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When You're Afraid to Hope Again Hope can feel dangerous when you've been disappointed before. You want to believe again, but the thought of being let down keeps you guarded. In this episode, we'll talk about the risk of hoping after closed doors, how God meets us in that hesitation, and why courage sometimes looks like trying again. You'll hear a story about gaining momentum in a calling, watching it crumble overnight, and wrestling with God over why He let it happen. Psalm 27:13–14 (NASB) will anchor our conversation as we remember that hope in Him is never wasted. If you've been holding your dreams at a distance to protect yourself, this is your invitation to bring them back to God. Mentioned in this episode: Free guide: Creative Reset: 5 Days to Rebuild Your Rhythm with God — grab it here! Thank you for leaving a review, it helps more people find this podcast!

Why Rest Feels Risky Rest sounds good in theory, but it can feel unsafe when your identity is tied to productivity. For some of us, slowing down forces us to face insecurities we'd rather outrun. In this episode, I share how I filled my life with “work” and “ministry” because those were places I felt confident, while home life exposed the areas where I doubted myself — even with a husband who believed in me completely. We'll look at Matthew 11:28–29 (NASB) to see what it means to accept the rest Jesus offers, even when stillness feels uncomfortable. This is a conversation about trading self-protection for the safety of His presence. If rest has felt more like a threat than a gift, this episode will help you take the first step back toward it. Free guide: Creative Reset: 5 Days to Rebuild Your Rhythm with God — grab it here! Thank you for leaving a review, it helps more people find this podcast!

2 Timothy 2:20-21 ESV  20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.1 Timothy 3:15 NASB  but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

Jonah // Week 2 // A Whale Of A LessonJonah 1:11-12 NASB 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.”Jonah 1:15-16 NASB 15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.Jonah 1:17 NASB 17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.1. The SWALLOWING was for SALVATION.2. The RESTRICTION was for RESTORATION.Jonah 2:1-9 NASB1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said, “I called out of my distress to the Lord,and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol;You heard my voice. 3 “For You had cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. 4 “So I said, ‘I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.' 5 “Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, Weeds were wrapped around my head. 6 “I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever,but You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 “While I was fainting away,I remembered the Lord,and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple. 8 “Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, 9 but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving.That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.”1. The SWALLOWING was for SALVATION.2. The RESTRICTION was for RESTORATION.3. The PURGING was for PROVISION.Jonah 2:10 NASB10 Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.Jonah 3:1-3a NASB 1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3a So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord...1. The SWALLOWING was for SALVATION.2. The RESTRICTION was for RESTORATION.3. The PURGING was for PROVISION.

In Acts 15, the church faced a crisis: was faith in Jesus enough, or did Gentile believers also need to keep the Mosaic Law? Revival had spread so quickly that leaders struggled to keep pace. Some insisted, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1, NASB 2020). Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed, which led to a gathering of apostles, elders, and even opposing voices in Jerusalem. Peter testified that God had chosen […] The post Hearing God Together appeared first on Revival Life Church Boca Raton, FL.

How should we understand the words, “in him all things were created” in Col 1.16? Although commonly taken to mean Christ created the universe, this view has contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. In what follows I’ll name six problems with old-creation readings before laying out why a new creation approach makes sense. I presented this talk at the 2025 Unitarian Christian Alliance (UCA) conference in Uxbridge, England. Scroll down to see the full-length paper. For those listening to the audio, here’s a quick reference to Colossians 1.15-20 Strophe 1 (Col 1.15-18a) 15a      who is (the) image of the invisible God, 15b      firstborn of all creation 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him 17a      and he is before all things 17b      and all things hold together in him 18a      and he is the head of the body of the Church,[12] Strophe 2 (Col 1.18b-20) 18b      who is (the) beginning, 18c      firstborn from the dead, 18d                  in order that he may be first in all things, 19        for in him was pleased all the fulness to dwell 20a      and through him to reconcile all things in him, 20b      making peace through the blood of his cross 20c                  whether the things upon the earth 20d                  or the things in the heavens Here’s Randy Leedy’s New Testament Diagram Here are the slides in the original PowerPoint format Download [13.82 MB] Here are the slides converted to PDF Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab Download [3.16 MB] To read the paper, simply scroll down or read it on Academia.edu.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out these other papers by Sean Finnegan Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Below is the paper presented on July 25, 2025 in Uxbridge, England at the 2nd annual UCA UK Conference. Access this paper on Academia.edu to get the pdf. Full text is below, including bibliography and end notes. Colossians 1.16: Old Creation or New Creation? by Sean P. Finnegan Abstract  How should we understand the words, “in him all things were created” in Col 1.16? Although commonly taken to mean Christ created the universe, this view has contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. In what follows, I will explain the difficulties with the various old creation readings of Col 1.16 along with five reasons for a new creation approach. Then I'll provide a new creation reading of Col 1.16 before summarizing my findings in the conclusion. Introduction  Colossians 1.15-20 is a fascinating text of great importance for Christology. Commonly understood to be a hymn, it is fascinating in its cosmic scope and elevated Christology. Although many commentators interpret Paul[1] to say that Christ created the universe in his pre-existent state in Col 1.16, not all scholars see it that way. For example, Edward Schillebeeckx writes, “There is no mention in this text of pre-existence in the Trinitarian sense.”[2] Rather he sees “an eschatological pre-existence, characteristic of wisdom and apocalyptic.”[3] G. B. Caird agreed that Paul's focus in Col. 1.15-20 was not pre-existence (contra Lightfoot), rather, “The main thread of Paul's thought, then, is the manhood of Christ.”[4] In other words, “All that has been said in vv. 15-18 can be said of the historical Jesus.”[5] James Dunn also denied that Paul saw Christ as God's agent in creation in Col 1.15-20, claiming that such an interpretation was “to read imaginative metaphor in a pedantically literal way.”[6] James McGrath argued that “Jesus is the one through whom God's new creation takes place.” [7] Andrew Perriman likewise noted, “There is no reference to the creation of heaven and earth, light and darkness, sea and dry land, lights in the heavens, vegetation, or living creatures,”[8] also preferring a new creation approach.[9] To understand why such a broad range of scholars diverge from the old creation interpretation of Col 1.16, we will examine several contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. While explaining these, I'll also put forward four reasons to interpret Col 1.16 as new creation. Then I'll provide a fifth before giving a new creation reading of Col 1.15-20. But before going any further, let's familiarize ourselves with the text and structure. The Form of Col 1.15-20  To get our bearings, let me begin by providing a translation,[10] carefully structured to show the two strophes.[11] Strophe 1 (Col 1.15-18a) 15a      who is (the) image of the invisible God, 15b      firstborn of all creation 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him 17a      and he is before all things 17b      and all things hold together in him 18a      and he is the head of the body of the Church,[12] Strophe 2 (Col 1.18b-20) 18b      who is (the) beginning, 18c      firstborn from the dead, 18d                  in order that he may be first in all things, 19        for in him was pleased all the fulness to dwell 20a      and through him to reconcile all things in him, 20b      making peace through the blood of his cross 20c                  whether the things upon the earth 20d                  or the things in the heavens Here I've followed the two-strophe structure (1.15-18a and 18b-20) noted more than a century ago by the classical philologist Eduard Norden[13] and repeated by James Robinson,[14] Edward Lohse,[15] Edward Schweizer,[16] James Dunn,[17] Ben Witherington III,[18] and William Lane[19] among others. By lining up the parallel lines of the two strophes, we can clearly see the poetic form. Strophe 1 15a who is (the) image… 15b firstborn of all creation 16a for in him were created all things… 16e  all things have been created through him… Strophe 2 18b who is (the) beginning, 18c firstborn from the dead … 19 for in him was pleased all… 20a and through him to reconcile all things in him… Such striking repeated language between the two strophes means that we should be careful to maintain the parallels between them and not take a grammatical or exegetical position on a word or phrase that would disconnect it from the parallel line in the other strophe. Some scholars, including F. F. Bruce,[20] Michael Bird,[21] David Pao,[22] among others proposed vv. 17-18a as an independent transitional link between the two strophes. Lohse explained the motivation for this unlikely innovation as follows. Above all, it is curious that at the end of the first, cosmologically oriented strophe, Christ is suddenly referred to as the “head of the body, the church” (1:18a κεφαλή τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας). Considering its content, this statement would have to be connected with the second strophe which is characterized by soteriological statements. The structure of the hymn, however, places it in the first strophe.[23] For interpreters who prefer to think of the first strophe as cosmogony and the second as soteriology, a line about Christ's headship over the church doesn't fit very well. They restructure the form based on their interpretation of the content. Such a policy reverses the order of operations. One should determine the form and then interpret the content in light of structure. Lohse was right to reject the addition of a new transitional bridge between the two strophes. He called it “out of the question” since vv. 17-18a underscore “all things” and “serve as a summary that brings the first strophe to a conclusion.”[24] Now that we've oriented ourselves to some degree, let's consider old creation readings of Col 1.16 and the problems that arise when reading it that way. Old Creation Readings  Within the old creation paradigm for Col 1.16 we can discern three groups: those who see (A) Christ as the agent by whom God created, (B) Wisdom as the agent, and (C) Christ as the purpose of creation. Although space won't allow me to interact with each of these in detail, I will offer a brief critique of these three approaches. As a reminder, here is our text in both Greek and English. Colossians 1.16 16a      ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα 16b                  ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, 16c                  τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, 16d                  εἴτε θρόνοι εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· 16e      τὰ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται· 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him 1. Christ as the Agent of Creation Scot McKnight is representative in his claim that “The emphasis of the first stanza is Christ as the agent of creation … and the second is Christ as the agent of redemption.”[25] This view sees the phrase “in him were created all things” as Christ creating the universe in the beginning. However, this position has six problems with it. Firstly, the context of the poem—both before (vv. 13-14) and after (vv. 21-22)—is clearly soteriological not cosmogonical.[26] By inserting vv. 15-20 into the text after vv. 13-14, Paul connected the two together.[27] V. 15 begins with ὅς ἐστιν (who is), which makes it grammatically dependent on vv. 13-14. “It is widely accepted,” wrote Dunn, “that this passage is a pre-Pauline hymn interpolated and interpreted to greater or less extent by Paul.”[28] By placing the poem into a redemptive frame, Paul indicated how he interpreted it. The fact that God “rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred (us) into the kingdom of his beloved son” is the controlling context (v. 13).[29] As I will show below, I believe vv. 15-20 are ecclesiology not protology, since ecclesiology naturally flows from soteriology. Rather than remaining in the old domain of darkness, vulnerable to malevolent spiritual powers of this age, Colossian Christians are transferred into the new domain of Christ. The context makes it more natural to interpret the creation language of vv. 15-16 in light of Christ's redemptive work—as references to new creation rather than old creation. Doing so retains the contextual frame rather than jumping back to the beginning of time. A second problem arises when we consider the phrase “image of the invisible God” in v. 15. Although some see a Stoic or Wisdom reference here, I agree with F. F. Bruce who said, “No reader conversant with the OT scriptures, on reading these words of Paul, could fail to be reminded of the statement in Gen. 1:26f., that man was created by God ‘in his own image.'”[30] Immediately after making humanity in his own image, God blessed us with dominion over the earth. Philo also connected humanity's image of God with “the rulership over the earthly realms.”[31] But if the Christ of v. 15 is the pre-existent son prior to his incarnation, as the old creation model posits, “How can he be the ‘image of God,'” asked Eduard Schweizer, since “the one who is thus described here is not the earthly Jesus?”[32] It is precisely by virtue of his humanity that Jesus is the image of God not his pre-existence.[33] Thus, image-of-God language points us to the creation of a new humanity. A third problem is that “firstborn of all creation” prima facia implies that Christ is a member of creation (a partitive genitive). This is how Paul thought about Christ as firstborn in Rom 8.29 when he called Christ “firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Clearly he saw Christ as a member of the “ἀδελφοῖς” (brothers and sisters). Furthermore, “πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως” (firstborn of all creation) in v. 15 parallels “πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν” (firstborn from the dead) v. 18. Although the former (v. 15) can be taken as a genitive of subordination (firstborn over creation) or as a partitive genitive (firstborn of creation), the latter (v. 18) is unambiguously partitive. Because v. 18 includes the word ἐκ (from/out of), instead of a multivalent genitive, it must mean that Jesus was himself a member of the dead prior to his resurrection. Likewise, he was the firstborn member of creation. To take v. 15 as a genitive of subordination and v. 18 in a partitive sense allows theology to drive exegesis over against the clear structural link between v. 15b and v. 18c. In fact, as the BDAG noted, Christ is “the firstborn of a new humanity.”[34] He is chronologically born first and, by virtue of that, also preeminent.[35] Fourthly, the phrase, “ἐν αὐτῷ” (in him), implies soteriology not protology as it does throughout the Pauline corpus. The prepositional phrases “in Christ,” “in the Lord,” “in him,” and others that are similar occur more than a hundred times in Paul's epistles. McKnight elucidated the sense nicely: “This expression, then, is the inaugurated eschatological reality into which the Christian has been placed, and it also evokes the new-creation realities that a person discovers.”[36] Creation in Christ is not likely to refer to Genesis creation. In fact, apart from Col 1.16, there is no text within Paul or the rest of the Bible that speaks of the origin of the universe as something created “in Christ.”[37] Sadly translators routinely obscure this fact by translating “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “by him.”[38] Amazingly, the NASB and ESV render “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “in him” in every other usage apart from Col 1.16![39] For the sake of consistency, it makes better sense to render “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “in him” and let the reader decide how to interpret it. Fifthly, the line, “and he is the head of the body, the Church” (v. 18a) clearly roots the first strophe in redemptive history not creation. Our English translations follow Robert Estienne's verse divisions, which confusingly combine the last line of the first strophe (v. 18a) and the first line of the second (v. 18b), obscuring the native poetic structure. As I made the case above, the structure of the text breaks into two strophes with v. 18a included in the first one. As I mentioned earlier, vv. 15-20 are a pre-existing poem that Paul has modified and incorporated into the text of Colossians. Ralph Martin pointed out that the poem contains “no less than five hapax legomena” and “about ten non-Pauline expressions.”[40] Additionally, there appear to be awkward additions that disrupt the symmetry. These additions are the most explicitly Christian material. It is likely that the original said, “and he is the head of the body” to which Paul appended “the church.” Edward Schillebeeckx commented on this. In Hellenistic terms this must primarily mean that he gives life and existence to the cosmos. Here, however, Colossians drastically corrects the ideas … The correction made by Colossians is to understand ‘body' as a reference to the church, and not the cosmos. This alters the whole perspective of the cultural and religious setting … The cosmic background is reinterpreted in terms of salvation history and ecclesiology. In fact Christ is already exercising his lordship over the world now … however, he is doing this only as the head of the church, his body, to which he gives life and strength. Thus Colossians claims that the church alone, rather than the cosmos, is the body of Christ.[41] If this is true, it shows Paul's careful concern to disallow a strictly old creation or protological reading of the first strophe. For by inserting “of the church,” he has limited the context of the first strophe to the Christ event. “The addition of ‘the church,'” wrote Dunn, “indicates that for Paul at any rate the two strophes were not dealing with two clearly distinct subjects (cosmology and soteriology).”[42] Karl-Joseph Kuschel wrote, “The answer would seem to be he wanted to ‘disturb' a possible cosmological-protological fancy in the confession of Christ … to prevent Christ from becoming a purely mythical heavenly being.”[43] Thus Paul's addition shows us he interpreted the creation of v16 as new creation. Lastly, theological concerns arise when taking Col 1.16 as old creation. The most obvious is that given the partitive genitive of v. 15, we are left affirming the so-called Arian position that God created Christ as the firstborn who, in turn, created everything else. Another thorn in the side of this view is God's insistence elsewhere to be the solo creator (Isa 44.24; cf. 45.18). On the strength of this fact, modalism comes forward to save the day while leaving new problems in its wake. However, recognizing Col 1.15-20 as new creation avoids such theological conundrums. 2. Wisdom as the Agent of Creation Dustin Smith noted, “The christological hymn contains no less than nine characteristics of the wisdom of God (e.g., “image,” “firstborn,” agent of creation, preceding all things, holding all things together) that are reapplied to the figure of Jesus.”[44] Some suggest that Col 1.15-20 is actually a hymn to Wisdom that Paul Christianized.[45] The idea is that God created the universe through his divine Wisdom, which is now embodied or incarnate in Christ. Dunn explained it as follows. If then Christ is what God's power/wisdom came to be recognized as, of Christ it can be said what was said first of wisdom—that ‘in him (the divine wisdom now embodied in Christ) were created all things.' In other words the language may be used here to indicate the continuity between God's creative power and Christ without the implication being intended that Christ himself was active in creation.[46] Before pointing out some problems, I must admit much of this perspective is quite noncontroversial. That Jewish literature identified Wisdom as God's creative agent, that there are linguistic parallels between Col 1.15-20 and Wisdom, and that the historical Jesus uniquely embodied Wisdom to an unprecedented degree are not up for debate. Did Paul expect his readers to pick up on the linguistic parallels? Afterall, he could have just said “in her were created all things” in v. 16, clearly making the connection with the grammatically feminine σοφία (Wisdom). Better yet, he could have said, “in Wisdom were created all things.” Even if the poem was originally to Wisdom, Paul has thoroughly Christianized it, applying to Christ what had been said of Wisdom. However, the most significant defeater for this view is that applying Wisdom vocabulary to Christ only works one way. Wisdom has found her home in Christ. This doesn't mean we can attribute to Christ what Wisdom did before she indwelt him any more than we can attribute to the living descendants of Nazis the horrific deeds of their ancestors. Perriman's critique is correct: “The point is not that the act of creation was Christlike, rather the reverse: recent events have been creation-like. The death and resurrection of Jesus are represented as the profoundly creative event in which the wisdom of God is again dynamically engaged, by which a new world order has come about.”[47] Once again a new creation approach makes better sense of the text. 3. Christ as the Purpose of Creation Another approach is to take ἐν αὐτῷ (in him) in a telic sense. Martha King, a linguist with SIL, said the phrase can mean “in association with Christ everything was created” or “in connection with Christ all things were created.”[48] Lexicographer, Joseph Thayer, sharpened the sense with the translation, “[I]n him resides the cause why all things were originally created.”[49] William MacDonald's translation brought this out even more with the phrase, “because for him everything … was created.”[50] The idea is that God's act of creation in the beginning was with Christ in view. As Eric Chang noted, “Christ is the reason God created all things.”[51] G. B. Caird said, “He is the embodiment of that purpose of God which underlies the whole creation.”[52] The idea is one of predestination not agency.[53] Christ was the goal for which God created all things. A weakness of this view is that purpose is better expressed using εἰς or δία with an accusative than ἐν. Secondly, the parallel line in the second strophe (v. 19) employs “ἐν αὐτῷ” in a clearly locative sense: “in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.” So even though “ἐν αὐτῷ” could imply purpose, in this context it much more likely refers to location. Lastly, Paul mentioned the sense of purpose at the end of v. 16 with “εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται” (for him has been created), so it would be repetitive to take “ἐν αὐτῷ” that way as well. To sum up, the three positions that see Col 1.16 as a reference to old creation all have significant problems. With these in mind, let us turn our attention to consider a fourth possibility: that Paul has in mind new creation. Reasons for a New Creation Reading I've already provided four reasons why Col 1.15-20 refers to new creation: (1) calling Christ the image of God points to the new humanity begun in Christ as the last Adam;[54] (2) since the firstborn of the old creation was Adam (or, perhaps, Seth), Jesus must be the firstborn of the new creation; (3) saying Jesus is the head of the church, limits the focus for the first strophe to the time following the Christ event; (4) the context of the poem, both before (vv. 13-14) and after (vv. 21-22) is soteriological, making an old creation paradigm awkward, while a new creation view fits perfectly. The Catholic priest and professor, Franz Zeilinger, summarized the situation nicely: “Christ is (through his resurrection from the realm of death) Lord over the possession granted to him, of which he is the ἀρχή (beginning) and archetype, … and head and beginning of the eschatological new creation!”[55] Additionally, a new creation paradigm fits best with Paul's elaboration of what visible and invisible things in heaven and on earth he has in mind. Once again, here's our text. 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him By specifying thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities, we discern Paul's train of thought. Form critics are quick to point out that v. 16d is Paul's addition to the poem. Without it, the reader may have thought of sky, land, and animals—old creation. However, with v. 16d present, we direct our attention to political realities not God's creative power or engineering genius. Martha King noted the two possible meanings for εἴτε: (1) specifying the “invisible things” or (2) giving examples of “all things.” Taking the second view, we read “in him were created all things, including thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities.”[56] Randy Leedy also presented this position in his sentence diagrams, identifying v. 16d as equivalent to v. 16c and v. 16b, all of which modify τὰ πάντα (all things) at the end of v. 16a. (See Appendix for Leedy's diagram.) Perriman pressed home the point when he wrote: The fact is that any interpretation that takes verse 16 to be a reference to the original creation has to account for the narrow range of created things explicitly listed. … The Colossians verse mentions only the creation of political entities—thrones, lordships, rulers and authorities, visible and invisible—either in the already existing heaven or on the already existing and, presumably, populated earth. What this speaks of is a new governmental order consisting of both invisible-heavenly and visibly-earthly entities.”[57] Understanding v. 16d as equivalent to “all things” in v. 16a nicely coheres with a new-creation paradigm. However, taken the other way—as an elaboration of only the invisible created realities—v. 16d introduces an asymmetrical and clumsy appendix. A New Creation Reading of Col 1.16 Now that we've considered some problems with old creation views and some reasons to read Col 1.16 from a new creation perspective, let's consider how a new creation reading works. New creation is all about the new breaking into the old, the future into the present. G. F. Wessels said, “Paul made clear that there is a present realized aspect of salvation, as well as a future, still outstanding aspect, which will only be realized at the eschaton.”[58] New creation, likewise, has future and present realities. Exiting Old Creation Before becoming part of the new creation, one must exit the old creation. “Our old humanity was co-crucified“ (Rom 6.6). “With Christ you died to the elemental principles of the world” (Col 2.20). “As many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into his death” (Rom 6.3). We were “co-buried with him through baptism into the death … having been united with the likeness of his death” (Rom 6.4-5). Our death with him through baptism kills our allegiance and submission to the old powers and the old way of life “in which you formerly walked according to the zeitgeist of this world, according to the rule of the authority of the air, the spirit which now works in the children of disobedience” (Eph 2.2). Entering New Creation As death is the only way out of the old creation, so resurrection is the only way into the new creation. “You have been co-raised with Christ” (Col 3.1). God “co-made-alive us together with him” (Col 2.13).[59] By virtue of our union with Christ, we ourselves are already “co-raised and co-seated us in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2.6). The result of this is that “we also may walk in newness of life” (Rom 6.4). For those who are “in Christ, (there is) a new creation; the old has passed away, behold (the) new has come into existence” (2 Cor 5.17). “They have been ‘transported,'” wrote Schillebeeckx, “they already dwell above in Christ's heavenly sphere of influence (Col 1.13)—the soma Christou … that is the church!”[60] Community For the people of God, “neither circumcision is anything nor uncircumcision but a new creation” is what matters (Gal 6.15). Those who “are clothed with the new” are “being renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created, where there is no Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, (or) free, but Christ (is) all and in all” (Col 3.10-11). Through Christ God has nullified the law “in order that he might create the two into one new humanity in him” (Eph 2.14-15). Thus, within new creation, ethnic identity still exists, but it is relativized, our identity in Christ taking priority ahead of other affiliations and duties. Lifestyle When the lost become saved through faith, they become his creation (ποίημα), “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph 2.10). This means we are to “lay aside the former way of life, the old humanity corrupted according to deceitful desires” and instead be clothed with “the new humanity created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph 4.22-24). Rather than lying to one another, we must “strip off the old humanity with its way of acting” and “be clothed with the new (humanity), renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it” (Col 3.9-10). “The ones who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts” and instead “walk by the spirit” (Gal 5.24-25). Ultimately, All Creation Although new creation is currently limited to those who voluntarily recognize Jesus as Lord, all “creation is waiting with eager expectation for the unveiling of the children of God” (Rom 8.19). Because of the Christ event, the created order eagerly awaits the day when it will escape “the enslavement of corruption” and gain “the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (v. 21). Like a bone out of joint, creation does not function properly. Once Christ sets it right, it will return to its proper order and operation under humanity's wise and capable rulership in the eschaton. Eschatology God predetermined that those who believe will be “conformed to the image of his son, that he be firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Rom 8.29). Thus, the resurrected Christ is the prototype, “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15.20). Whereas “in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (v. 22). We await Christ's return to “transform the body of our humble station (that it be) shaped to his glorious body according to the energy which makes him able to also to subject all things to himself.” (Phil 3.21). This is the end goal of new creation: resurrected subjects of God's kingdom joyfully living in a renewed world without mourning, crying, and pain forevermore (Isa 65.17-25; Rev 21-22). The Powers Taking Col 1.16 as a new creation text adds key information about the present governing powers to this richly textured picture. In Christ God created thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities. He made these through Christ and for Christ with the result that Christ himself is before all things, and in Christ all things hold together (Col 1.17). He is the head of the body, the Church (Col 1.18). We find very similar language repeated in Ephesians in the context of Christ's exaltation.[61] Ephesians 1.20-23 20 Which [power] he energized in Christ having raised him from the dead and seated (him) on his right (hand) in the heavenlies 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name named, not only in this age but also in the one to come; 22 and he subjected all things under his feet and gave him (as) head over all things in the Church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in all. The parallels are striking. Both speak of Christ's resurrection, Christ's exalted position of authority over all the powers, Christ's role as head of the church, and both mention the fullness. It's easy to miss the connection between these two passages since most think of Eph 1.20-22 as ascension theology and Col 1.15-20 as creation theology. But, if we adjust our thinking to regard Col 1.16 as new creation, we see how the two fit together. In Ephesians we see Christ's ascension to God's right hand as the reason for a cosmic reordering of authorities with the result that all rule, authority, power, and dominion are subjected to him. (Though we may be accustomed to reading these powers in Eph 1.21 as only malevolent owing to Eph 2.2 and 6.12, the list here must be mixed, since only benevolent powers will survive the final judgement and continue into the age to come.) Instead of exaltation, in Colossians Paul employed the language of creation to describe Christ's relation to the powers. Perhaps lesser terms like reassign, reorder, or establish were just too small to adequately express the magnitude of how the Christ event has changed the world—both in heaven and on earth. The only term big enough to convey the new situation was “creation”—the very same word he routinely used elsewhere with the meaning of new creation.[62] We can gain more insight by considering what the powers of Eph 1.21 and Col 1.16 mean. McKnight saw them “as earthly, systemic manifestations of (perhaps fallen) angelic powers—hence, the systemic worldly, sociopolitical manifestations of cosmic/angelic rebellion against God.”[63] I partially agree with McKnight here. He's right to see the powers as both heavenly and earthly, or better, as the heavenly component of the earthly sociopolitical realities, but he has not made room for the new authority structures created in Christ. John Schoenheit helpfully explained it this way: Not only did Jesus create his Church out of Jew and Gentile, he had to create the structure and positions that would allow it to function, both in the spiritual world (positions for the angels that would minister to the Church—see Rev. 1:1, “his angel”) and in the physical world (positions and ministries here on earth—see Rom. 12:4-8; Eph. 4:7-11).[64] We must never forget that Paul has an apocalyptic worldview—a perspective that seeks to unveil the heavenly reality behind the earthly. He believed in powers of darkness and powers of light. In Christ were created thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities (Col 1.16). He is “the head of all rule and authority” (Col 2.10). These new creation realities make progress against the old powers that still hold sway in the world outside the Church. Although the old powers are still at work, those who are in Christ enjoy his protection. With respect to the Church, he has already “disarmed the rulers and authorities” (Col 2.15). We can don “the armor of God that we be able to stand against the methods of the devil” (Eph 6.11) and “subduing everything, to stand” (v. 13). We find glimpses of this heavenly reality scattered in other places in the Bible. Peter mentioned how Christ “is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and power having been subjected to him” (1 Pet 3.22). In John's Revelation, he addressed each of the seven letters to the angels of their respective churches.[65] Although it's hard for us to get details on precisely what happened at Christ's ascension, something major occurred, not just on earth, but also in the spiritual realm. Jesus's last recorded words in Matthew are: “all authority in heaven and upon earth was given to me” (Mat 28.18-20). Presumably such a statement implies that prior to his resurrection Jesus did not have all authority in heaven and earth. It didn't exist until it was created. Similarly, because of his death, resurrection, and ascension, Christ has “become so much better than the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to them” (Heb 1.4). Once again, the text implies that Christ was not already superior to the angels, but “after making purification of the sins, he sat on the right hand of the majesty on high” at which time he became preeminent (Heb 1.3). Perhaps this also explains something about why Christ “proclaimed to the spirits in prison” (1 Pet 3.19). Another possibility is that Christ's ascension (Rev 12.5) triggered a war in heaven (v. 7) with the result that the dragon and his angels suffered defeat (v. 8) and were thrown out of heaven down to the earth (v. 9). Sadly, for most of the history of the church we have missed this Jewish apocalyptic approach that was obvious to Paul, limiting salvation to individual sins and improved morality.[66] Only in the twentieth century did interpreters begin to see the cosmic aspect of new creation. Margaret Thrall wrote the following. The Christ-event is the turning-point of the whole world … This Christ ‘in whom' the believer lives is the last Adam, the inaugurator of the new eschatological humanity. … Paul is saying that if anyone exists ‘in Christ', that person is a newly-created being. … In principle, through the Christ-event and in the person of Christ, the new world and the new age are already objective realities.[67] New creation is, in the words of J. Louis Martyn “categorically cosmic and emphatically apocalyptic.”[68] In fact, “The advent of the Son and of his Spirit is thus the cosmic apocalyptic event.”[69] In Christ is the beginning of a whole new creation, an intersecting community of angelic and human beings spanning heaven and earth. The interlocking of earthly (visible) and heavenly (invisible) authority structures points to Paul's apocalyptic holism. The Church was not on her own to face the ravages of Rome's mad love affair with violence and power. In Christ, people were no longer susceptible to the whims of the gods that have wreaked so much havoc from time immemorial.[70] No, the Church is Christ's body under his direct supervision and protection. As a result, the Church is the eschatological cosmic community. It is not merely a social club; it has prophetic and cosmic dimensions. Prophetically, the Church points to the eschaton when all of humanity will behave then how the Church already strives to live now—by the spirit instead of the flesh (Gal 5.16-25). Cosmically, the Church is not confined to the earth. There is a heavenly dimension with authority structures instantiated under Christ to partner with the earthly assemblies. God's “plan for the fulness of the times” is “to head up all thing in the Christ, the things upon the heavens and the things upon the earth in him” (Eph 1.10). Although this is his eschatological vision, Zeilinger pointed out that it is already happening. [T]he eschatological world given in Christ is realized within the still-existing earthly creation through the inclusion of the human being in Christ, the exalted one, by means of the proclamation of salvation and baptism. The eschaton spreads throughout the world in the kerygma and becomes reality, in that the human being, through baptism, becomes part of Christ—that is, in unity with him, dies to the claim of the στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου (2.20) and is raised with him to receive his eschatological life. The people thus incorporated into the exalted Christ thereby form, in him and with him, the new creation of the eschaton within the old! The body of Christ is thus recognizable as the expanding Church. In it, heavenly and earthly space form, in a certain sense, a unity.[71] The Church is a counter society, and embassy of the future kingdom shining the light of the age to come into the present in the power of the spirit with the protection of Christ and his heavenly powers over against the powers of darkness, who/which are still quite active—especially in the political realities of our present evil age (Gal 1.4). We bend the knee to the cosmic Christ now in anticipation of the day when “every knee may bend: heavenly and earthly and subterranean” (Phil 2.10) and “every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ (is) Lord” (v. 11). Christ's destiny is to fulfil the original Adamic mandate to multiply, fill, and have dominion over the earth (Gen 1.28). He has already received all authority in heaven and earth (Mat 28.18). God has given him “dominion over the works of your hands and put all things under his feet” as the quintessential man (Ps 8.6). Even so, “Now we do not yet see all things subjected to him” (Heb 2.8), but when he comes “he will reign into the ages of the ages” (Rev 11.15). Until then, he calls the Church to recognize his preeminence and give him total allegiance both in word and deed. Conclusion We began by establishing that the structure of the poetic unit in Col 1.15-20 breaks into two strophes (15-18a and 18b-20). We noted that Paul likely incorporated pre-existing material into Colossians, editing it as he saw fit. Then we considered the problems with the three old creation readings: (A) Christ as the agent of creation, (B) Wisdom as the agent of creation, and (C) Christ as the purpose of creation. In the course of critiquing (A), which is by far most popular, we observed several reasons to think Col 1.16 pertained to new creation, including (1) the image of God language in v. 15a, (2) the firstborn of all creation language in v. 15b, (3) the head of the Church language in v. 18a, and (4) the soteriological context (frame) of the poem (vv. 13-14, 21-22). To this I added a fifth syntactical reason that 16d as an elaboration of “τἀ πάντα” (all things) of 16a. Next, we explored the idea of new creation, especially within Paul's epistles, to find a deep and richly textured paradigm for interpreting God's redemptive and expanding sphere of influence (in Christ) breaking into the hostile world. We saw that new Christians die and rise with Christ, ending their association with the old and beginning again as a part of the new—a community where old racial, legal, and status divisions no longer matter, where members put off the old way of living and instead become clothed with the new humanity, where people look forward to and live in light of the ultimate transformation to be brought about at the coming of Christ. Rather than limiting new creation to the salvation of individuals, or even the sanctifying experience of the community, we saw that it also includes spiritual powers both “in the heavens and upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” (Col 1.16). Reading Col 1.15-20 along with Eph 1.20-23 we connected God's creation of the powers in Christ with his exaltation of Christ to his right hand “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph 1.21). The point from both texts is clear: as “the head of the body, the Church” (Col 1.18; Eph 1.22), Christ is “before all things” (Col 1.17), “first in all things” (Col 1.18), and “far above all” (Eph 1.21), since God has “subjected all things under his feet” (Eph 1.22). Christ is preeminent as the firstborn of all new creation, “the new Adam … the starting point where new creation took place.”[72] Although the old powers still hold sway in the world, those in the interlocked heaven-and-earth new creation domain where Christ is the head, enjoy his protection if they remain “in the faith established and steadfast and not shifting away from the hope of the gospel” (Col 1.23). This interpretation has several significant advantages. It fits into Paul's apocalyptic way of thinking about Christ's advent and exaltation. It also holds together the first strophe of the poem as a unit. Additionally, it makes better sense of the context. (The ecclesiology of Col 1.15-18a follows logically from the soteriological context of vv. 13-14.) Lastly, it is compatible with a wide range of Christological options. Appendix Here is Col 1.16 from Leedy's sentence diagrams.[73] Of note is how he equates the τὰ πάντα of 16a with 16c and 16d rather than seeing 16d as an elaboration of τά ὁρατά. Bibliography Bauer, Walter, Frederick William  Danker, William F. Arndt, F. Gingrich, Kurt Aland, Barbara Aland, and Viktor Reichmann. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000. Bird, Michael F. Colossians and Philemon. A New Covenant Commentary. Cambridge, England: The Lutterworth Press, 2009. Brown, Anna Shoffner. “Nothing ‘Mere’ About a Man in the Image of God.” Paper presented at the Unitarian Christian Alliance, Springfield, OH, Oct 14, 2022. Bruce, E. K. Simpson and F. F. The Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Ned B. Stonehouse. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1957. Buzzard, Anthony F. Jesus Was Not a Trinitarian. Morrow, GA: Restoration Fellowship, 2007. Caird, G. B. New Testament Theology. Edited by L. D. Hurst. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 2002. Caird, G. B. Paul’s Letters from Prison. New Clarendon Bible, edited by H. F. D. Sparks. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1976. Carden, Robert. One God: The Unfinished Reformation. Revised ed. Naperville, IL: Grace Christian Press, 2016. Chang, Eric H. H. The Only Perfect Man. Edited by Bentley C. F. Chang. 2nd ed. Montreal, QC: Christian Disciples Church Publishers, 2017. Deuble, Jeff. Christ before Creeds. Latham, NY: Living Hope International Ministries, 2021. Dunn, James D. G. Christology in the Making. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996. Dunn, James D. G. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon. New International Greek Testament Commentary, edited by Gasque Marshall, Hagner. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996. Heiser, Michael S. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019. King, Martha. An Exegetical Summary of Colossians. Dallas, TX: SIL International, 1992. Kuschel, Karl-Joseph. Born before All Time? Translated by John Bowden. New York, NY: Crossroad, 1992. Originally published as Beforen vor aller Zeit? Lane, William L. The New Testament Page by Page. Open Your Bible Commentary, edited by Martin Manser. Bath, UK: Creative 4 International, 2013. Leedy, Randy A. The Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams. Norfolk, VA: Bible Works, 2006. Lohse, Edward. Colossians and Philemon. Hermeneia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1971. MacDonald, William Graham. The Idiomatic Translation of the New Testament. Norfolk, VA: Bibleworks, 2012. Mark H. Graeser, John A. Lynn, John W. Schoenheit. One God & One Lord. 4th ed. Martinsville, IN: Spirit & Truth Fellowship International, 2010. Martin, Ralph. “An Early Christian Hymn (Col. 1:15-20).” The Evangelical Quarterly 36, no. 4 (1964): 195–205. Martyn, J. Louis. Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1997. McGrath, James F. The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2009. McKnight, Scot. The Letter to the Colossians. New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Joel B. Green. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018. Norden, Eduard. Agnostos Theos: Untersuchungen Zur Formengeschichte Religiöser Rede. 4th ed. Stuttgart, Germany: B. G. Teubner, 1956. Originally published as 1913. Pao, David. Colossians and Philemon. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament, edited by Clinton E. Arnold. Grand Rapid, MI: Zondervan, 2012. Perriman, Andrew. In the Form of a God. Studies in Early Christology, edited by David Capes Michael Bird, and Scott Harrower. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2022. Philo. The Works of Philo. The Norwegian Philo Concordance Project. Edited by Kåre Fuglseth Peder Borgen, Roald Skarsten. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005. Robinson, James M. “A Formal Analysis of Colossians 1:15-20.” Journal of Biblical Literature 76, no. 4 (1957): 270–87. Schillebeeckx, Eduard. Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord. Translated by John Bowden. New York, NY: The Seabury Press, 1977. Schoberg, Gerry. Perspectives of Jesus in the Writings of Paul. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2013. Schweizer, Eduard. The Letter to the Colossians. Translated by Andrew Chester. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1982. Smith, Dustin R. Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2024. Snedeker, Donald R. Our Heavenly Father Has No Equals. Bethesda, MD: International Scholars Publications, 1998. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Thrall, Margaret. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Vol. 1. The International Critical Commentary, edited by C. E. B. Cranfield J. A. Emerton, G. N. Stanton. Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark, 1994. Wachtel, William M. “Colossians 1:15-20–Preexistence or Preeminence?” Paper presented at the 14th Theological Conference, McDonough, GA, 2005. Wessels, G. F. “The Eschatology of Colossians and Ephesians.” Neotestamentica 21, no. 2 (1987): 183–202. Witherington III, Ben The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary of the Captivity Epistles. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Yates, Roy. The Epistle to the Colossians. London: Epworth Press, 1993. Zeilinger, Franz. Der Erstgeborene Der Schöpfung. Wien, Österreich: Herder, 1974. Footnotes [1] Since the nineteenth century biblical scholars have been divided over whether Paul wrote Colossians. One of the major reasons for thinking Paul didn't write Colossians is his exalted Christology—the very conclusion this paper seeks to undermine. A second major factor to argue against Pauline authorship is the difference in vocabulary, but this is explainable if Paul used a different amanuensis. The theologically more cosmic emphasis (also evident in Ephesians) is likely due to Paul's time in prison to reflect and expand his understanding of the Christ event. Lastly, the proto-Gnostic hints in Colossians do not require dating the epistle outside of Paul's time. Although Gnosticism flourished at the beginning of the second century, it was likely already beginning to incubate in Paul's time. [2] Eduard Schillebeeckx, Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord, trans. John Bowden (New York, NY: The Seabury Press, 1977), 185. [3] Schillebeeckx, 185. [4] G. B. Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, New Clarendon Bible, ed. H. F. D. Sparks (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1976), 177. [5] Caird, 181. [6] James D. G. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, New International Greek Testament Commentary, ed. Gasque Marshall, Hagner (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 91. “[W]hat at first reads as a straightforward assertion of Christ's pre-existenct activity in creation becomes on closer analysis an assertion which is rather more profound—not of Christ as such present with God in the beginning, nor of Christ as identified with a pre-existent hypostasis or divine being (Wisdom) beside God, but of Christ as embodying and expressing (and defining) that power of God which is the manifestation of God in and to his creation.” (Italics in original.) James D. G. Dunn, Christology in the Making, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 194. [7] James F. McGrath, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2009), 46. [8] Andrew Perriman, In the Form of a God, Studies in Early Christology, ed. David Capes Michael Bird, and Scott Harrower (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2022), 200. [9] In addition, biblical unitarians routinely interpret Col 1.16 as new creation. See Anthony F. Buzzard, Jesus Was Not a Trinitarian (Morrow, GA: Restoration Fellowship, 2007), 189–90, Robert Carden, One God: The Unfinished Reformation, Revised ed. (Naperville, IL: Grace Christian Press, 2016), 197–200, Eric H. H. Chang, The Only Perfect Man, ed. Bentley C. F. Chang, 2nd ed. (Montreal, QC: Christian Disciples Church Publishers, 2017), 151–52, Jeff Deuble, Christ before Creeds (Latham, NY: Living Hope International Ministries, 2021), 163–66, John A. Lynn Mark H. Graeser, John W. Schoenheit, One God & One Lord, 4th ed. (Martinsville, IN: Spirit & Truth Fellowship International, 2010), 493–94, Donald R. Snedeker, Our Heavenly Father Has No Equals (Bethesda, MD: International Scholars Publications, 1998), 291–92, William M. Wachtel, “Colossians 1:15-20–Preexistence or Preeminence?” (paper presented at the 14th Theological Conference, McDonough, GA, 2005), 4. [10] All translations are my own. [11] Stophes are structural divisions drawn from Greek odes akin to stanzas in poetry or verses in music. [12] Throughout I will capitalize Church since that reflects the idea of all Christians collectively not just those in a particular local assembly. [13] Eduard Norden, Agnostos Theos: Untersuchungen Zur Formengeschichte Religiöser Rede, 4th ed. (Stuttgart, Germany: B. G. Teubner, 1956), 250–54. [14] James M. Robinson, “A Formal Analysis of Colossians 1:15-20,” Journal of Biblical Literature 76, no. 4 (1957): 272–73. [15] Edward Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, Hermeneia (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1971), 44. [16] Eduard Schweizer, The Letter to the Colossians, trans. Andrew Chester (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1982), 57. [17] Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 84. [18] Ben  Witherington III, The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary of the Captivity Epistles (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007), 129. [19] William L. Lane, The New Testament Page by Page, Open Your Bible Commentary, ed. Martin Manser (Bath, UK: Creative 4 International, 2013), 765. [20] E. K. Simpson and F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1957), 65. [21] Michael F. Bird, Colossians and Philemon, A New Covenant Commentary (Cambridge, England: The Lutterworth Press, 2009), 50. [22] David Pao, Colossians and Philemon, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament, ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapid, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 87. [23] Lohse, 42. [24] Lohse, 43–44. [25] Scot McKnight, The Letter to the Colossians, New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Joel B. Green (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018), 144. [26] Col 1.13-14: “who rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred (us) into the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have the redemption, the forgiveness of the sins.” Col 1.21-22: “And you being formerly alienated and hostile in thought in the evil deeds, but now he reconciled (you) in his body of the flesh through the death to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him.” [27] In fact, we can easily skip from vv. 13-14 to vv. 21-22. [28] Dunn, Christology in the Making, 187–88. [29] Sadly, most translations erroneously insert a paragraph between vv. 14 and 15. This produces the visual effect that v. 15 is a new thought unit. [30] Bruce, 193. [31] Moses 2.65: “τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τῶν περιγείων” in Philo, The Works of Philo, The Norwegian Philo Concordance Project (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005). See also Sirach 17.3. [32] Schweizer, 64. [33] For a helpful treatment of how the image of God relates to Christology, see Anna Shoffner Brown, “Nothing ‘Mere’ About a Man in the Image of God” (paper presented at the Unitarian Christian Alliance, Springfield, OH, Oct 14, 2022). [34] Walter Bauer et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. “πρωτότοκος,” 2.a. [35] Franz Zeilnger wrote, “Christ is temporally the first of a series that essentially proceeds from him, and at the same time its lord and head.” Franz Zeilinger, Der Erstgeborene Der Schöpfung (Wien, Österreich: Herder, 1974), 182. Original: “als “Wurzel” ist Christus zeitlich der erste einer Reihe, die wesentlich aus ihm hervorgeht, und zugleich ihr Herr und Haupt.” [36] McKnight, 85–86. [37] The closest parallels are 1 Cor 8.6; Heb 1.2; and John 1.3, which employ the preposition δια (through). Upon close examination these three don't teach Christ created the universe either. [38] ESV, CSB, NASB, etc. Notably the NET diverges from the other evangelical translations. Roman Catholic, mainline, and unitarian translations all tend to straightforwardly render “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “in him” in Col 1.16; cf. NABRE, NRSVUE, OGFOMMT, etc. [39] Chang, 150. [40] Ralph Martin, “An Early Christian Hymn (Col. 1:15-20),” The Evangelical Quarterly 36, no. 4 (1964): 198. [41] Schillebeeckx, 186. [42] Dunn, Christology in the Making, 191. [43] Karl-Joseph Kuschel, Born before All Time?, trans. John Bowden (New York, NY: Crossroad, 1992), 336. [44] Dustin R. Smith, Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2024), 5–6. For more on wisdom Christology in Col 1.16 see Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 89, Roy Yates, The Epistle to the Colossians (London: Epworth Press, 1993), 18–19, 23, G. B. Caird, New Testament Theology, ed. L. D. Hurst (Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 2002), 46, McGrath, 44, 46. [45] See Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 89. See also Yates, 18–19, 23. [46] Dunn, Christology in the Making, 190. [47] Perriman, 199. [48] Martha King, An Exegetical Summary of Colossians (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 1992), 53. [49] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), s.v. “ἐν,” 1722. He recognized the cause was both instrumental and final. [50] William Graham MacDonald, The Idiomatic Translation of the New Testament (Norfolk, VA: Bibleworks, 2012). [51] Chang, 147. Similarly James McGrath wrote, “[I]f all things were intended by God to find their fulfillment in Christ, then they must have been created “in him” in the very beginning in some undefined sense, since it was axiomatic that the eschatological climax of history would be a restoration of its perfect, original state.” McGrath, 46. [52] Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, 172. [53] “God so designed the universe that it was to achieve its proper meaning and unity only under the authority of man (Gen. 128; Ps. 86). But this purpose was not to be implemented at once; it was ‘to be put into effect when the time was ripe' (Eph. 110), when Christ had lived a human life as God intended it, and had become God's image in a measure which was never true of Adam. Only in unity with ‘the proper man' could the universe be brought to its destined coherence. For one who believes in predestination it is but a small step from this to saying that the universe was created in him.” Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, 178. [54] See also Paul's Adam Christology in Rom 5.12-21; 1 Cor 15.21-22, 45-49. [55] “Christus ist (durch seine Auferstehung aus dem Todesbereich) Herr über den ihm verliehenen Besitz, dessen ἀρχή und Urbild er ist, … und Haupt und Anfang der eschatologischen Neuschöpfung!” Zeilinger, 188. [56] King, 54. [57] Perriman, 200. [58] G. F. Wessels, “The Eschatology of Colossians and Ephesians,” Neotestamentica 21, no. 2 (1987): 187. [59] I realize my translation is awkward, but I prioritized closely mirroring the Greek over presenting smooth English. The original reads, “συνεζωοποίησεν ὑμᾶς σὺν αὐτῷ.” [60] Schillebeeckx, 187. [61] Scholars who make this connection include Caird, New Testament Theology, 216, Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, 177, McGrath, 44, Perriman, 201. [62] In fact, only two of the texts I cited above explicitly say “new creation” (2 Cor 5.17 and Gal 6.15). In all the others, Paul blithely employed creation language, expecting his readers to understand that he was not talking about the creation of the universe, but the creation of the new humanity in Christ—the Church. [63] McKnight, 152. [64] Mark H. Graeser, 493. [65] Rev 2.1, 8, 12, 18; 3.1, 7, 14. [66] See Gerry Schoberg, Perspectives of Jesus in the Writings of Paul (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2013), 280–81, 83. [67] Margaret Thrall, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, vol. 1, The International Critical Commentary, ed. C. E. B. Cranfield J. A. Emerton, G. N. Stanton (Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark, 1994), 423, 26–28. [68] J. Louis Martyn, Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1997), 122. [69] Martyn, 121. [70] Whether the old gods actually existed or not is a topic beyond the scope of this paper. Interested readers should consult Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019). [71] “[D]ie in Christus gegebene echatologische Welt verwirkliche sich innerhalb der weiterhin existenten irdischen Schöpfung durch die Einbeziehung des Menschen in Christus, den Erhöhten, mittles Heilsverkündigung und Taufe. Das Eschaton setzt sic him Kerygma wetweit durch und wird Wirklichkeit, indem der Mensch durch die Taufe Christi Teil wird, d. h. in Einheit mit ihm dem Anspruch der στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου stirbt (2, 20) und mit ihm auferweckt sein eschatologisches Leben erhält. Die so dem erhöhten Christus eingegliederten Menschen bilden somit in ihm und mit ihm die neue Schöpfung der Eschata innerhalb der alten! Der Christusleib ist somit als sich weitende Kirche erkennbar. In ihr bildet himmlischer und irdischer Raum gewissermaßen eine Einheit.” Zeilinger, 179. [72] “Der neue Adam … Ausgangsort, in dem sich Neuschöpfung ereignete,” Zeilinger, 199. [73] Randy A. Leedy, The Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams (Norfolk, VA: Bible Works, 2006). This is now available in Logos Bible Software.

Weekly Sermon, Aug 3rd, 2025 Colossians 1:10-17 (NASB)

(This podcast was previously recorded and published on May 9, 2020)   Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...   Is antichrist one person? Many churches teach that it is. But the apostle John said there were already "many" antichrists in his time. I John 2:18   The apostle Paul told us antichrist would come through "the temple of God".  II Thessalonians 2:4   The majority of Christian type churches were looking for antichrist in the leadership of the governments of men.  (The Russians in the 1800's thought Napoleon was the antichrist.)   Paul said antichrist had to come before Jesus could return. And Paul said there first had to be a "falling away". II Thessalonians 2:3   In this Podcast, I will show what scriptures tell us about antichrist and how antichrist comes through the churches rather than through the governments of men.   I will also show you exactly how antichrist comes into the churches today as shown us by specific scriptures.   ***** The apostle John said in his day there were already "many" antichrists. These persons were just waiting for their chance to spread perverse doctrines into the churches.   I John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.   The apostle Paul knew antichrist would come into the churches after his death.   Acts 20 (Paul speaking to the elders of the church at Ephesus)   29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.   30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.     II Thessalonians 2  (KJV)   3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;   (Churches would "fall away" from scripture and set up other doctrines.)   4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.   II Thessalonians 2  (NASB)   3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.   ***   The restraint against antichrist: II Thessalonians 2  (NASB)   6 And you know what restrains him (antichrist) now, so that in his time he will be revealed.   (The scriptures kept antichrist back so long as the church groups kept with scriptures. But as soon as the various scriptures were removed, the restraint was removed and antichrist, the man of lawlessness, moved into the churches setting up his own doctrine against the scriptures.)   7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only HE (Jesus, the Word) who now restrains will do so until HE is taken out of the way.   (Jesus, the Word, the scriptures were taken out of the way allowing antichrist into the churches to work.)   8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.   Antichrist has been in the churches since the time of the apostle John. (I John 2:18)   But in the end times antichrist in churches would increase. (II Thessalonians2)   *** The real church, those who love and uphold all scripture, will be taken out before the great tribulation:    I Thessalonians 4   13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.   14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with HIM.   15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.   16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:   17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.   *** After the great tribulation, this present heaven and earth will be destroyed by God.   II Peter 3   10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.   11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,   12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?   13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.   14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.   When the cup of wickedness is full, by the standard of God, then Jesus returns and removes the real Christians who follow Him by His Spirit. We meet Jesus "in the air" because after that, comes the great tribulation of Revelation 8-16, and then this current heaven and earth will be destroyed by God according to II Peter 3: 10-14.   All who were taken up by God into the air will go to the new heaven and the new earth wherein dwelleth rightousness.   *** The apostle John was shown by God this new heaven and new earth:   Revelation 21   1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.   2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.   3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and HE will dwell with them, and they shall be HIS people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.   4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.   5 And HE that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.     I Corinthians 15:51-54  Paul said ... Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,   52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.   53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.   54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.   ==   Ephesians 4:8, 11-12   Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.   11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;   12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:     I Corinthians 7:10-11  Paul said ... And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:   11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.     Romans 1:26-28  (regarding homosexuals and lesbians) For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:   27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.   28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;     I John 5:14-15   And this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that, if we ask any thing according to HIS will, HE heareth us:   15 And if we know that HE hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of HIM.   

Dr. MaryAnn Diorio August 9, 2025Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Saturday, August 9, 2025, and this is episode #12 in Series 2025. This episode is titled, Are You Ready for What's Coming?Well, are you ready for what's coming? Do you even know what's coming? And coming very, very soon?It astounds me when I speak to people to learn that most of them have no clue about what is really going on in the world. They may know geopolitically or economically, but few know Biblically and prophetically what is actually happening. The reason is they don't read the Bible!Moreover, when I explain to people what is happening, most of them brush me off as being a lunatic, a crazy lady, a woman off her rocker. (Now, I do have a lovely white rocking chair on my front porch, but I manage very well to remain in it when I rock. :)But, back to my very serious message. The world is on the brink of a major disruption such as has never been seen in history nor will it ever be seen again. Consider Matthew 24: 21 NASB: "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again."This verse alludes to the Tribulation, that seven-year period of horrific catastrophe and calamity that will befall the earth and is also referred to in the Bible as "the time of Jacob's trouble." What is the time of Jacob's trouble?Let me give you a little background to help you understand. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham and the son of Isaac. In the Bible, the name Jacob refers to Israel because the Lord God changed Jacob's name to Israel. We learn this in Genesis 32: 28 ESV: "Then he [God] said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.'" (Brackets mine)Over the subsequent centuries, the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob, sinned greatly against God. As a result, God's wrath against them was roused, and they suffered much for their rebellion. The purpose of the Tribulation, or the time of Jacob's trouble, will be to bring Israel to repentance and to pour out His wrath on an unbelieving world.When will the Tribulation, the time of Jacob's trouble, occur? Here are some indicators:1_It will occur after Israel is back in her land. From the years 70 AD to 1948 AD, Israel was scattered all over the world in the historic event known as the diaspora. But in 1948, Israel was established and recognized as a sovereign nation by the United Nations. So Israel is now back in her land. Indicator #1 fulfilled.2_It will occur after the "times of the Gentiles. In Luke 21: 24, Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem "would be trampled underfoot" by the Gentiles until their time is fulfilled. This "time of the Gentiles" was likely completed in the 1967 war when Israel took back Jerusalem. Indicator #2 fulfilled.3_It will occur before the second coming of Christ. According to Mark 24: 23-30, Jesus will return at the end of the time of Jacob's trouble to judge the world. Indeed, His return signals the end of the Tribulation, or the time of Jacob's trouble. But before returning to the earth at the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will appear in the clouds and remove His true followers from the earth before the Tribulation, so that they will not suffer His wrath during the Tribulation. This event is called the Rapture. Some scholars believe that the Rapture could occur next month, September 2025, on the Jewish Feast of Rosh HaShanah, also called the Feast of Trumpets.Many signs are alerting us to the imminent return of Jesus Christ in the Rapture. Here are a few:1_The increase in the frequency and intensity of earthquakes, storms, and floods.2_The rise in famine around the world.3_The appearance of new diseases.4_The move toward a worldwide banking system of digital currency.5_The increase of lawlessness in the form of bloody street riots,

Our Daily Portion Podcast is a daily podcast to help us stay in God's Word daily.  We follow the Daily Torah Portion schedule utilizing the NASB translation. The scripture is read, a nugget is shared, and prayer closes us out.  Go to pursuitfortruth.com for more information about WIT Ministries.

Call: Matthew 28:18-20 Scripture: Acts 13:1-3 NASB

HOW TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX6NdGnm_vA00:00 - Intro02:15 - What about deceased loved ones? 08:50 - Isaiah 54:17?13:55 - Can fallen angels mess with our dreams?16:36 - Thank you and advice19:24 - Bobby Testimony21:28 - NASB 95?27:55 - Family holds Calvinist position36:29 - Ephesians 5:5 inheritance?44:00 - Believe in your heart?46:14 - I keep seeing 66649:30 - Is this a sign they aren't saved?52:57 - Is someone saved if they fall back into sins like porn addiction?57:42 - Ezekiel 18:20?01:02:06 - How to go to heaven?01:02:45 - OutroSUBSCRIBE https://www.youtube.com/c/biblelineLIKE https://www.facebook.com/biblelineminCOMMENT ask us a question!SHARE with all your friends and familyDo you have a Bible question? Send your question to questions@biblelineministries.org!Support Bibleline - https://www.calvaryoftampa.org/donate/Bibleline is a ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida and is hosted by Pastor Jesse Martinez.LIKE THIS? CHECK THESE GUYS OUT:@Northlandchurchstc@YankeeArnoldMinistries@focusevangelisticministriesinc@TheKeesBoerMinistryChannel@FishersWithFaithMinistries@QuentinRoad@NorthsideChurchAthens@C4CApologetics@OnoDiamante#bibleline #salvation #isaiah5417 #nasb95 #kjv #deceased #lovedones #ephesians5 #inheritance #666 #ezekiel18 #salvation #prayer #heaven #hell #biblelinelive #callin #heart #believe #repent #greek

Our Daily Portion Podcast is a daily podcast to help us stay in God's Word daily.  We follow the Daily Torah Portion schedule utilizing the NASB translation. The scripture is read, a nugget is shared, and prayer closes us out.  Go to pursuitfortruth.com for more information about WIT Ministries.

Jonah 1:1 NASB 1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai…1. Jonah's NameEphesians 5:8 NIV 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.Matthew 5:13-16 NIV 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”Colossians 3:12 NIV 12 Therefore, as God's chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.Jonah 1:1-2 NASB 1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.”1. Jonah's Name2. Jonah's NinevehJonah 1:3-16 NIV 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 4 The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, laid down and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.” 7 Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.”10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” 13 However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. 14 Then they called on the Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.” 15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.1. Jonah's Name2. Jonah's Ninevah3. Jonah's NeglectJonah 1:14-16 NASB 14 Then they called on the Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.” 15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.1. Jonah's Name2. Jonah's Ninevah3. Jonah's Neglect

Our Daily Portion Podcast is a daily podcast to help us stay in God's Word daily.  We follow the Daily Torah Portion schedule utilizing the NASB translation. The scripture is read, a nugget is shared, and prayer closes us out.  Go to pursuitfortruth.com for more information about WIT Ministries.

e introduced our Concert of Prayer content blog. In our Worship focus today, we look at God's Wisdom, Immutability, and Compassion. Wisdom:"But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."1 Corinthians 1:30-31And 2 Corinthians 2:6-16Immutability:Hebrews 1:10-12"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever…"Hebrews 13:8-14Compassion:Isaiah 54:10"For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion on you.Psalm 103:4, Psalm 103:8Psalm 103:13-14"Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. 14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust."Our So What?Meditate on our majestic Creator, Savior, and Sustainer, who is wise, immutable, and compassionate. " What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more." Robert Murray M'Cheynee Donation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Or go to www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 065

In the olden days, driving out to the Boise National Forest, and coming home from the same, God talked to me first. It was a hard truth that I had no comprehension of until I unexpectedly found myself in church. God spoke through a billboard containing His word. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."Romans 6:23God often speaks to us with a hard statement. Romans 6:23 is one of those. For the woman at the well, the hard conversation began with "Give me a drink."The astonishing part was not a command from a strange man, "give me a drink", but that a Jew was talking to a Samaritan,We are dumbfounded to hear from God, not just difficult truths, but that the Holy God of the universe stoops down to converse with His fallen creatures. "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4Our So What?Viva la our astonishing conversations. For with out those troublesome statements, we would never know we need and have been given a Savior for our souls. "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more." Robert Murray M'Cheynee Donation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Or go to www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 066

This week, we consider what great things He has done for our souls. We are also briefly introduced to "Prayer and the Bible" by Donald S Whitney In our Free Range Prayer Concert, there is a celebration of gratitude for what God has wrought in our lives. We meditate on:Ephesians 1:7-12 & 15-16"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, 8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory."15 "For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;"Prayer, let Thy people meditate on Thy wonders, and make us each one contemplate what profound gratefulness Thou stirs up in our souls through Thy will. So What?What exorbitant blessings we have!Redemption and forgiveness. Rich grace from God. Knowledge of the mystery of His will. The gift of our inheritanceWe are predestined to see Him just as He is."Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is."1 John 3:2 So What? For me, the passage crescendos into prayer and thanksgiving for one another. "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more." Robert Murray M'Cheynee Donation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Or go to www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 067

2 Kings 13 (NASB) 1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel at Samaria, and he reigned for seventeen years. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel; he did not turn from them. 3 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He continually handed them over to Hazael king of Aram, and to Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael. 4 Then Jehoahaz appeased the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them. 5 And the Lord gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as previously. 6 Nevertheless they did not abandon the sins of the house of Jeroboam, into which he misled Israel; rather, they walked in them; and the Asherah also remained standing in Samaria. 7 For he left to Jehoahaz no more of the army than fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry, because the king of Aram had eliminated them and made them like the dust at threshing. 8 Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 9 And Jehoahaz lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and his son Joash became king in his place. 10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for sixteen years. 11 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel; rather, he walked in them. 12 Now as for the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13 So Joash lay down with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. 14 When Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Lay your hand on the bow.” And he laid his hand on it, then Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And he said, “The Lord's arrow of victory, and the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have put an end to them.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God became angry at him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you put an end to it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times.” 20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the marauding bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they threw the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet. 22 Now Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and He was unwilling to eliminate them or cast them away from His presence until now. 24 When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz again took from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of his fath...

Weekly Sermon, July 27th, 2025 Colossians 1:5-14 (NASB)

Our Daily Portion Podcast is a daily podcast to help us stay in God's Word daily.  We follow the Daily Torah Portion schedule utilizing the NASB translation. The scripture is read, a nugget is shared, and prayer closes us out.  Go to pursuitfortruth.com for more information about WIT Ministries.

Our Daily Portion Podcast is a daily podcast to help us stay in God's Word daily.  We follow the Daily Torah Portion schedule utilizing the NASB translation. The scripture is read, a nugget is shared, and prayer closes us out.  Go to pursuitfortruth.com for more information about WIT Ministries.

Our Daily Portion Podcast is a daily podcast to help us stay in God's Word daily.  We follow the Daily Torah Portion schedule utilizing the NASB translation. The scripture is read, a nugget is shared, and prayer closes us out.  Go to pursuitfortruth.com for more information about WIT Ministries.

Our Daily Portion Podcast is a daily podcast to help us stay in God's Word daily.  We follow the Daily Torah Portion schedule utilizing the NASB translation. The scripture is read, a nugget is shared, and prayer closes us out.  Go to pursuitfortruth.com for more information about WIT Ministries.

Our Daily Portion Podcast is a daily podcast to help us stay in God's Word daily.  We follow the Daily Torah Portion schedule utilizing the NASB translation. The scripture is read, a nugget is shared, and prayer closes us out.  Go to pursuitfortruth.com for more information about WIT Ministries.

Week 44 of Season Seven, July 28th to August 3rd, 2025Prayer Request. 07.25.2025Albanian Pastor Genci asks:Our prayer request is that the church in Albania, amidst everyday challenges, will make God her top priority.07.25.2025Lay missionary in Italy, Michael asks:That the people of Italy would see Jesus as their King and Savior, and first in their lives. 07.25.2025Michael is in Italy, asking for his family:Daughter making friends.The whole family is settling into their new environment and meeting new friends. This whole family desires to be worthy witnesses. 07.26.2025 Fred from the Free Range Preacher:The health of my friend Gene M. is in my prayers. He has been an encouragement to me for many years now, and I am praying for his strength and health. He is a friend of the podcast and a joy to me personally. This international prayer list is Gene's.7.27.2025 From FredA brother in Christ, friend of the podcast, and a very close friend who brings peace and joy to his whole family during this season.”What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more." "Robert Murray M'Cheynee M'Cheyneen link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Alternatively, visit www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 064

NASB 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly keeping in mind your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope [b]in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,

What we know of James is that he and his brothers did not believe that his half-brother and the oldest of his siblings was all that He claimed to be (John 7:5). It most likely was not until after Jesus resurrection that James finally did believe.However, based on what we read in these verses, I am curious if James was present when Jesus preached His sermon on the mount? James seems to be the sermon on the mount applied to life. I cant prove it, but I believe James 1:19-27 is the first four beatitudes applied to life. Think about the first four beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-6): Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Permit me to share some of my initial takeaways from James 1:19-27 and then share how the first four beatitudes fit into these verses. Each of us live with a nature that we wish we did not have to contend with. For some, it is lust. For others, it is anger. If it is not lust or anger, it is something else. When it came to lust and anger, Jesus told us in His Sermon on the Mount to take radical action to fight against such sins that come from within (see Matt. 5:21-30). The apostle John wrote of our struggle with sin: If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). It would really be great if we didnt have to wrestle and contend with our sin though! Gods Word promises us that our fight with sin can be won with the Word of God. In fact, the battle with sin is first won or lost in the mind; listen to 2 Corinthains 10:3-5, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. James states, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls (James 1:21). You cannot win against your sin apart from the Word of God. To believe the Bible to be the Word of God is good, but you cannot progress and grow in your relationship with God if you do not act upon His Word as it is contained in the Bible. The only way to move forward in your faith as a Christian is to hear the Word of God and then act upon the Word of God by doing what it tells you to do. In the case of James 1:26-27, you have not really heard the Word of God if it has not affected your speech (v. 26). You have not really heard the Word of God is you are not looking for ways to love others. It is not enough to believe what the Bible says about the damage your words can do, the only way you will be able to start addressing the problem of your tongue is to, in the words of James, bridle his tongue (v. 26). What God Has Said is More Important Than Your Feelings (vv. 19-21) We live in a world filled with people who are slow to hear, quick to speak, and at the flip of a switch... explode with anger. We easily respond to the wounding of our pride with anger. Ecclesiastes 7:9 says of angry people: Do not be eager in your spirit to be angry, for anger resides in the heart of fools. If Ecclesiastes is true, and I believe that it is, then we live in a nation of fools. There is a righteous anger that ought to be felt and at times expressed, when necessary, but the kind of anger we see all around us has more to do with feeling triggered, hurt feelings, and whatever entitlements we think belong to us. We will look at James 4:14 later in this sermon series, but for now, we are told: Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. What is uncomfortable about the epistle of James is that it forces us to consider the simple reality that all of us are here one moment and then we are gone. You may have 76 years like Ozzy Ozborne or 71 years like Hulk Hogan, or... you may only have until tomorrow! The question James wants us to ask and that he answers is this: What are you chasing after and why? Why are you so slow to listen? Why are you so quick to speak? Why are you quick to get angry? This is why Jesus started his sermon on the mount with the first step towards the life you were born to experience: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3). To be poor in spirit is to recognize just how far short you fall from being right before the only One who mattersnamely God. To be poor in spirit is to recognize that you cannot help yourself. To be poor in spirit is to be fully aware that you need a righteousness that you cannot generate. If you are genuinely poor in spirit, you will mourn over the sin that offended a holy God, alienated you from Him, and is the reason for the mess that is your life. There is no coming to God unless you see your sin for what it really is, and if you see it for what it is, then you will come to him with the very keen awareness that your only hope is outside of yourself. If you really do mourn over your sin while aware that you need God to do the saving, then you will be meek. The choice of the NASB to translate praus to gentle in Matthew 5:5 was a poor discission by the translators. Every other major version of the Bible translates this world meek or humble. To be see yourself for what you really are, and if you see yourself for what you really are, you will not be too impressed with yourself. So, James states in verses 21, Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility [prautēs] receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. The word James uses in verse 21 for humility comes from the same root that Jesus used in His third beatitude! If you received the word, you received the gospel. If you received the gospel, you have been born again and the power that raised Jesus from the grave, is the same power that now resides in you in the person of the Holy Spirit who indwells and seals you (see Eph. 1:13-14; 3:20-21). How do I address the filthiness and wickedness that remains in me? Be quick to hear what the Word of God says about it, keep your mouth shut by accepting it, and instead of responding in anger, respond in humility. Who cares about your feelings, what you ought to really care about is what has God said and why does it matter? What God Wants to Do in Your Life is Greater than What You Know (vv. 22-25) If I understand the Christian life and how it is that God brings change in our lives, it seems to me that for God to accomplish what He needs to in my life, He must wound my ego by exposing my thoughts and the intentions of my heart. James exhorts us in verse 22, But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. The author of Hebrews said of the Word of God: For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). What James states in verse 19 is primarily how it is that God uses His word in the lives of His people to live and finish well. Why does God want this for your life? Well, again, in verse 18, God used His word (the gospel) so that we can become born again, so that we would be a kind of a first fruits among His creatures (v. 18). Here is the thing about first fruits: The Israelites were commanded to give God the first fruits of their crops which was the best of their crops. If you are a Christian, you are Gods first fruits, which means you are of great value to Him, and what He wants for you is to thrive as His child! If you are a Christian, then it is true that you, at one time, arrived at the cross of Christ as one who was poor in spirit, one who mourned over your sin, and one who died to the any notion that you were able to save yourself by laying down your pride to embrace the cross of Christ as the only hope of your salvation and redemption. So what has changed since then? Not a thing! The evidence that the gospel has germinated and taken root in your life is that you are still poor in spirit, that you still mourn over your sin, and that you are still aware that it is only by the grace of God that you have been saved, are saved, and will be saved. In the mind of James, and every other person who contributed to the Bible, those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn over their sins, and those who let go of their pride come to Christ, it is not enough to only hear the word of God! Why? Because when a person is born again, something happened that happens to all people who are alive: you are now hungry and thirsty. But hungry and thirsty for what? Hungry and thirsty for the righteousness of God. After the first, second, and third beatitude, Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied (Matt. 5:6). When you are hungry and when you are thirsty for the word of God, it is not enough to just listen to the word of God. This is the point of verses 23-25, For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. God uses His word to form and shape His people through the power of His Holy Spirit. To listen to His word intently will mean that you must let Gods word challenge your assumptions about who He is, how you live your life, and the world you live in. This is why we must be both slow to speak and slow to anger. What does that mean? Well, if you do not like what Gods word says because of what you would like Gods word to say, you must yield your life, heart, and soul to it. When the word of God confronts you, when it challenges your assumptions, and when it calls you to action, your best course of action is to yield to it knowing that God wants to accomplish His good will in and through your life for your joy and His glory. This is how you address, ...all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness in your life; this is what it means to be a doer of the word, and not just a hearer who deceives his/herself. This will not happen in your life if you are passive about His word. God Wants to Change Your Heart for Your Joy and the Good of the World (vv. 26-27) Think for a moment about your life. Are you satisfied and happy with what comes out of your mouth? Are you content with the way things are now? What kind of mark do you want to leave in this world when you are gone? What are you doing now, Christian? What is your religion really worth? How much of the world has left or is leaving its mark on you? If you think that verses 26-27 are only about what comes out of your mouth or to what extent you help those in need, then you have completely missed the point! James is taking something Jesus said and is showing us what that looks like in day-to-day life; here is what Jesus said: But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person (Matt. 15:18). Against the backdrop of Matthew 15:18, think carefully about what James is addressing in verses 26-27, If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this persons religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. So, how are you doing Christian? What does your speech and how you treat others really say about your faith in Jesus? When Jesus said what He said in Matthew 15:18, He said of the Pharisees of His day: You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me... (Matthew 15:7-8). If James was with us during our worship service today, I think he would ask what the Holy Spirit may be asking you right now, and that question is this: How is your heart? Conclusion Listen to me now, the epistle of James is written to those who identify as Christians. James considered those to whom he wrote his letter as brothers and sisters. What this means is that as a Christian, it is possible to have an unbridled tongue and to ignore orphans and widows for a season in your life as a Christian. The reason why James warns us of the dangers of being slow to listen, quick to speak, and easily angered is because those dangers exist for the one who has been born again. As a Christian, it is possible to be carried away and enticed by your own lust resulting in your own sin (v. 14). It is possible that although you are a Christian, that you have entered a season where your heart has grown far from God because you have been carried away by a desire to sin. If that is you, then Joel 2:12-13 is for you, Yet even now, declares the Lord, Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning; and tear your heart and not merely your garments. Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and relenting of catastrophe. An outward expression of repentance in the Bible involved the tearing of ones garment. God is not interested in what you do on the outside as much as what you are doing about the inside. To tear your heart is to allow the word of God to speak into your heart, and if there is anything there that needs to be addressed, to address it. It is to take the mirror of Gods word before your heart and to do something about what is seen in the mirror. Dear Christian, what is the mirror of Gods word telling you this morning? What are you willing to do to address what the mirror of Gods word is showing you? It is not enough to only hear Gods word; you must do something about what it is exposing, because God is for your joy more than you can ever know. The first step is to repent by bringing whatever it is that you see before God and to commit to turning from that sin. The next step is to assess how it is that you got where you are, and to change the pattern of your life to line your heart up more with the things that please the God who saved you. Instead of standing and staring at the things that displease the Lord, turn from your sins to His Son.

Theme: No one can serve 2 masters. Intro – Serving Self & Money (6:4-6, 12; also 8:4-6) Amos 6:4-6 (NASB) 4 Those who lie on beds of ivory,And lounge around on their couches,And eat lambs from the flock,And calves from the midst of the fattened cattle,5 Who improvise to the sound of the harp,And like David have composed songs for themselves,6 Who drink wine from sacred bowlsWhile they anoint themselves with the finest of oils—Yet they have not grieved over the collapse of Joseph. Amos 6:12 (NASB) 12 Do horses run on rocks?Or does one plow them with oxen?Yet you have turned justice into poison,And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood. Amos 8:4-6 (NASB) 4 Hear this, you who trample the needy, to put an end to the humble of the land, 5 saying, “When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain;And the Sabbath, so that we may open the wheat market,To make the ephah smaller and the shekel bigger,And to cheat with dishonest scales,6 So as to buy the helpless for money,And the needy for a pair of sandals,And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?” God's Attributes in Judgment: 1. Mercy (7:1-3) Amos 7:1-3 (NASB) 1 This is what the Lord God showed me, and behold, He was forming a swarm of locusts when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king's mowing. 2 And it came about, when it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said, “Lord God, please pardon! How can Jacob stand? For he is small.”3 The Lord relented of this. “It shall not be,” said the Lord. 2. Patience (7:4-6) Amos 7:4-6 (NASB) 4 So the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the farmland. 5 Then I said, “Lord God, please stop! How can Jacob stand? For he is small.”6 The Lord relented of this. “This too shall not be,” said the Lord God. 3. Righteousness (7:7-17) Amos 7:7-17 (NASB) 7 So He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold I am about to put a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel. I will not spare them any longer. 9 The high places of Isaac will become deserted, and the sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins.Then I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” 10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For this is what Amos says: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there! 13 But do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.” 14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.' 16 So now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you prophesy against the house of Isaac.' 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die upon unclean soil. Furthermore Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'” 4. Justice (8:1-14) Amos 8 (NASB) 8 This is what the Lord God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 And He said, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel. I will not spare them any longer. 3 The songs of the palace will turn to wailing on that...

Amos 9 (NASB) 9 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said, “Strike the pillar capitals so that the thresholds will shake,And break them on the heads of them all!Then I will put to death the rest of them with the sword;They will not have a fugitive who will flee,Nor a survivor who will escape. 2 Though they dig into Sheol,From there My hand will take them;And though they ascend to heaven,From there I will bring them down. 3 And though they hide on the summit of Carmel,I will track them down and take them from there;And though they hide themselves from My sight on the bottom of the sea,I will command the serpent from there, and it will bite them. 4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies,From there I will command the sword and it will kill them,And I will set My eyes against them for harm and not for good.” 5 The Lord God of armies,The One who touches the land so that it quakes,And all those who live in it mourn,And all of it rises up like the NileAnd subsides like the Nile of Egypt; 6 The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavensAnd has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,He who calls for the waters of the seaAnd pours them out on the face of the earth,The Lord is His name. 7 “Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me,You sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir? 8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,And I will eliminate it from the face of the earth;Nevertheless, I will not totally eliminate the house of Jacob,”Declares the Lord. 9 “For behold, I am commanding,And I will shake the house of Israel among all nationsAs grain is shaken in a sieve,But not a pebble will fall to the ground. 10 All the sinners of My people will die by the sword,Those who say, ‘The catastrophe will not overtake or confront us.'The Restoration of Israel 11 “On that day I will raise up the fallen shelter of David,And wall up its gaps;I will also raise up its ruinsAnd rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 So that they may possess the remnant of EdomAnd all the nations who are called by My name,”Declares the Lord who does this. 13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,“When the plowman will overtake the reaper,And the one who treads grapes will overtake him who sows the seed;When the mountains will drip grape juice,And all the hills will come apart. 14 I will also restore the fortunes of My people Israel,And they will rebuild the desolated cities and live in them;They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine,And make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 I will also plant them on their land,And they will not be uprooted again from their landWhich I have given them,”Says the Lord your God. Theme: Behold & Believe the Almighty God, Who will make good on His promises to punish and to bless. 1) Behold God's Dreadful Power – The Passing of a kingdom (9:1-10) 2) Believe God's Faithful Promises – The Coming of The Kingdom (9:11-15)

Our joy and satisfaction come from talking about prayer. Today, we turn our hearts to focus on the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The context is again, "Success is never final; failure is never fatal, it is courage, born of faith that counts." ( a slight modification of the Churchill quote.)Our implied example, as we pray for revival in Puerto Rico, is the growth of the church. God's work is not done until every tribe and tongue knows the invitation of salvation. Our express example is the Apostle Paul. In Philippi, Paul, far from the travel, persecution, and beatings of his life, could have kicked back and rested, rejoicing in the spread of the gospel. Yet, he exhorts us to follow his example.:"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained." Philippians 3:13-16Our So What? We can know what God has wrought for us and through us, but while we are alive, we press on until we see our Savior face to face. "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more." Robert Murray M'CheyneeDonation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Or go to www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 063

Our Daily Portion Podcast is a daily podcast to help us stay in God's Word daily.  We follow the Daily Torah Portion schedule utilizing the NASB translation. The scripture is read, a nugget is shared, and prayer closes us out.  Go to pursuitfortruth.com for more information about WIT Ministries.

We are praying for revival to begin in Albania.In this example of Jesus' conversations and how we can apply them to prayer, we return to Jesus and Nicodemus. He comes in the night with a nagging question, that he doesn't even ask: How can I be right with God?We saw last time, Jesus knows truly what is on his heart, and blows His mind by saying:"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3After adding an illustration of the wind, Nicodemus cries out, "How can these things be?"We see, however, from Ezekiel 11:19-20, 36:26-27, and Ezekiel 37, that the concept of needing to be born again should not have been foreign to "the teacher in Israel," but it was. Even Jeremiah wrote: "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jeremiah 31:33-34God does not shrink back from telling us the difficult truths of the gospel, even if we wrestle with them. Our So what?"In humility, difficult truths lead us to, Lord, God, Thou knowest, and I trust in Thee." Ezekiel in the valley of the dry bones. "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more." Robert Murray M'Cheynee Donation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Or go to www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 061

Weekly Sermon, July 20th, 2025 Colossians 1:1-7 (NASB)

766 We Remember Before Our God, A Guided Christian Meditation on 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3 with the Recenter With Christ app The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in  and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:   Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation 1 Thessalonians 1 NIV 1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. 2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. NASB 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly keeping in mind your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope [b]in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, Meditation on Scripture: As I have mentioned in the past, my mom experiences a degenerative memory that is progressively worsening over time. I'm visiting with her this week. I've been thinking a lot about memory. How much of who we are is generated through memory and Where do memories reside? Some people may say the brain but does that mean if our spirit leaves our body we lose all our memories? It seems that a scriptural understanding of memory suggests that memory is maintained even when we are disembodied, as a result memory is not a human phenomenon.   I love the phrase here in this scripture, to remember before God the work of faith. Our actions in life are objectively seen by God and imperfectly remembered by us. There is a power in our attempts to remember. A powerful way to stay connected to the Lord is to constantly hold Him in our rememberance, to reflect on God's grave and love toward us.  As I was talking with my loved one I was realizing that without memory we cannot live for the future or the past, but only for the moment. We can actively choose faith in this current moment regardless of how imperfect our human memory is.  Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind?  FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod 

Key #1 - He will guide you through your SubmissionJeremiah 29:11 (NIV)“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Key #2 - He will empower you through your ServiceColossians 3:23-24 (NASB)“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Key #3 - He will change you through your Surrender Philippians 2:5-8 (BSB)“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.”

Welcome, Bulgaria, and wow! What a trout fishing sensation you are! Thank you for joining the Free Range Preacher on Prayer podcast. Today, we are back to our gratitude in God, as He has revealed Himself. Today, we look again at the traumatic holiness (otherness) of God. As we stand ten feet from the sun, we look through a prism that filters out all but the moral perfection of God. "In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke."Isaiah 6:1-4 His moral perfection alone shatters our self-image and humbles us to the core. "Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."Isaiah 6:5It's a beautiful humility and reverence. Do you imagine Isaiah, Moses, John in revelation, David, Paul, Peter, or any of the Biblical saints being sad after seeing God in His Holiness and being torn to pieces and then healed?Our so what?The beauty of God in His Holiness leads us to humility, which relieves our torn self-image and is beautiful to us. By definition, a life-changing beauty.Brethren, let's pray for one another."What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more""Robert MurrayM'CheyneeDonation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Or go to www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 061

Welcome Iceland to the Free Range Preacher on Prayer podcast. We are glad to have you here, and I am blessed to say I have a dear friend who lived in your country for many memorable years of her life. Today, we are thankful for the Holiness of God. We liken Isaiah's experience in Isaiah 6, to standing 10 feet from the earth's sun and asking:"What do you believe you would notice first?Did you imagine the sun's immensity? Sheer size? How about the blinding light, the pull of gravity? What could keep you only 10 feet from the sun? Would you notice the solar winds, the heat, or the violent atomic fusion? Better still, which one of those would tear you to pieces first?Better stiller, our "So What?"What in the world is there to be thankful for, as Isaiah says?"Woe is me, for I am ruined!"O LORD, what is man, that Thou dost take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that Thou dost think of him? 4 Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow."Psalm 144:3-4The immense, righteous, all-powerful, just God of the universe takes knowledge of us. Fleeting and as puny as we are, He thinks of us. Brethren, let's pray for one another."What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more""Robert MurrayM'CheyneeDonation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Or go to www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 060

It sounds impossible, right? Joy and suffering in the same sentence. But in this powerful conversation with pastor and author Chip Ingram, we dive into Paul's letter to the Philippians and learn how joy can actually grow because of hardship—not in spite of it. If you're walking through something heavy, this episode is for you. Scriptures referenced:Philippians 1Nehemiah 8:9-12Philippians 1:21Philippians 1:29John 16:33Ephesians 4:12 Corinthians 12:9-10I Choose Joy: Change Your Perspective, Change Your LifeLearn more about Chip:Website | App Chip's favorites:NASB 1995 | NIV | Living on the Edge Prayer Journal | YouVersion | Logos Bible Software Been thinking about getting Logos? Use this link to get 60 days FREE! But don't wait, this offer ends July 21st, 2025!Click here to send us your email for our newsletter OR to send a message to the show! We have no way of responding unless you leave your email.Join our community! If you are a Christian woman seeking to know God deeper, study Scriptures, pray with and for others, strengthen your faith, and support other in doing the same, this is the place for you. Want to study God's Word for yourself? Try our In-Depth Bible Study Academy Click here to try a free mini-course!

In examining the question, "What is Prayer?" We accidentally learn why we pray. Even though no Biblical person asks why we pray? Their lives reveal our anguished need for prayer. We are sinners. Until glory, we struggle with sin. Prayer is the act of faith that assures our soul.We are complex lonely beings, and prayer brings us into the arms of our heavenly Father, who knows us, holds us, and comforts us.Some of my favorite prayers:Hannah, 1 Samuel 1.Fathers calling out for their children, Mark 9, Matthew 9, Luke 7.A roofing job, Mark 2Psalm 39, Psalm 42The woman who touched Jesus' robe, Luke 8.Scriptures referenced:Luke 18:1Proverbs 15:8Psalm 42:12 Corinthians 5:17 & Ezekiel 11:19John 17:3 (of course)Hebrews 11:1&6Matthew 11:28-30Romans 8:14-15Romans 8:26-281 Corinthians 12:11-12Hebrews 4:16, 7:25, 4:12-13 The TARDIS even makes an appearance as we learn:Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.Donation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Or go to www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab."What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more."Robert Murray M'CheyneAssistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossardwww.frponprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 059

“‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts” (Zechariah 4:6 NASB). Jesus invites...

John 6:28-29 “Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” In the previous verse, Jesus told the crowd to work for the food that endures to eternal life. Their response shows they missed the point Jesus was making about Himself being the giver of the food. Their natural frame of reference was work they had to do to get eternal life. We want to be careful not to make the same mistake. Notice, Jesus didn't say, “This is the work you have to do; believe in Him whom He sent.” Jesus didn't answer their question directly. Instead, He told them the work that God is interested in. It isn't the work of man, but the work of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus told them the work God does, namely, believing in Him. We are going to learn later in this chapter that, indeed, it is God who does the work in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus (44-45). In effect, in this verse, He told them to do something they cannot do. They cannot do the work of God. Only God can do the work that results in eternal life. This is why it is misleading to tell people to put their faith in Jesus, which by the way, isn't in the NASB. When I typed in “put your faith in” in the search box of my Bible app, the app replied, “There are no verses in the current range of the NASB which fit the current search entry.” To tell people they must put their faith in Jesus to be saved is dangerous and destructive in two ways. First, it implies that God gives eternal life on the basis of something they do. It puts the power of salvation in their hands, so to speak. That's exactly what the crowd was looking for. “What shall we do?” Second, it robs the person of assurance. Faith is the assurance we receive as a witness from God that we have eternal life in Christ. This is clearly taught in Hebrews 11. As Jesus said in this verse, faith is the work of God. It is a witness to us and to the church that we belong to Christ. Peter testified to this reality after the Gentiles believed in Christ in Acts 15:8-9. “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.” Furthermore, later in this conversation Jesus confirms this truth by saying no one can come to Him unless they are brought and taught by God. It is God's work that they believe in His Son. Jesus spoke the truth in love to this crowd, and we should as well when people ask what they can do to be saved. We should say what Jesus said. It is God's work that you believe in Jesus. Share the gospel. God sent Jesus to die for the unjust, to do what they cannot do—namely, pay the price for their sinful, self-glorifying lives, putting an end to their attempts to justify themselves by anything they do (1 Pet. 3:18). Then three days later, God raised Jesus from the dead to declare that the sacrifice of His life is acceptable and pleasing to Him. God raised Jesus from the dead because He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Jesus has been authorized by the Father to give eternal life to those the Father gave to Him (John 17:2-3). Jesus was raised to live for them and produce fruit in their lives for the glory of God (John 15:7-8). He therefore calls all men to repent and believe in Jesus, which entails turning from reliance on their own efforts to live for God. Dying to their own life in this world, and turning from seeking to please God in their own strength and good deeds. Rejecting the desire to receive glory and significance from men rather than from God.

Back To Basics // Week 11 // The Necessity of CommunityPastors JF and Ashley WilkersonProverbs 14:4 NASB 4 Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.1. We Were Created for Community. Belonging is Our Soul's Craving.Genesis 2:15-18 NIV 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”Ecclesiastes 4:8–12 NIV 8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked,  “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business! 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.Romans 12:3-5;10 NIV 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others…10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.1. We Were Created for Community. Belonging is Our Soul's Craving.2. We Grow Through Community. Bearing is Strengthening.Galatians 6:1-2 NIV 1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.John 13:34-35 NIV 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”James 5:13-16 NIVHebrews 10:23–25 NIV 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.1. We Were Created for Community. Belonging is Our Soul's Craving.2. We Grow Through Community. Bearing is Strengthening.3. We Reveal Christ in Community. Becoming the Symbol.John 17:20–23 NIV 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.Acts 2:42–47 NIV 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.1 Corinthians 12:12–14; 26-27 NIV12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many...26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.1. We Were Created for Community. Belonging is Our Soul's Craving.2. We Grow Through Community. Bearing is Strengthening.3. We Reveal Christ in Community. Becoming the Symbol.

Category - Devotional Humanity, one and all, are a bruised reed and smoking flax. It is not until the pain makes us desperate for mercy outside ourselves that we will call out to the only name given among men, by which we must be saved!So writes Richard Sibbes:"The bruised reed is a man that for the most part is in some misery, as those were that came to Christ for help, and by misery he is brought to see sin as the cause of it, for, whatever pretenses sin makes, they come to an end when we are bruised and broken. He is sensible of sin and misery, even unto bruising; and, seeing no help in himself, is carried with restless desire to have supply from another, with some hope, which a little raises him out of himself to Christ, though he dare not claim any present interest of mercy. This spark of hope being opposed by doubtings and fears rising from corruption makes him as smoking flax; so that both these together, a bruised reed and smoking flax, make up the state of a poor distressed man."We pray with fear and trembling for our beloved and every soul we genuinely care about:"O Father, be as gentle as Thou canst, but as vexing as is necessary to bruise my beloved so they will seek Thee for what Thou alone has to offer, the spring of life in salvation."How can we pray our cherished ones be bruised and smoking? We know, from the gracious words of our Lord and Savior, who in our turn bruised us to seek His grace:"For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it. 36 "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 "For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?Mark 8:35-37Our So What?Despite the sorrows that perhaps lay ahead for our beloved, as the prince of preachers said:"If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.""What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more."Robert Murray M'CheyneAssistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossardwww.frponprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 058

Amos 5 (NASB) 1 Hear this word which I am taking up for you as a song of mourning, house of Israel:2 She has fallen, she will not rise again—The virgin Israel.She lies unnoticed on her land;There is no one to raise her up. 3 For this is what the Lord God says: “The city which goes forth a thousand strongWill have a hundred left,And the one which goes forth a hundred strongWill have ten left to the house of Israel.” 4 For this is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: “Seek Me so that you may live.5 But do not resort to BethelAnd do not come to Gilgal,Nor cross over to Beersheba;For Gilgal will certainly go into captivityAnd Bethel will come to nothing.6 Seek the Lord so that you may live,Or He will break through like a fire, house of Joseph,And it will consume with no one to extinguish it for Bethel,7 For those who turn justice into wormwood,And throw righteousness to the earth.” 8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,And changes deep darkness into morning,Who also darkens day into night,Who calls for the waters of the seaAnd pours them out on the surface of the earth,The Lord is His name.9 It is He who makes destruction flash upon the strong,So that destruction comes upon the fortress. 10 They hate him who rebukes in the gate,And they despise him who speaks with integrity.11 Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poorAnd take a tribute of grain from them,Though you have built houses of cut stone,Yet you will not live in them;You have planted beautiful vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.12 For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great,You who are hostile to the righteous and accept bribes,And turn away the poor from justice at the gate.13 Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps quiet, because it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, so that you may live;And so may the Lord God of armies be with you,Just as you have said!15 Hate evil, love good,And establish justice in the gate!Perhaps the Lord God of armiesWill be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. 16 Therefore this is what the Lord God of armies, the Lord says: “There is mourning in all the public squares,And in all the streets they say, ‘Oh no! Oh no!'They also call the farmer to mourningAnd professional mourners to mourning rites.17 And in all the vineyards there is mourning,Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord. 18 Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord,For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?It will be darkness and not light;19 As when a man flees from a lionAnd a bear confronts him,Or he goes home, leans with his hand against the wall,And a snake bites him.20 Will the day of the Lord not be darkness instead of light,Even gloom with no brightness in it? 21 “I hate, I reject your festivals,Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies.22 Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,I will not accept them;And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened oxen.23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs;I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.24 But let justice roll out like waters,And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. 25 “Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? 26 You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.

A few notes from Psalm 145:14-21 and Jesus' fulfillment of Psalm 145 145:20 The LORD keeps all who love Him- There is a wordplay between the first word of the verse שםר and the last word of the verse  שםדOne describing the LORD actions towards the righteous and the other His actions towards the wicked. Is watches over a better translation? How much does it promise? It certainly does not mean the absence of all trouble. “What hints it does offer of the human condition are not all sweetness and light: God's people may be bowed down and thus call and cry to Him for salvation (vv. 14, 18-19)” Broyles, 504. But all the wicked He will destroy- Wicked see 1:6; 104:35; 143:12. “He differentiates between those who love Him and those who are wicked, taking care of the former, but destroying the latter. In this He is a righteous God” Longman, 469. “This verse has the only direct mention of the wicked in the psalm…God's faithfulness be fully seen without reference to His uncompromising judgment” Kidner, 482. “His righteousness is indeed a righteousness of grace- loving, fulfilling desires, saving, watching over, but it is also the righteousness of holiness” Motyer, 581. “The sharp distinction between the wicked and those who love God recalls Psalm 1, and what applies to Psalm 1 applies to Psalm 145 as well” McCann, 1260. Psalm 145 and JesusJesus is King who has established God's kingdom. 145:1 I will extol You, my God- The word extol in LXX is the word for Jesus lifted up on the cross- John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32- and Jesus being exalted to God's right hand in Acts 2:33; 5:31.145:1 Jesus is King- Matt. 2:2; 21:5; 25:34, 40; 27:11, 29, 37,42; John 19:19, 21, 21; Acts 17:7; Rev. 17:14145:1, 2, 21 I will bless your name- The word for Name in the LXX is the word used in Phil. 2:9-10 for Jesus being given a name above every name. Acts 3:6, 16, 16; 4:7, 10, 12, 17, 18, 30; Eph. 1:21. 145:14 The LORD raises up all who are bowed down- The verb raises in the LXX is used three times in the NT- Luke 13:13; Acts 15:16; Heb. 12:12. Luke 13:13 deals with Jesus healing the woman who could not stand up straight in the synagogue.145:15 The word translated look in the NASB and is hope in the LXX. It is applied to Jesus in Matt. 12:21; I Cor. 15:19. It is the word in I Tim. 4:10; 5:5; 6:17 for hoping in God and not material wealth. The terms applied to God in the Psalms are applied to Jesus in the gospels. 145:15 You give them their food- The word give in the LXX is used nearly 500 times in the NT but it is used in Jesus feeding miracles (Matt. 14:19; 15:36; Mark 6:41; 8:6; Luke 9:16). 145:16 Jesus satisfies the desire of every living thing. The word satisfies in the LXX is the people being filled when Jesus multiplied the five loaves and two fish in John 6:12. 145:20 The LORD guards all who love Him. The word is applied to Jesus in John 17:12; II Tim. 1:12.

The words of Richard Baxter are earthy, moving, and convicting. He echoes the truth that we can begin to enjoy God's rest as we seek Him foremost.Baxter in "The Saints Everlasting Rest" brings us to tears, and He laments in the voice of God:"How must we offend our dear Lord when we give him cause to complain, as he did of our fellow idolaters: "My people have been lost sheep; they have forgotten their resting-place. My people can find rest in anything rather than in me. They can delight in one another, but not in me. They can rejoice in my creatures and ordinances, but not in me. Yea, in their very labors and duties they seek for rest, but not in me. They had rather be anywhere than be with me. Are these their gods? Have these redeemed them? Will these be better to them than I have been, or than I would be?" If you yourselves had a wife, a husband, a son, who had rather be any where than in your company, and was never so merry as when farthest from you, would you not take it ill? So our God must needs do."He then urges us:"O Christian, follow thy work, look to thy dangers, hold on to the end, win the field, and come off the ground before thou think of a settled rest."His words are sobering to my soul. "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more."Robert Murray M'CheyneAssistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossardwww.frponprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 057

758 She Washed His Feet With Her Hair, A Guided Christian Meditation on Luke 7:35-38 with the Recenter With Christ app The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in  and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:   Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation Luke 7 KJV 35 But wisdom is justified of all her children. 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. NASB 35 And yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” 36 Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Meditation on Scripture: If we are not careful or thoughtful we can end up with a misunderstanding of what this message teaches. First we must be careful not to mix up the stories of this occurring. There is another one that shows up later. Jesus corrects people regarding their misunderstanding of the action this woman performs. Jesus accepted her tribute from this woman for various reasons. Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of human judgment. There is certainly a value in this lesson but I think for the moment I would like to focus on the woman and her actions. The humility and love represented are so meaningful. Jesus will go on to compare the actions of this woman to His host but the reason he does so is the devotion this woman displays.  There is a deep devotion she shows. So in this situation it can be helpful to consider ourselves in this role. Do we feel the kind of love and devotion that would inspire us to humble ourselves in front of others? Do we worry too much about what other people would think instead of truly lifting our eyes to glorify God? As you read about her act to glorify God you can really connect with how meaningful Jesus was to her. THis was not a passive act of regular gratitude. This was a profound and gut wrenching description of the value this woman placed on Jesus.  So as we reflect on the disinterested perspective she took on her own pride we have something to reflect on. Are we willing to similarly pour out our love for God? How can we demonstrate his same kind of gratitude for the Lord? Put your heart and mind on the things that God calls to you as things to show Him gratitude.  Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind?  FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

As a pre-teen, Eryn Lynum was diagnosed with Addison's Disease. As an adult, she became a naturalist. Both taught her that rest isn't a luxury—it's a vital, God-given activity designed to fuel everything else you do. Scriptures referenced:2 Timothy 2:15Romans 1:20Matthew 11:28-30Isaiah 40:28John 10:10Exodus 16Dive deeper: The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath LivingMore from Eryn: Website | Podcast | Family Values GuideEryn's favorites: NASB 1995 | ESV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible | Fine-Tip Sharpie Pens | Gel Pens | Blue Letter Bible | Logos Bible SoftwareClick here to send us your email for our newsletter OR to send a message to the show! We have no way of responding unless you leave your email.Join our community! If you are a Christian woman seeking to know God deeper, study Scriptures, pray with and for others, strengthen your faith, and support other in doing the same, this is the place for you. Want to study God's Word for yourself? Try our In-Depth Bible Study Academy Click here to try a free mini-course!

Daily Meditation Our nation’s flag is more than a piece of fabric—it is a symbol of liberty, justice, and unity, echoing the values and sacrifices that built the United States. In this patriotic devotional, Lynette Kittle reflects on the historical and spiritual significance of the American flag, particularly as we commemorate Flag Day on June 14. Drawing from Isaiah 18:3 and the founding ideals of our country, this prayerful message reminds us that honoring the flag is also about honoring the godly principles of freedom, dignity, and truth that shaped the nation. Whether you come from a military family, a history-loving home, or are simply moved by the red, white, and blue, this devotional encourages you to pause and give thanks for what the flag represents—and for the God who grants true freedom.