Podcasts about niv one

Sometimes what we think we see clearly is actually being filtered through a distorted lens — whether it’s our perspective on life, suffering, or even God. In this episode, we reflect on spiritual blindness, drawing from a powerful story about a child’s first experience seeing trees clearly — and how it mirrors our own journey from blurry spiritual sight to eternal clarity. With Jesus as our healer and restorer, we’re reminded that it’s not just our eyes that need correction — it’s our hearts. Through Scripture and real-life parallels, today’s devotional invites you to shift your gaze from what is temporary to what truly lasts: the unseen and eternal promises of God. ✨ Key Takeaways

In today's episode—Part 2 of Dreaming with God—Stasi reminds us of the three core desires we as women share: the longing to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role, and to unveil beauty. These desires reflect God's own heart. Desires are clues to the dreams God has planted in our hearts, and though we share core desires, there are many that are particular to us as well. Though wounds may dim them, Jesus can restore them. Jesus is inviting you to dream with him again and step into your unique, irreplaceable role in his story. Join Stasi as she shares the truth that we are seen, pursued, and free to embrace the desires of our hearts through dreaming with God again.…..SHOW NOTES:…..VERSES: Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) – Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.Isaiah 61:1  (NIV) – The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,Jeremiah 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.1 Corinthians 12:12-26 (NIV) – (here, v12–14) Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 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. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.Psalm 27:4 (NIV) – One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.…..RESOURCESCaptivated E92 | Dreaming with God: Becoming Who You're Meant to Be – Part 1  ⁠https://wahe.art/41FY4BF⁠The Journey of Desire by John Eldredge – ⁠https://wahe.art/46qgloe⁠Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge ⁠https://wahe.art/3L9tLMc⁠The Ablaze Study: Setting our Hearts on Fire For Jesus – sessions available at ⁠https://wildatheart.org/ablaze⁠…..Don't Miss Out on the Next Episode – Subscribe for FreeSubscribe using your favorite podcast app:YouTube: ⁠https://wahe.art/4jFlAXu⁠Spotify Podcasts – ⁠https://spoti.fi/42SsOip⁠Apple Podcasts – ⁠https://apple.co/42E0oZ1⁠ Google Podcasts – ⁠http://wahe.art/3M81kxL⁠Amazon Music & Audible – ⁠https://amzn.to/3M9u6hJ⁠

Luke 6:31 NIV Do to others as you would have them do to you.Proverbs 11:24 - 25 NIV One person gives freely, yet gains even more; anotherwithholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoeverrefreshes others will be refreshed.Turn your Need into Seed.1 Kings 17:7-16 Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought. Then GODspoke to him: “Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I've instructeda woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you.” 10-11 So he got up and went toZarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow,gathering firewood. He asked her, “Please, would you bring me a little water in ajug? I need a drink.” As she went to get it, he called out, “And while you're at it,would you bring me something to eat?” 12 She said, “I swear, as surely as yourGOD lives, I don't have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and alittle oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood tomake a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we'll die.” 13-14 Elijah saidto her, “Don't worry about a thing. Go ahead and do what you've said. But firstmake a small biscuit for me and bring it back here. Then go ahead and make ameal from what's left for you and your son. This is the word of the GOD of Israel:‘The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty beforeGOD sends rain on the land and ends this drought.'” 15-16 And she went right offand did it, did just as Elijah asked. And it turned out as he said—daily food for herand her family. The jar of meal didn't run out and the bottle of oil didn't becomeempty: GOD's promise fulfilled to the letter, exactly as Elijah had delivered it!God asks for what you are holding, not what you are missing.Your need is not just something to survive, it's something to sow.Proverbs 18: 20-21 NIV From the fruit of their mouth a person's stomach is filled;with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. The tongue has the power of lifeand death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.If You want to change the satisfaction of your life, change the declaration ofyour lips.Luke 6:45b NIV For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.Trust God's timing - Don't give up!Galatians 6:9 So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time wewill reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

Principle: We give not just for today, but for the next generation.Scripture: Psalm 145:4 (NIV) - One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.Message: What we build today will bless those who come after us.Support the show

Immeasurably More: Praying More for MoreEphesians 3:14-21 Matthew 6:5-15, Luke 11:1-13January 19th, 2025More people + More prayer = Immeasurably More!Ephesians 3:16-21 (NIV) 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.3 Core Prayers for 2025Father, strengthen me in the power of the Holy Spirit in my inner being so that Christ may dwell in my heart. Father, broaden and deepen my experience with love of Christ. Father, fill me up with your fullness. 1 Core ConvictionOur God… is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.Immeasurably More = Hyper-ek-perissouHyper = Over and above.Ek = exhaustlessness.Perissou = exceedingly, abundantly, beyond what is expected, imagined and hoped for.God wants us to experience more of Him and His love than we do right now and He wants to do more in us, with us, through us and for us than we could ever ask or imagine. 2 “More” Hazards to Avoid When more substitutes for trust/faith. When more becomes all about me. The Always' of More.There is always more to God if you want more of God.God's more is always for more than just you. God always rewards more stewardship with more to steward.God is always more important than His more. Matthew 6:5-15 (NIV) 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.Slide (Build out this slide)The Lord's Prayer teaches us how to…V9. Posture ourselves in prayer. Honoring children approaching an honorable father. V10. Pray with trust, not angst. Your Kingdom and your will be done, not mine.V11.Ask for daily provision. Our Father is a stable & dependable provider. V12. To receive life through repentance/confession and give life through forgiveness.V13. Be situationally and spiritually alert. Our enemy is real but less than. Satan nor his schemes are any match for God's power or leadership. God > Satan. God in us > Satan against us.Luke 11:1-4 (NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:” ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'”Luke 11:5-10 (NIV)The Shaping Power of Persistence5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Jesus teaches us to pray bold, shame-lessly persistent prayers, undeterred by “not now” answers. Luke 11:11-13 (NIV)The Scope of God's Provision11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”Our “Much More” Father doesn't give us “one time” things, He gives us the all-time Holy Spirit. The Lord's Prayer teaches us how to…V9. Posture ourselves in prayer. Honoring children approaching an honorable father. V10. Pray with trust, not angst. Your Kingdom and your will be done, not mine.V11.Ask for daily provision. Our Father is a stable & dependable provider. V12. To receive life through repentance/confession and give life through forgiveness.V13. Be situationally and spiritually alert. Our enemy is real but less than. Satan nor his schemes are any match for God's power or leadership. God > Satan. God in us > Satan against us.Jesus teaches us to be boldly persistent in our asks and supremely confident in the God of our ask. He teaches us not give up in the gap between ask and answer, but to triple down on an immeasurably more Father.Praying more for more.1. I don't know how to pray. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 2. I don't feel worthy enough to pray. Our goodness is not the qualification for the relationship or the path of connection, God's goodness is. Our performance isn't what earns us an audience, it is our repentance and humility. Your feelings of unworthiness are attached to spiritual lies which are holding you captive. Freedom comes through a relationship with Christ cultivated in prayer. 3. I don't have time to pray. “The neglect of private prayer is the most common reason people lose their faith.” John Wesley“If you are too busy to pray then you are too busy!” Mother Theresa to an Indian Bishop who claimed he was so busy his schedule was squeezing out his prayer time. “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first 3 hours in prayer.” Martin Luther when was asked what his plans were for the day.Prayer isn't a check box it is the box the checks all other boxes. Pastor Charlie

Introduction to Habitual Pt. 2: The Power of Good Habits By Louie Marsh, 1-12-2025       “14But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14, ESV)   1)    A habit is a CUSTOMARY way of doing or not doing something.   “14Do all things without grumbling or disputing,” (Philippians 2:14, ESV)   Original Word: ἔθος Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: ethos Pronunciation: EH-thos Definition: Custom, habit, manner Meaning: a custom, habit; an institute, rite. Word Origin: Derived from the Greek root ἔθω (ethō), meaning "to be accustomed" or "to be used to."   2)    I need to FORM good, godly habits.   39  Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40  On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." Luke 22:39-40 (NIV)   One popular idea suggests that it takes 21 days to solidify a habit. A three-week time frame might sound easily reachable to someone making a resolution on New Year's Day, when people tend to feel extra motivated to start a new habit or kick an old one. Yet every January 21 very few people can boast that they have kept their resolutions. One survey showed that only 9 percent of people actually stuck to their goals in 2023.   The time it takes to establish a new habit varies widely depending on the individual and the complexity of the behavior. Recent studies suggest that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a new habit, with an average of around 66 days. Factors such as the specific habit, environmental influences, and personal consistency play significant roles in the duration of habit formation. It is important to approach habit formation with realistic expectations and patience, as it may take longer than commonly believed.   Everyone has a unique habit-building timeline—and no matter how long it is for any individual, repetition is the key to making it work,   3)    How habits help my SPIRITUAL GROWTH.   “14But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14, ESV)   Story of how I had to learn to use the clutch, once done I was a much more mature driver than I had been before.   4)    Some good habits to me to ESTABLISH.   “14And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, ESV)   ·       REGULAR church attendance.   25  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)   ·       Actively TESTING to distinguish good from evil.   “21but test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, ESV)   ·       To be SEXUALLY pure.   “18Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18–20, ESV)   ·       Be FILLED with the Spirit not alcohol.   “18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:18, ESV)  

On Sunday, May 12, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart shared a message about when Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Jesus invited them to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Pastor Stuart reminded us that this prayer is in the plural you. As such, this prayer that Jesus taught us is for the church as a community. We are not in our testing alone. We have the Holy Spirit and the people of God as help in times of trial and testing and we can find our victory through the power of God's Spirit within the body of Christ. Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”He said to them, “When you pray, say:“‘Father,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come.Give us each day our daily bread.Forgive us our sins,for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.And lead us not into temptation, *but deliver us from the evil one.'”*Some manuscripts include this last phrase, “but deliver us from the evil one.”https://bit.ly/Luke11_1-4-NIV

On Easter Sunday, April 28, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart shared a message about when Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Jesus invited them to pray, “Forgive us our sins.” We learned from this passage that we are invited to walk in harmony with the Lord and with one another. We can maintain this harmony by keeping our relationships open for communication and reconciliation, understanding that forgiveness with one another is to say, “You don't owe me anything” based on receiving God's forgiveness when we sin. Grace begets grace. When we receive God's grace we can extend grace to others. Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”He said to them, “When you pray, say:“‘Father,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come.Give us each day our daily bread.Forgive us our sins,for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.And lead us not into temptation.'”https://bit.ly/Luke11_1-4NIV

On Easter Sunday, April 21, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart shared a message about when Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Jesus invited them to pray, “Give us each day our daily bread.” We learned from this passage that we are to have a dependence on the Lord for not only our spiritual needs but our physical needs as well. This dependence is to be renewed each day and expressed by faith that God will provide precisely what we need as we need it. Luke 11:1-4 (NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'” https://bit.ly/Luke11_1-4NIV

Easter Sunday 2024                                                                                              Cross of Rebellion Luke 23:34 (NIV)“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”Luke 23:39 (NIV)“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!'” Cross of RepentanceLuke 23:40-41 (NIV)“the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don't you fear God,' he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.'”Luke 23:42 (NIV)“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Cross of Redemption  John 3:16 (NIV)“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.'”2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”1 John 4:10 (NIV)“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”Matthew 28:5-7 (NIV)“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead…”

On Sunday, March 24, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcast online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart shared a message about when Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Jesus instructed them to declare, “your will be done.” This declaration can be understood as saying three things. 1) Aligning ourselves to God's will first, 2) Having an attitude of humility and surrender with joy and enthusiasm, 3) Understanding that we have a mission to usher in God's kingdom that is coming. When we pray, “your will be done,” we are giving ourselves over to live a life of faith with passion for God's purposes and vision for the work of the kingdom through the body of Christ. Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'”Let your kingdom come.Let your will be done on earthas it is done in heaven.Matthew 6:10 (GW)https://bit.ly/Luke11_1-4NIVhttps://bit.ly/Matthew6_10GW

Listen along as we look at the space between Good Friday and Easter Sunday contemplating the silence of God. Notes//Quotes: Psalm 13:1-6 - Jon   “Habakkuk lived in the final decades of Judah, Israel's southern kingdom. It was a time of injustice and idolatry, and he saw the rising threat of the Babylonian empire on the horizon. Unlike the other Hebrew prophets, Habakkuk doesn't accuse Israel or even speak to the people on God's behalf. Instead, all of his words are addressed to God. The book of Habakkuk tells us about Habakkuk's personal struggle to believe that God is good when there is so much tragedy and evil in the world”  — bible project    1 The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2 How long, O Lord, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save. 3 Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises. 4 Therefore the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out perverted. 5 “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! (NASB)   Habakkuk 2:3 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. (NIV)   “One of her colleagues attended a conference on Jungian dream analysis where people wrote questions on cards that were passed along to a panel of experts, among them was a grandson of Carl Jung. One of these cards told the story of a horrific, reoccurring dream, in which the dreamer was stripped of all human dignity and worth through Nazi atrocities. A member of the panel, read the dream out loud. As she listened, my colleague began to formulate a dream interpretation in her head, in anticipation of the panels response. It was really "a no-brainer," she thought, as her mind, busily offered her symbolic explanations for the torture and atrocities described in the dream.  But this was not how the panel responded at all. When the reading of the dream was complete, Jungs's grandson looked out over the large audience. "Would you all please rise?" he asked. "we will stand together in a moment of silence in response to this dream." The audience stood for a minute, my colleague, impatiently, waiting for the discussion she was certain would follow. But when they sat again, the panel went onto the next question. My colleague simply did not understand this at all, and a few days later, she asked one of her teachers, himself a Jungian analyst, about it, “Ah, Lois," he had said, "there is life, suffering unspeakable, a vulnerability, so extreme that it goes far beyond words, beyond explanations, and even beyond healing. In the face of such suffering, all we can do is bear witness so no one need suffer alone.” - Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness   “I know that, as night and shadows are good for flowers, and moonlight and dews are better than a continual sun, so is Christ's absence of special use, and that it hath some nourishing virtue in it, and giveth sap to humility, and putteth an edge on hunger, and furnisheth a fair field to faith to put forth itself, and to exercise its fingers in gripping it seeth not what.”  —Samuel Rutherford   “Honesty. David is in agony and can't feel the presence of God. he cries out that God has ignored his pain and his sorrow. It is almost a howl, and the fact that it is included in the Bible tells us that God wants to hear our genuine feelings, even if they are anger at him. David never stops praying, however, and that is the key. As long as we howl towards God and remember his salvation by grace (verse 5), we will end up at a place of peace. If Christians do that, by hearing Jesus praying verses 1-4 on the cross, losing the Father's face as he paid for our sins, we will be able to pray versus 5-6 indeed.”  — Timothy Keller   It's enough to drive a man crazy; it'll break a man's faith It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod And the heaven's only answer is the silence of God   It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart When he has to remember what broke him apart This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God   There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold And He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone All His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone   And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God The aching may remain, but the breaking does not The aching may remain, but the breaking does not In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God - Andrew Peterson, The Silence of God  

On Sunday, March 10, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcast online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart shared a message about when Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Jesus instructed them to declare, “your kingdom come.” This declaration can be understood as saying three things. 1) All of me, 2) For all of you, 3) For your purposes. When we pray, “your kingdom come,” we are surrendering ourselves to God's way and will, aligning ourselves to God's presence and purpose so that we can be God's people in the world, reflecting the love of Jesus. Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'”Let your kingdom come.Let your will be done on earthas it is done in heaven.Matthew 6:10 (GW)https://bit.ly/Luke11_1-4NIVhttps://bit.ly/Matthew6_10GW

On Sunday, March 10, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcast online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart shared a message about when Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Jesus revealed to them that out of our intimate relationship with God who is our Father, we can pray, “Hallowed be your name,” which is a request that we reflect God's glory as a fully integrated child of God. Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'”https://bit.ly/Luke11_1-4NIV

On Sunday, March 3, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcast online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart shared a message about when Jesus' disciples approached him and asked that he teach them how to pray. In this passage, we see that Jesus is more than willing to teach us to pray and as a lesson he gives us a pattern to help us reorient ourselves to the way of God's kingdom. Lastly, we see that as Jesus says, “When you pray…” there is an embedded invitation to connect with God the Father allowing the Lord to meet our needs. Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”He said to them, “When you pray, say:“‘Father,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come.Give us each day our daily bread.Forgive us our sins,for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.And lead us not into temptation.'”https://bit.ly/Luke11_1-4NIV

Helping People Become Wholehearted Followers of Christ                                                                                               Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)“Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Christianity is not for loners or individualists. Matthew 28:19 (ESV) “…make disciples of all nations…”John 13:34-35 (ESV) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”Mark 12:28-31 (NIV)"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important? The most important one:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.”1 John 4:19 (ESV) “We love because he first loved us.”“It is very easy to build churches in which seekers congregate; it is very hard to build churches in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship.”- David WellsColossians 2:2-3, 6-7 (NIV)“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” “…continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”

Sermon Notes Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭1 (NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭2 (NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭3-4‬a ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬b ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "And lead us not into temptation." The early church prayed the "Our Father" three times a day (morning, noon, and night). Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭2 ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. "Our Father. Familiar words, maybe so familiar that they are no longer real. Those words were not only real, but also revolutionary to the twelve disciples. Pagan philosophers such as Aristotle arrived at the existence of God via human reason and referred to Him in vague, impersonal terms: the uncaused cause, the immovable mover. The prophets of Israel revealed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in a warmer, more compassionate manner. But only Jesus revealed to an astonished Jewish community that God is truly Father." - Brennan Manning, The Furious Longing of God Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭2 ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Hallowed = (Ἁγιασθήτω/Hagiasthētō) = Holy Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) God's holiness means God does not see the world, our sins, and our problems the way we do. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. In this prayer, we see that God is both: 1) tough and tender. 2) intimate and infinite. 3) attentive and awesome. God desires both the intimacy of "Father" and the respect of "hallowed" Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭5‬ (NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; - Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ (NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭7‬ (NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭8‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. As a good Father, God delights in meeting all your needs. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭9‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭10‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭11-12‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭13‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "If you took the love of all the best mothers and fathers who have lived in the course of human history, all their goodness, kindness, patience, fidelity, wisdom, tenderness, strength, and love and united all those qualities in a single person, that person's love would only be a faint shadow of the furious love and mercy in the heart of God the Father addressed to you and me at this moment." - Brennan Manning, The Furious Longing of God

Teach Us to Pray Pt. 1 | January 7, 2023Pastor Bria GilmoreLuke 11:1-4 (NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”Prayer isn't just for those closest to Him. Prayer is for everyone.Matthew 6:5-13 (NIV) - “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'"✓  Some want something different.✓  Some worry about what others think.✓  Some pray what they think God wants to hear.HONEST PRAYERSI. HAVE A CERTAIN PLACELuke 11:1 (NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place...Matthew 6:6 (NIV) - But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen...II. BE PRESENT WITH WHAT'S PRESENTIII. START WITH WHAT'S HONESTMatthew 6:8 (NIV) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.For more resources related to this series, check out our Resource Page!Get started with Growth Track: baychapel.com/growthtrack

Message for 12/10/2023 "The Why of Revelation" by Justin McTeer. *All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted* Matthew 24:3 - Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world? Matthew 24:36 - “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. Acts 1:6-7 - So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” 7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. WHO? WHERE? Revelation 21:1-2 - Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. WHY? LOVE Psalm 50:9-10 - But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. 10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. Revelation 7:9-10 - After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” SALVATION 2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV - But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Revelation 3:20 NIV - Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 21:1-5 NIV - Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:9-27 NIV - One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. Revelation 22:1-5 NIV - Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. RE-CREATION Eugene Peterson - To the person who simply wants more, who is impatient of limits, who is bored with what he or she has and wants diversion from it, St. John's vision of heaven will not serve well. This is not a paradise for consumers. St. John's heaven is not an extension of human [greed] upwards but an invasion of God's rule and presence downwards. Heaven in the vision, remember, descends. The consequence is that “the dwelling of God is with men.” If we don't want God or don't want him very near, we can hardly be expected to be very interested in heaven.”

The Kingdom of Heaven Among Us It is not up to us to build the kingdom, but we can build for the kingdom. As resurrection people who know that heaven and earth overlap, we can become agents of God's beauty in a world that needs a song, a beautiful painting, a new dance, or a heart-touching poem. We can also stand for justice in a world where injustice seems to have a vise grip on so many people. The resurrection of Jesus does not move us to a passive and sedentary life of waiting for God to show up some day in the dis- tant future. The hope of the resurrection inspires and empowers Christians to stand strong, work hard, pray more fervently, and live with compassion. As the power of the resurrection fills our hearts, homes, and churches, we stand firm, we let nothing move us, we always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because we know our labor is not in vain!   Luke 17:20-21 (NIV)- One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can't be detected by visible signs. You won't be able to say, ‘Here it is!' or ‘It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

On Sunday, September 3, 2023, VLC gathered in person, which was also broadcast online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about Jesus calming the storm as he and his disciples traveled across the lake. The faith that Jesus is building in us is one that goes beyond our boundaries, trusts within the storms, and understands his authority. Luke 8:22-25 (NIV)One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we're going to drown!”He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”https://bit.ly/Luke8_22-25NIV

PROVERBS: WISDOM & FRIENDSHIP Message by Josh Mutter – July 23, 2023 Big Idea: Our friendships have the potential to make us better than we would otherwise be on our own. Lesson 1: A few good friends are better than a crowd of acquaintances. Proverbs 18:24 NIV  One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, … Read more...

One of the ways we experience God is through the beauty of his creation. Beauty heals. Beauty refreshes. Beauty puts our souls at rest. Beauty speaks hope. In today's podcast, Stasi, along with Polly Dodge and Jamie Goudie of the Wild at Heart team, share the ways they cultivate beauty, and why choosing to look for beauty is so important. Jesus is Divine Beauty, perfect, alluring, and glorious. When we ask him, he will help us find beauty even in desolate places, surprising us with it in abundance, healing our hearts and opening us to receive even more of him.…..SHOW NOTES:…..VERSES: Matthew 5:48 (NIV) — Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.Song of Solomon 5:16 (NIV) — His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, this is my friend,daughters of Jerusalem.Psalm 27:4 (NIV) — One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.Isaiah 33:17(NIV) — Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar.Psalm 45 (in its entirety, but here 45:1 [NIV]) — My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.Isaiah 43:19(NIV) — See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.…..OTHER RESOURCES:The Journey of Desire by John Eldredge – https://wahe.art/46qgloeBeginning quote by Jonathan Edwards from The Nature of True Virtue – https://wahe.art/3qY6HJe…..Don't Miss Out on the Next Episode – Subscribe for FreeSubscribe using your favorite podcast app:Spotify Podcasts – https://spoti.fi/42SsOipApple Podcasts – https://apple.co/42E0oZ1 Google Podcasts – http://wahe.art/3M81kxLAmazon Music & Audible – https://amzn.to/3M9u6hJ

Summer at Bay Chapel | June 4, 2023Psalm 42:1-5 (NLT) As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! √  LIVING IN THE PASTPhilippians 3:13-14 (NIV) One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.√  KEEPING SCORE√ GROWING WEARYMatthew 11:28-29 (NIV) Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”SETTING THE PACEI. RUN AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE.Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) ...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.Psalm 55:22 (NLT) Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.II. FIND STRENGTH IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.Psalm 42:1 (NLT) As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.Isaiah 43:1-3 (GNT) The Lord who created you says, “Do not be afraid—I will save you. I have called you by name—you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you.When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you. For I am the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel, who saves you.Current Series Resources: https://baychapel.churchcenter.com/pages/prayerBay Chapel is a life-giving church in the New Tampa community. We meet Sundays at 10:00 am and you are welcome to come anytime in person or online. Find out more at baychapel.com —---Subscribe to receive our latest messages. ——Stay Connected, ask for prayer and find out more.http://www.baychapel.com/connect——Bay Chapel exists to help people ‘Find God and Find Life' through a relationship with Jesus Christ. To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: http://www.baychapel.com/give

On Sunday, April 30, 2023, VLC gathered in person, which was also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice led us through an exploration of three themes found in this passage. 1) The key to Jesus' life and ministry was prayer, submitting himself to God his Father. 2) When Jesus had important decisions, he would spend the night in prayer. Jesus' example is saying to God, “Not my will, but yours be done.” 3) The decision in this passage was for the Twelve Disciples, but we discover that we are chosen by God in Christ when people have prayed for us to know Jesus. Prayer is the key to bringing our loved ones into God's family.Luke 6:12-16 (NIV)One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.https://bit.ly/Luke6_1-11NIV

Sermon Notes Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. "For God is triune, and it is as triune that he is so good and desirable…" — Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." "For a moment, imagine yourself as the paralyzed man. You would have felt (and if you had a bold personality you might have said), 'Uh, thanks—but isn't it obvious I have a more urgent need here?' And if you had said that, Jesus would have answered, 'No, you don't.'" — Timothy Keller, Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Jesus is not just another prophet or a good man. He is claiming to be God. Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?"‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home." Daniel‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." The title, Son of Man, shows Jesus' humanity, humility, and holiness. Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭64‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "You have said so," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭65‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy." Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today." "It's likely that the man had been feeling, "If I could just walk again—then I'd be happy. I'd never complain. I'd be content." But Jesus, as it were, is saying: "Look around you at all these people—they can all walk. Are their hearts all filled with contentment? Are they all happy? If I only heal you, you will be overjoyed for a while, but then you will become like everyone else." No. What the man needed was forgiveness. Forgiveness gets down to the bottom of things—to the alienation we feel from God and from ourselves because of our wrongdoing. Jesus was saying: "I want to show you that the deepest need of your nature is for me. Only I can bestow perfect love, new identity, endless comfort, hope, and glory. And the doorway into all of that is to know forgiveness." It's time to open that door and walk through it."— Timothy Keller,Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? In Christ, your worst day can be completely forgiven.

Sermon Notes Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee) the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets." Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat." Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.'" Will I trust that Jesus knows more than I do? Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'" Five powerful words: "But because you say so…" Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink." Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭10a‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!' For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners." Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭10b‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.' So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." "I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call earth' home.' Before you know it, I am calling luxuries 'needs' and using my money just the way unbelievers do. I begin to forget the war. I don't think much about people perishing. Missions and unreached people drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumphs of grace. I sink into a secular mindset that looks first to what man can do, not what God can do. It is a terrible sickness. And I thank God for those who have forced me again and again toward a wartime mindset." - John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life Imagine waking up tomorrow to make sure you don't waste your life.

On Sunday, March 19, 2023, VLC gathered in person, which was also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice continued our series “A Closer Walk with Jesus.” Today, we look at the story of Jesus forgiving and healing a paralyzed man who was let down through the roof by his friends to get to Jesus. Pastor Stuart encourages us to examine our faith by asking, are we judging Jesus, are we making a way to get to Jesus, are we embracing God's grace through faith? Luke 5:17-26 (NIV)One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, ‘Get up and walk'? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”https://bit.ly/Luke5_17-26NIV

Psalm 72 (NIV)One struggle with seeing this psalm as Messianic is the notion of praying for the king. How do we pray for Jesus? Andrew and Edwin take a look at what is often called "The Lord's Prayer," noticing that it really is a prayer for the kingdom of Jesus Christ. It is a prayer for our King and His kingdom. And our prayers need to prioritize that kind of praying.Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.    Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org.    Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here. We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more. Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here.   Thanks for talking about the text with us today.________________________________________________If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser: Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=11790The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheTextFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalkMichael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/ 

THE POWER OF GOD'S WHISPER TITLE: READY, SHOOT, AIM! VERSE: Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. PSALM 42:7, NIV ✔️ - One-way communication with God isn't enough. ✔️ - We can't be content with anything less than a heart-to-heart connection. ✔️ - God offers us that, and in abundance. ✔️ - Not surprisingly, it's in the depths. TAKEAWAY: And life seems to flourish most plentifully out of deathly wounds. Out of the depths, God speaks. PRAYER: Lord, I want to connect with the deepest parts of Your Spirit in the depths of mine. Is there any other way than in the midst of life's tumultuous seas? Even if not, this is worth it. Let the noise of the breakers give way to the sound of Your voice. ▌ABOUT US ▌

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. One thing – David in Psalm 27 Psalms 27:4 (NIV) One thing — Jesus talking to Martha and Mary in Luke 10 — it says Martha was distracted… So Jesus says to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the one thing that cannot be taken away from her. There's something about saying Martha's name twice that shows his care for her, and that he really wants her to hear what he's getting ready to say. He's talking about her whole life — being distracted by too many things because she has lost focus on the one thing she truly needs most. Anxiety is often hidden in our body and in our mind. But it happens when the one thing stops being the main thing and just becomes another thing on a long list of too many things. The very next sentence after Jesus talking to Martha is Luke 11… Luke 11:1-4 (NIV) Something about this shorter version gives us the main point.  Your kingdom come Matthew 9:35 NIV “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” You can't separate Christ from the kingdom of God because the word Christ means King. All of Jesus's miracles in some way were signs of the good news of the kingdom of God. When he returns… Matthew 13:43 NIV So use your imagination to picture this incredible image Jesus just gave you. He's actually quoting from the book of Daniel in the Hebrew Scriptures. But this is an image Jesus wants you to have, so run with it with your imagination. Imagine your resurrected body that in some way is described as shining like the sun in the kingdom of your father. A body of glory. Radiance. Beauty. Power. Righteousness. If you have this one thing – dwelling in the presence of the I AM in his kingdom forever – you have everything. Luke 12:30–32 NIV Let your confidence in Jesus‘ words, replace anxiety and fear and self protective reflexes and stress in your mind and body with the security and comfort and peace and joy that your father is pleased to give you the kingdom. He knows everything you need and all you need is to have the one thing and that's him — his kingdom. And everything else will be given to you if you have the one thing. Matthew 13:44–46 NIV Jesus is talking about the one thing you need. Having joy because you have the one thing. You have found the one thing that you need to seek. And everything else will come when you have the one thing. CS Lewis quote in the very last part of Mere Christianity “The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: …and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.” Imagine having the one thing you need. You don't need to be anxious about anything else if you have the one thing. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. One thing – David in Psalm 27 Psalms 27:4 (NIV) One thing — Jesus talking to Martha and Mary in Luke 10 — it says Martha was distracted… So Jesus says to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the one thing that cannot be taken away from her. There's something about saying Martha's name twice that shows his care for her, and that he really wants her to hear what he's getting ready to say. He's talking about her whole life — being distracted by too many things because she has lost focus on the one thing she truly needs most. Anxiety is often hidden in our body and in our mind. But it happens when the one thing stops being the main thing and just becomes another thing on a long list of too many things. The very next sentence after Jesus talking to Martha is Luke 11… Luke 11:1-4 (NIV) Something about this shorter version gives us the main point.  Your kingdom come Matthew 9:35 NIV “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” You can't separate Christ from the kingdom of God because the word Christ means King. All of Jesus's miracles in some way were signs of the good news of the kingdom of God. When he returns… Matthew 13:43 NIV So use your imagination to picture this incredible image Jesus just gave you. He's actually quoting from the book of Daniel in the Hebrew Scriptures. But this is an image Jesus wants you to have, so run with it with your imagination. Imagine your resurrected body that in some way is described as shining like the sun in the kingdom of your father. A body of glory. Radiance. Beauty. Power. Righteousness. If you have this one thing – dwelling in the presence of the I AM in his kingdom forever – you have everything. Luke 12:30–32 NIV Let your confidence in Jesus‘ words, replace anxiety and fear and self protective reflexes and stress in your mind and body with the security and comfort and peace and joy that your father is pleased to give you the kingdom. He knows everything you need and all you need is to have the one thing and that's him — his kingdom. And everything else will be given to you if you have the one thing. Matthew 13:44–46 NIV Jesus is talking about the one thing you need. Having joy because you have the one thing. You have found the one thing that you need to seek. And everything else will come when you have the one thing. CS Lewis quote in the very last part of Mere Christianity “The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: …and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.” Imagine having the one thing you need. You don't need to be anxious about anything else if you have the one thing. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

On Sunday, October 16, 2022, VLC gathered in person which was also broadcasted online via YouTube. Today, Pastor Stuart Nice encouraged us to examine the things that hinder us from developing our prayer life. Three hindrances he shared with us are:1. Thinking you can go it alone.2. Misunderstanding the character of Father God.3. Not relying on the gift of the Holy Spirit.Luke 11:1-2, 11-13 (NIV)One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”He said to them, “When you pray, say:‘Father,…'”“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”https://bit.ly/Luke11_1-2_11-13NIV

(English) In this message Ps Catherine talks about how God can heal today in these 3 points: (John 16:7 ESV) Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 14:12-16) “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. (13) You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. (14) Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (15) “If you love me, obey my commandments. (16) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[b] who will never leave you. Two Answers to Encourage You: 1. Yes God Heals Today and He Wants to Heal You 2. God Wants to Use You to See Healing Come to Others (Acts 3:1-10 NIV) One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. (2) Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. (3) When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. (4) Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” (5) So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. (6) Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (7) Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. (8) He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (9) When all the people saw him walking and praising God, (10) they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. See the Opportunity Realize the Treasure You have to Give  God heals

(Bilingual) このメッセージではキャサリン牧師が神様がそのように今も癒してくれるのかについて以下の３つのポイントから話します。 In this message Ps Catherine talks about how God can heal today in these 3 points: (John 16:7 ESV) Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (ヨハネ 16:7 JCB) しかし、わたしが行くことは、あなたがたにとって一番よいことなのです。わたしが行かなければ、助け手である聖霊はおいでになりません。行けば必ずおいでになります。それというのも、わたしがその方を遣わすからです。 (John 14:12-16) “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. (13) You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. (14) Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (15) “If you love me, obey my commandments. (16) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[b] who will never leave you. (ヨハネ 14:12-16 JCB) よく言っておきます。わたしを信じる者は、わたしと同じわざを行うばかりか、それよりもさらに大きなわざを行うのです。わたしが父のもとに行くからです。 (13) わたしの名によって、父に願い求めなさい。どんなことでもかなえてあげましょう。父が子によってほめたたえられるためです。(14) わたしの名によって願い求めることは、必ずかなえられるのです。(15) わたしを愛するなら、わたしの戒めを守りなさい。 (16) わたしは父に、もう一人の助け手を送っていただくようお願いします。その助け手は、いつもあなたがたと共におられます。 Two Answers to Encourage You: あなたを励ますための2つの答え 1. Yes God Heals Today and He Wants to Heal You 今日も神様は癒す神様であり、あなたを癒したいと願っている 2. God Wants to Use You to See Healing Come to Others 他の人が癒しを体験できるように神様はあなたを用いたい (Acts 3:1-10 NIV) One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. (2) Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. (3) When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. (4) Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” (5) So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. (6) Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (7) Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. (8) He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (9) When all the people saw him walking and praising God, (10) they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (使徒 3:1-10 JCB)ある日の午後、ペテロとヨハネは宮へ出かけました。日課である午後三時の祈りをするためです。 (2) もうすぐ宮だという所で、生まれつき足の不自由な男が運ばれて来るのに出会いました。この男はいつも、宮の「美しの門」のそばに置いてもらい、宮に入る人たちから施しを受けていたのです。 (3) 二人が前を通り過ぎようとすると男は、「だんな様。どうぞお恵みを」と施しを求めました。 (4) 二人は立ち止まり、男をじっと見つめました。やがて、ペテロが口を開きました。「私たちをごらん。」  (5) 彼は何かもらえるのだろうと思って、二人を見上げました。 (6) ところが、ペテロは全く意外なことを言ったのです。「あげようにも、お金は持っていないんだ。しかし、ほかのものをあげよう。ナザレのイエス・キリストの名によって命じる。さあ、立って歩きなさい。」 (7-8) そう言うなり、ペテロは手を貸して彼を立たせようとしました。すると男は、驚いたことに、足もくるぶしもたちまち強くなり、しっかりと立ち上がったのです。そして、すたすた歩き始めました。ペテロとヨハネが宮に入ると、彼は跳んだりはねたりして、神を賛美しながらついて来ました。 (9) 中にいた人たちは、神を賛美しながら歩いている男を、じろじろながめました。どうしたことでしょう。 (10) いつも「美しの門」で見かける、足の悪い物ごいではありませんか。だれもかれもびっくりするばかりです。 See the Opportunity 機会を見つける Realize the Treasure You have to Give 人に与えることができる自分にある宝に気付く  God heals 神様は癒してくれる

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. One thing – David in Psalm 27 Psalms 27:4 (NIV) One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. One thing — Jesus talking to Martha and Mary in Luke 10 — it says Martha was distracted… So Jesus says to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the one thing that cannot be taken away from her. There's something about saying Martha's name twice that shows his care for her, and that he really wants her to hear what he's getting ready to say. He's talking about her whole life — being distracted by too many things because she has lost focus on the one thing she truly needs most. Anxiety is often hidden in our body and in our mind. But it happens when the one thing stops being the main thing and just becomes another thing on a long list of too many things. The very next sentence after Jesus talking to Martha is Luke 11… Luke 11:1-4 (NIV) “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, Hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come.'” Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.  And lead us not into temptation.'” Something about this shorter version gives us the main point.  Father hallowed be your name “Holy” (Who God is) — Radiant, ultimate in splendor, beauty, glory, goodness, etc. “Hallowed” is the verb form of the word holy. It usually gets translated as “sanctify” in our English Bible (“hallowed” = “sanctified”). And we get a better idea what that verb means when used in poetic parallel in… Isaiah 29:23 ESV “[The children of Abraham] will sanctify my name [same phrase as “hallowed by your name” except in the first person]; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. So hallowed means to be in awe of God. To see him as Ultimate. God is The Most… The most worthy. The most glorious. The most beautiful. The most radiant. The most trustworthy.  God's ultimate-ness supersedes everything else. And everything else takes its proper place when God is your Ultimate. If you have the Ultimate, then you ultimately have everything else. Same word used regarding Jesus in (Peter heard Jesus give the Lord's Prayer)… 1 Peter 3:15 ESV “…In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy…” κύριov δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἁγιάσατε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν  Christ is The Most… The most worthy. The most glorious. The most beautiful. The most radiant. The most trustworthy. The most important by FAR. “Hallowed” as a prayer also has the idea of “holy be in me.” “Holy be in me…” (Who I am because God is my “Father”). When talking about something other than God, being sanctified means something that represents God. Connected to him in such a way that it represents his name and his presence. Christ enables you to honor/hallow God's name, because… 1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV — same exact Greek word. (“…In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…”) “…You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. One thing – David in Psalm 27 Psalms 27:4 (NIV) One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. One thing — Jesus talking to Martha and Mary in Luke 10 — it says Martha was distracted… So Jesus says to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the one thing that cannot be taken away from her. There's something about saying Martha's name twice that shows his care for her, and that he really wants her to hear what he's getting ready to say. He's talking about her whole life — being distracted by too many things because she has lost focus on the one thing she truly needs most. Anxiety is often hidden in our body and in our mind. But it happens when the one thing stops being the main thing and just becomes another thing on a long list of too many things. The very next sentence after Jesus talking to Martha is Luke 11… Luke 11:1-4 (NIV) “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, Hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come.'” Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.  And lead us not into temptation.'” Something about this shorter version gives us the main point.  Father hallowed be your name “Holy” (Who God is) — Radiant, ultimate in splendor, beauty, glory, goodness, etc. “Hallowed” is the verb form of the word holy. It usually gets translated as “sanctify” in our English Bible (“hallowed” = “sanctified”). And we get a better idea what that verb means when used in poetic parallel in… Isaiah 29:23 ESV “[The children of Abraham] will sanctify my name [same phrase as “hallowed by your name” except in the first person]; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. So hallowed means to be in awe of God. To see him as Ultimate. God is The Most… The most worthy. The most glorious. The most beautiful. The most radiant. The most trustworthy.  God's ultimate-ness supersedes everything else. And everything else takes its proper place when God is your Ultimate. If you have the Ultimate, then you ultimately have everything else. Same word used regarding Jesus in (Peter heard Jesus give the Lord's Prayer)… 1 Peter 3:15 ESV “…In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy…” κύριov δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἁγιάσατε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν  Christ is The Most… The most worthy. The most glorious. The most beautiful. The most radiant. The most trustworthy. The most important by FAR. “Hallowed” as a prayer also has the idea of “holy be in me.” “Holy be in me…” (Who I am because God is my “Father”). When talking about something other than God, being sanctified means something that represents God. Connected to him in such a way that it represents his name and his presence. Christ enables you to honor/hallow God's name, because… 1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV — same exact Greek word. (“…In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…”) “…You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. In our last episode we looked at what Jesus said to his friend… Luke 10:41-42 (ESV) But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” He's talking about Martha's life — anxious and troubled about MANY things, but one thing is necessary, which will not be taken away from her. And then right after the story about Mary and Martha… No chapters in the original. So Luke arranges it so that this is the very next sentence… Luke 11:1-4 (NIV) “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, Hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come.'” Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.  And lead us not into temptation.'” Something about this shorter version gives us the main point.  Father God of the universe… Matthew 11:25 (NIV) …Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth...” You may have some baggage with that term, Father, but Jesus has the ideal in mind. No one loves you more than your parents (in an ideal situation). And in an ideal situation as a child, your Father is the person you feel most protected by. He's in charge and you're safe. He provides everything you need. This is the ideal Jesus has in mind in… Matthew 6:6 NIV “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 10:29–31 NIV “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Immediately after Jesus rose from death and came out of his tomb… John 20:17 ESV “…Go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” Jesus is emphasizing that God relates to us as our Father with the same love and access as Jesus enjoyed. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. In our last episode we looked at what Jesus said to his friend… Luke 10:41-42 (ESV) But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” He's talking about Martha's life — anxious and troubled about MANY things, but one thing is necessary, which will not be taken away from her. And then right after the story about Mary and Martha… No chapters in the original. So Luke arranges it so that this is the very next sentence… Luke 11:1-4 (NIV) “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, Hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come.'” Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.  And lead us not into temptation.'” Something about this shorter version gives us the main point.  Father God of the universe… Matthew 11:25 (NIV) …Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth...” You may have some baggage with that term, Father, but Jesus has the ideal in mind. No one loves you more than your parents (in an ideal situation). And in an ideal situation as a child, your Father is the person you feel most protected by. He's in charge and you're safe. He provides everything you need. This is the ideal Jesus has in mind in… Matthew 6:6 NIV “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 10:29–31 NIV “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Immediately after Jesus rose from death and came out of his tomb… John 20:17 ESV “…Go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” Jesus is emphasizing that God relates to us as our Father with the same love and access as Jesus enjoyed. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

Influence Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Walks Proverbs 13:20 (ESV) Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Wise Discover friends who are facing the same direction and have the same foundation of life. “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” - CS Lewis – The Four Loves Becomes Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Show me your friends and I will show you your future. – Andy Stanley Discover Develop Being a good friend: 1. Be present. Proverbs 17:17 (NIV) A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. #17 Being a good friend: 1- 2. Be reliable. 18 Proverbs 18:24 (NIV) One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 3. Be helpful. Proverbs 27:5–6 (NIV) Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 28:23 (NIV) Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue. Proverbs 27:9 (NIV) Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice. John 15:13–15 (NIV) Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Are you happy that someone in the distant past invented writing and math? We get a lot of benefit from the ability to record thoughts and numbers. Writing preserves stories and history. We can send letters and notes. Things can be counted and tracked. But writing numbers also led to accounting. People kept track of money owed and paid. I suppose that's good for the lender. But many who owe debts may wish they'd never been counted. Another accounting is the record of transgressions or crimes. We even use the term “rap sheet” for such a list, even though it is stored in computer databases today. And for most convicted people, their criminal record never goes away. This week the podcast is looking at passages from the Psalms that include the phrase “blessed is the man.” We'll discover many different blessings.  Of course, they don't just apply to men. The saying is true for men and women. One of the Psalms talks about the recording of sin, sort of like our rap sheet with God. Psalms 32:1-2 reads, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” (NIV) One of the greatest blessings is the forgiveness that we receive through Jesus. Take a moment today to thank God for this blessing. How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/ Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/ Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  1 Corinthians 12: 12-27 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27 (NIV) One of the best known and most evocative images of the church is that of the Body of Christ. This idea that we all make up one body and we all have a different part to play within the body. It's a beautiful picture of unity and inclusivity. 

Religion pushes us to try to attain and yet fall short, while the Kingdom gives us freedom from performance because we operate from identity.A STORY OF IDENTITYLuke 10:25-37 (NIV)On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,' he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”All our efforts to do good or make the right decisions will always fall short outside of the Kingdom. PICTURE THIS: THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN“How do YOU read it?”Romans 12:3 (NLT)Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (ESV)Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.Seeing oneself as sufficient through God moves us from a have-to attitude to a get-to attitude.FOUR REVEALING RESPONSES1 - Lens of InterpretationLuke 11:33-36 (NLT)“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”Our ultimate calling is to minister to people.Jeremiah 17:10 (BSB)I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.Times that reveal our light: 1 - In times of crisis 2 - In times of need 2 - Heart of PossessionProverbs 11:24-25 (NIV)One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.Giving away creates gain in the Kingdom.James 2:18 (NLT)Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”3 - Willingness to Sacrifice 1 John 3:16-18 (NLT)We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God's love be in that person? Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.If we function on excuses, the right time to help will never come because availability to help requires sacrifice.4 - Consistency of Action“We are what we repeatedly do.Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”Will DurantConsistency speaks to how you want to be known.1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT)So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NLT)If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.KINGDOM CONCEPT:WE MUST LIVE OUT OF AN OVERFLOW OF OUR KINGDOM IDENTITY, WHICH EMPOWERS US TO BE THE HANDS AND FEET OF THE KING.

Series: The Four-Letter Word Title: Priorities: Work Date: 6/19/22 Location: Perris Valley Church   Point number 1 in your notes: Just as easily as we can say no to family because we have to be at work, we can say no to work because we have to be with family.   Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”   Point number 2 in your notes: Being made in the Image of God means that we share many of His qualities, including the ability and obligation to work.   Genesis 2:15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.   Point number 3 in your notes: If your work priority is not in its correct spot, you are putting pressure on somebody else to pull your weight.   2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT) Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”   Proverbs 18:9 (NIV) One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.   Point number 4 in your notes: God never designed us, or gave us permission to be lazy.   Proverbs 14:23 (CSB) There is profit in all hard work, but endless talk leads only to poverty.   Proverbs 13:11 (NLT) Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.   John 5:1-18 (CSB) After this, a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda in Aramaic, which has five colonnades. 3 Within these lay a large number of the disabled—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and realized he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the disabled man answered, “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I'm coming, someone goes down ahead of me.” 8 “Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk.” 9 Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk. Now that day was the Sabbath, 10 and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath. The law prohibits you from picking up your mat.” 11 He replied, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.'” 12 “Who is this man who told you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk'?” they asked. 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 After this, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn't happen to you.” 15 The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 Therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” 18 This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill him: Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God.   1 Corinthians 10:31 (CSB) So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

Brian Van Eps | Teaching Pastor The truth every parent knows: Parenting is Complicated Christian parents should cultivate an “Impressive Faith” Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV) Three Ideas for Cultivating an “Impressive Faith”: 1) Start with your Heart “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV) 2) Delight in your Daughters and Strengthen your Sons 3) Honor your parents “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 5:16 (NIV) One ordinary piece of furniture that can transform your family: The Table Take the Table Challenge: Gather around the table as a family this week, without screens, to have great food, drink, and a conversation about faith. Reflection Questions: 1) Why do you think that parenting is complicated? 2) Do you have an “Impressive Faith”? 3) What is one tangible way that you can honor your parents? 4) How could The Table in your home help cultivate “Impressive Faith”? 5) What is your plan for this week to gather around The Table with those in your home? For Parents: 1) How “Impressive” is your faith to your children? 2) How can you delight in your daughters and strengthen your sons this week? 3) What is your plan to use The Table with your kids this week? Next Steps: Complete the Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any question: http://journeyweb.net/connectcard Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeyweb.net/give Download our app: https://journeyweb.net/app Notes Page: https://journeyweb.net/sermons/notes/2022.06.19.pdf

Brian Van Eps | Teaching Pastor The truth every parent knows: Parenting is Complicated Christian parents should cultivate an “Impressive Faith” Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV) Three Ideas for Cultivating an “Impressive Faith”: 1) Start with your Heart “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV) 2) Delight in your Daughters and Strengthen your Sons 3) Honor your parents “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 5:16 (NIV) One ordinary piece of furniture that can transform your family: The Table Take the Table Challenge: Gather around the table as a family this week, without screens, to have great food, drink, and a conversation about faith. Reflection Questions: 1) Why do you think that parenting is complicated? 2) Do you have an “Impressive Faith”? 3) What is one tangible way that you can honor your parents? 4) How could The Table in your home help cultivate “Impressive Faith”? 5) What is your plan for this week to gather around The Table with those in your home? For Parents: 1) How “Impressive” is your faith to your children? 2) How can you delight in your daughters and strengthen your sons this week? 3) What is your plan to use The Table with your kids this week? Next Steps: Complete the Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any question: http://journeyweb.net/connectcard Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeyweb.net/give Download our app: https://journeyweb.net/app Notes Page: https://journeyweb.net/sermons/notes/2022.06.19.pdf

IT'S COMPLICATED | Friendships | June 12, 2022 Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor https://www.journeyweb.net/gather/ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” Genesis 1:26 (NIV) The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18 (NIV) One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 (NIV) TIME: A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Proverbs 17:17 (NIV) TRANSPARENCY: Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13 (NIV) TRUTH: Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue. Proverbs 28:23 (NIV) Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27:5-6 (NIV) TENACITY: As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) A true friend ALWAYS lets you in, NEVER lets you down. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:12-15 (NIV) Reflection Questions: 1) Who is your 2 AM phone call? Do you have people that you can call at any hour and they will be there for you? 2) What has been your greatest challenge when it comes to developing deep and lasting friendships with people? Explain. 3) Do you have a regular rhythm of getting time with others that follow Jesus? Why or why not? 4) How well do you speak truth and/or receive truth from your friends? What makes this challenging for you? How could you grow in this? 5) What prevents us from being totally transparent with our friends? What does lack of transparency cost us in friendships? What is the perceived “risk” of being transparent with our lives? 6) Why do we often fear and/or shy away from conflict in relationships? How can conflict handled well be a catalyst for deeper friendships? Share an example of this in your life. 7) What is your next step in building a meaningful relationship with someone in God’s family? Is there someone you feel nudged to move towards? Is there a relationship you should rekindle that has grown distan

IT'S COMPLICATED | Friendships | June 12, 2022 Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor https://www.journeyweb.net/gather/ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” Genesis 1:26 (NIV) The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18 (NIV) One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 (NIV) TIME: A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Proverbs 17:17 (NIV) TRANSPARENCY: Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13 (NIV) TRUTH: Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue. Proverbs 28:23 (NIV) Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27:5-6 (NIV) TENACITY: As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) A true friend ALWAYS lets you in, NEVER lets you down. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:12-15 (NIV) Reflection Questions: 1) Who is your 2 AM phone call? Do you have people that you can call at any hour and they will be there for you? 2) What has been your greatest challenge when it comes to developing deep and lasting friendships with people? Explain. 3) Do you have a regular rhythm of getting time with others that follow Jesus? Why or why not? 4) How well do you speak truth and/or receive truth from your friends? What makes this challenging for you? How could you grow in this? 5) What prevents us from being totally transparent with our friends? What does lack of transparency cost us in friendships? What is the perceived “risk” of being transparent with our lives? 6) Why do we often fear and/or shy away from conflict in relationships? How can conflict handled well be a catalyst for deeper friendships? Share an example of this in your life. 7) What is your next step in building a meaningful relationship with someone in God’s family? Is there someone you feel nudged to move towards? Is there a relationship you should rekindle that has grown distan

On Sunday, May 29, 2022, VLC gathered in person which was also broadcasted online via YouTube. Today members of the VLC worship team, Santiago & Beth Barboza and Brook Fonceca, shared some thoughts about worship, its simplicity, how we are created to worship, and how God uses worship as an instrument of growth in our lives.Mark 12:28-31 (NIV)One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.”https://bit.ly/Mark12_28-31NIV

Sermon Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20 (NIV) One of the most important questions for humanity to consider is "What is God like?” Throughout history, humanity has believed in a pantheon of gods and goddesses and they had a particular way of relating to each of these gods. An altar was set up on a high place, and sacrifices were made to that god. The trouble with this system was that you never knew where you stood with the gods. While ugly on the surface, the cross is the clearest revelation of God's character. The God revealed in Christ does not bear a weapon in his hands, but nails. He is not surrounded by an entourage of minions, but between thieves. God has reconciled the world himself. You don't have to question where you stand with God, for love has been poured out and put on display

As we look about the world, it is easy to see what God has created. We examine the stars and the limitless universe. Or we look at the intricate nature of creation at the molecular and sub-atomic levels. Or we simply admire the sunset, sip coffee and smell the roses. What a wonderful creation! But there is one thing we often miss. That's probably because it can't be seen. God also created time. Science is still trying to understand the way space and time are related. Scientists talks about the space-time continuum. That's because three-dimensional space and time are somehow interwoven. God exists outside of time and space. The word eternal refers to God's existence outside of time. He created it, but is not limited by it. He existed before time existed! Listen to the description of God in Deuteronomy 33:26-27, “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you.” (NIV) One of the things that makes God divine, is his eternal nature. For us, we can't stop time, rewind it or save it for another day. All we can do is measure it. We are creatures in time. But God is eternal. That's one reason we can rely on him to care for us. How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/ Please provide feedback and suggestions at: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/feedback/ Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

On Sunday, January 30, 2022, Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message in person and online via YouTube Live and Zoom. Pastor Stuart highlighted the faith of a paralyzed man's friends. They heard the news about Jesus, came together, and stepped out in faith by placing their friend in front of Jesus to be healed. Pastor Stuart shared that today we can join our faith to the faith of our family and friends and then step out together in the way that the Lord is leading us, trusting that the Lord will meet us there and carry us through.Luke 5:17-20 (NIV)One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”http://bit.ly/Luke5_17-20NIV

On Sunday, January 9, 2022, Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message in person and online via YouTube Live and Zoom. Pastor Stuart led us in an exercise to evaluate what we feel Jesus is calling us to this year. We looked at Jesus calling the disciples in Luke 5:1-11, NIV. To make the task more manageable, we looked at God's calling in incremental stages. • The little asks • The unusual tasks • A courageous callingLuke 5:1-11 (NIV) One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”Simon answered, “Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.http://bit.ly/Luke5_1-11NIV

Recently, my wife and I started playing pickleball. It's a cross between tennis and ping pong. It's a lot of fun. It has also given me a few aches and pains as I use muscles I haven't used in a while! Usually, we're not very thankful when we hurt. Oh, my pickleball aches are nothing. Some people have real pain and suffering. Sometimes it is physical, at other times emotional. What we want is a life free of pain. That would make us thankful, right? Psalms 69:30-31 says, “I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.”(NIV) The psalmist knew that giving thanks to God was better than the act of animal sacrifice. But look closer. This Psalm is about giving thanks to God in the midst of pain, distress and despair. The psalm starts “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.”(Psalms 69:1-2NI V). Then, just before declaring his intention to glorify God with thanksgiving, he says, “I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.” (Psalms 69:29 NIV) One of the surprising things we've learned here, is we should always be thankful for God's salvation, even in the midst of distressing times. Even when we hurt, we can thank God for his salvation. Please provide feedback and suggestions at: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/feedback/ Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

Psalm 145:4 (NIV) "One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts."

When we were children it was easier to believe and imagine that the improbable and impossible could happen. Then life happened. And for many of us: “then this year happened.”A primary theme of scripture is a demonstration of God's commitment to redeem, restore, and renew the things in our lives that have been hurt, damaged, and broken. The promise of a new day awaits! I've accepted Jesus • https://willamette.cc/follow-christ • Let us know you made this decision, and we'll help you discover what's next! Get Baptized • https://willamette.cc/baptisms • If you have accepted Jesus but have never had the opportunity to celebrate your new life in Him through water baptism, this is your next step! Let us pray with you • https://willamette.cc/prayer • Fill out a quick form to let us know how we can be praying for you. Sermon Notes - October 17th, 2021It's A New Day (Dream Again) - Brian Becker Psalm 126:1-3 (MSG)It seemed like a dream, too good to be true, when God returned Zion's exiles. We laughed, we sang, we couldn't believe our good fortune. We were the talk of the nations: “God was wonderful to them!” God was wonderful to us; we are one happy people. Psalm 126:4-6 (MSG)And now, God, do it again — bring rains to our drought-stricken lives So those who planted their crops in despair will shout “Yes!” at the harvest, So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. Part 1: Believe AgainPart 2: Laugh AgainPart 3: Pray AgainPart 4: Sing AgainPart 5: Dream Again Lamentations 1:1 (NIV)How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave. Lamentations 1:3 (NIV)After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress. Exodus 2:11-12 (NIV)One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. Exodus 2:15 (NIV)When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian… Acts 7:25 (NIV)Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. Exodus 2:23 (NIV)During that long (40 year) period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. Exodus 3:9-10 (NIV)And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:11 (NIV)But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 4:1 (NIV)Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you'?” Exodus 4:10 (NIV)Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am too slow of speech and tongue.” Exodus 4:13 (NIV)But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” I'm too_______I'm not_______ enough. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (NIV)Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship… Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Jamie Goudie joins Stasi in the studio for a conversation about inviting our beautiful God into the ordinary ins and outs of our days. Beauty matters to God, and as we practice opening our hearts to him amidst the messy and the mundane, we quickly discover that God cares about the details of our humanity and is available to us in every moment of our lives. SHOW NOTES: Scripture: Psalms 27:4 (NIV): One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Galatians 2:20 (NIV): I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Song: Artist by Laura Hackett Park Books: The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey and Ned Bustard

It's Not in the ShallowsLuke 5:1 NIV One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening the word of God. Luke 5:2 NIV He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. Luke 5:3 NIV He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.Luke 5:4 NIV When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”Business = things you are very occupied & engaged withLuke 5:5 NKJV but Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” Luke 5:4 NIV When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”Shallow relationships are with people who want something from you & nothing for you “let down the nets for a catch.”“nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net”Luke 5:6 NLV When they had done this, they caught so many fish, their net started to break.

Welcome everyone to Redemption Church in Plano Tx. We pray blessings to you all! Too all our online friends, whatever needs you have, please make them known to us and we will pray over them as soon as we read them. Without We are in the 5th week of our series – Without. In week 1 we told you – Without Jesus Nothing.  We can do nothing without Jesus.In week 2 we told you - Without Faith Impossible.  It is impossible to please God without faith.In week 3 we told you – Without Knowledge Perish. There is a Godly knowledge we can't do without.In week 4 we told your – Without Love Meaningless. Without love we are just noise. Please turn with me to the book of Acts, chapter 3 this evening. I have had this sermon series planned out with prayer and study, but this past Friday I really felt the Lord grab a hold of my heart and I knew I had to preach it to you. I believe I have a message straight from the Lord, and as importantly I believe I have a message that brings honor & glory to Jesus Christ. Acts 3:1-16 (NIV) One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. Pray with me… Lord thank you for your Word. Today I desire to entitle this sermon “Without the name of Jesus…” Without the name of Jesus… In Acts 3 there was a lame man laying beside the temple gate known as “beautiful.” As we read, the lame man was begging for money & food. As we read, Peter & John looked straight at the begging disabled man. Acts 3:4 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” Notice the straight forward intention of these Jesus followers. They looked straight at the man. Obviously the man was not looking at them, because Peter had to say “look at us.” Church of Jesus, we need to stop looking away. We need to look directly at our city and we need to say “look at us.”  We need an “excuse me, I need your attention” kind of boldness. Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

I've accepted Jesus • https://willamette.cc/follow-christ • Let us know you made this decision, and we'll help you discover what's next! Get Baptized • https://willamette.cc/baptisms • If you have accepted Jesus but have never had the opportunity to celebrate your new life in Him through water baptism, this is your next step! Let us pray with you • https://willamette.cc/prayer • Fill out a quick form to let us know how we can be praying for you. Sermon Notes - August 1, 2021The Greatest Stories Rarely Told- Brian Becker Sacrificial GenerosityRadical HospitalityUncommon Humility Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Acts 10:1-2 (NIV)At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. Acts 10:3 (NIV)One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Acts 10:4 (NIV)Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Acts 10:5-6 (NIV)Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” Acts 10:9-10 (NIV)About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. Acts 10:11-13 (NIV)He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” Acts 10:14-15 (NIV)“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” Acts 10:16 (NIV)This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. Acts 10:17-18 (NIV)While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. 18They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. Acts 10:19-20 (NIV)While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” Acts 10:23b (NIV)The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. Humility crosses barriers and clears the way for others to follow. Acts 10:27-28 (NIV)While talking with (Cornelius), Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. Acts 10:28b-29a (NIV)But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. Acts 10:34-35 (NIV)Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. Acts 10:39-40 (NIV)“We are witnesses of everything (Jesus) did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. Acts 10:44 (NIV)While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. Acts 10:45-46 (NIV)The (Jewish) believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Acts 10:46b-47 (NIV)Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” Acts 10:48 (NIV)So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. “All so like ourselves. For, how we also bundle up whole nations of men and throw them into that same unclean sheet. Whole churches that we know nothing about but their bad names that we have given them, are in our sheet of excommunication also… Every party outside our own party in the political state also. We have no language contemptuous enough wherewith to describe their wicked ways and their self-seeking schemes. They are four-footed beasts and creeping things.”- Alexander Frederick Whyte James 1:19Quick to listen; Slow to Speak Philippians 2:3-4Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. It's only in humility that we can surrender to God. It's only in humility that we can be like Jesus.

I'm sure you have experienced a burn before, right? They can be painful! Just a minor burn on the finger can hurt. Also any abrasion of the burned skin hurts more. When I was in high school, I remember someone having a bad sunburn on the back of their neck. Another student reached up and scratched the burn with fingernails. The poor victim yelped in agony. And that was a minor burn. Can you imagine what it is like to have second and third degree burns that require hospitalization? How gentle the nurses and doctors have to be in treating those wounds! Even then, I'm sure it can be excruciating for the patient. Sometimes the treatment can't avoid causing pain. But I'm sure they are careful not to cause any more pain than necessary to heal the patient. This is a picture of gentleness. The same gentleness is needed in dealing with others when giving spiritual first aid. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:1, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."(NIV) One place we need gentleness is in encouraging others struggling with sin. We can't come across like fingernails raking a sunburn! We need to be soothing, but still address the situation, even though it may be painful. This gentleness is how God deals with us. Please provide feedback and suggestions at: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/feedback/ Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

Break it down, and present it in bite-size pieces until they get it for themselves 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness Rom 12:3-8 NIV 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. (6) We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; (7) if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; (8) if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Positives: -Make it simple, Keep it simple -Make it accessible and achievable to all. (anyone can have this. Anyone can do this). -Not religious, or trying to build the ‘wow' factor of the teacher.  -Reproduce it. “The proof is in the pudding”. -Loves to find a way of taking complex truths and making them simple. Take complex truth, work it, see it, dream it, squeeze it, and let one simple drop of easily receivable truth  drop out the bottom. Take it and then serve it hot with an illustration!  eg. Jesus with parables. Trinity: St Patrick of Ireland and the 3 leaf clover, Today : H2O (water) in 3 forms etc. -sees in stories, analogies, rhythms and seasons of learning.  -No 'secret teaching'. Give it all. Lay it all out for anyone. Needs attention: -Don't blame the people when they don't ‘get it'. Own this problem myself, and help solve it. ( -patience - see where people are getting stuck and don't get annoyed. Instead, find the ‘knowledge gap' and fill it. OT example: Moses - 10 commandments-  Proverbs 1:1 TPT Here are kingdom revelations, words to live by, and words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life, written as proverbs by Israel's King Solomon, David's son. -Proverbs contains thirty-one chapters, each comprised of twenty to thirty-five wise sayings that are each two poetic lines long = > at least 600 teachings in one small book Proverbs 9:9 TPT Teach a wise man what is right and he'll grow even wiser. Instruct the lovers of God and they'll learn even more. NT example: -Jesus- Matthew 7:28-29 NIV When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, (29) because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 18:1-5 NIV At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (2) He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. (3) And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (4) Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (5) And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Matthew 22:35-40 NIV One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: (36) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (37) Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' (38) This is the first and greatest commandment. (39) And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' (40) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” NT example: -Paul-  1.Love Romans 13:9 NIV The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed Support this podcast

Wait for the LordPsalms • Week 6 • June 13, 2021Teacher: Dave Brown --- Psalm 27:1-14 NIV The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:1 NIV The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?Life is HardSeek God's PresenceHappiness in HardshipWait for the LordPsalm 27:2 NIV When the wicked advance against me...Psalm 27:3 NIV Though an army besiege me...Psalm 27:5 NIV For in the day of trouble...Psalm 27:10 NIV Though my father and mother forsake me...Psalm 27:12b NIV For false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.Genesis 3:17-19 NIV Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”—Declaration of Independence“Happiness, then, is apparently something complete and self-sufficient, since it is the end of the things pursued in action.” —Aristotle“Final and perfect happiness can consist in nothing else than the vision of the Divine Essence.” —AquinasPsalm 27:4 NIV One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.There's a direct correlation between us gazing on the beauty of the Lord and our ability to experience true happiness.Psalm 27:6 NIV Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.Without the Lord, there is no such thing as true happiness.“Present reality without hope is, to be sure, a false happiness, in fact, and utter misery...[but] If anyone accepts the present life in such a spirit that he uses it with the end in view of that other life on which he has set his heart with all his ardor and for which he hopes with all his confidence, such a man may without absurdity be called happy even now.” —AugustineRevelation 21:3-7 NIV And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.Psalm 27:14 NIV Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Pastor Terry A. Smith Devotional Plan for: Week of June 7 - June 13 Monday - Read Matthew 4:18-22 Matthew 4:18-22 NIV: "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Jesus, newly Spirit-empowered in order to begin his ministry, walks along the Sea of Galilee, and new followers begin to flock to his leadership. This appears to be a bit of an unusual scene: who randomly, quickly, "drops their nets", or gives up their entire profession, in order to follow an unproven Rabbi (teacher). Traveling Rabbi's teaching of God in new ways wasn't an unusual scene in first century Judaism. Groups of people would follow a teacher and begin to live out their teachings. These followers, who were under a teacher or philosopher, were called "disciples". From this text, though, we see something unusual about Jesus' disciples: they immediately left their entire lives to follow him. Surely, the text only captures part of their conversations. However, its brevity indicates how quickly they saw something uniquely special, irresistible, in the person of Jesus. He wasn't anything special to look and he didn't come with some great, noticeable power (in terms of worldly power). But something about him created a yearning to give up all. Though Jesus called a select few to be those in his immediate circle, Jesus was calling all people he encountered to, in a sense, "drop their nets" and follow him. This didn't mean everyone had to give up their profession, but everyone had to drop some kind of net, some kind of previous life, in order to follow a new way of life – discipleship to Christ, the savior. Today, Jesus is still "walking around" calling people to be his disciples, sitting at his feet and learning the true way of life in the Kingdom of God. The church, now, is the hands and feet of Jesus. The church is the physical, living embodiment of Jesus, as we now have his Spirit within us. Jesus is no longer now walking with a group of 12 disciples, but is walking with his Spirit all around the world, offering discipleship to all who wish to follow. What boat do you need to leave behind? What nets do you need to leave behind as you receive the calling to be a disciple? Reflection Question(s): Reflect on which "nets" or "boats" you need to leave behind in your life to follow Jesus. - Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries Tuesday - Read Luke 5:1-11 Luke 5:1-11 NIV: "One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So, they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were

You might think that the number 7 is the most important number because it's God's perfect number - however, we see many of the same numbers repeatedly throughout the bible. One is the most important number because there is ONE God, ONE mediator, ONE atonement for sin, and there is only ONE name that can save us - Jesus. Twenty twenty ONE - One https://youtu.be/B97sxbkn9ps Welcome everyone to Redemption Church in Plano TX. My name is Chris Fluitt and I also need to welcome you to a new year! Happy New Year We pray that you have a blessed 2021.  I believe God wants to bless you this year. I want to encourage you to seek God for this New Year.  I encourage you to read your Bible more this year… to more than ever, understand God's Word & His plan for you.  I encourage you to be a person of prayer this year. In fact, I think we should pray about it right now. (Pray) As we begin this New Year and this first sermon of the New Year, I have a simple question… What is the most important number in the Bible? You might be surprised that there is some debate about this question. There are people who devote great time & effort to studying numerology in the Bible. The Hebrew language is a mathematical language, and each letter of the Hebrew language actually holds a numeric value. There are endless books on the complexity of the numeric value patterns in scripture. Have you ever noticed that as you read the Bible the same number patterns show up often? Some of these numbers even hold symbolic revelation. The number 7 seems pretty important in scripture. I have heard more times than I can count that 7 is God's perfect number. The world was created in 7 days. There are 7 candles on the lampstand in the temple. There are seven letters to the churches of Revelation. There are seven years of tribulation. There are even 7 Hebrew words in the first verse of your Bible… The number 6 shows up a lot. God created man on the 6th day and we know the man of sin - the anti-Christ's name will be a numeric value of 666. The number 40 shows up frequently.  It rained 40 days & 40 nights.  The children of Israel wandered in the dessert for 40 years. Jesus prayed & fasted 40 days in the wilderness. 12 tribes & disciples seems important. 4 gospels, 4 corners of the earth, 4 angels and 4 living creatures play a major role in Revelation. Every 50 years brings the year of Jubilee, and 50 days after Passover is Pentecost. There is a depth of number study in scripture that seems endless… but what is the most important number in the Bible? There is (not really) a growing support among ever learning scholarship that the most important number is 867-5309. It is oft disputed that this was the Lord's cell phone number. I'll let the Bible scholar's debate that on their own time… Today I want to tell you that the most important number in your Bible is the number 1. In the year 2021, I believe that the key for your success, your family's success, your career & financial success, your Church's success can be found in the number 1. Why is the number 1 of great importance? There is 1 God The concept that there is 1 God is an essential Bible Truth!  If you want to make God happy and see His favor show up, just begin to declare that there is One God! There are not 2 Gods.  There is not a collection of Gods that control the world.  There is only one God. One of the most important scriptures in your Bible declares God to be one. Jesus Himself was asked “what is the most important command in scripture” and here is what Jesus said… Mark 12:28-30 (NIV) One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”  “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and w...

Praising the Lord is not the default setting at birth. Once we have full awareness of our "default settings" we learn how to have joy in the everyday. Join us as we challenge ourselves to change our default settings. Series: Staycation, Speaker: Pastor Jim Groves, Scripture: Psalms 103:1-22, Mark 12:28-31, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 2 Samuel 6, Luke 21:1-3, John 7:38-39, Video: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchurch/videos/396231907999935/, Sermon page: https://www.avalonchurch.org/sermons/staycation-default-settings-part-3/, Sermon Notes: 2020-07-05_staycation-part-3_sermon-notes.pdf, Discussion Questions: 2020-07-05_staycation-part-3_discussion-questions.pdf, Notes: Psalms 103:1-22 NIV 1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— 18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. 19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. 22 Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul. Default Settings – we know what these are (printers, for example) In 2005 the brilliant author and professor David Foster Wallace offered the commencement address at Kenyon College in Ohio in which he spoke about default settings: “Here is just one example of the total wrongness of something I tend to be automatically sure of: everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe; the realist, most vivid and important person in existence. We rarely think about this sort of natural, basic self-centeredness because it's so socially repulsive. But it's pretty much the same for all of us. "It is our default setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth. Think about it: there is no experience you have had that you are not the absolute center of. The world as you experience it is there in front of YOU or behind YOU, to the left or right of YOU, on YOUR TV or YOUR monitor. And so on. Other people's thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are so immediate, urgent, real.” He continued: “[And so] petty, frustrating [stuff] like traffic jams and crowded aisles and long checkout lines in the grocery store give me time to think, and if I don't make a conscious decision about how to think and what to pay attention to, I'm gonna be [upset] and miserable every time I have to shop. "Because my natural default setting is the certainty that situations like this are really all about me. About MY hungriness and MY fatigue and MY desire to just get home, and it's going to seem for all the world like everybody else is just in my way.” Wallace followed that with a clear statement to the seniors gathered that it’s a matter of choice to do the hard work of somehow altering or getting free of the natural, hard-wired default setting which is to be deeply and literally self-centered and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self. Wallace, who was raised by parents who were atheists, spoke of one more default setting: “In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the best reason for choosing a God to worship is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things—if they are where you tap real meaning in life—then you will never have enough. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. Worship power—you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart—you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on. The insidious thing about these forms of worship is that they are unconscious. They are default settings.” Our message series, Staycation, is subtitled, “Chasing Joy in the Everyday.” Three years after his commencement address, at the age of 46, David Foster Wallace committed suicide He found no joy in the default settings King David pens Psalm 103 with a full awareness of default settings. Look at how he begins: Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Ps 103:1-2 NIV) -- Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits  (Psalm 103:1-2 ESV) “Bless the Lord” or “Praise the Lord” is not the default setting at birth Praise should be but is not very often natural David writes an exhortation to himself – and shares with us as an example The Hebrew word for bless is barak and has a distinct meaning of expressing joyful gratitude as an enrichment of God That is, the praise (however expressed) will make more people aware of the person and works of the Lord, and so God’s reputation will be enriched This act does not revolve around me at all – in fact, it only includes me as an undeserving recipient of the blessing of God It is fully adoration “All that is within me” (all my inmost being) Mark 12:28-31 (NIV):One of the teachers of the law asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’   [Deuteronomy 6:4-5] What does it look like to bless and praise with all that is within me? I don’t know -- David doesn’t tell us Probably because each of us is uniquely created by God and he relates to us and us to him as uniquely as a father does each of his children What God receives as blessing and praise from you may not be his expectation for me, at all I would guess that our immediate response to this question would include enthusiastic singing, perhaps even a little dancing or shouting Doris caught up in Hillsong concert Mike Smith understands that King David would understand that 2 Samuel 6 records that when the ark of God was being brought into Jerusalem, King David was leaping and dancing before the Lord But later he sits down and writes Psalm 103 because getting caught up in praise – which is good, by the way – is different than choosing and determining to praise I would suggest that certain widow “blessed and praised the Lord” Luke 21:1-3 (NIV):  As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. It took all of her heart, mind, soul and strength to make that offering – and it blessed God Let me additionally suggest that “all that is within me” changes over time I loved Debbie with all that was within me when I was 20 and we got married How that love looks is radically different (and significantly deeper and more intimate) 48 years later So, while I cannot give you specifics, I can assure you that blessing and praising the Lord involves aligning all of who I am in intentional, God-centered adoration With an audience of one “And forget not all his benefits” This is more than a mental activity – like “it slipped my mind” It has to do with actions – intentionally make the effort not to forget This is not just “don’t do something” – it is definitely “do something!” David goes on to list so many things that God had done But more to reveal God’s character than make a list of deeds This is about who God is, not so much what he has done God forgives – and heals – and redeems – and crowns with love and compassion He satisfies and strengthens – and intercedes on behalf of the oppressed He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love Our Father does not stay angry or treat us as our sinful behavior deserves Instead, he has compassion on his children and treats us tenderly David is so correct But David can only recite what he has seen in the past He had no idea of how much bigger and better it would be for those of us on the other side of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah He could have never imagined the magnitude of love that God would display by sending his son, Jesus, into the world to pay the final and full payment for sin And neither could he have imagined the gift of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and the role he would play in blessing and praising John 7:38-39 (NIV): Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. David implores himself and all of us to do the hard work of changing our default settings so blessings and praise flow freely from within Like John Molloy’s jelly-filled donut Let me close by reminding you of a Kay Warren quote that Pastor Don shared last Sunday: Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.  “Bless the Lord, O my soul; all that is within me bless his holy name!” My challenge to you this week – work on changing your default settings. Memorize and meditate on Psalm 103:1-2, them make the choice to praise the Lord. In a world of social distancing you may not feel comfortable coming forward to ask for prayer or talk more about Jesus But we really do want to hear from you and speak with you Please take advantage of our text number 407-559-8210 Text the word “prayer” to make a prayer request Text the word “life” if you would like to ask questions about following Jesus or to let us know you have already made that decision but would like some guidance on the journey

Brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11 NIV) One of the most important aspects of personal peace and a clear mind is unity and harmony in our relationships. The Apostle Paul promised that when we do all we can to keep our connections to others clean and right, God’s love and peace will prevail in us and for us. Who do you need to restore, encourage or connect with today? What relationship do you need to give over to God’s peace? Listen once again: Brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11 NIV) A life surrendered to Christ is a life marked by restoration, unity, and harmony, producing peace of mind. Pray with me: “God, today I want to choose to rejoice in You no matter what is going on around me. Lead me towards restoration with everyone in my life. Remind me to speak encouragement to others. Help me to choose peace in all things. I know You are with me always. As above, so below."

What can I do? This is a question many of us are asking as we're learning more about what it means to work towards hopeful change and justice in this country. And in that question, it can become quickly overwhelming to know where to start. Speaking as a fellow journeyer without easy answers, I still believe what we talk about here every single week is as relevant now as ever - do the next right thing. Listen in.  Links + Resources From This Episode: On Racism: Learning to Speak and to Listen Ephesians 2 (NIV) One by Deidra Riggs Start Where You Are by Rashawn Copeland One by Deidra Riggs Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Join us as we explore God's ancient wisdom and apply it to our modern lives. His word is as current and relevant today as it was when he inspired its authors more than two and a half millennia ago. The websites where you can reach us are alittlewalkwithgod.com, richardagee.com, or saf.church. I hope you will join us every week and be sure to let us know how you enjoy the podcast and let others know about it, too. Thanks for listening. Thanks for joining me today for "A Little Walk with God." I'm your host Richard Agee. If you are like me, you probably can't help but read at least some of the news every day about what's happening around the world with this pandemic. Here we are with over 100,000 deaths in the US. It's a little hard to believe something like this would happen in our lifetime with all the advancements in medical care, but we face it every day. And the end still reaches out in front of us with a predicted second wave in just a few short months. I'm encouraged by some of the news, though. I read a few stories about celebrities giving hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars to feed those less fortunate. Those left without jobs as a result of businesses closing to stem the tide of the viral spread. It's great to see those stories sneak into the overwhelming number of bad news articles of gloom and doom that bombard us every day. What I find most fascinating from today's news, though, is the almost total absence of the little things that neighbors and strangers do in small ways to help each other in this crisis. We tout the big splash people we don't expect to share their wealth when they do so but never talk about the millions of those who generously share every day, easing the suffering of those around them. As an associate pastor, I get to watch the actions of my church and its members as they share their lives. A food pantry serves almost four hundred families a week with dry goods,  produces, and baked items for a family of four. Hopefully, we will be able to again open the clothing pantry, job assistance, and life skills classes like GED completion when some of the social separation restrictions ease. I see stories of members making meals for shut-ins, providing contact and comfort for those who have lost friends and loved ones, and cannot grieve as we could before the COVID restrictions in hospital and funeral settings. I hear about drive-by birthday parties and graduation celebrations. I watch zoom groups connect just to share with each other and make sure we are all okay mentally and physically throughout the week. Food at a neighbor's door. A yard randomly mowed. Flowers left on a doorstep. Cards zipping through the mail. Tokens of gratitude showing up through Amazon deliveries. Dozens of small, seemingly insignificant acts that brighten the day of another person that extends the love of Christ. Those names will never make the news. Their acts of kindness will go unnoticed by the general public. CNN will not put a camera or a microphone in front of them and marvel at their generosity and splash their picture across the Mega Screen in Times Square. But God takes not of every act we do. Paul enumerates the responsibilities of those reborn in his letter to the church in Rome. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; (Romans 8:9-16 NIV) One word sums up our responsibility. Love. Jesus gave us two commands that engulf the rest of what we should do as citizens of his kingdom. Love God and love others. That's it. He went on to say we can't love God, who we can't see, if we don't love others we can see. The unusual conditions we face today present an incredible opportunity for Christians to show what it means to love God. Loving him means we must love others, too. Jesus said it. He understood it and demonstrated it for the thirty-plus years he lived with us. We certainly make mistakes in how we present ourselves as Christians from time to time, but now is an excellent time just to show those around us that we care. Find ways to connect. Take a meal to a neighbor and leave it on their doorstep. Ring the bell and go. We don't need credit for doing God's work. We don't need our names in the paper or CNN showing up. All I care about is that my name is written in the Book of Life. But because of everything he has done for me, doesn't he deserve my giving something in return? It's interesting when you look at some statistics. Congress continually talks about wanting to help those in need through legislation and programs. The average income in the Senate is just over $2M a year and in the House, just over $1.5M a year. Yet their charitable giving according to their tax records average less than 2%. So I guess they just want to help with our money, not theirs. Because middle-income charitable giving hovers closer to 10%, I sometimes wonder where our elected officials' hearts are. Do they really want to help, or do they want to get votes from those with a heart to help? It does raise an interesting question. Should we look at Paul's description of our responsibilities again? Perhaps it will encourage you to be different in this new normal we face. Some things have changed for the better because of our separation from the hustle and bustle of life. Maybe we can focus on what we should do as the body of Christ as some of the constraints lift in the coming days. Listen again and let Paul's words settle not just in your mind and heart, but in your hands and feet as you daily work as for the Lord. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; (Romans 8:9-16 NIV) You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn't, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day. Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan      

What does love require of me? Mark 12:28-31 NIV // One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.” Luke 10:29-37 NIV // But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,' he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Who is my neighbor? Passed by Took pity Had mercy Ways to Love Well: Love them where they are. Love them consistently. Love them, even if it costs me something. True love is going to require a sacrifice.

What does love require of me? Mark 12:28-31 NIV // One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the... The weekly teachings of Jason Burns at Access Church. For more information, visit www.access.tv

If on your journey, you are stuck because you think you don't deserve anything from God, you are going to love the next story in Luke 7:1-10.The story starts off with Jesus entering Capernaum, a town in Galilee. The Jews in this area were not as strict as those around Jerusalem, because of geography and a lot of complicated history. A centurion, who had been stationed in this “more liberal” region to keep order, sent some elders of the Jews to ask Jesus to heal his servant. When these elders saw Jesus, they begged him to heal the servant. They said, “this man deserves to have you do this because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue”. (Luke 7:4-5 NIV)Let's take a minute to contemplate how crazy this scene was. Centurions were leaders of groups of a hundred or more soldiers. They got their position by proving themselves in battle. As experienced warriors, they led groups of soldiers and always took a position on the front line. These were tough dudes who had done some serious killing and torturing of people. They were respected and wealthy in the Roman world. This centurion used his power and wealth to show favor to the Jews. He even helped them build their synagogue. This was enough for the Jewish leaders to overlook the normal disdain for soldiers. They believed the centurion deserved help from Jesus.The centurion, on the other hand, saw things very differently. When Jesus was on the way to his house, the centurion sent word to Jesus,“Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,' and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,' and he does it.” (Luke 7:7-8 NIV)The centurion basically said, “I'm not worthy to have you in my home. I understand how authority works, you can just say the word and my servant will be healed”.Jesus responded to the centurion's request by telling the crowd that he had not found such great faith in all of Israel.Wait! What? How did the centurion show the greatest faith Jesus had seen in all of Israel?I mean, uhm Jesus? You know the disciples have been walking around soaking in your teaching for quite a while there. Remember, John the Baptist, he's in prison because of you. Tons of people have been coming to you for healing and a lot of these guys memorized the whole first five books of the Bible. Those Pharisees, they devoted their whole lives to just sitting around reading the scriptures and talking about them. This centurion dude, he's not even a Jew. How does he have greater faith than any you've seen?Ironically, as a kid I got in trouble for asking too many questions about this story. It honestly didn't seem like the centurion was any different than anyone else. I mean we barely know anything about him. How'd he show great faith? Several poor frustrated teachers told me I just needed to accept the story and “have faith”.I always wanted to scream, “I'm trying to have faith, but y'all can't tell me what it is.” Their frustration with my many questions led me to believe “having faith” meant “quit asking questions”. Which may work for some people, but I've never been able to shut down that part of my brain.Turns out, Jesus never told us to just “shut up and drink the Kool-Aid.” He's OK with ALL of our exhausting questions. Faith isn't about not thinking; it's about knowing the answers are good and worth finding.In the case of the centurion, the answer I found was exactly what Greg and I needed to know when we were struggling with feeling unworthy.Consider how the centurion's attitude directly contrasts what the Jewish elders said. They said, “He deserves to have you do this because he helped build our synagogue.” The centurion who was a wealthy, generous, powerful leader, said, “I'm not worthy to have you in my home. I understand how power works. If you choose to, you can heal my servant with just a command”.The attitudes of the religious leaders and the attitude of the centurion couldn't be more different. The leaders were proud and trying to impress. The powerful military commander humbly asked for mercy for a servant.Great faith is understanding Jesus' power, realizing we don't deserve anything from him, yet trusting enough to ask anyway. Jesus' definition of “great faith” as modeled by the centurion might be why survivors seem to have an insider's advantage when it comes to knowing God. When we have hit rock bottom, it's a lot easier to see we don't have anything to offer God. Following Jesus isn't a religion based on earning our way “in” by impressing him. It's a relationship built on knowing our need.In those moments, when we realize we don't deserve anything from Jesus, we are almost there. When we are facing the pain in our world, when someone close to us is suffering, we can find hope when we call out to Jesus like the centurion did. Great faith is saying, “Jesus, I don't deserve anything from you, but I know you have authority over this situation and you care more than I do.”When we humbly realize we don't deserve anything from Jesus, somehow our eyes are opened to God's great work in this world. When we know how much we don't deserve God's love and acceptance, we are suddenly freed to live in it. We no longer live in the trap of focusing on our own unworthiness. We are fully aware of our unworthiness and our acceptance anyway.I believe this awareness of our unworthiness and how much God adores us is at the heart of Jesus' message. My journey to fully embrace this message has felt like a lifelong wrestling match with fear, pride, shame, doubt, tradition, and stubbornness. As the following story from my religious past illustrates:I walked up to the pulpit nervously. “Was I really going to do this? I couldn't believe I was sharing my story in front of all these people. The small group of young people gathered that evening felt like a stadium to me because I was about to bare my soul to them. It was too much. I hated public speaking in the first place. I got nervous just responding to roll calls in class, how could I stand up and share my story? What if they rejected me?”I took a deep breath. I looked down at my notes. They just looked like blurs. I was about to hyperventilate. I was going to pass out. At least it would get me out of this. I looked around the room in sheer and utter terror. All these faces ready to reject me like I had been rejected so many times before. Passing out would be a relief.Then I looked beside me. There was Jesus. Smiling in approval. Reminding me how he had not only forgiven me but fully accepted me. Reminding me how loved I am. Telling me God the creator of all the universe was looking at me in this moment as a doting Father proud of his little girl who had just come home. Proud that I was going to tell everyone what a mess I had been but he loved me anyway.So, I did it! I like to believe it was an eloquent call to follow Jesus and know the Father's love, but it was probably a bumbling bunch of over-sharing. Still, I shared my story. I told this daunting group of church people not only about ways I'd been victimized but also, about ways I had hurt people. I told them how God freely forgave me and gave me new hope and joy. I was excited about my life, my ministry, my upcoming marriage, and my education career as I approached them all with Jesus by my side. I finished my speech took a deep breath and felt Jesus giving me an approving hug. We did it! I felt total joy in that moment.But it was just for a moment. Someone interrupted us. The youth pastor rushed to the podium and nudged me to the side. I looked away from Jesus and began to listen to this pastor as I crept off of the stage.I had been a fool. I had been suffering from a delusion. Jesus wasn't there. He didn't accept me. This pastor pointed out the fallacy of my crazy beliefs. God is clearly a God of justice and I clearly needed to be punished for my mistakes. I couldn't just commit all of those sins and have joy. How could that even be possible? The way to please God was through strict adherence to the moral code of the Bible. I was so sure that I had been with Jesus, but as I sat under this cloud of shame, I couldn't find him anywhere.The pastor looked at me and passed his final condemning judgement on me. “Cindy will never have the kind of marriage she could have had because of the mistakes she has made.”How could I have ever thought God accepted me? What was wrong with me? I didn't even deserve this pastor's acceptance. I was misleading all of these young people by flippantly sharing about my past as if it didn't even affect me anymore. I needed to be remorseful and sullen. I needed to constantly feel guilty for my mistakes. I didn't deserve joy.Of course, I didn't literally see Jesus visibly standing beside me or giving me a hug, but I felt his love and acceptance. Unfortunately, I also allowed judgmental church people to keep me from embracing his very real presence in my life.Accepting Jesus' love after so much shame has been a long journey for me. This morning, I thought about my journey as I read Luke 7: 11-16. This time, something jumped out at me. In six short verses, Luke recounts the story of Jesus raising a young man from the dead. It drives me crazy that Luke only wrote six verses. If I'd been there, I'd have written a book about the boy, his mom, how he died, what her life would have been like without him, what Jesus was wearing, everything he said and a million other details. Because Luke only included the bare bones of this story, we know each detail he included is significant.Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Luke 7:14-15 (NIV)One of these significant details is that Jesus touched the bier the young man was being carried on. It seems like such a trivial detail in our culture, but I imagine Luke's original audience immediately saw how scandalous touching the dead man's bier was. Jews didn't touch things associated with dead people. Nothing was more unclean to them than dead people. They had tons of rules about what to do and not to do when it came to dealing with a dead body. There were rituals and waiting periods to go through to cleanse yourself after becoming unclean from coming in contact with a dead person or even something that was touching a dead person. The rules were so extreme that people carrying the body carried it on a bier with poles attached so they wouldn't touch what the body was touching.When Jesus touched the bier of this dead man, it would have been shocking. Like doing tequila shots and dropping an F bomb in a Baptist church shocking! People were appalled. Southern Belles would have fainted. Youth Pastors would have jumped up to tell the youth “touching funeral biers is NOT allowed.”Only, there was this glaring problem with all of the judging about how unclean this made Jesus: Jesus raised the man from the dead!What do you do with that?I know most people dismiss this story as a fairytale or myth because people die and we've never seen any of them come back from the dead. Death is pretty final and that feels quite certain.The most amazing part isn't really that Jesus raised someone from the dead. If he's truly God, of course he could do that. It's amazing and all, but that guy isn't still walking around. He eventually died (again).What's amazing is how Jesus completely annihilated the basis of religious judgmentalism. How are you going to call him unclean for touching a mat with a dead man on it after he raised the dead man?Get this! What is even more amazing is what that means for you and me when it comes to all of those judgmental rules: They make no sense when Jesus completely changes the situation. How are you going to judge me by my past when I've been accepted by God Almighty, the Ruler and Creator of the Universe?Yes. All those religious judgments about me, actually made total sense. I was once a wreck. I messed up royally. I deserved to live the rest of my life drowning in constant guilty remorseful shame. My propensity for sin was so great that I could drag anyone who came in contact with me down. Association with me was enough to make anyone “unclean”. Only, God threw a paradigm changing, grenade of total acceptance at religion's rules for judging me: He gave me right standing with him while I was still a mess. His acceptance motivates and enables me to become better.He hugged me that day on the stage. Not literally, but he was there. He was with me. He walked through the religious crowd and did something utterly shocking to them. While I was being told about how unclean I still was, Jesus did the unthinkable: he accepted me and changed everything.I don't mean he loved me in some overarching, general, well wishing, sense. He actually accepted me and declared that I have right-standing with God the Father through him. He heard those stories that made religious leaders cringe and he said, “That's my baby girl right there. We got this.” He allowed himself to be associated with me and my “unclean” guilty story in a way that appalls religious people.It is incredible to reflect on how far I've come since speaking to the youth group that day. I've been married for twenty-eight years. I have a wonderful marriage. My husband and I laugh at the twisted way the “prophecy” the pastor spoke over me has come true. Through the years, we have counseled over a dozen couples who were living in misery because of religious sexual shame. The condemnation from that youth pastor left me so shamed, I spent years praying for God to take me out of the world. Instead, he empowered me to accept his forgiveness and freedom. Then I got to share the same freedom with people who had done a good job following the rules, but were caught up in the trap of thinking they deserved something from God.I'm still growing in my freedom from being a shame-filled judger. It is one reason I re-wrote this book. My first edition accurately portrayed my bitterness with how American church culture misrepresents Jesus. However, it offered little hope. Thankfully, the community of people following Jesus is still at work. Several faithful believers called me out. They helped me confront areas where I still need to grow. As I let go of (most of) my bitterness, I'm finding freedom to be even bolder as I stand against church abuse. My outrage is no longer tinged with questioning how God could let me be shamed. I love the lessons he continues to teach me. As I let go of my shame, I feel honored to get to help others do the same.I am learning to look past the problems with the institutions as I focus on the hope Jesus called his followers to. As we all put away our bitterness, and rise above all of our shame, we will bring hope to a hurting world. We will be gracious, forgiving, and generous, because we realize we don't deserve anything from God, but he forgives us anyway. His forgiveness gives us hope, for all the messes we see around us. I pray you can learn from my mistakes and not fight against the peace so freely available to you. I hope your journey is less like a wrestling match, than mine has been, and more like a hike with a friend. Either way, God adores you through it all.

Luke 11:1 (NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” -- Lucas 11:1 (NVI) Un día estaba Jesús orando en cierto lugar. Cuando terminó, le dijo uno de sus discípulos: —Señor, enséñanos a orar, así como Juan enseñó a sus discípulos.

2020/1/12 Joshua O'Sullivan ジョシュア・オサリバン Categories: Video: https://yokohama.mylifehouse.com/tv/message/speak-lord-for-your-servant-is-listening “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” 「神様お話しください。しもべは聞いて　おります」 I heard God’s voice. I heard through his word and his spirit re-afirmed it. (Isaiah 7:9b NIV) If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. (イザヤ7:9b 新改訳)もし、あなたがたが信じなければ、長く立つことはできない。 We came to Japan through a simple vision from God. (Viv’s story) The beginning of the night (1 Samuel 3:1 NIV) The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. (1サムエル3:1 JCB)少年サムエルは、エリのもとで主に仕えていました。そのころ、主のことばが人に臨むことはまれでした。 Starts “Words were rare” (rare - unique - priceless -no ‘paratz’ no break-through/ breakout visions. People want to hear the voice of God - Is God true? Is God good? YES: Just read and hear his voice. The end of the night things had changed. “all the ears of everyone in Israel shall tingle.” (1 Samuel 3:11 NIV) And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. (1サムエル3:11 新改訳)主はサムエルに仰せられた。「見よ。わたしは、イスラエルに一つの事をしようとしている。それを聞く者はみな、二つの耳が鳴るであろう。 -the precious promises of God (2 Peter 1:4 NIV) Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (２ペテロ1:4 JCB)さらに神は、それによって、すばらしい約束を与えてくださいます。この約束のゆえに、私たちは欲望のもたらす滅びから守られ、キリストのご性質を備えた者となれるのです Q:What made the difference? 何が違いとなった？ A: One person (Samuel) heard Word of the Lord 一人（サムエル）が神様のことばを聞いた How did this happen?　どうやって？ 1.Samuel hears the first words from the Lord ... God speaks his name over and over サムエルは神様から最初のことばを聞いた…神様は何度も名前を呼ぶ (1 Samuel 3:2-7 NIV) One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. (3) The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. (4) Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” (5) And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. (6) Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” (7) Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. (1サムエル3:2-7 JCB)ある夜、年老いて目がかすんだエリが寝床に入り、サムエルも契約の箱を安置した宮で寝ていました。(4-5)すると主が、「サムエル、サムエル」と呼びました。サムエルは、「はい。ここにいます」と答えて、「どうしたのだろう」と思って飛び起きると、エリのもとへ走って行き、「サムエルです。何かご用ですか」と尋ねました。エリはけげんな顔で、「呼んだりしていないよ。さあ、戻ってお休み」と答えました。そのとおりにすると、(6)主がまたも、「サムエル」と呼んだのです。サムエルはまた飛び起きて、エリのもとへ駆けつけました。「はい。何かご用でしょうか。」「いいや、呼んだりしていないよ。いいから、帰ってお休み。」(7)サムエルはまだ、主からおことばを頂いたことがなかったのです。 2.Eli, God's leader, knows the Lord, but finally realises he needs to help another generation hear it too 神様のリーダーであるエリは神様を知っていたが、他の世代にも神様のことばが伝わるように助けるべきだとやっと気づいた (1 Samuel 3:8-9 NIV) A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. (9) So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. (1サムエル3:8-9 JCB)ですから三度目に呼ばれた時も、またエリのもとへ駆けつけました。「はい。ご用でしょうか。」この時エリは、主が少年に語ったのだということを悟りました。(9)そこで、彼はサムエルに言い聞かせました。「さあ、もう一度帰ってお休み。今度呼ばれたら、『はい、主よ。しもべは聞いております』と申し上げるのだよ。」サムエルは寝床に引き返しました。 3.”Speak Lord for your servant is listening” 「神様お話しください。しもべは聞いております。」 (1 Samuel 3:10-11 NIV) The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (11) And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am Read rest of the notes 続きを読む https://yokohama.mylifehouse.com/tv/message/speak-lord-for-your-servant-is-listening

Why Not Me By Pastor Luke Llewellyn Luke 5:17-20 (NIV) One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying […] The post Why Not Me appeared first on Wave Church.

2019/10/20 David Yu Categories: Video: https://hongkong.mylifehouse.com/tv/message/true-love True Love 真正的愛 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 哥林多前書 13章13節 (CUV) 如今常存的有信，有望，有愛，這三樣，其中最大的是愛。 Matthew 22:36-40 NIV [36] “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” [37] Jesus replied: “ 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 馬太福音 22章36-40節 (CUV) 36 夫子，律法上的誡命，那⼀條是最大的呢。 37 耶穌對他說，你要盡⼼，盡性，盡意，愛主你的 神。 38 這是誡命中的第一，且是最大的。 39 其次也相仿，就是要愛人如己。 40 這兩條誡命，是 律法和先知一切〔道理〕的總綱 Jesus restores his friend Peter 耶穌修補祂的朋友彼得 (John 21:15-17 NIV) When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” (16) Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” (17) The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 約翰福音 21章15-17節 (CUV) 15 他們吃完了早飯，耶穌對西⾨彼得說，約翰的兒子⻄門，你愛我比這些更深麼。彼得說，主阿， 是的。你知道我愛你。耶穌對他說，你餵養我的小羊。 16 耶穌第⼆次⼜對他說，約翰的兒子⻄門， 你愛我麼。彼得說，主阿，是的。你知道我愛你。耶穌說，你牧養我的⽺。 17 第三次對他說，約翰 的兒⼦西⾨，你愛我麼。彼得因為耶穌第三次對他說，你愛我麼，就憂愁，對耶穌說，主阿，你是 無所不知的，你知道我愛你。耶穌說，你餵養我的羊。 1. A true friend will tell you the truth for success in life ⼀個真正的朋友會告知你成功⽣命的真理 (Proverbs 27:6 NKJV) Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 箴⾔ 27章6節 (CUV) 朋友加的傷痕，出於忠誠，仇敵連親嘴，卻是多餘。 (Ephesians 4:15 NIV) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 以弗所書 4章15節 (CUV) 惟⽤愛⼼說誠實話，凡事長進，連於元首基督。 2. A true friend is there on the good days and on the bad days 一個真正的朋友不論好⽇子或壞⽇子也相隨 (Proverbs 17:17 NIV) A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. 箴⾔ 17章17節 (CUV) 朋友乃時常親愛。弟兄為患難⽽生。 (Proverbs 18:24 NIV) One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 箴⾔ 18章24節 (CUV) 濫交朋友的，⾃取敗壞。但有⼀朋友，比弟兄更親密。 (Romans 12:15 NIV) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 羅馬書 12章15節 (CUV) 與喜樂的人要同樂。與哀哭的⼈要同哭。 3. A true friend would sacrifice for you 一個真正的朋友會為你犧牲 (John 15:13 NIV) Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 約翰福音 15章15節 (CUV) 人為朋友捨命，⼈的愛心沒有比這個更大的。 (John 10:10 NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 約翰福音 10章10節 (CUV) 盜賊來，無非要偷竊，殺害，毀壞。我來了，是要叫羊《或作⼈》得⽣命，並且得的更豐盛。

2019/8/25 Joshua O'Sullivan ジョシュア・オサリバン Categories: Video: https://yokohama.mylifehouse.com/tv/message/true-love True Love 本当の愛 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1コリント13:13（JCB） 13いつまでも残るものが三つあります。信仰と希望と愛です。その中で最もすぐれているものは愛です。 Matthew 22:36-40 NIV [36] “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” [37] Jesus replied: “ 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” マタイ22:36−40（JCB） 36「先生。モーセの律法の中で一番重要な戒めは何でしょうか」と尋ねました。 37イエスはお答えになりました。「『心を尽くし、たましいを尽くし、思いを尽くして、あなたの神である主を愛しなさい。』 38これが第一で、最も重要な戒めです。 39第二も同じように重要で、『自分を愛するように、あなたの隣人を愛しなさい』という戒めです。 40ほかのすべての戒めと預言者たちの命令も、この二つから出ています。ですから、この二つを守れば、ほかの戒めを全部守ったことになるのです。これを守りなさい。」 - Jesus restores his friend Peter イエスは友人のペテロを回復させた (John 21:15-17 NIV) When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” (16) Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” (17) The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. (ヨハネ 21:15-17 JCB)食事がすむと、イエスはシモン・ペテロを見つめておっしゃいました。「ヨハネの子シモン。ほかのだれよりもわたしを愛しますか。」「はい、主よ。私があなたを愛することは、あなたがご存じです。」「それでは、わたしの小羊を養いなさい。」(16)イエスは、くり返しお尋ねになりました。「ヨハネの子シモン。ほんとうにわたしを愛していますか。」「はい、主よ。私があなたを愛することは、あなたがご存じです。」「それでは、わたしの羊の世話をしなさい。」(17)イエスはもう一度言われました。「ヨハネの子シモン。ほんとうにわたしを愛していますか。」三度こんな尋ね方をされたので、ペテロは心に痛みを感じながら答えました。「主よ。いっさいをご存じなのはあなたです。私があなたを愛することは、あなたがご存じです。」「それでは、わたしの羊を養いなさい。 1.A True Friend will tell you the truth for success in life 　本当の友だちは人生の成功のために真実を伝えてくれる (Proverbs 27:6 NKJV) Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. (箴言 27:6 JCB) 敵にうわべだけ親切にされるより、友に傷つけられるほうがましです。 (Ephesians 4:15 NIV) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (エペソ 4:15 ALIVE訳)むしろ、誠実に語り、誠実にふるまい、誠実に生きて、常に真理に従うのを喜び、あらゆる点で、キリストのように、すなわち、教会の頭である方にますます似た者となるのだ。 2.A True Friend is there on the good days and on the bad days 　良い時も悪い時も本当の友だちは側にいてくれる (Proverbs 17:17 NIV) A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. (箴言 17:17 JCB)真の友は決して裏切りません。兄弟は苦しみに会ったときに助け合うためにいるのです。 (Proverbs 18:24 NIV) One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (箴言 18:24 JCB) 友人のふりをする「友人」もいれば、実の兄弟より親しい友人もいます。 (Romans 12:15 NIV) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (ローマ 12:15 ALIVE訳)だれかが幸せな思いで喜んでいる時には、いっしょに喜んであげなさい。悲しんでいる人がいたら、いっしょに悲しんであげなさい。 3. A True Friend would die for you 本当の友だちは命を投げたしてくれる (John 15:13 NIV) Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (ヨハネ 15:13 JCB)愛は何によって測ることができるでしょう。友のためにいのちを投げ出すこと、これより大きな愛はありません。 (John 10:10 NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (ヨハネ 10:10 ALIVE訳)強盗は、盗んだり、殺したり、滅ぼしたりするために来ます。しかし私が来たのは、いのちを、あふれるほど豊かに与えるためです。

2019/4/14 Joshua O'Sullivan ジョシュア・オサリバン Categories: Video: https://yokohama.mylifehouse.com/tv/message/one-for-all One for All ひとりの人がみんなのために Crucifixion Day - Who did Jesus exchange his life for? 十字架に架けられた日 – 誰とイエスは命を引換えた？ 1.Jesus exchanged his life for Barabbas イエスはバラバと命を引き換えた (all 4 Gospels) （４つの福音書全て） (Matthew 27:20-22 NIV) But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. (21) “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. (22) “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” (マタイ 27:20-22 JCB) ところが、祭司長とユダヤの役人たちは、バラバを釈放し、イエスの死刑を要求するように、群衆をたきつけました。(21)それで、ピラトがもう一度、「二人のうち、どちらを釈放してほしいのか」と尋ねると、群衆は即座に、「バラバを！」と大声で叫んだのでした。(22)「では、キリストと呼ばれるあのイエスは、どうするのだ。」「十字架につけろ！」 -3 crosses that day prepared ready for 3 murderers. One was named ‘Barabbas. (‘son of the father’) その日３つの十字架が罪人のために用意されていた。1人はバラバ（父の息子） -Jesus takes his place イエスはバラバの代わりになった -the other thief too 他の盗人も (Luke 23:39-43 NIV) One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (40) But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? (41) We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (42) Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (43) Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (ルカ 23:39-43 JCB) イエスの横で十字架につけられていた犯罪人の一人が、「あんたはメシヤなんだってなあ。だったら、自分とおれたちを救ってもよさそうなもんだ。どうなんだ」とののしりました。(40-41)しかし、もう一人の犯罪人は、それをたしなめました。「この期に及んで、まだ神を恐れないのか！ おれたちは悪事を働いたんだから、報いを受けるのはあたりまえだ。だが、このお方は悪いことは何もしなかったのだ。」 (42)そして、イエスにこう頼みました。「イエス様。御国に入る時、どうぞ私を思い出してください。」(43)イエスはお答えになりました。「あなたは今日、わたしといっしょにパラダイス（天国）に入ります。」 2.Jesus exchanges his life for the Roman soldier イエスはローマ軍の隊長のためにも命を引き換えた -Surely this was a righteous man 「確かに、この人は正しい方だった」 (Luke 23:44-47 NIV) It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, (45) for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. (46) Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. When he had said this, he breathed his last. (47) The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” (ルカ 23:44-47 JCB) その時です。正午だというのに、突然、あたりが暗くなり、午後三時までそんな状態が続きました。(45)太陽は光を失い、神殿の幕が、なんと真っ二つに裂けたのです。(46)その時イエスは、大声で、「父よ。わたしの霊を御手におゆだねします！」と叫んで、息を引き取られました。(47)刑を執行していたローマ軍の隊長は、不思議な出来事を見て、神への恐れに打たれ、「確かに、この人は正しい方だった」と言いました。 -Surely He was the son of God 「この人はほんとうに神の子だった！」 (Matthew 27:54 NIV) When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (マタイ 27:54 JCB) 十字架のそばにいた隊長や兵士たちは、このすさまじい地震やいろいろの出来事を見て震え上がり、「この人はほんとうに神の子だった！」と叫びました。 3.Jesus exchanged his life for me and you 私とあなたのためにもイエスは命を引き換えた (Romans 5:6-8 NIV) You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (7) Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. (8) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ローマ 5:6-8 JCB) 私たちが逃れる道もなく、行き詰まっていた時、キリストはおいでになり、何のとりえもない、私たち罪人のために死んでくださいました。(7)たとえ私たちが良い人間であったとしても、だれかが自分のために死んでくれるなどとは考えてもみなかったでしょう。(8)しかし、私たちがまだ罪人であった時、神はキリストを遣わしてくださいました。そのキリストが私たちのために死なれたことにより、神は私たちに大きな愛を示してくださったのです。 (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NIV) For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. (15) And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 コリント 5:14-15 新改訳) というのは、キリス Read rest of the notes 続きを読む https://yokohama.mylifehouse.com/tv/message/one-for-all

2019/4/14 Ps Yoh Takatori 高取　蓉牧師 Categories: Video: https://osaka.mylifehouse.com/tv/message/the-cross-story-of-an-unbelievable-exchange 十字架 - ありえない交換のストーリー 1.イエス 私を思い出してください ‭‭ルカの福音書‬ ‭23:39-43‬ ‭JCB‬ 「イエスの横で十字架につけられていた犯罪人の一人が、「あんたはメシヤなんだってなあ。だったら、自分とおれたちを救ってもよさそうなもんだ。どうなんだ」とののしりました。 しかし、もう一人の犯罪人は、それをたしなめました。「この期に及んで、まだ神を恐れないのか！　おれたちは悪事を働いたんだから、報いを受けるのはあたりまえだ。だが、このお方は悪いことは何もしなかったのだ。」そして、イエスにこう頼みました。「イエス様。御国に入る時、どうぞ私を思い出してください。」 イエスはお答えになりました。「あなたは今日、わたしといっしょにパラダイス（天国）に入ります。」」 2.恵み - 値しない愛 ‭‭ローマ人への手紙‬ ‭5:6-8‬ ‭JCB 「私たちが逃れる道もなく、行き詰まっていた時、キリストはおいでになり、何のとりえもない、私たち罪人のために死んでくださいました。 たとえ私たちが良い人間であったとしても、だれかが自分のために死んでくれるなどとは考えてもみなかったでしょう。 しかし、私たちがまだ罪人であった時、神はキリストを遣わしてくださいました。そのキリストが私たちのために死なれたことにより、神は私たちに大きな愛を示してくださったのです。」‬‬ 3.あなたのためにもイエスは命を引き換えた ‭‭コリントの信徒への手紙二‬ ‭5:14-15‬ ‭新共同訳‬ 「なぜなら、キリストの愛がわたしたちを駆り立てているからです。わたしたちはこう考えます。すなわち、一人の方がすべての人のために死んでくださった以上、すべての人も死んだことになります。 その一人の方はすべての人のために死んでくださった。その目的は、生きている人たちが、もはや自分自身のために生きるのではなく、自分たちのために死んで復活してくださった方のために生きることなのです。」 The cross - Story of an unbelievable exchange 1.Jesus, remember me (Luke 23:39-43 NIV) One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (40) But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? (41) We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (42) Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (43) Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 2.Grace - undeserved love (Romans 5:6-8 NIV) You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (7) Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. (8) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 3.Jesus exchanged his life for me and you (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NIV) For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. (15) And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Lectio Divina – Spiritual Reading 1 John 4:18 (NIV) A non fact-finding practice. A reception to what the text has to teach you. A slow dance between Scripture, God & Silence. The meditation begins with a brief explanation of the practice. 1. Reading slowly. 2. Meditation-reflect on what its saying to me. 3. Prayer- What is my action or response? 4. Silent love or thankfulness towards God. Join Hospice Spiritual Director and Pastor Ryan T. Schmidt for a session of Lectio Divina. Find all of Ryan's guided meditations on the InsightTimer app. www.insighttimer.com/onedesirealone.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us… Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) One life can make a difference              The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. Genesis 6:5-8 (NIV) The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. Genesis 6:5-8 (NIV) So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5-8 (NIV) But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:5-8 (NIV)  One life can make a difference… in your world This is the account of Noah and his family.  Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Genesis 6:9-10 (NIV) Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.  Genesis 6:11-14 (NIV) I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. Genesis 6:17-18 (NIV) One life can make a difference… in your family You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” Noah did everything just as God commanded him.  Genesis 6:19-22 (NIV) Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Genesis 9:20-21 (NIV) As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…  Ephesians 2:1 (NIV) …in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy…  Ephesians 2:2-4 (NIV) One life can make a difference… in you

Christ lays out for us what we are truly called to do, what informs and empowers us to do everything else he asks of us. It is simply to love God with all that we are..all. All of You Love(d) | Week 2 January 15, 2017 | Adam Barnett Mark 12:28 (NIV) One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Mark 12:29 (NIV) “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Obeying this command is not to be an act we perform, but a description of who we are.

Live Free 7-3-16 Galatians 5:13 NLT Galatians 1:1-7 NIV Genesis 2:8-9 NIV Genesis 2:16-17 NIV Genesis 3:1-5 NIV Genesis 3:6-7 NIV *One focuses on what you do. *One focuses on what Jesus has done. John 5:39-40 NIV *One focuses on getting God's approval. *One focuses on receiving God's love. Romans 5:8 NIV 1 John 4:19 NIV *One focuses on external duty. *One focuses on internal desire. 1 John 5:3,12 NIV 1. Fall in love with Jesus. John 14:15 NIV 2. Don't allow condemnation. Romans 8:1-2 3. Make the choice everyday Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV

John 15.12-17 Commitment One: Presence (1 Samuel 18.1-4) “True friendships are not relationships we control but adventures we enter into; indeed, friendship is more a surrender than a conquest, more a loss of control than a calculated plan. Friendship is a matter of mutual affection, of reciprocal love, care, and concern.” - Paul Wadell Proverbs 18.24 (NIV): “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Commitment Two: Honesty (Proverbs 27.5-6) Proverbs 24.26 Proverbs 17.9 (The Message): “Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!” Commitment Three: Encouragement (Hebrews 10.24-25) “Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer Commitment Four: Mutual Pursuit of Christ (2 Corinthians 6.14-16)

Join us this week as we start our brand new series, Forgotten Virtues. Lead Pastor, Shane Frazier, tackles the forgotten idea of gratitude in today's society. You don't want to miss this message. (Luke 17:11-13) (NIV) Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us! (Luke 17:14) (NIV) When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.   (Luke 17:15) (NIV) One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:17-18) (NIV) Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”   Will you be the one?   Ungrateful Mindset:   1.    I Want it Now (Commercial)   (Luke 15:11-12)(NIV) Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.'   2.    I Deserve More   (Luke 15:29)(NIV) But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.   Exposing Any Ungratefulness:   1.    Material or Financial 2.     Relational   3.    Circumstantial   How can I develop an attitude of gratitude?    1.    Turn blessings into praise (Job 1:20-22) (NIV) At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.   2.    Turn resentment into contentment    (Philippians 4:13) (NIV) I can do all this through him who gives me strength.   (Philippians 4:13) (NIV) I can do all this through him who gives me strength.   (Philippians 4:11) (NIV) …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.   (Philippians 4:12) (NIV) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.   It's time to stop living with resentment and learn to live with contentment.   (Ecclesiastes 6:9) (NLT) …Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have.