cradle your thoughts and provide solace, allowing you to drift into a night of tranquil slumber. Let the Lord be your shepherd tonight, and fall asleep to God's word. Join us as we embark on a profound exploration of these timeless scriptures, nurturing both your spirit and your dreams. Download the Pray.com app for more Bible stories to last a lifetime. To learn more about Bishop T.D. Jakes visit https://tdjenterprises.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send Us Your Prayer Requests --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Read Online“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.” Luke 12:2–3Immediately prior to this passage quoted above, Jesus told His disciples: “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees.” This comes after Jesus gives a long and very direct series of condemnations of these leaders in the previous chapter. Jesus is quite serious about their destructive actions. So, after directly confronting them, He then turns to His disciples to warn them of the consequences of these hypocritical leaders.A hypocrite is one who pretends to have some moral virtues but, in truth, is only deceiving himself and attempting to deceive others. For that reason, Jesus assists His disciples by sharing with them the fact that all truth will eventually come to light. Thus, every good deed will eventually be seen by all for its goodness, and every evil intent, no matter how hidden, will eventually come to light. Though the immediate temptation for many in hearing this passage will be to think about others who they think fall into the sin of hypocrisy, it may be far more useful to ponder these truths for oneself. The simple message that Jesus preaches is that we must be people who are truthful in every way. We must be honest with ourselves and make sure that we are fully aware of our inner life, seeing ourselves only in the way that God sees us. This act of honesty and integrity is one of the best ways by which we prepare ourselves for eternal life. How sad it would be if we went through life pretending, on the surface, to be something we were not, only to have the full truth divulged at our final judgment when it is too late to change.Being honest with ourselves can be difficult. It's normal for us to want to be good, to want to be holy, and to want others to think this way about us. For that reason, it is very common for us to put forth only the best image of ourselves, hiding many other things that may embarrass us and even humiliate us. And though we do not have any moral obligation to tell everyone about every sin we struggle with interiorly, it is morally essential that we face it ourselves and do so with the grace of God.One practical way to do this is to ponder the above Scripture passage. Jesus makes it clear that at some time, in some way, everything within us in our hearts and minds will come to light. For some this will happen, by God's grace, during this life as a way for them to change. For others, these secrets will only come to light at their final judgment. The truth, however, is that all that we are, all that we think, and all that we do in a hidden way will come to light. And if that frightens you in some way, that is good. Sometimes we need a holy fear to encourage us to look inward and to deal with all that we keep hidden from others. Reflect, today, upon the importance of striving for a life of true transparency and integrity. The best way to do this is to live every day as if everything within your heart were visible for all to see. If that means you need to change in some way so as to be at peace with what will eventually come to light, then work diligently on making that change here and now. The opposite of hypocrisy, for which the Pharisees were firmly condemned, is honesty and sincerity. Spend time reflecting upon these beautiful virtues and pray that the Lord will gift you with them so that you can live a life of true integrity here and now in preparation for that glorious day of judgment, when all will be “known” and “proclaimed on the housetops.” My revealing Lord, You see all things. You know my heart in every way. Please grace me with the ability to see myself as You see me and to know my inner heart as You know me. As the deepest truths of who I am come to light for me to see, I pray that I will also have the grace to sincerely change so that I may truly glorify You with my actions and become a source of authentic inspiration to all. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Lawrence W. Ladd, 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.

The book of Lamentations is Jeremiah's recorded response to the devastation and ruin of Jerusalem. It is presented in a series of five poems, of which the first four are acrostics of the Hebrew alphabet, much like Psalm 119, only shorter. It is a book of suffering, shame, horror, and defeat, but centered in the middle of the work, we read of Jeremiah's confident hope in the Lord. The first poem focuses outside the city, the second: inside the city, the third is directed toward God, the fourth toward the vanity of human glory, and the fifth poem looks to the future.Lamentations 1 - 1:08 . Lamentations 2 - 7:01 . Lamentations 3 - 13:50 . Lamentations 4 - 22:01 . Lamentations 5 - 26:40 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Sleep better and Stress Less— with Abide, a Christian meditation app that provides a biblically grounded place to experience peace and progress in your relationship with Christ. We hope this biblical sleep meditation, narrated by Lonein Lara, helps your body relax and your mind rest on the truth found in scripture. Drift off to sleep embraced by the peaceful promises of the Psalms as you reflect on the abundant blessings of God. Take a trip back in time to biblical Israel and walk through a field that is ripe for harvest. For a 30 day free trial of our premium ad-free content, your trusted friend for better sleep is right here: https://abide.com/peaceDiscover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us

Our journey today will take us away from the emperor Friedrich III who will spend most of the episode holed up in his castle at Wiener Neustadt, fretting and gardening. Instead we look at the dramatic life of his younger cousin, Ladislaus Postumus, king of Hungary, king of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria. This will take us back to Prague and its complex religious politics, to Vienna where the people fall for the alluring promises of a populist and to Hungary where one of the greatest generals of the age squares up against Mehmet II, the conqueror of Constantinople.The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.As always:Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.comIf you wish to support the show go to: Support • History of the Germans PodcastFacebook: @HOTGPod Threads: @history_of_the_germans_podcastBluesky: @hotgpod.bsky.socialInstagram: history_of_the_germansTwitter: @germanshistoryTo make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season. So far I have:The OttoniansSalian Emperors and Investiture ControversyFredrick Barbarossa and Early HohenstaufenFrederick II Stupor MundiSaxony and Eastward ExpansionThe Hanseatic LeagueThe Teutonic KnightsThe Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356The Reformation before the Reformation

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Malachi 3-5; Psalm 148; Acts 5 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 16th episode, Hunter invites us to spend some quiet moments journeying through the Scriptures together. Today, we'll dive into Malachi chapters 3 and 4, Psalm 148, and Acts chapter 5, discovering how each passage points us towards the living Word—Jesus, who offers true, abundant life. As we listen, Hunter reflects on the heart of the gospel: it's not about politics or divisions, but simply about life—life found in Christ, here and now. Together, we'll be reminded to walk in the peace, love, and hope that only He can give, and pray for hearts ready to both receive and share that life with the world around us. Join us as we nurture our souls and strengthen our resolve to live as vessels of God's peace today. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The message is life. Jerusalem is burning with the message, and these men cannot be stopped. What is this message? It is not about politics or agendas—it is life itself. The angel's word to the apostles is clear: “Go to the temple and give the people this message of life.” That's it. This is the gospel, the good news: Christ is here, now, offering life—abundant, full, real. Too often, we complicate it. We think it's all about where we stand, who's in, who's out, the lines we draw, the causes we fight. But the true message Jesus gives is far simpler and deeper than debate—it's life offered to all who will say yes to him, life not just in the hereafter, but life here and now. In John's gospel, Jesus says he came that we may have life and have it to the fullest. This is what we are meant for. This is what the world is longing for: the life of Christ, living and moving within us. So, today, let's agree with God. Let's step into this message, let's stay in step with him who is life. As we walk with Jesus, we walk in life and abundance, peace and hope—what our souls most need, what our families most need, what our world is crying out for. That's a prayer I have 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 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  

Psalm 130 dramatically reminds us of our limitations and sinfulness as we trust in the Lord and cry for help. (Lectionary #470) October 16, 2025 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

Luke 18:1-8 - And He [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

Last week, we introduced “Mrs.. —.” She is a lady whose name is lost to history, but John Newton's “shepherding through the post,” as Dr. John Snyder phrased it in the first episode of this series, is timeless to her.  Newton wrote a series of eight letters to Mrs.— and this week is the second letter. In it, John Newton helps her see the battle of the Christian life. New believers may be surprised that conviction doesn't end after conversion, but can often feel even worse. As we draw nearer to God, two things are brought more into focus: his holiness and our sinfulness. So how do we continue drawing near to him while it feels so uncomfortable? As Newton said, “It becometh the Lord's people to be thankful; and to acknowledge His goodness in what we have received, is the surest as well as the pleasantest method of obtaining more. Nor should the grief arising from what we know and feel of our own hearts, rob us of the honor, comfort, and joy, which the word of God designs us, in what is there recorded of the person, offices, and grace of Jesus, and the relations He is pleased to stand in to His people.” We pray this letter is as much of a blessing to you as it has been to us. You can find all the letters to Mrs.— in the links below. You can read this week's letter here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs You can read next week's letter here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs Show Notes: Watch all the episodes of this series here: Read all eight letters to Mrs. First Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs Second Letters to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs Third Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/third-letter-to-mrs Fourth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs Fifth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs- Sixth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs Seventh Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/seventh-letter-to-mrs Eighth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/eighth-letter-to-mrs Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Philippians 3: 1-21.  Another random turning about "perfected" in God!  The Holy Spirit wants people to understand all that 1paul is describing here.  Come and see! ;() If you are blessed by today's Bible study, please support my channel by liking, subscribing, commenting, and sharing with your friends and family!  I am not a Pastor, and agree with God's word that women are not supposed to be Pastors.  However, all people are called to share the gospel. It is perfectly acceptable and Biblical for women to lead Bibles studies outside the church as an ancillary addition to the church, and especially if it is a viable avenue for study of the Word on a daily basis, like I'm doing on this show, and paving the way for all of us to be closer to the Lord and become more knowledgeable of the Bible.  If you care to contribute to my work with the Daily Bible study and sharing the Gospel, as part of your tithes and offerings, you can do so through PayPal by sending it to my PayPal address of: ReneHoladay@gmail.com You are also welcome to email me at the same email address above if you have any thoughts you'd like to share about this episode!    Thank you for watching and God Bless you all! ;()

If you are blessed by today's Bible study, please support my channel by liking, subscribing, commenting, and sharing with your friends and family!  I am not a Pastor, and agree with God's word that women are not supposed to be Pastors.  However, all people are called to share the gospel. It is perfectly acceptable and Biblical for women to lead Bibles studies outside the church as an ancillary addition to the church, and especially if it is a viable avenue for study of the Word on a daily basis, like I'm doing on this show, and paving the way for all of us to be closer to the Lord and become more knowledgeable of the Bible.  If you care to contribute to my work with the Daily Bible study and sharing the Gospel, as part of your tithes and offerings, you can do so through PayPal by sending it to my PayPal address of: ReneHoladay@gmail.com You are also welcome to email me at the same email address above if you have any thoughts you'd like to share about this episode!    Thank you for watching and God Bless you all! ;()

Are you fully relying on God with confidence that He is your stronghold? In this episode, Rabbi explains how we can cling to the Lord even in the toughest of situations. **** BECOME A MONTHLY PARTNER - https://djj.show/YTAPartner  **** DONATE - https://djj.show/YTADonate  **** TEACHING NOTES - https://djj.show/jrv 

In this captivating episode of the Meditative Prayers podcast, hosted by the insightful Zach Clinton and accessible on Pray.com, we delve into the profound theme of resolving our spiritual aspirations—an endeavor that profoundly resonates within our Christian community. Throughout our spiritual journey, there are moments when finding resolution and experiencing personal fulfillment becomes a paramount desire. These moments not only enrich our faith but also invigorate our relationships, propelling us toward our individual dreams. The reassuring truth remains constant: with the Lord as our steadfast guide, we have the innate ability to realize these resolutions, discovering renewed hope and purpose in our journey. Drawing deep inspiration from sacred scriptures, we embark on an exploration of this transformative human experience. For those who seek guidance in resolving their spiritual aspirations along their path of faith, we extend a heartfelt invitation to explore the Pray.com app. By simply downloading it today, you can embark on a transformative journey of faith and resilience, deeply rooted in the unwavering presence of the Divine. Together, let us wholeheartedly embrace the incredible potential for resolution within us, finding boundless inspiration and strength during our shared spiritual pilgrimage. We invite you to join us in this enlightening episode as we venture toward a profound understanding of resolving our spiritual aspirations and discovering the extraordinary sense of fulfillment that resides within each one of us.Embracing the practice of praying before slumber is more than just a routine; it's an avenue to recenter your heart, aligning it with God's purpose. Let Pray.com's Meditative Prayer be a nightly companion, deepening your bond with the Almighty and settling your spirit for a serene night's rest.Zach Clinton is from the American Association of Christian Counselors, for more information please visit: https://aacc.net/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body and refocus your mind to experience the reality of God's presence. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Matthew 4:4 NIV “Jesus answered, ‘It is written “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”'” Psalm 107:1 ESV “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

Any attempts at finding joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment apart from God always leave us empty. Yes, there may be temporary moments of happiness and perceived satisfaction, but it is never lasting. Millions of people can testify that they never knew real joy until they knew Jesus as Savior and Lord.Main Points:1. As real as our physical hunger is, we have another type of hunger that is just as real. It's spiritual hunger. There is an emptiness that we will attempt to satisfy. Often, we will not recognize that this hunger is spiritual in nature.2. There is satisfaction found in Christ that cannot be found elsewhere. The sweetness of God's presence, the richness of His grace, and the fellowship with the Holy Spirit bring us to a place of being complete in God. There is no lack. Our needs are being met. Our hearts are full of joy, and our lives are at peace with God.3. Jesus did not simply die and rise again so we could gain Heaven. He gave His all so that we could know him and live in a relationship with the living God. It is in this pursuit of knowing and serving God that we find fulfillment.Today's Scripture Verses:Psalm 37:4 - “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”John 6:35 - “Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”Psalm 63:1-5 - “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”Quick Links:Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on SocialJoin The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

#10MinuteswithJesus ** Put yourself in the presence of God. Try talking to Him. ** 10 minutes are 10 minutes. Even if you can get distracted, reach the end. ** Be constant. The Holy Spirit acts "on low heat" and requires perseverance. 10-Minute audio to help you pray. Daily sparks to ignite prayer: a passage from the gospel, an idea, an anecdote and a priest who speaks with you and the Lord, inviting you to share your intimacy with God. Find your moment, consider you are in His presence and click play.

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:5–6 NLT) The Christian life is full of difficult questions. Many of them begin with “Why, Lord?” or some variation thereof. The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk asked, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! ‘Violence is everywhere!’ I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight” (Habakkuk 1:2–3 NLT). The psalmist Asaph asked, “Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7–9 NLT). I have my questions for God that I’ve asked many times. I’m sure that you have yours, too. But we must see these questions for what they are: temporary sources of pain, discouragement, or confusion. The apostle Paul wrote, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT). Our earthly perspective and understanding are limited. All our questions will be answered someday. God answered Habakkuk. “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it” (Habakkuk 1:5 NLT). And passages such as Ecclesiastes 3 give us context for our questions. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. . . . A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance” (verses 1, 4 NLT). A well-lived life is one in which we keep our questions in proper perspective. One in which we refuse to allow them to cause bitterness or resentment toward God—or to live “out of season,” in the context of Ecclesiastes 3. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul recounts praying for God to remove a “thorn” in his flesh—some kind of affliction that caused him difficulties. God chose not to. Paul didn’t understand why, but he didn’t let it slow him down. A well-lived life is one that embraces the challenge of faith—that is, trusting God without having all the answers. A well-lived life is one in which we cling to the words of the psalmist in Psalm 42:5–6: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (NLT). Reflection question: What will you do with your unanswered questions for God? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Thursday, October 16th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark British Christian teacher fired for Facebook post about Islamic violence A British Christian teacher, who was unjustly  fired, shared his testimony at a Reform UK party free speech conference last week. Simon Pearson had a 20-year unblemished teaching record. However, Preston College dismissed him last year for allegedly being “Islamaphobic.” He had simply expressed concern on Facebook over violent crime and political bias. Pearson is challenging his dismissal with the help of the Christian Legal Centre.  Listen to his comments at the free speech conference. PEARSON: “Previously, I've worked as a missionary in a communist country where freedom of speech and religion are tightly controlled. I know what it means to live under a regime where truth is suppressed and conscience is punished. “I never imagined I would face similar pressures in the United Kingdom, a country built on the foundations of liberty, of justice and of Christian values. I'm fighting for justice, not just for myself, but for every teacher, for every Christian and every citizen who fears that their voice no longer matters and they are being silenced.” Young people of Northern Ireland more open to Christianity Speaking of the United Kingdom, young people in Northern Ireland are leading a revival of interest in Christianity, according to a poll by The Iona Institute. The survey found 18-24-year-olds in Northern Ireland are more likely to have a very positive attitude toward Christianity than any other age group. These findings are similar to studies of young people in Ireland, Britain, and the United States. Gen Z boys most likely to believe that Jesus is way to Heaven Here in America, the Barna Group released new research from its ongoing State of the Church initiative.  Surveys show that Gen Z is increasingly open to Christian faith. However, among young people, women are the most likely to disengage from church, prayer, and belief.  Meanwhile, young men and especially teenage boys are the least likely to identify as having no faith among young people. They are also the most likely to believe in God and that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Fewer young Americans identifying as “transgender” Here some more good news. Trans identification is declining among young people in America. Eric Kaufmann, a Canadian professor of politics, posted the findings on Tuesday. His analysis is based on multiple data sets, including those from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. The data shows 3.6% of undergraduates identify as a gender other than male or female. That's down from 5.2% in 2024 and 6.8% in 2022.  The data sets also showed young people are becoming less likely to identify as something other than heterosexual.  Trump posthumously awarded Charlie Kirk Presidential Medal of Freedom President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday. Kirk's widow, Erika, received the nation's highest civilian medal on his behalf on what would have been his 32nd birthday.  The ceremony comes about a month after the Christian activist was fatally shot while speaking at an event for his organization, Turning Point USA.  Listen to comments from President Trump. TRUMP: “Charlie never missed an opportunity to remind us of the Judeo-Christian principles of our nation's founding or to share his deep Christian faith. In his final moments, Charlie testified to the greatness of America and to the glory of our Savior with Whom he now rests in Heaven. Anniversary of martyrdom of two English reformers And finally, today is the anniversary of the martyrdom of two English Reformers. Their names were Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. Both were bishops in the Church of England. Ridley was born in 1502, becoming a great scholar and renouncing Roman Catholic doctrine. Latimer was born earlier in 1485. He became a great Reformation preacher, also rejecting Catholic traditions. His preaching brought Protestant teachings effectively to the middle and lower classes. However, a Catholic queen came to power in England in 1553. She was known as “Bloody Mary” for her deadly persecution of Protestants. After her ascension to power, Latimer and Ridley were tried for their beliefs and burned at the stake on October 16, 1555. As they faced death together, Latimer told his friend, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” In Romans 8:36-37, the Apostle Paul wrote, “As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, October 16th, in the year of our Lord 2025, the 60th wedding anniversary of my parents, Mike and Harriet McManus, with whom I will celebrate this very weekend.  Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.