Podcasts about Meekness

In this theologically rich episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Jesse and Tony delve into the Parable of the Lost Coin from Luke 15:8-10. They explore how this parable reveals God's passionate pursuit of His elect and the divine joy that erupts when they are found. Building on their previous discussion of the Lost Sheep, the brothers examine how Jesus uses this second parable to further emphasize God's sovereign grace in salvation. The conversation highlights the theological implications of God's ownership of His people even before their redemption, the diligent efforts He undertakes to find them, and the heavenly celebration that follows. This episode offers profound insights into God's relentless love and the true nature of divine joy in redemption. Key Takeaways The Parable of the Lost Coin emphasizes that God actively and diligently searches for those who belong to Him, sparing no effort to recover what is rightfully His. Jesus uses three sequential parables in Luke 15 to progressively reveal different aspects of God's heart toward sinners, with escalating emphasis on divine joy. The coin represents something of significant value that already belonged to the woman, illustrating that God's elect belong to Him even before their redemption. Unlike finding something new, the joy depicted is specifically about recovering something that was already yours but had been lost, highlighting God's eternal claim on His people. The spiritual inability of the sinner is represented by the coin's passivity - it cannot find its own way back and must be sought out by its owner. Angels rejoice over salvation not independently but because they share in God's delight at the effectiveness of His saving power. The parable challenges believers to recover their joy in salvation and to share it with others, much like the woman who called her neighbors to celebrate with her. Expanded Insights God's Determined Pursuit of What Already Belongs to Him The Parable of the Lost Coin reveals a profound theological truth about God's relationship to His elect. As Tony and Jesse discuss, this isn't a story about finding something new, but recovering something that already belongs to the owner. The woman in the parable doesn't rejoice because she discovered unexpected treasure; she rejoices because she recovered what was already hers. This illustrates the Reformed understanding that God's people have eternally belonged to Him. While justification occurs in time, there's a real sense in which God has been considering us as His people in eternity past. The parable therefore supports the doctrines of election and particular redemption - God is not creating conditions people can move into or out of, but is zealously reclaiming a specific people who are already His in His eternal decree. The searching, sweeping, and diligent pursuit represent not a general call, but an effectual calling that accomplishes its purpose. The Divine Joy in Recovering Sinners One of the most striking aspects of this parable is the overwhelming joy that accompanies finding the lost coin. The brothers highlight that this joy isn't reluctant or begrudging, but enthusiastic and overflowing. The woman calls her friends and neighbors to celebrate with her - a seemingly excessive response to finding a coin, unless we understand the theological significance. This reveals that God takes genuine delight in the redemption of sinners, to the extent that Jesus describes it as causing joy "in the presence of the angels of God." As Jesse and Tony note, this challenges our perception that God might save us begrudgingly. Instead, the parable teaches us that God's "alien work" is wrath, while His delight is in mercy. This should profoundly impact how believers view their own salvation and should inspire a contagious joy that spreads to others - a joy that many Christians, by Tony's own admission, need to recover in their daily walk. Memorable Quotes "Christ love is an act of love and it's always being acted upon the sinner, the one who has to be redeemed, his child whom he goes after. So in the same way, we have Christ showing the self-denying love." - Jesse Schwamb "The coin doesn't seek the woman. The woman seeks the coin. And in this way, I think we see God's act of searching grace... The reason why I think it leads to joy, why God is so pleased, is because God has this real pleasure to pluck sinners as brands from the burning fire." - Jesse Schwamb "These parables are calling us to rejoice, right? Christ is using these parables to shame the Pharisees and the scribes who refuse to rejoice over the salvation of sinners. How often do we not rejoice over our own salvation sufficiently?" - Tony Arsenal Full Transcript [00:00:08] Jesse Schwamb: There still is like the sovereign grace of God who's initiating the salvation and there is a kind of effect of calling that God doesn't merely invite, he finds, he goes after he affects the very thing. Yeah, and I think we're seeing that here. The sinner, spiritual inability. There's an utter passivity until found. The coin doesn't seek the woman. The woman seeks the coin. And in this way, I think we see God's act of searching grace. It's all there for us. And the reason why I think it leads to joy, why God is so pleased is because God has this real pleasure. To pluck sinners as brands from the burning fire. Welcome to episode 472 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:57] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:01:01] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. [00:01:02] Jesus and the Parable of the Lost Coin [00:01:02] Jesse Schwamb: So there was this time, maybe actually more than one time, but at least this one time that we've been looking at where Jesus is hanging out and the religious incumbents, the Pharisees, they come to him and they say, you are a friend of sinners, and. Instead of taking offense to this, Jesus turns this all around. Uses this as a label, appropriates it for himself and his glorious character. And we know this because he gives us this thrice repeated sense of what it means to see his heart, his volition, his passion, his love, his going after his people, and he does it. Three little parables and we looked at one last time and we're coming up to round two of the same and similar, but also different and interesting. And so today we're looking at the parable of the lost coin or the Lost dma, or I suppose, whatever kind of currency you wanna insert in there. But once again, something's lost and we're gonna see how our savior comes to find it by way of explaining it. In metaphor. So there's more things that are lost and more things to be found on this episode. That's how we do it. It's true. It's true. So that's how Jesus does it. So [00:02:12] Tony Arsenal: yeah. So it should be how we do it. [00:02:14] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. Yeah, exactly. I cut to like Montel Jordan now is the only thing going through my head. Tell Jordan. Yeah. Isn't he the one that's like, this is how we do it, that song, this is [00:02:28] Tony Arsenal: how we do it. I, I don't know who sings it. Apparently it's me right now. That was actually really good. That was fantastic. [00:02:36] Jesse Schwamb: Hopefully never auto tuned. Not even once. I'm sure that'll make an appearance now and the rest, somebody [00:02:42] Tony Arsenal: should take that and auto tune it for me. [00:02:44] Jesse Schwamb: That would be fantastic. Listen, it doesn't need it. That was perfect. That was right off the cuff, right off the top. It was beautiful. It was ous. [00:02:50] Tony Arsenal: Yes. Yes. [00:02:51] Affirmations and Denials [00:02:51] Jesse Schwamb: I'm hoping that appearance, [00:02:53] Tony Arsenal: before we jump into our, our favorite segment here in affirmations of Denials, I just wanted to take a second to, uh, thank all of our listeners. Uh, we have the best listeners in the world. That's true, and we've also got a really great place to get together and chat about things. That's also true. Uh, we have a little telegram chat, which is just a little chat, um, program that run on your phone or in a browser. Really any device you have, you can go to t Me slash Reform Brotherhood and join that, uh, little chat group. And there's lots of stuff going on there. We don't need to get into all the details, but it's a friendly little place. Lots of good people, lots of good conversation. And just lots of good digital fellowship, if that's even a thing. I think it is. So please do join us there. It's a great place to discuss, uh, the episodes or what you're learning or what you'd like to learn. There's all sorts of, uh, little nooks and crannies and things to do in there. [00:03:43] Jesse Schwamb: So if you're looking for a little df and you know that you are coming out, we won't get into details, but you definitely should. Take Tony's advice, please. You, you will not be disappointed. It, it's a fun, fun time together. True. Just like you're about to have with us chatting it up and going through a little affirmations and denials. So, as usual, Tony, what are you, are you affirming with something or are you denying again, something? I'm, I'm on the edge of my seat. I'm ready. [00:04:06] Tony Arsenal: Okay. Uh, it is, I thought that was going somewhere else. Uh, I'm, I'm affirming something. [00:04:13] AI and Problem Solving [00:04:13] Tony Arsenal: People are gonna get so sick of me doing like AI affirmations, but I, it's like I learned a new thing to do with AI every couple of weeks. I ran across an article the other day, uh, that I don't remember where the article was. I didn't save it, but I did read it. And one of the things that pointed out is that a lot of times you're not getting the most out of AI because you don't really know how to ask the questions. True. One of the things it was was getting through is a lot of people will ask, they'll have a problem that they're encountering and they'll just ask AI like, how do I fix this problem? And a lot of times what that yields is like very superficial, basic, uh, generic advice or generic kind of, uh, directions for resolving a problem. And the, I don't remember the exact phrasing, 'cause it was a little while ago since I read it, but it basically said something like, I'm encountering X problem. And despite all efforts to the contrary, I have not been able to resolve it. And by using sort of these extra phrases. What it does is it sort of like pushes the AI to ask you questions about what you've already tried to do, and so it's gonna tailor its advice or its directions to your specific situation a little bit more. So, for example, I was doing this today. We, um, we just had the time change, right? Stupidest thing in the world doesn't make any sense and my kids don't understand that the time has changed and we're now like three or four weeks past the, the time change and their, their schedule still have not adjusted. So my son Augie, who is uh, like three and three quarters, uh, I don't know how many months it is. When do you stop? I don't even know. When you stop counting in months. He's three and a quarter, three quarters. And he will regularly wake up between four 30 and five 30. And when we really, what we really want is for him to be sleeping, uh, from uh, until like six or six 30 at the latest. So he's like a full hour, sometimes two hours ahead of time, which then he wakes up, it's a small house. He's noisy 'cause he's a three and a half year old. So he wakes up the baby. The baby wakes up. My wife, and then we're all awake and then we're cranky and it's miserable. So I, I put that little prompt into, um, into Google Gemini, which is right now is my, um, AI of choice, but works very similar. If you use something like chat, GPT or CLO or whatever, you know, grok, whatever AI tool you have access to, put that little prompt in. You know, something like since the time change, my son has been waking up at four 30 in the morning, despite all efforts to the contrary, I have not been able to, uh, adjust his schedule. And so it started asking me questions like, how much light is in the room? What time does he go to bed? How much does he nap? And it, so it's, it's pulling from the internet. This is why I like Google Geminis. It's actually pulling from the internet to identify like common, common. Related issues. And so it starts to probe and ask questions. And by the time it was done, what it came out with was like a step-by-step two week plan. Basically like, do this tonight, do this tomorrow morning. Um, and it was able to identify what it believes is the problem. We'll see if it actually is, but the beauty now is now that I've got a plan that I've got in this ai, I can start, you know, tomorrow morning I'm gonna try to do what it said and I can tell. The ai, how things went, and it can now adjust the plan based on whether or not, you know, this worked or didn't work. So it's a good way to sort of, um, push an ai, uh, chat bot to probe your situation a little bit more. So you could do this really for anything, right. You could do something like I'm having, I'm having trouble losing weight despite all efforts to the contrary. Um, can you help me identify what the, you know, root problem is? So think about different ways that you can use this. It's a pretty cool way to sort of like, push the, the AI to get a little deeper into the specifics without like a lot of extra heavy lifting. I'm sure there's probably other ways you could drive it to do this, but this was just one clever way that I, that this article pointed out to accomplish this. [00:08:07] Jesse Schwamb: It's a great exercise to have AI optimize itself. Yeah. By you turning your prompts around and asking it to ask you a number of questions, sufficient number, until it can provide an optimize answer for you. So lots, almost every bot has some kind of, you can have it analyze your prompts essentially, but some like copilot actually have a prompt agent, which will help you construct the prompt in an optimal way. Yeah, and that again, is kind of question and answer. So I'm with you. I will often turn it around and say. Here's my goal. Ask me sufficient number of questions so that you can provide the right insight to accomplish said goal. Or like you're saying, if you can create this like, massive conversation that keeps all this history. So I, I've heard of people using this for their exercise or running plans. Famously, somebody a, a, um, journalist, the Wall Street Journal, use it, train for a marathon. You can almost have it do anything for you. Of course, you want to test all of that and interact with it reasonably and ably, right? At the same time, what it does best is respond to like natural language interaction. And so by turning it around and basically saying, help me help you do the best job possible, providing the information, it's like the weirdest way of querying stuff because we're so used to providing explicit direction ourselves, right? So to turn it around, it's kind of a new experience, but it's super fun, really interesting, really effective. [00:09:22] Tony Arsenal: And it because you are allowing, in a certain sense, you're sort of asking the AI to drive the conversation. This, this particular prompt, I know the article I read went into details about why this prompt is powerful and the reason this prompt is powerful is not because of anything the AI's doing necessarily, right. It's because you're basically telling the AI. To find what you've missed. And so it's asking you questions. Like if I was to sit down and go like, all right, what are all the things that's wrong, that's causing my son to be awake? Like obviously I didn't figure it out on my own, so it's asking me what I've already tried and what it found out. And then of course when it tells me what it is, it's like the most obvious thing when it figures out what it is. It's identifying something that I already haven't identified because I've told it. I've already tried everything I can think of, and so it's prompting me to try to figure out what it is that I haven't thought of. So those are, like I said, there's lots of ways to sort of get the ais to do that exercise. Um, it's not, it's not just about prompt engineering, although that there's a lot of science now and a lot of like. Specifics on how you do prompt engineering, um, you know, like building a persona for the ai. Like there's all sorts of things you can do and you can add that, like, I could have said something like, um. Uh, you are a pediatric sleep expert, right? And when you tell it that what it's gonna do is it's gonna start to use more technical language, it's gonna, it's gonna speak to you back as though it's a, and this, this is where AI can get a little bit dangerous and really downright scary in some instances. But with that particular prompt, it's gonna start to speak back to you as though it was a clinician of some sort, diagnosing a medical situation, which again. That is definitely not something I would ever endorse. Like, don't let an AI be your doctor. That's just not, like WebMD was already scary enough when you were just telling you what your symptoms were and it was just cross checking it. Um, but you could do something like, and I use these kinds of prompts for our show notes where I'm like, you're an expert at SEO, like at um, podcast show notes. Utilizing SEO search terms, like that's part of the prompt that I use when I use, um, in, in this case, I use notion to generate most of our show notes. Um, it, it starts to change the way that it looks at things and the way that it, I, it responds to you based on different prompts. So I think it, it's a little bit scary, uh, AI. Can be a strange, strange place. And there's some, they're doing some research that is a little bit frightening. They did a study and actually, like, they, they basically like unlocked an AI and gave it access to a pretend company with emails and stuff and said that a particular employee was gonna shut out, was gonna delete the ai. And the first thing it did was try to like blackmail the employee with like a risk, like a scandalous email. It had. Then after that they, they engineered a scenario where the AI actually had the ability to kill the employee. And despite like explicit instructions not to do anything illegal, it still tried to kill the employee. So there's some scary things that are coming up if we're not, you know, if, if the science is not able to get that under control. But right now it's just a lot of fun. Like it's, we're, we're probably not at the point where it's dangerous yet and hopefully. Hopefully it won't get to that point, but we'll see. We'll see. That got dark real fast, fast, fast. Jesse, you gotta get this. And that was an affirmation. I guess I'm affirming killer murder ais that are gonna kill us all, but uh, we're gonna have fun with it until they do at least. [00:12:52] Jesse Schwamb: Thanks for not making that deny against. 'cause I can only imagine the direction that one to taken. [00:12:57] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. At least when the AI hears this, it's gonna know that I'm on its side, so, oh, for sure. I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords. So as do Iye. [00:13:05] Christmas Hymns and Music Recommendations [00:13:05] Tony Arsenal: But Jesse, what are you affirming or denying today to get me out of this pit here? [00:13:09] Jesse Schwamb: So, lemme start with a question. Do you have a favorite Christmas hymn? And if so, what is it? [00:13:16] Tony Arsenal: Ooh, that's a tough one. Um, I think I've always been really partial to Oh, holy Night. But, uh, there's, there's not anything that really jumps to mind my, as I've become older and crankier and more Scottish in spirit, I just, Christmas hymns just aren't as. If they're not as prominent in my mind, but oh, holy night or come coming, Emanuel is probably a really good one too. [00:13:38] Jesse Schwamb: Wow. Those are the, those are like the top in the top three for me. Yeah. So I think [00:13:42] Tony Arsenal: I know where you're going based on the question. [00:13:44] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, we're very much the same. So, well maybe, so I am affirming with, but it's that time of year and people you, you know and love and maybe yourself, you're gonna listen to Christian music and. That's okay. I put no shade on that, especially because we're talking about the incarnation, celebrate the incarnation. But of course, I think the best version of that is some of these really lovely hymns because they could be sung and worshiped through all year round. We just choose them because they fit in with the calendar particularly well here, and sometimes they're included, their lyrics included in Hallmark cards and, and your local. Cool. Coles. So while that's happening, why not embrace it? But here's my information is why not go with some different versions. I love the hymn as you just said. Oh, come will come Emmanuel. And so I'm gonna give people three versions of it to listen to Now to make my list of this kind of repertoire. The song's gotta maintain that traditional melody. I think to a strong degree, it's gotta be rich and deep and dark, especially Ko Emmanuel. But it's gotta have something in it that's a little bit nuanced. Different creative arrangements, musicality. So let me give two brand new ones that you may not have heard versions and one old one. So the old one is by, these are all Ko Emanuel. So if at some point during this you're like, what song is he talking about? It's Ko. Emmanuel. It's just three times. Th we're keeping it th Rice tonight. So the first is by band called for today. That's gonna be a, a little bit harder if you want something that, uh, gets you kind of pumped up in the midst of this redemption. That's gonna be the version. And then there are two brand new ones. One is by skillet, which is just been making music forever, but the piano melody they bring into this and they do a little something nuanced with the chorus that doesn't pull away too much. From the original, but just gives it a little extra like Tastiness. Yeah. Skill. Great version. And then another one that just came out yesterday. My yesterday, not your yesterday. So actually it doesn't even matter at this point. It's already out is by descriptor. And this would be like the most chill version that is a hardcore band by, I would say tradition, but in this case, their version is very chill. All of them I find are just deeply worshipful. Yeah. And these, the music is very full of impact, but of course the lyrics are glorious. I really love this, this crying out to God for the Savior. This. You know, just, it's really the, the plea that we should have now, which is, you know, maranatha like Lord Jesus, come. And so in some ways we're, we're celebrating that initial plea and cry for redemption as it has been applied onto us by the Holy Spirit. And we're also saying, you know, come and fulfill your kingdom, Lord, come and bring the full promise, which is here, but not yet. So I like all three of these. So for today. Skillet descriptor, which sounds like we're playing like a weird word game when you put those all together. It does, but they're all great bands and their versions I think are, are worthy. So the larger affirmation, I suppose, is like, go out this season and find different versions, like mix it up a little bit. Because it's good to hear this music somewhat afresh, and so I think by coming to it with different versions of it, you'll get a little bit of that sense. It'll make maybe what is, maybe if it's felt rote or mundane or just trivial, like you're saying, kind of revive some of these pieces in our hearts so we can, we, we can really worship through them. We're redeeming them even as they're meant to be expressions of the ultimate redemption. [00:16:55] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I, um, I heard the skillet version and, uh, you know, you know me like I'm not a huge fan of harder music. Yeah. But that, that song Slaps man, it's, yes, [00:17:07] Jesse Schwamb: it does. It's [00:17:07] Tony Arsenal: good. And Al I mean, it, it also ignited this weird firestorm of craziness online. I don't know if you heard anything about this, but Yes, it was, it was, there was like the people who absolutely love it and will. Fight you if you don't. Yes. And then there was like the people who think it's straight from the devil because of somehow demonic rhythms, whatever that means. Um, but yeah, I mean, I'm not a big fan of the heavier music, but there is something about that sort of, uh. I don't know. Is skill, would that be considered like metal at all? [00:17:38] Jesse Schwamb: Oh, that's a loaded question. Probably. [00:17:39] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So like I found, uh, this is, we're gonna go down to Rabbit Trail here. Let's do it. Here we go. I found a version of Africa by Toto that was labeled as metal on YouTube. So I don't know whether it actually is, and this, this version of skill, it strikes me as very similar, where it's, ah, uh, it, it's like, um. The harmonies are slightly different in terms of like how they resonate than Okay. Other harmonies. Like I get [00:18:05] Jesse Schwamb: that [00:18:06] Tony Arsenal: there's a certain, you know, like when you think about like Western music, there's certain right, there's certain harmonies when, you know, think about like piano chords are framed and my understanding at least this could be way off, and I'm sure you're gonna correct me if I'm wrong, is that um, metal music, heavy metal music uses slightly different. Chord formations that it almost leaves you feeling a little unresolved. Yes, but not quite unresolved. Like it's just, it's, it's more the harmonics are different, so that's fair. Skillet. This skillet song is so good, and I think you're right. It, it retains the sort of like. The same basic melody, the same, the same basic harmonies, actually. Right. And it's, it's almost like the harmonies are just close enough to being put into a different key with the harmonies. Yes, [00:18:52] Jesse Schwamb: that's true [00:18:53] Tony Arsenal: than then. Uh, but not quite actually going into another key. So like, sometimes you'll see online, you'll find YouTube videos where they play like pop songs, but they've changed the, the. Chords a little bit. So now it's in a minor key. It's almost like it's there. It's like one more little note shift and it would be there. Um, and then there's some interesting, uh, like repetition and almost some like anal singing going on, that it's very good. Even if you don't like heavier music. Like, like I don't, um, go listen to it and I think you'll find yourself like hitting repeat a couple times. It was very, very good. [00:19:25] Jesse Schwamb: That's a good way of saying it. A lot of times that style is a little bit dissonant, if that's what you mean in the court. Yeah. Formation. So it gives you this unsettledness, this almost unresolvedness, and that's in there. Yeah. And just so everybody knows, actually, if you listen to that version from Skillet, you'll probably listen to most of it. You'll get about two thirds of the way through it and probably be saying, what are those guys talking about? It's the breakdown. Where it amps up. But before that, I think anybody could listen to it and just enjoy it. It's a really beautiful, almost haunting piano melody. They bring into the intro in that, in the interlude. It's very lovely. So it gives you that sense. Again, I love this kind of music because there's almost something, there is something in this song that's longing for something that is wanting and yet left, unresolved and unfulfilled until the savior comes. There's almost a lament in it, so to speak, especially with like the way it's orchestrated. So I love that this hymn is like deep and rich in that way. It's, that's fine. Like if you want to sing deck the Holes, that's totally fine. This is just, I think, better and rich and deeper and more interesting because it does speak to this life of looking for and waiting for anticipating the advent of the savior. So to get me get put back in that place by music, I think is like a net gain this time of year. It's good to have that perspective. I'm, I'm glad you've heard it. We should just open that debate up whether or not we come hang out in the telegram chat. We'll put it in that debate. Is skillet hardcore or metal? We'll just leave it there 'cause I have my opinions, but I'm, well, I'm sure everybody else does. [00:20:48] Tony Arsenal: I don't even know what those words mean, Jesse. Everything is hardcore in metal compared to what I normally listen to. I don't even listen to music anymore usually, so I, I mean, I'm like mostly all podcasts all the time. Anytime I have time, I don't have a ton of time to listen to. Um, audio stuff, but [00:21:06] Jesse Schwamb: that's totally fair. Well now everybody now join us though. [00:21:08] Tony Arsenal: Educate me [00:21:09] Jesse Schwamb: now. Everybody can properly use, IM prompt whatever AI of their choice, and they can listen to at least three different versions of al comical manual. And then they can tell us which one do you like the best? Or maybe you have your own version. That's what she was saying. What's your favorite Christmas in? [00:21:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:21:24] Jesse Schwamb: what version of it do you like? I mean, it'll be like. [00:21:28] Tony Arsenal: It'll be like, despite my best efforts, I've been un unable to understand what hardcore and medical is. Please help me understand. [00:21:37] Jesse Schwamb: Oh, we're gonna have some, some fun with this at some point. We'll have to get into the whole debate, though. I know you and I have talked about it before. We'll put it before the brothers and sisters about a Christmas Carol and what version everybody else likes. That's also seems like, aside from the, the whole eternal debate, which I'm not sure is really serious about whether or not diehard is a Christmas movie, this idea of like, which version of the Christmas Carol do you subscribe to? Yeah. Which one would you watch if you can only watch one? Which one will you watch? That's, we'll have to save that for another time. [00:22:06] Tony Arsenal: We'll save it for another time. And we get a little closer to midwinter. No reason we just can't [00:22:10] Jesse Schwamb: do it right now because we gotta get to Luke 15. [00:22:12] Discussion on the Parable of the Lost Coin [00:22:12] Tony Arsenal: We do. [00:22:13] Jesse Schwamb: We, we've already been in this place of looking at Jesus' response to the Pharisees when they say to him, listen, this man receives sinners and eats with them. And Jesus is basically like, yeah, that's right. And let me tell you three times what the heart of God is like and what my mission in serving him is like, and what I desire to come to do for my children. And so we spoke in the last conversation about the parable lost sheep. Go check that out. Some are saying, I mean, I'm not saying this, but some are saying in the internet, it's the definitive. Congratulation of that parable. I'm, I'm happy to take that if that's true. Um, but we wanna go on to this parable of the lost coin. So let me read, it's just a couple of verses and you're gonna hear in the text that you're going to understand right away. This is being linked because it starts with or, so this is Jesus speaking and this is Luke 15, chapter 15, starting in verse eight. Jesus says, or a what woman? She has 10 D drachmas and loses. One drachma does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it. And when she has found it, she calls together her friend and her neighbors saying, rejoice with me for I found the D Drachma, which I lost in the same way I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. [00:23:27] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. On one level, this is, uh, again, it's not all that complicated of a scenario, right? And we have to kind of go back and relo through some of the stuff we talked about last week because this is a continuation of, you know, when we first talked about the Matthew 13 parables, we commented on like. Christ was coming back to the same themes, right? And in some ways, repeating the parable. This is even stronger than that. It's not just that Christ is teaching the same thing across multiple parables. The sense here, at least the sense I get when I read this parable, the lost sheep, and then the prodigal, um, sun parable or, or the next parable here, um, is actually that Christ is just sort of like hammering home the one point he's making to the tax collectors and or to the tax collectors or to the scribes who are complaining about the fact that Christ was eating with sinners. He's just hammering this point home, right? So it's not, it's not to try to add. A lot of nuance to the point. It's not to try to add a, a shade of meaning. Um. You know, we talked a lot about how parables, um, Christ tells parables in part to condemn the listeners who will not receive him, right? That's right. This is one of those situations where it's not, it's not hiding the meaning of the parable from them. The meaning is so obvious that you couldn't miss it, and he, he appeals, we talked about in the first, in the first part of this, he actually appeals to like what the ordinary response would be. Right? What man of you having a hundred sheep if he loses one, does not. Go and leave the 99. Like it's a scenario that anyone who goes, well, like, I wouldn't do that is, looks like an idiot. Like, that's, that's the point of the why. He phrases it. And so then you're right when he, when he begins with this, he says, or what woman having 10 silver coins if she loses one, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until he, till she finds it. And of course, the, the, the emphasis again is like no one in their right mind would not do this. And I think like we think about a coin and like that's the smallest denomination of money that we have. Like, I wouldn't, like if I lost a, if I had 10 silver coin, 10 coins and I lost one of them, the most that that could be is what? 50 cents? Like the, like if I had a 50 cent piece or a silver dollar, I guess, like I could lose a dollar. We're not really talking about coins the way we think of coins, right? We're talking about, um. Um, you know, like denominations of money that are substantial in that timeframe. Like it, there was, there were small coins, but a silver coin would be a substantial amount of money to lose. So we are not talking about a situation where this is, uh, a trivial kind of thing. She's not looking for, you know, I've, I've heard this parable sort of like unpacked where like, it's almost like a miserly seeking for like this lost coin. Interesting. It's not about, it's not about like. Penny pinching here, right? She's not trying to find a tiny penny that isn't worth anything that's built into the parable, right? It's a silver coin. It's not just any coin. It's a silver coin. So she's, she's looking for this coin, um, because it is a significant amount of money and because she's lost it, she's lost something of her, of her overall wealth. Like there's a real loss. Two, this that needs to be felt before he can really move on with the parable. It's not just like some small piece of property, like there's a [00:26:57] Jesse Schwamb: right. I [00:26:57] Tony Arsenal: don't know if you've ever lost a large amount of money, but I remember one time I was in, um, a. I was like, almost outta high school, and I had taken some money out of, um, out of the bank, some cash to make a purchase. I think I was purchasing a laptop and I don't know why I, I don't, maybe I didn't have a credit card or I didn't have a debit card, but I was purchasing a laptop with cash. Right. And back then, like laptops, like this was not a super expensive laptop, but. It was a substantial amount of cash and I misplaced it and it was like, oh no, like, where is it? And like, I went crazy trying to find it. This is the situation. She's lost a substantial amount of money. Um, this parable, unlike the last one, doesn't give you a relative amount of how many she has. Otherwise. She's just lost a significant amount of money. So she takes all these different steps to try to find it. [00:27:44] Understanding the Parable's Context [00:27:44] Tony Arsenal: We have to feel that loss before we really can grasp what the parable is trying to teach us. [00:27:49] Jesse Schwamb: I like that, so I'm glad you brought that up because I ended up going down a rabbit hole with this whole coined situation. [00:27:56] Tony Arsenal: Well, we're about to, Matt Whitman some of this, aren't we? [00:27:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, I think so. But mainly because, and this is not really my own ideas here, there's, there's a lot I was able to kind of just read and kind. Throw, throw something around this because I think you're absolutely right that Jesus is bringing an ES escalation here and it's almost like a little bit easier for us to understand the whole sheep thing. I think the context of the lost coin, like you're already saying, is a little bit less familiar to us, and so I got into this. Rabbit hole over the question, why would this woman have 10 silver coins? I really got stuck on like, so why does she have these? And Jesus specific about that he's giving a particular context. Presumably those within his hearing in earshot understood this context far better than I did. So what I was surprised to see is that a lot of commentators you probably run into this, have stated or I guess promulgated this idea that the woman is young and unmarried and the 10 silver coins could. Could represent a dowry. So in some way here too, like it's not just a lot of money, it's possible that this was her saving up and it was a witness to her availability for marriage. [00:28:57] The Significance of the Lost Coin [00:28:57] Jesse Schwamb: So e either way, if that's true or not, Jesus is really emphasizing to us there's significant and severe loss here. And so just like you said, it would be a fool who would just like say, oh, well that's too bad. The coin is probably in here somewhere, but eh, I'm just gonna go about my normal business. Yeah. And forsake it. Like, let's, let's not worry about it. So. The emphasis then on this one is not so much like the leaving behind presumably can keep the remaining nine coins somewhere safe if you had them. But this effort and this diligence to, to go after and find this lost one. So again, we know it's all about finding what was lost, but this kind of momentum that Jesus is bringing to this, like the severity of this by saying there was this woman, and of course like here we find that part of this parable isn't just in the, the kingdom of God's like this, like we were talking about before. It's more than that because there's this expression of, again, the situation combined with these active verbs. I think we talked about last time that Christ love is an act of love and it's always being acted upon the sinner, the one who has to be redeemed, his child whom he goes after. So in the same way, we have Christ showing the self-denying love. Like in the first case, the shepherd brought his sheep home on his shoulders rather than leave it in the wilderness. And then here. The woman does like everything. She lights the candle, she sweeps the house. She basically turns the thing, the place upside down, searching diligently and spared no pains with this until she found her lost money. And before we get into the whole rejoicing thing, it just strikes me that, you know, in the same way, I think what we have here is Christ affirming that he didn't spare himself. He's not gonna spare himself. When he undertakes to save sinners, he does all the things. He endures the cross scor in shame. He lays down his life for his friends. There's no greater love than that. It cannot be shown, and so Christ's love is deep and mighty. It's like this woman doing all the things, tearing the place apart to ensure that that which she knew she had misplaced comes back to her. That the full value of everything that she knows is hers. Is safe and secure in her possession and so does the Lord Jesus rejoice the safe sinners in the same way. And that's where this is incredibly powerful. It's not just, Hey, let me just say it to you one more time. There is a reemphasis here, but I like where you're going, this re-escalation. I think the first question is, why do the woman have this money? What purpose is it serving? And I think if we can at least try to appreciate some of that, then we see again how Jesus is going after that, which is that he, he wants to save the sinner. He wants to save the soul. And all of the pleasure, then all of the rejoicing comes because, and, and as a result of that context. [00:31:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. [00:31:23] Theological Implications of God's People [00:31:23] Tony Arsenal: The other thing, um, maybe, and, and I hope I'm not overreading again, we've, we've talked about the dangers of overreading, the parables, but I think there's a, and we'll, we'll come to this too when we get into the, um, prodigal son. Um, there is this sense, I think in some theological traditions that. God is sort of like claiming a people who were not his own. Right. And one of the things that I love about the reform tradition, and, and I love it because this is the picture the Bible teaches, is the emphasis on the fact that God's people have been God's people. As long as God has been pondering and con like contemplating them. So like we deny eternal justification, right? Justification happens in time and there's a real change in our status, in in time when, when the spirit applies, the benefits that Christ has purchased for us in redemption, right? But there's also a very real sense that God has been looking and considering us as his people in eternity past. Like that's always. That's the nature of the Pactum salutes, the, you know, covenant of redemption election. The idea that like God is not saving a nameless, faceless people. He's not creating conditions that people can either move themselves into or take themselves out of. He has a concrete people. Who he is saving, who he has chosen. He, he, you know, prior to our birth, he will redeem us. He now, he has redeemed us and he will preserve us in all of these parables, whether it's the sheep, the coin, or as we'll get to the prodigal sun next week or, or whenever. Um. It's not that God is discovering something new that he didn't have, or it's not that the woman is discovering a coin, right? There's nothing more, uh, I think nothing more like sort of, uh, spontaneously delightful than like when you like buy a, like a jacket at the thrift store. Like you go to Salvation Army and you buy a jacket, you get home, you reach in the pocket and there's like a $10 bill and you're like, oh man, that's so, so great. Or like, you find a, you find a. A $10 bill on the ground, or you find a quarter on the ground, right? Yeah. Or you find your own money. Well, and that that's, there's a different kind of joy, right? That's the point, is like, there's a delight that comes with finding something. And again, like we have to be careful about like, like not stealing, right? But there's a different kind of joy that comes with like finding something that was not yours that now becomes yours. We talked about that with parables a couple weeks ago, right? There's a guy who finds it, he's, he's searching for pearls. He finds a pearl, and so he goes after he sells everything he has and he claims that pearl, but that wasn't his before the delight was in sort of finding something new. These parables. The delight is in reclaiming and refining something that was yours that was once lost. Right? That's a different thing. And it paints a picture, a different picture of God than the other parables where, you know, the man kind of stumbles on treasure in a field or he finds a pearl that he was searching for, but it wasn't his pearl. This is different. This is teaching us that God is, is zealous and jealous to reclaim that which was his, which was lost. Yes. Right. So, you know, we can get, we can, maybe we will next week, maybe we will dig into like super laps area versus infra laps. AIRism probably not, I don't necessarily wanna have that conversation. But there is a reality in the Bible where God has a chosen people and they are his people, even before he redeems them. [00:34:52] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly. [00:34:53] God's Relentless Pursuit of Sinners [00:34:53] Tony Arsenal: These parables all emphasize that in a different way and part of what he's, part of what he's ribbing at with the Pharisees and the, and the scribes, and this is common across all of Christ's teaching in his interactions and we get into true Israel with, with Paul, I mean this is the consistent testimony of the New Testament, is that the people who thought they were God's people. The, the Jewish leaders, especially the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the, the sort of elites of, uh, first century Jewish believers, they really were convinced that they were God's people. And those dirty gentiles out there, they, they're not, and even in certain sense, like even the Jewish people out in the country who don't even, you know, they don't know the scriptures that like, even those people were maybe barely God's people. Christ is coming in here and he is going, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Like you're asking me. You're surprised that I receive sinners and e with them. Well, I'm coming to claim that which is mine, which was lost, and the right response to that is not to turn your nose up at it. The right response is to rejoice with me that I have found my sheep that was lost, that I have reclaimed my coin that was lost. And as we'll see later on, like he really needles them at the end of the, the, uh, parable of the prodigal son. This is something I, I have to be like intentional in my own life because I think sometimes we hear conversion stories and we have this sort of, I, I guess like, we'll call it like the, the Jonah I heresy, I dunno, we won't call it heresy, but like the, the, the like Jonah impulse that we all have to be really thankful for God's mercy in our life. But sort of question whether God is. Merciful or even be a little bit upset when it seems that God is being merciful to those sinners over there. We have to really like, use these parables in our own lives to pound that out of our system because it's, it's ungodly and it's not what God is, is calling us. And these parables really speak against that [00:36:52] Jesse Schwamb: and all of us speak in. In that lost state, but that doesn't, I think like you're saying, mean that we are not God's already. That if he has established that from a trinity past, then we'd expect what others have said about God as the hound of heaven to be true. And that is he comes and he chases down his own. What's interesting to me is exactly what you've said. We often recognize when we do this in reverse and we look at the parable of the lost son, all of these elements, how the father comes after him, how there's a cha singer coming to himself. There's this grand act of repentance. I would argue all of that is in all of these parables. Not, not to a lesser extent, just to a different extent, but it's all there. So in terms of like couching this, and I think what we might use is like traditionally reformed language. And I, I don't want to say I'm overeating this, I hope I'm not at that same risk, but we see some of this like toll depravity and like the sinner is lost, unable to move forward, right? There still is like the sovereign grace of God who's initiating the salvation and there is a kind of effect of calling that God doesn't merely invite, he finds, he goes after he affects the very thing. Yeah, and I think we're seeing that here. There is. The sinner, spiritual inability. There's an utter passivity until found. The coin doesn't seek the woman. The woman seeks the coin. And in this way, I think we see God's act of searching grace. It's all there for us. Yeah, it's in a slightly different way, but I think that's what we're meant to like take away from this. We're meant to lean into that a bit. [00:38:12] Rejoicing in Salvation [00:38:12] Jesse Schwamb: And the reason why I think it leads to joy, why God is so pleased is because God has this real pleasure. Jesus has this real pleasure. The Holy Spirit has this real pleasure. To pluck sinners as brands from the burning fire. You know, it was Jesus, literally his food and drink like not to be too trite, but like his jam went upon the earth to finish the work, which he came to do. And there are many times when he says he ammi of being constrained in the spirit until this was accomplished. And it's still his delight to show mercy like you're saying He is. And even Jonah recognizes that, right. He said like, I knew you were going to be a merciful God. And so he's far more willing to save sinners than sinners are to be saved. But that is the gospel level voice, isn't it? Because we can come kicking and screaming, but in God's great mercy, not because of works and unrighteousness, but because of his great mercy, he comes and he tears everything apart to rescue and to save those whom he's called to himself. [00:39:06] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. I love that old, um, Puritan phrase that wrath is God's alien work. And we, you know, like you gotta be careful when you start to talk that way. And the Puritans were definitely careful about everything. I mean, they were very specific when they spoke, but. When we talk about God's alien work and wrath being God's alien work, what we're saying is not, not that like somehow wrath is external to God. Like that's not what we're getting at of Right. But when you look at scripture and, and here's something that I think, um. I, I don't know how I wanna say this. Like, I think we read that the road is narrow and the the, um, you know, few are those who find it. I think we read that and we somehow think like, yeah, God, God, like, really loves that. Not a lot of people are saved. And I, I actually think that like, when we look at it, um, and, and again, like we have to be careful 'cause God, God. God decreed that which he is delighted by, and also that which glorifies him the most. Right? Right. But the picture that we get in scripture, and we have to take this seriously with all of the caveats that it's accommodated, it's anthropopathism that, you know, all of, all of the stuff we've talked about. We did a whole series on systematic theology. We did like six episodes on Divine Simplicity and immutability. Like we we're, we're right in line with the historic tradition on that. All of those caveats, uh, all of those caveats in place, the Bible pic paints a picture of God such that he grieves over. Those who are lost. Right? Right. He takes no delight in the death of the wicked. That's right. He, he, he seeks after the lost and he rejoices when he finds them. Right. He's, his, his Holy Spirit is grieved when we disobey him, his, his anger is kindled even towards his people in a paternal sense. Right. He disciplines us the way an angry father who loves us, would discipline us when we disobey him. That is a real, that's a real thing. What exactly that means, how we can apply that to God is a very complicated conversation. And maybe sometimes it's more complicated than we, like, we make it more complicated than it needs to be for sure. Um, we wanna be careful to preserve God's changeness, his immutability, his simplicity, all of those things. But at the end of the day, at. God grieves over lost sinners, and he rejoices when they come back. He rejoices when they return to him. Just as the shepherd who finds his lost sheep puts that sheep on his shoulders, right? That's not just because that's an easy way to carry a sheep, right? It's also like this picture of this loving. Intimate situation where God pulls us onto himself and he, he wraps literally like wraps us around himself. Like there are times when, um. You know, I have a toddler and there are times where I have to carry that toddler, and it's, it's a fight, right? And I don't really enjoy doing it. He's squirming, he's fighting. Then there are times where he needs me to hold him tight, and he, he snuggles in. When he falls down and hurts his leg, the first thing he does is he runs and he jumps on me, and he wants to be held tight, and there's a f there's a fatherly embrace there that not only brings comfort to my son. But it brings great joy to me to be able to comfort him that that dynamic in a, uh, a infinitely greater sense is at play here in the lost sheep. And then there's this rejoicing. It's not just rejoicing that God is rejoicing, it's the angels that are rejoicing. [00:42:43] The Joy of Redemption [00:42:43] Tony Arsenal: It's the, it's other Christians. It's the great cloud of witnesses that are rejoicing when Aah sinner is returned to God. All of God's kingdom and everything that that includes, all of that is involved in this rejoicing. That's why I think like in the first parable, in the parable of the lost sheep, it's joy in heaven. Right? It's sort of general joy in heaven. It's not specific. Then this one is even more specific. It's not just general joy in heaven. It's the angels of God. That's right. That are rejoicing. And then I think what we're gonna find, and we'll we'll tease this out when we get to the next par, well the figure in the prodigal son that is rejoicing. The one that is leading the rejoicing, the chief rejoice is the one who's the standin for God in that parable. [00:43:26] Jesse Schwamb: Right, exactly right. So, [00:43:27] Tony Arsenal: so we have to, we have to both recognize that there's a true grief. A true sorrow that is appropriate to speak of God, um, as having when a sinner is lost. And there's also an equally appropriate way to speak about God rejoicing and being pleased and delighted when a sinner returns to him. [00:43:53] Jesse Schwamb: That's the real payoff of this whole parable. I think, uh, maybe all three of them altogether, is that it is shocking how good the gospel is, which we're always saying, yeah, but I'm really always being moved, especially these last couple weeks with what Jesus is saying about how good, how truly unbelievable the gospel is. And again, it draws us to the. Old Testament scriptures when even the Israel saying, who is like this? Who is like our God? So what's remarkable about this is that there's an infinite willingness on God's part to receive sinners. [00:44:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:44:23] Jesse Schwamb: And however wicked a man may have been, and the day that he really turns from his wickedness and comes to God by Christ, God is well pleased and all of heaven with him, and God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, like you said, but God has pleasure and true repentance. If all of that's true, then like day to day, here's what I, I think this means for us. [00:44:41] Applying the Parable to Our Lives [00:44:41] Jesse Schwamb: Is when we come to Christ for mercy and love and help and whatever anguish and perplexity and simpleness that we all have, and we all have it, we are going with the flow. If his own deepest wishes, we're not going against them. And so this means that God has for us when we partake in the toning work of Christ, coming to Christ for forgiveness, communing with him despite our sinfulness, that we are laying hold of Christ's own deepest longing and joy. [00:45:10] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:45:10] Jesse Schwamb: Jesus is comforted when we draw near the riches of his atoning work because as his body, even his own body in a way is being healed in this process. And so we, along with it, that I think is the payoff here. That's what's just so remarkable is that not only, like you're saying, is all heaven kind of paying attention to this. Like they're cognizant of it. It's something worthy of their attention and their energies and their rejoicing. But again, it's showing that God is doing all of this work and so he keeps calling us and calling us and calling us over and over again and just like you said, the elect sinner, those estr belongs to God and his eternal purpose. Even that by itself, we could just say full stop. Shut it down end the podcast. Yeah. That's just worthy to, to rejoice and, and ponder. But this is how strong I think we see like per election in particular, redemption in these passages. Christ died for his chief specifically crisis going after the lost coin, which already belongs to him. So like you were saying, Tony, when you know, or maybe you don't know, but you've misplaced some kind of money and you put your hand in that pocket of that winter coat for the first time that season and out comes the piece of paper, that's whatever, 20 or whatever, you rejoice in that, right. Right. It's like this was mine. I knew it was somewhere, it belonged to me, except that what's even better here is this woman tears her whole place apart to go after this one coin that she knows is hers and yet has been lost. I don't know what more it is to be said. I just cannot under emphasize. Or overemphasize how great God's love is in this like amazing condescension, so that when Jesus describes himself as being gentle and lowly or gentle and humble or gentle and humiliated, that I, I think as we understand the biblical text, it's not necessarily just that he's saying, well, I'm, I'm displaying. Meekness power under control. When he says he's humble, he means put in this incredibly lowly state. Yeah. That the rescue mission, like you're saying, involves not just like, Hey, she lemme call you back. Hey, come over here, says uh. He goes and he picks it up. It's the ultimate rescue, picks it up and takes it back by his own volition, sacrificing everything or to do that and so does this woman in this particular instance, and it should lead us. I think back to there's this virtuous cycle of seeing this, experiencing this. Being compelled by the law of Christ, as Paul says, by the power of the Holy Spirit and being regenerated and then worshiping, and then repenting, and then worshiping, and then repenting, and then worshiping. Because in the midst of that repentance and that beautifulness recognizing, as Isaiah says, all of these idols that we set up, that we run to, the one thing they cannot do for us is they cannot deal with sin. They cannot bring cleanliness and righteousness through confession of sin. They cannot do that. So Christ is saying, come to the one you who are needy, you who have no money. To use another metaphor in the Bible, come and buy. And in doing so, we're saying, Christ, Lord have mercy on me, a sinner. And when he says, come, come, I, I've, I have already run. After you come and be restored, come and be renewed. That which was lost my child. You have been found and I have rescued you. [00:48:04] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And these, these are so, um, these two parables are so. Comfortable. Like, right, like they are there, there are certain passages of scripture that you can just like put on like a big fuzzy warm bathrobe on like sn a cold morning, a snuggy. Yeah. I don't know if I want to go that far, but spirits are snuggy and, and these two are like that, right? Like, I know there are times where I feel like Christ redeemed me sort of begrudgingly, right? Mm-hmm. I think we have, we have this, um, concept in our mind of. Sort of the suffering servant, you know, like he's kind of like, ah, if I have to do it, I will. Right, right. And, and like, I think we, we would, if, if we were the ones who were, were being tasked to redeem something, we might do it. You know, we might do it and we. We might feel a certain sense of satisfaction about it, but I can tell you that if I had a hundred sheep and I had lost one, I would not lay it on my shoulder rejoicing. I would lay it on my shoulder. Frustrated and glad that I finally found it, but like. Right. Right. That's not what Christ did. That's right. Christ lays us on his shoulders rejoicing. Right. I know. Like when you lose something, it's frustrating and it's not just the loss of it that's frustrating. It's the time you have to take to find it. And sometimes like, yeah, you're happy that you found it, but you're like, man, it would've just been nice if I hadn't lost this in [00:49:36] Jesse Schwamb: the That's right. [00:49:37] Tony Arsenal: This woman, there's none of that. There's no, um, there's no regret. There's no. Uh, there's no begrudging this to it. There's nothing. It's just rejoicing. She's so happy. And it's funny, I can imagine, uh, maybe, maybe this is my own, uh, lack of sanctification here. I can imagine being that friend that's like, I gotta come over 'cause you found your coin, right? Like, I can be, I could imagine me that person, but Right. But honestly, like. This is a, this is a situation where she's so overcome with joy. She just has to tell people about it. Yeah. She has to share it with people. It, it reminds me, and I've seen this, I've seen this, um, connection made in the past certainly isn't new to me. I don't, I don't have any specific sorts to say, but like the woman at the well, right. She gets this amazing redemption. She gets this, this Messiah right in front of her. She leaves her buckets at the well, and she goes into a town of people who probably hate her, who think she's just the worst scum of society and she doesn't care. She goes into town to tell everybody about the fact that the Messiah has come, right? And they're so like stunned by the fact that she's doing it. Like they come to see what it is like that's what we need to be like. So there's. There's an element here of not only the rejoicing of God, and again, like, I guess I'm surprised because I've, I've, I've never sort of really read this. Part, I've never read this into it too much or I've never like really pulled this out, but it, now that I'm gonna say it, it just seems logical, like not only is God rejoicing in this, but again, it should be calling us to rejoice, right? Christ is. Christ is using these parables to shame the Pharisees and the scribes who refuse to rejoice over the salvation of sinners. How often do we not rejoice over our own salvation sufficiently? Like when's the last time? And I, I don't want to, this is, this can be a lot of loss. So again, like. God is not calling every single person to stand up on their lunch table at work, or, I don't know if God's calling anybody to stand up on the lunch table at work. Right. To like, like scream about how happy they are that they're sick, happy, happy. But like, when's the last time you were so overcome with joy that in the right opportunity, it just over, like it just overcame you and you had to share it. I don't rem. Putting myself bare here, like I don't remember the last time that happened. I share my faith with people, like my coworkers know that I'm a Christian and, um, my, they know that like, there are gonna be times where like I will bring biblical ethics and biblical concepts into my work. Like I regularly use bible examples to illustrate a principle I'm trying to teach my employees or, or I will regularly sort of. In a meeting where there's some question about what the right, not just like the correct thing to do, but the right thing to do. I will regularly bring biblical morality into those conversations. Nobody is surprised by that. Nobody's really offended by it. 'cause I just do it regularly. But I don't remember the last time where I was so overcome with joy because of my salvation that I just had to tell somebody. Right. And that's a, that's a, that's an indictment on me. That's not an indictment on God. That's not an indictment on anyone else. That's an indictment on me. This parable is calling me to be more joyful about. My salvation. [00:52:52] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. One of the, I think the best and easiest verses from Psalms to memorize is let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Yes. Like, say something, speak up. There's, there's a great truth in what you're saying. Of course. And I think we mentioned this last time. There's a communal delight of redemption. And here we see that played out maybe a little bit more explicitly because the text says that the joy is before the angels, meaning that still God is the source of the joy. In other words, the angels share in God's delight night, vice versa, and not even just in salvation itself, but the fact that God is delighted in this great salvation, that it shows the effectiveness of his saving power. All that he has designed will come to pass because he super intends his will over all things that all things, again are subservient to our salvation. And here, why would that not bring him great joy? Because that's exactly what he intends and is able to do. And the angels rejoice along with him because his glory is revealed in his mighty power. So I'm, I'm with you. I mean, this reminds me. Of what the author of Hebrew says. This is chapter 12, just the first couple of verses. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses in this communal kind of redemption of joy surrounding us. Laying aside every weight and the sin,

Preached at The FLOW Church Service, First Love Center, Accra. 30th November 2025

Preached at The FLOW Church Service, First Love Center, Accra. 30th November 2025

WhenPaul wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians, he told them, "Because you arecarnal, acting like babies, there is strife and division among you.” Someof you are saying you're of Paul. Others are saying, 'I'm of Peter.' Others  claimed to be in the Apollos crowd, while somewere saying, 'We're more spiritual than the rest because we're ofChrist.'" Because of this problem Paul wrote the First Corinthian letterto correct them because of this disunity, the disharmony, the strife anddivision that exist in the church there in Corinth. Sounds like too manychurches today! Nowin this letter to the church at Ephesus, after Paul gives them their positionin Christ, the first thing he addresses is the need to have unity of spirit,unity of heart, unity of mind, have one goal. My friend, over the years I've experiencedthat the church that's focused on Jesus, the church that's focused on who He is, on what He has done for us, focused onbeing obedient in fulfilling the Great Commission, is a church full of peoplethat will get along with each other, love each other, care for each other, worktogether for the glory of God, as they set their own agenda, ambitions, and preferencesaside.  Howimportant this is and that is what Paul is addressing in the first three verseshere. That's the unity that comes from the grace of God that we are enjoying,as we follow Him, live in Him, and walk in Him. We are to walk worthy of our callingin Christ. We do that with all “lowliness”, which of course is humility(v. 2). Jesus began His first public message with these words, “Blessed arethe poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God”. The first beatitudeis being humble, being a beggar, realizing how helpless you are without theLord. The moment you think you have humility is the moment you lost it, myfriend. Because it's an attitude, where every moment of every day, you die toyourself, and you're alive in Christ unto God for the glory of God, loving oneanother. So lowliness, humility, is the first grace of unity we see. Thesecond grace of unity is “gentleness”, which also is translated “meekness”.Moses was the meekest man in all the earth. Meekness does not mean weakness. Itmeans power under control. It means you have yielded your ambitions, yieldedyour preferences. You've yielded your ownership of everything in your life tothe Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shallinherit the earth”. Meekness means that you give up your right to yourselfas you die to self and you live unto the Lord and let Him live His life throughyou. A “gentle” attitude goes a long way in building unity in the church! Thenthere is “longsuffering” (v. 2). “Longsuffering”, which means “long-tempered”,is the ability to endure discomfort without fighting back. Then it goes on tosay “bearing with one another in love”. Remember, “love suffers long” (1Corinthians 13:4). Have you noticed that these graces of unity are basically thesame as the “fruit of the Spirit” that we find in Galatians 5:22; “Thefruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”. Howwonderful. When you're filled with the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit is beingdisplayed in your life and there is the unity.  Thenthere must be “endeavoring”. “Endeavoring to keep the unity of theSpirit…” (v. 3). Literally it reads "being eager to maintain, orguard, the unity of the Spirit." Finally, there is the grace of unitythat is “the bond of peace”. Peace within your own heart. Peace betweenmembers. We must first experience “peace with God”, then the “peace of God”that rules in our hearts that brings us to peace with one another.  Whenwe all do that, there is this grace of unity that rules in the body of Christ andthat displays the love of God to a lost world around us. May God help us to experiencethis unity today. 

Whatsapp/Call: +91 6364252164 Email: info@febaonline.org

In this episode, host Rebecca George welcomes her husband, Dustin George, to chat about his book titled ⁠⁠⁠⁠Before Dawn: Knowing God's Presence in the Dark Seasons of Life⁠⁠⁠⁠. This episode is the third episode of a four-part series where Dustin will discuss themes of his book, focusing on hope, dependence, and perseverance. This episode focuses on Chapter 4 (Dependence: The Call to Meekness)!Dustin C. George is a lead pastor, a writer, and a conference speaker. He has served for nearly two decades in various pastoral positions across all age ranges. Before entering full time church ministry, Dustin taught high school English for ten years. In his free time, Dustin can usually be found fly-fishing in the Smokies, expanding his skills as a craftsman, or enjoying his next adventure. He and his wife, Rebecca George, live in East Tennessee.⁠⁠⁠⁠Order Before Dawn on Amazon⁠⁠Sponsors:Comfy Earrings: Whether you're headed to family gatherings, holiday parties, or cozying up by the fire, Comfy Earrings add the perfect sparkle without the fuss. They also make an amazing gift for the women in your life.Use code Rebecca15 at ComfyEarrings.com for 15% off your order this holiday season.Live Oak Integrative Health: If fatigue, brain fog, or hormone struggles have kept you from showing up fully with the people you love, you're not alone. My friend Rebecca Belch at Live Oak Integrative Health helps women uncover the root of their symptoms with advanced hormone and gut health testing, then creates personalized wellness plans that honor the way God designed our bodies. Book your free consultation at⁠ http://liveoakintegrativehealth.com/radiance and Radical Radiance listeners get $40 off any service package.Christian Standard Bible:Have you ever opened your Bible and wished you could better understand how all of Scripture fits together? The CSB Connecting Scripture New Testament is a brand-new resource designed to help you trace the grand story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. Whether you're teaching, discipling, or simply wanting to grow in your faith, this is the perfect guide. Learn more at connectingscripture.com.Grace Bible: Maybe you or someone you love has struggled to read the Bible because of dyslexia or other reading challenges. That doesn't have to be a barrier anymore. The CSB Grace Bible and CSB Grace Bible for Kids are designed with a specially tested typeface, layout, and design to make God's Word easier to read for every level and variety of dyslexia. These Bibles open the door for families, kids, and adults to experience Scripture in a fresh and accessible way. You don't have to miss out on the truth of God's Word—see the difference today at csbgracebibles.com.

In this honest and weighty message kicking off the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Karl walks through the Beatitudes—the nine “blessed are” statements that reveal the heart attitudes Jesus demands of every true disciple. From spiritual poverty and mourning over sin to meekness, insatiable hunger for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, and even rejoicing in persecution, these aren't optional extras; they're the non-negotiable “be-attitudes” that must mark every citizen of God's kingdom.When these attitudes shape us, we naturally become the salt of the earth and the light of the world—distinct from culture, preserving what is decaying, and shining so brightly that others see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. A convicting reminder that following Jesus was never meant to look like the world around us.Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"Join us in person 9:00am & 10:30am every Sunday morning.37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636For more visit us at flipside.churchFor more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

An episode from Ranchero Drive Baptist Church, a Bible believing, Bible preaching church in Kerrville, Texas.What Ranchero Drive Baptist Church (RDBC) Believes: The ScripturesWe believe the scriptures are verbally inspired of God making them the supreme and final authority for our faith and practice, and are preserved in the KJV Authorized Version.  GodWe believe in one God existing in three persons (The Holy Trinity): God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Existing without beginning and without end.  JesusWe believe in the Deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His death on the cross to pay in full the debt for our sins, His resurrection, and His coming return.  The Holy SpiritWe believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, one with the Father and the Son, the indweller of every believer to enlighten and seal each believer until the day of redemption of the body.ManWe believe that God created man in His image in a state of innocence, but through temptation, man transgressed and became dead in trespasses and sins. As a result, all men inherited a corrupt nature, are born in sin and are under condemnation. Security of the BelieverWe believe that those who, by faith, receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are born again of the Holy Spirit, are the children of God, are heirs and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, are kept by the power of God and can know they are eternally saved forever! Last ThingsWe believe in the imminent, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return of Christ. The Lord shall return for His church and rapture out the church at any given moment. The world will then enter into a seven-year period of tribulation that will end with the battle of Armageddon and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. He will come as “King of Kings” and “Lord of lords”, and establish His kingdom that will last for 1,000 years. The Lord will then judge the living and the dead at the Great White Throne Judgement (which is different from the judgement Seat of Christ where the Lord judges the Church). After this, all the lost, Satan, death and hell are cast into the Lake of Fire, while the Lord and His saints enter into “Eternal Bliss”.  You may write to Ranchero Drive Baptist Church at:801 Ranchero Road, Kerrville, TX 78028Have A Blessed Day,Ranchero Drive Baptist Church  The KJV Bible Preaching Churches Podcast is directly supported by Doss Metrics LLC | Ministry Services based out of Cleveland Texas. If you have any questions regarding this podcast, or the churches hosted on the podcast, please reach out to us directly at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠dossmetrics@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or write to us at: Doss Metrics | KJV Bible Preaching Churches Podcast1501 McBride Rd.Cleveland, TX 77328 God Bless#KJV #BaptistChurches #BiblePreaching #KJVPreaching #KingJamesBible #ChurchSermons #ChristianPodcasts #BibilicalTeaching #EdThierbach #RancheroDriveBaptistChurch

My name is Rev. Alvin Lewis of Power To Change Ministry. Thank you for sharing your day with us, we would love to hear from you, your feedback is very important.Scripture Of Observation and applicationEphesians 4:1–3 (KJV 1900)1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.OutlineI therefore, the prisoner of the Lord“Paul beseech” Walk worthy of thebeseech = Urge; beg vocation ye are call 25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.  (Romans 9:25, KJV 1900)22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22–23, KJV 1900)with all lowliness = Humility with all meekness = Gentleness with all longsuffering = Patience forbearing one another in Love = Endurance keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace = Believers have the responsibility to maintain unity in the body of Christ.  2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  (Philippians 2:1–5, KJV 1900)Power To Change Ministry Rev. Alvin Lewis Powertochangeministry@gmail.Com Powertochangeministry.org 973-583-7482

Allie interviews Nick Freitas, ex-Green Beret and Virginia delegate, to unpack biblical masculinity's crisis in the church and in culture. He exposes weak leadership, urges men to reclaim strength through Christ, and shares about raising sons and daughters using scripture's wisdom. He also explains the difference between Andrew Tate and the manosphere versus true, Christian masculinity. Join us to revive godly manhood, disciple boldly, and honor God's design in family and faith. Buy Allie's book "Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion": ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.toxicempathy.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Timecodes: Pre-Born — Will you help rescue babies' lives? Donate by calling #250 & say keyword 'BABY' or go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Preborn.com/ALLIE⁠⁠⁠⁠. Seven Weeks Coffee — Experience the best coffee while supporting the pro-life movement with Seven Weeks Coffee; use code ALLIE at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.sevenweekscoffee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to save up to 25% off your first order, plus your free gift! --- Buy Allie's book "You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love": ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://alliebethstuckey.com/book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Relatable merchandise – use promo code "ALLIE10" for a discount: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey⁠⁠⁠ (0:00) Intro(4:04) Christian Masculinity(8:19) Why Men Follow Andrew Tate(16:51) Meekness vs Weakness(22:21) Christian Fatherhood(31:33) Raising Sons vs Raising Daughters(40:20) The Price of Running for Office---Today's SponsorsSend a taste of home this holiday season with Keksi — soft, thick, handcrafted cookies made with the best ingredients. Keksi ships nationwide! Order yours at keksi.com with code ALLIE15 for 15% off.Good Ranchers — Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GoodRanchers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and subscribe to any box (but preferably the Allie Beth Stuckey Box) to get free Wagyu burgers, hot dogs, bacon, or chicken wings in every box for life. Plus, you'll get $40 off when you use code ALLIE at checkout.A'del — Try A'del's hand-crafted, artisan, small-batch cosmetics and use promo code ALLIE 25% off your first time purchase at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://⁠⁠⁠⁠AdelNaturalCosmetics.com⁠⁠NetSuite — Gain visibility and control of your financials, planning, budgeting, and inventory so you can manage risk, get reliable forecasts, and improve margins. Go to ⁠ NetSuite.com/ALLIE⁠⁠ to get the CFO's guide to AI and Machine Learning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This teaching is taken from Ephesians 3:20 and teaches you about knowing God and improving your relationship with Him. If you have any questions, or you would like to share how our teachings have affected your life, please email at rejoicingheart@comcast.net God bless you! Rob and Donna Rejoice In You From the Integrity Music Release One, featuring Planetshakers Ministries Int'l ©2009 Planetshakers Publishing (APRA) (admin. By Music Services, www.musicservices.org) All Rights Reserved. Used by permission. Ephesians 3:19 (KJV) 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:18 (KJV) 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 1 John 4:8 (KJV) 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. John 15:13 (KJV) 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Romans 5:8 (AMP) 8 But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Ephesians 2:14 (KJV) 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; John 1:14 (KJV) 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 (KJV) 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: Acts 19:2 (KJV) 2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. Acts 2:1-4 (KJV) PENTECOST 1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV) 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

What characteristics come to mind when someone is described as 'meek?' Clarity about what it means to be 'meek,' on the next LEADING THE WAY! See how inviting MEEKNESS into life will draw those around you into the Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 9) Support the show: https://au.ltw.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is humility making yourself small… or living in the truth? Joe and Father Boniface unpack humility as honesty—seeing ourselves as we are before God—and why that frees us to use our real gifts in service (yes, even taking the seat that has your name on it). We explore self-forgetfulness, how affirmation heals the reflex to self-protect, and practical ways to grow from self-concern into self-gift. Throughout, we keep all three lenses in view: integrity with ourselves, charity toward others, under a living relationship with God.Key IdeasHumility is truth: neither self-inflation nor false modesty, but an honest acceptance of who we are before God—and using our gifts accordingly.Concrete example: sometimes the humble act is to take the role or “reserved spot” that's yours, because it serves the community best.Know your tilt: some of us oversell; others undersell—humility learns our tendency and seeks honest mirrors (trusted people who can praise and correct).Self-forgetfulness grows from being loved and affirmed; emotional safety reduces self-protective focus and opens us to others.A simple path: notice insecurity triggers, share them with someone who loves you, receive affirmation there—and then go build that same affirmation in others this week.Links & ReferencesConrad Baars, affirmation and emotional development — Conrad Baars Institute (official): https://www.conradbaars.comPope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate (On the Call to Holiness in Today's World) — official Vatican text: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.htmlCTA If this helped, please leave a review or share this episode with a friend.Questions or thoughts? Email FatherAndJoe@gmail.comTags Father and Joe, Joe Rockey, Father Boniface Hicks, humility, honesty, meekness, truth, sainthood, virtue, self-forgetfulness, affirmation, Conrad Baars, emotional safety, trauma and healing, self-knowledge, self-possession, self-gift, narcissism, ego, vanity, false modesty, discernment, service, vocation, speaking gifts, leadership, community, parenting, children, interior freedom, relationships, relationship with God, relationship with self, relationship with others, Benedictine spirituality, Catholic podcast, practical spirituality, growth, healing, gratitude

“Meekness? Who would want to be that?” That's the question a leader asked me several years ago and it's stuck with me. Today we'll unpack one of the most unprioritized traits in leadership today.. . .Check out J.R.'s newly released and highly anticipated book ‘The Art of Asking Better Questions' to help you grow in the art of being a better question-asker. Because the quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask God, yourself, and others. Available wherever good books are sold.. . .Coaching is a great way to include reflection into your leadership rhythms.If you're interested in securing a free no-pressure exploratory coaching session, check out www.kairospartnerships.org/contact or email me at jrbriggs@kairospartnerships.orgIf you haven't signed up for my every other week FREE newsletter 5 Things in 5 Minutes (5 valuable nuggets that can be read in 5 minutes or less), check outwww.kairospartnerships.org/5t5m**Resilient Leaders is produced by the incredibly gifted Joel Limbauan. Check out his great video and podcast work at On a Limb Productions: www.onalimbproductions.comWell, friends, this is the week – it's finally out in the world.

In this section of Homily Five, St. Isaac draws deeply from the ancient well of ascetical wisdom, weaving together the practical counsel of St. Ephraim with his own luminous vision of divine providence. His teaching moves with precision from the diagnosis of sin to the healing of the soul, from the vigilance of self-knowledge to the vision of God's mercy revealed through trial. St. Ephraim's words set the tone: every spiritual illness must be treated by its proper remedy. One cannot overcome a vice through random struggle or general good intentions, but only by applying a medicine suited to the disease. Just as heat is not fought with more heat, so envy, pride, and wrath are not healed through self-will or argument, but through the contrary virtues: humility, patience, and mercy. For St. Isaac, this is the beginning of ascetic discernment. The wise man learns to recognize the first stirrings of passion, and “plucks it up while it is still small,” knowing that what begins as a passing thought can quickly become a tyrant ruling the soul. Negligence is the mother of bondage. From this root teaching springs one of St. Isaac's central themes: the blessedness of patient endurance. The one who can suffer wrong with joy, though he has the means to defend himself, has entered into the mystery of the Cross. To bear insult without resentment, to be accused unjustly and respond with humility—these, he says, are the highest forms of virtue, admired even by the angels. Such endurance is not weakness but divine strength, the quiet radiance of faith proven by trial. Here we find the echo of the Beatitudes and of the Apostle's words, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” St. Isaac then warns against a subtler danger: self-confidence. “Do not believe yourself to be strong until you are tempted and find yourself superior to change.” Virtue untested is unproven. To imagine oneself firm before temptation is to invite a fall, for pride blinds the soul to its own frailty. True strength is born only from humility, the knowledge of one's dependence upon God. Likewise, knowledge itself can become a snare when it is not rooted in meekness. A “meek tongue” and “sweet lips” reveal a heart governed by peace rather than pride. Those who do not boast of their struggles or their gifts are preserved from shame, while those who glory in their works are permitted to stumble, that humility may be learned through experience. The culmination of this passage is the vision of divine providence, which St. Isaac presents not as an abstract doctrine but as an experience granted to the purified heart. God's care, he says, surrounds all, yet it is seen only by those who have cleansed themselves of sin and fixed their gaze upon Him. In times of trial, when the soul stands for the truth, this providence becomes radiant and tangible—as though seen with bodily eyes. God reveals Himself most clearly in suffering, granting His servants courage and consolation. As He strengthened Jacob, Joshua, the Three Youths, and Peter, so too He anoints all who endure affliction for His sake. In these paragraphs, St. Isaac sketches the entire map of the ascetical path. The soul begins with vigilance, pulling up the roots of passion before they grow. It advances through endurance, learning the joy hidden in unjust suffering. It is tested in humility, discovering that self-reliance is the greatest enemy. And finally, it arrives at the vision of providence, seeing that all things—even trials and delays—are instruments of divine love. The warfare is inward, but the victory is divine. The heart that ceases to rely on itself learns to rest in God, and the eyes once blinded by passion come to behold His mercy shining through every storm. This is the medicine of the soul and the peace of those who have learned the wisdom of the Cross. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:01:25 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: www.philokaliaministries.blogspot.com 00:02:00 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 156, last line on page, # 8 00:08:00 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: http://www.philokaliaministries.blogspot.com 00:10:33 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 156, last line on page, # 8 00:14:57 jonathan: Would it be fine to just print out a picture of an Icon? Want to make a prayer corner back home. 00:15:23 Jessica McHale: Father, I love this line from your blog post today: “The night is not absence but mystery, not an ending but the quiet preparation for dawn.”  These words help to bring holiness to my rest and to the sometimes challenging night vigils. Thank you! 00:15:42 Adam Paige: Replying to "Would it be fine to …" Bless the printer with holy water first

Handle The Scandal #Submission #Obey #Meekness #Nightlight #RTTBROS

The scene is the crucifixion of Jesus, one of history's most pivotal and painful moments, as told in Luke 23:26-49. We know the immense suffering Christ endured, but what did the people there—the soldiers, the mockers, the grievers—actually miss? In this powerful message, Pastor Derek Holmes takes us off the path and into the crowd, challenging us to look beyond the spectacle of pain to see the profound character of our Savior. While many were busy mocking or grieving, they failed to see the incredible display of compassion, meekness, redemption, and grace pouring out from the cross. What is the "view from the crowd" in your own life today? Are you so distracted by the noise and the suffering that you are missing the profound, life-altering grace of Jesus Christ right in front of you? Listen now to discover the hidden treasures of the cross that Pastor Holmes outlines, and learn how the compassion of Christ changes everything.

More On Meekness #RTTBROS #Nightlight

Strength Under Control #Nightlight #RTTBROS #Meekness #Relationships #Unity

MEEKNESS & HONOR — CURRENCIES OF THE KINGDOM | MAN OF PEACE

Rev. Tanner Fox | Philippians 2:5-11There is no greater characteristic worth dwelling on in the person of Jesus than His humility! It is the deepest root and most primary source of life to the great tree that is our Savior. For from this posture of humility flows all of His perfect person and work. Submission, obedience, Tenderness, Meekness, love, care, grace, sacrifice… each of these flow from the beautiful and humble heart of Christ. He takes the punishment and penalty of the pride of our lives and offers us in return His perfect peace by restoring us to the humility we were made for.

Series: James | Radically WholeScripture:  James 3:13-17We hope you enjoyed listening to this message! If you'd like to stay updated on what God is doing at Citylight Council Bluffs, be sure to follow us:Citylight Council BluffsFacebookInstagramCitylight Council BluffsSunday Gatherings at 9:00 & 11:00 AM at 2109 Railroad Hwy, Council Bluffs, IA 51503Livestream at 9:00 AMIf you want to mail in a tithe, you can do so at: PO Box 1055 Council Bluffs, IA 51502Support the show

In a world that says you have to dominate and assert yourself and your needs, Jesus says “Blessed are the meek”. In this message, Joy In Meekness, we will see that the good life isn't found in asserting ourselves and our will, but humbly trusting in God's will and plan. Living in meekness towards others as Christ our Lord has met us with kindness, meekness, and gentleness.

In a world that says you have to dominate and assert yourself and your needs, Jesus says “Blessed are the meek”. In this message, Joy In Meekness, we will see that the good life isn't found in asserting ourselves and our will, but humbly trusting in God's will and plan. Living in meekness towards others as Christ our Lord has met us with kindness, meekness, and gentleness.

Explore the Meekness of Christ in 2 Corinthians 10. Learn how Paul confronts false claims with truth and God's power, using authority that builds.

Northwest Bible Church – Oct. 12, 2025 – Matthew – Alan Conner Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the Meek Intro A. MEANING OF MEEKNESS. 1. World's false impression.   2. Grk. Lexicon – “not being overly impressed by a sense of one's self-importance; gentle, humble, considerate.”         3. Submission to God.     4. Humility toward others. a. Humble, non-aggression, gentleness.   Mt. 5:39, 41 b. Opposite of violence and retaliation.  Heb. 10:34; Jam. 5:6 B. EXAMPLES OF MEEKNESS. 1. Abraham with Lot.  Gen. 13:8-9.    2. Moses.  Num. 12:3; Ex. 4:10; Num. 11:29  3. David.   2 Sam. 16:11-12 4. Christ the greatest example.  Mt. 11:29; 12:20; 21:5.  5. Paul.  2 Cor. 10:1 C. EXHORTATIONS TO MEEKNESS. 1. From Paul.    Tit. 3:2; Gal. 5:23; Col. 3:12; Eph. 4:2; 2 Tim. 2:25; Gal. 6:1 2. From Peter.   1 Pet. 3:15 3. From James. Jam. 3:13 D. REWARD OF MEEKNESS: INHERIT THE EARTH. Conclusion

When it comes to manhood, are you living as a provider or just performing for the crowd? In week two of Toy Stories, Jon Weece sat down to unpack what didn't make it into his sermon, Provider vs. Performer. From Joseph's humility to David's restraint, and from his father's influence to his own lessons in leadership, Jon shares why meekness isn't weakness, it's strength under control.. This week's challenge: stop trying to impress, and start serving the people God has placed in your life. Hosts: Neil Gregory & Jon Weece What We Discuss: • Joseph & David as models of humility • Lessons from Jon's dad • The difference between pride and humility • Meekness as power under control • What to do if you didn't have a strong father figure • Handling criticism and compliments in leadership • The nine most important words: “I was wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me.” • Why serving is the simplest way to practice humility • Investing in younger men and discipling the next generation ⸻ About Southland Christian Church Southland is one church meeting in multiple locations across central Kentucky. We believe Jesus came for the lost and the broken, which means there's a place for everyone here. We want what He wants: for heaven to be really crowded. Around here, that means we worship defiantly, speak truth unashamedly, and extend grace generously.  To support this ministry and help us continue to reach across Central Kentucky and all around the world, visit: https://southland.church/give 

It's a jam packed episode of Roadmap to Heaven. First, Adam continues the conversation with Joe Scherrer about the Beatitudes. Today they discuss the third beatitude: "Blessed are the meek..." Next, Adam speaks with Fr. Rick Heilmann about this year's Rosary Coast to Coast. Special guest Sr. Colleen Mattingly, ASCJ, calls in to share the fruit of her prayer with today's daily Gospel reading. Download the Covenant Network app today! Pray the Visual Rosary at VisualRosary.org For more information on Covenant Network, visit OurCatholicRadio.org

How does God accomplish His work? Gem Castor shares how Jesus' call to “learn of me” in Matthew 11:29 reveals His meek and lowly nature, exemplified by biblical underdogs and a California church's prayer-driven revival.

Listen to this week's sermon, In the Wilderness preached by Rev. Benjamin Kandt from Numbers 12:1-16.

Send us a textHave you ever wondered what really happens when we neglect God's Word? This eye-opening conversation delves into the critical role Scripture plays in the believer's life as "the sword of the Spirit" - our essential spiritual weapon for both defense and offense.The discussion reveals a profound truth using the Garden of Eden as a cautionary tale. Notice how Satan's first question to Eve was "Did God really say?" - directly challenging her knowledge of God's instructions. When he detected her addition to God's command, he found his opening to twist Scripture further. This same pattern threatens believers today: when we lack grounding in Scripture, we become vulnerable to deception, and sin finds its foothold.Perhaps most alarming is the epidemic within Christian circles of believers becoming teachers before they've become proper students of God's Word. This rush to teach without adequate study leads to arrogance, defensiveness when challenged, and an inability to explain one's beliefs. True discipleship requires the humility to be a lifelong student before presuming to teach others.The conversation also brings clarity to commonly misunderstood concepts like blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (the ultimate rejection of God by unbelievers) versus grieving the Holy Spirit (what believers do when they sin). But the most liberating insight centers on Paul's profound statement in Galatians 5:23: "against such there is no law." Those led by the Spirit, who exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, naturally fulfill the law's intent through Spirit-empowered living.Ready to experience the freedom that comes from being grounded in Scripture rather than bound by legalism? Join us as we explore how salvation comes through faith alone, and how the regenerated believer has "died to the law" to live according to a new operating principle: the law of faith rather than works.The Balance of GrayFaith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

Send us a textThe crucifixion of Christ stands as the definitive act of salvation, rendering all human additions not just unnecessary but dangerous. This profound teaching explores Paul's brilliant contrast in Galatians between circumcision and crucifixion—revealing how believers who try to supplement faith with religious works fundamentally misunderstand the gospel.When Paul declares that "those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires," he's making a revolutionary statement about salvation. The Galatians were being told they needed the minor physical act of circumcision to complete their salvation, while Paul points to something far more radical: spiritual crucifixion. Why would anyone settle for a small ritual when Christ offers complete transformation through his death?The teaching exposes our natural tendency to contribute something to our salvation—whether circumcision, baptism, Sabbath-keeping, or other religious practices. Each addition reveals our reluctance to accept that Christ's work alone is sufficient. As the message powerfully states: "There is nothing, absolutely nothing lacking that any man needs that was not accomplished by Christ."This episode features a moving testimony from a listener whose life was transformed by embracing this truth of grace alone. The genuine fellowship and brotherly love demonstrated throughout showcases what happens when believers unite around the pure gospel rather than religious performance.Join us for this stirring exploration of salvation's essence and experience the freedom that comes from trusting completely in Christ's finished work. Subscribe to continue growing in your understanding of God's grace and to join a community of believers committed to the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ.The Balance of GrayFaith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

Send us a textDive into the heart of Paul's letter to the Galatians as we explore the transformative message of justification by faith alone. This powerful exposition of Galatians 5 confronts one of the earliest and most persistent threats to the gospel—the tendency to add human works to God's free gift of salvation.When the Galatian church began incorporating circumcision and other requirements alongside faith in Christ, Paul delivered this passionate defense of gospel purity. As he declares, "If you add anything to justification by faith, whatever it is you add, once you add it, that is no longer the gospel that saves." This stark warning remains profoundly relevant today as many still struggle with the simplicity of salvation through faith alone.The conversation takes a fascinating turn as we examine the final fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: faithfulness, meekness, and temperance. Unlike some of the more outwardly manifested fruits, these three focus on the believer's inner character. Faithfulness here refers not primarily to our faith toward God but to our reliability in relationships with others—are we dependable people whom others can trust?Meekness, often misunderstood as weakness, actually represents strength under control. Just as Moses was called the meekest man on earth, this quality reflects the humility to restrain one's power appropriately. The panel offers illuminating perspectives, including the analogy of a powerful horse willingly accepting a rider's guidance.Throughout the discussion, Paul's liberating declaration echoes: "Against such there is no law." Those led by the Spirit produce fruit that no law could ever condemn, freeing believers from the burden of legalism and releasing them into the freedom Christ secured. Whether you're struggling with legalistic tendencies or seeking to understand the transformative work of the Spirit, this exploration of Galatians offers clarity and encouragement for your spiritual journey.The Balance of GrayFaith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

Send us a textThe ninth and final fruit of the Spirit—temperance—might be the most crucial of all. As our conversation reveals, without self-control, the other eight spiritual fruits cannot properly develop or manifest in our lives. This transformative insight shifts our understanding of temperance from just another spiritual quality to the foundational element that enables Christian character.What exactly does temperance look like in practice? We explore how it creates spiritual boundaries—a "city with walls" that protects our inner life without restricting our spiritual growth. This fruit operates primarily in the battleground of the mind, governing our thoughts, emotions, passions, and impulses before they become problematic actions. The temperate believer lives moderately, avoiding harmful extremes while maintaining spiritual vitality.The Apostle Paul exemplifies temperance beautifully. Despite his exceptional education and status as a former Pharisee, he demonstrated remarkable restraint by submitting to fishermen like Peter and James—men who would have been considered his social inferiors before his conversion. Paul's letter to Philemon further illustrates this fruit, as he chooses persuasion over command despite his apostolic authority.Our discussion takes an urgent turn when examining the state of biblical literacy among modern Christians. How many believers can engage in substantive conversations about core doctrines like resurrection? Why do so many avoid deeper theological engagement? The answer often lies in conviction—confronting biblical truth forces us to examine whether our lives align with that truth, which can be uncomfortable yet necessary for spiritual growth.For those seeking to hear God's voice today, one participant offers this powerful reminder: "If you want to hear God's voice, read scripture out loud." The Word remains our primary connection to divine wisdom and the pathway to developing all the fruits of the Spirit, especially temperance.The Balance of GrayFaith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

Send us a textWhat does it mean to be truly meek? In this powerful exploration of meekness as a fruit of the Spirit, we discover that biblical meekness isn't weakness—it's strength under God's perfect control.We begin by examining pride as the root of most sin and the direct opposite of meekness. Pride drives us to assert ourselves when we should be submitting to God's authority and timing. It causes us to promote ourselves when we should be waiting for God's elevation.Moses emerges as our biblical archetype of meekness. Despite his privileged upbringing in Pharaoh's palace, when God called him to leadership, Moses responded with genuine reluctance: "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?" This stands in stark contrast to contemporary culture where believers with minimal spiritual maturity eagerly pursue platforms and positions of influence. Moses—one of history's greatest leaders—approached his calling with hesitation and dependence on God, while many today rush forward with self-assurance and minimal preparation.Through personal stories and biblical insights, we unpack how meekness transforms our daily interactions and decisions. One participant shares how stepping back from leadership in a women's Bible study—though difficult—allowed others to develop their gifts. Another describes how being placed in an unfamiliar field required humility to learn new skills, revealing that "it is God who qualifies us" for every task He assigns.The conversation takes a profound turn when we consider the judgment seat of Christ, where eventually everyone will submit to His lordship. The difference? The righteous submit in humble recognition of His authority, while the wicked submit through forced compliance. Their pride must be broken; ours is willingly surrendered.Join us for this transformative discussion that will challenge you to cultivate true meekness—not as self-deprecation, but as strength properly channeled through complete dependence on God. Listen now and discover how embracing meekness might be the most powerful decision you ever make.The Balance of GrayFaith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

A new MP3 sermon from The Bible Provocateur is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: LIVE DISCUSSION: Meekness & Temperance (Part 1 of 5) Speaker: Jonathan Eubanks Broadcaster: The Bible Provocateur Event: Debate Date: 9/28/2025 Length: 34 min.

A new MP3 sermon from The Bible Provocateur is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: LIVE DISCUSSION: Meekness & Temperance (Part 2 of 5) Speaker: Jonathan Eubanks Broadcaster: The Bible Provocateur Event: Debate Date: 9/28/2025 Length: 34 min.

A new MP3 sermon from The Bible Provocateur is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: LIVE DISCUSSION: Meekness & Temperance (Part 3 of 5) Speaker: Jonathan Eubanks Broadcaster: The Bible Provocateur Event: Debate Date: 9/28/2025 Length: 34 min.

A new MP3 sermon from The Bible Provocateur is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: LIVE DISCUSSION: Meekness & Temperance (Part 4 of 5) Speaker: Jonathan Eubanks Broadcaster: The Bible Provocateur Event: Debate Date: 9/28/2025 Length: 34 min.

A new MP3 sermon from The Bible Provocateur is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: LIVE DISCUSSION: Meekness & Temperance (Part 5 of 5) Speaker: Jonathan Eubanks Broadcaster: The Bible Provocateur Event: Debate Date: 9/28/2025 Length: 34 min.

Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comHear directly from Zach Abraham as he shares insights in this FREE “Back To Basics” Webinar, THURSDAY, October 2nd at 3:30 Pacific.  Register now at Know Your Risk Podcast dot com. Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeBarack Obama IS Black Fatigue's Steroid // The Disciples of Nancy Pelosi have a new sacrament  // “The PRIDE Generation's Tragedy of Riches.”Episode Links:Mark Kelly claims that "we currently have a president that at every opportunity seems to look for ways to further divide us as a nation." - "We've never had a president that has spent his time thinking about how he's going to use the DOJ..."Obama: "When I was President, in the aftermath of tragedies... my response was not... to go after my political opponents." FATIGUE: 22 years ago, Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder explained black fatigue perfectly…Pregnant woman takes Tylenol to fight Trump"Now we got Jesus, whose NOT a very 'family values' guy in the scripture, telling us to hate our parents." Also the last minute is wild, as this Lutheran impastor DOESN'T want people to "pick up their cross and follow Jesus" because "I hate these scriptures."What Does God's Word Say?Luke 16:13-1413 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight.4 Blessed are those who mourn,    for they will be comforted.In Matthew 5:4, "John MacArthur's Study Bible explains that "Blessed are those who mourn" refers to two kinds of sorrow: sorrow over the tragedy of life and, more importantly, deep sorrow over one's own sin. This spiritual mourning, distinct from worldly grief, leads to true comfort from God, a comfort that brings lasting happiness and satisfaction in the kingdom of God.5 Blessed are the meek,    for they will inherit the earth."Blessed are the meek" refers to a state of spiritual humility and gentleness where one is strong but under God's control, not ruled by self-will or pride, and will inherit the earth. Meekness involves admitting one's need for others and God, receiving correction, and being willing to put others' needs first, leading to a deep and blessed walk with God. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,    for they will be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful,    for they will be shown mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart,    for they will see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers,    for they will be called children of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Modern sensibilities resist the idea of meekness. And yet, it is one of the words that Jesus uses to describe Himself! A biblical understanding of the power and strength in true meekness gives us much hope! In this episode, Janet and Alexandra focus on a Christ-like quiet spirit, and the beauty of freedom of not resisting what God allows into our lives.Main passages: 1 Peter 3:1-4, Psalm 131Joyful Journey is taking a hiatus on recording new episodes for the next several months. This is a season of regrouping and refocusing for us and we appreciate your patience as we do this. That means we will not be airing our quarterly recaps on each of the gospels as we anticipated, but don't let that stop you from digging into the gospels! We're taking this opportunity to share some previously released episodes with you. If you are a newer listener, we're excited for you to hear some of these earlier episodes and for our long-term listeners, we are hoping that these episodes will be an encouragement to you once again! We look forward to returning in the future so stay tuned! ⁠Episode Transcript⁠Resources:Books⁠Knowing God - J. I. Packer⁠⁠Beautiful in God's Eyes - Elizabeth George⁠⁠The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Jeremiah Burrough⁠⁠None Like Him - Jen Wilken ⁠⁠Gentle and Lowly - Dane Ortlund⁠Scripture⁠Psalm 131⁠Assessment⁠Meekness Assessment - Martha Peace⁠Visit the ⁠Joyful Journey website⁠ to sign up for our newsletter, view transcripts, and search previous episodes.Emails us with questions or comments at joyfuljourneyquestions@outlook.com⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠Instagram ⁠⁠Donate to Joyful Journey Podcast⁠Joyful Journey Podcast is a ministry of Faith Bible Seminary. All proceeds go to offset costs of this podcast and toward scholarships for women to receive their⁠ MABC through Faith Bible Seminary⁠.

Today we're studying D&C 97:2 in just one minute! Grab your scriptures and let's dive into them together!   And grab study guides for the whole family here:  - To get Cali's scripture study guide for adults click here:  https://comefollowmestudy.com/shop/ Discount code: OMSS Or purchase on Amazon: https://a.co/d/4WDM8H0 - Kristen's daily scripture study help is available for kids/teens/adults in digital and physical form here :https://kristenwalkersmith.com/starthere/ And for weekly help understanding the storyline of Come Follow Me check out her YouTube videos here: https://kristenwalkersmith.com/youtube/ Get our 365-day Doctrine and Covenants daily devotional book: https://a.co/d/aE3Wp4D