Podcasts about now paul

Acts 12–13:41 Acts 12–13:41 (Listen) James Killed and Peter Imprisoned 12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Peter Is Rescued 6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.”1 Then he departed and went to another place. 18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there. The Death of Herod 20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain,2 they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. 24 But the word of God increased and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from3 Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. Barnabas and Saul Sent Off 13 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,4 Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia 13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with5 them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,   “‘You are my Son,    today I have begotten you.’ 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,   “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,   “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed6 from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41   “‘Look, you scoffers,    be astounded and perish;  for I am doing a work in your days,    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” Footnotes [1] 12:17 Or brothers and sisters [2] 12:20 That is, trusted personal attendant [3] 12:25 Some manuscripts to [4] 13:1 Niger is a Latin word meaning black, or dark [5] 13:18 Some manuscripts he carried (compare Deuteronomy 1:31) [6] 13:39 Greek justified; twice in this verse (ESV)

Romans 12: Living Life Study 12: Gift of Leadership     Romans 12:8 If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. Now Paul comes on to the gift of leadership. Leaders are to lead with diligence, take their responsibilities seriously but also with care for those they are leading. The word used here indeed can mean leader but also mean to give aid or care for. Perhaps Paul meant both – a leader must be caring and giving aid to those in need – doing so with diligence and without manipulation or favouritism. Whatever kind of leader you are – for example pastor, priest, elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, Small Group leader or Prayer Group leader you are to lead with care and diligence and to lead by putting all your heart into it! Love those you lead as Christ loves the church – sacrificially – doing your best for those you are leading – regardless of the size of group you are leading. Leading and being willing to show people your love of God and your love of them. As a leader, you are being watched and looked up to by those you lead – whether you want to be or not. As a leader, you are not to lead others by being filled with pride and being unapproachable! Rather, you are to lead others with godly humility, be encouraging of others cheerfully and being approachable. As a leader you are to set the example, and demonstrate a way forward to those you are leading. WOW! Good leadership also has good accountability to others as well as to the whole community. As a leader, are you accountable to anybody else for what you do and how you do it? As part of your Godly responsibility, you are to be accountable to others to live a life of integrity worthy of the gospel, which is seen to be as holy and blameless. As a leader, it is a necessity that you be dependent on the Holy Spirit for strength and care – remember that He lives within you! Finally, whether you are a leader or not, pray for your church leaders – they need your prayers and dare I say, they will covet your prayers for them. Go! Lead others with diligence, responsibility, love and care. Right Mouse click or Tap here to save this Episode as an audio mp3 file   Click on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

Title: The Human Agents in God’s Work Text: I Timothy 4:11-16 FCF: We often struggle balancing God’s role and human role in sanctification Prop: Because God has prepared human agents to help His people progress in sanctification, we must persevere in teaching one another and demonstrating godliness. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Timothy chapter 4. Last week, Paul turned once again to his child in the faith and called him to be a certain kind of man to his flock. He told him how to be a good servant of Christ. Boiling that down to essentially two points, Paul commands Timothy to be a teacher of the gospel and to diligently train for godliness. Paul ends by holding high the role of God to bring men to their appointed ends. God is the deliverer of all men and believers in a special way. God ultimately exercises his Sovereignty over the destiny of all men, even predestining His own before the foundation of the world. This is the hope that we rest in. So that when the struggle is real, when the going gets tough, when teaching the gospel and living godly becomes very difficult, possibly soon for us – we can look with surety that God will get us through to glorification if we are His children. But as an amen to that, Paul will now turn to the actual human agent that God has placed there in the church in Ephesus. Certainly, God is sovereign over all the people there, but God has, in that sovereignty, given someone to help His people. And it is none other than Timothy, this young man in the faith. What is his role in all this? How do humans help one another to progress in sanctification? Let’s look. I am in I Timothy 4 and I’ll start reading in verse 11. I’ll be reading from the NET today which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1339 or in whatever version you prefer. Transition: Paul has already given Timothy 2 imperatives. Two commands from the previous section. To reject the myths and to train himself in godliness. Now Paul peppers Timothy with 10 more commands. But this won’t be a 10-point sermon. Because all 10 of these commands are essentially saying the same two things that Paul said last week. Just in more vivid detail. Let’s get into it. I.) God has prepared human agents to help His people progress in sanctification, so we must validate our gospel teaching with our lives. (11-12) a. [Slide 2] 11 – Command and teach these things. i. What things? ii. Paul is pointing back again to all he has said since the end of chapter 3. 1. The potency of the gospel to change people from the inside out. 2. The guaranteed perseverance of believers to their appointed end in Christ. 3. And the absolute destruction of all teachings that would say otherwise. iii. This is what Timothy is to command and teach. b. [Slide 3] 12 – Let no one look down on you because you are young, i. But it cannot be simply lip service. He cannot simply tell people that this is what must be done. ii. Instead, he must demonstrate it. iii. Those who are young and immature are often lots of bluster with no action. iv. There is a great deal of fire without any real follow through. v. Think about it – when you command a toddler to do something that they think is unjust, do they sit down and reason with you productively explaining their points as to why that particular command is unjust? vi. Not usually

Romans 12: Living Life Study 07: Gift of Prophecy 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. Now Paul comes to the expression of the Roman Christians faith – their gifts! First of all we have prophecy! Much debate is made of what Paul means here by this word “prophecy!” Calvin’s opinion is that Paul means any one skilfully and wisely performed the office of an interpreter in explaining the will & mind of God. For example, preaching. That is in his own words “hardly anything else than the right understanding of the Scripture, and the peculiar faculty of explaining it, inasmuch as all the ancient prophecies and all the oracles of God have been completed in Christ and in his gospel.” Others insist that prophecy is the prediction of future events as pre-thought by the mind of God, such as occurred at the beginning of the church and recorded for us in the New Testament. Yet others, would insist that prophecy was only those writing what we have as the New Testament today, and that this gift of prophecy has expired and is no longer in use for today. I am of the mind that it is both the correct explanation of God’s mind in preaching and the speaking of future events… Whether we preach or predict, we prophecy and Paul exhorts his readers, the original and also us today, to use our faith to speak God’s mind and will. That is what the prophets of the Old Testament did – revealed God’s mind and will to the people. That is our job today too – revealing God’s mind and will to people – not just in preaching and in prophecy, but also in evangelism – telling others what Jesus, the Son of God, did in his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. Preaching and prophecy are gifts from God and are the outworks of faith of the believers who have those gifts. Tomorrow – another gift - serving!! Right Mouse click or Tap here to save this Episode as an audio mp3 file Click on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

The passage in 2 Thessalonians 3:6–13 is unique in the New Testament. Nowhere else do we find so many lines devoted to the sin of idleness.Certainly it is possible to transform work itself, or the rewards that stem from work, into an idol. That is often what people have in mind when they speak disparagingly of the “Protestant work ethic.” Still, one must insist that the proper response to the sin of making work an idol is not leisure: that may simply make leisure and hedonism an idol. The proper response is repentance, and faith in and obedience toward God. Then work must find its proper place in a world framed by God and his Word.Readers of the Bible cannot help but notice that God says a great deal more about work than about leisure. The much-maligned “Protestant work ethic” began rather simply: devout Christians thought they should offer all their work to God. That guaranteed that, on the whole, they worked somewhat harder and a great deal more honestly than many others. The inevitable happened: many of them prospered. Of course, two or three generations on, many began focusing on the work itself, either as the essential mark of piety, or as a means to win prosperity, or both—and sometimes God was squeezed to the periphery. But while we rightly seek to condemn work as idolatry, we should be very careful about swinging the pendulum the other way, and seeing work as something that merely has to be done, so that we can get on with the really important thing: having fun and serving self. Biblically speaking, it is difficult to see how this stance is an improvement in any sense.We do not know exactly what prompted a number of the Thessalonian believers to be lazy. Perhaps some were simply sponging off the generosity of Christians. Certainly some were less interested in being busy than in being “busybodies” (2 Thess. 3:11). But Paul will not have it. This is not a case of Christians needing to show compassion to those genuinely in need. Rather, this is a case of Christians needing to crack the whip against those who claim they are Christians but who disobey the apostle’s explicit injunctions (2 Thess. 3:12) and ignore his remarkable personal conduct (2 Thess. 3:7–9). He worked (i.e., at his trade), precisely to teach the point: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). Now Paul goes a step farther: responsible Christians are to shun these shysters, to keep away from them entirely (2 Thess. 3:6). That way they cannot corrupt the church. More importantly, outsiders will not confuse the conduct of such people with the conduct of Christians who happily take on apostolic instruction. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Talk 6 1 Corinthians 3:9-23    God’s Holy Temple – the Church   In the last two talks we have been looking at wisdom and contrasting the wisdom of man with the vastly superior wisdom of God.   Paul’s discussion of wisdom is set in the context of the problems of division in the church in Corinth and is probably included there because one of the causes of division may well have been an immature boasting in human wisdom.   The theme of division continues in chapter 3 and (back in Talk 3) we have already considered the first 9 verses in seeking to identify some of the things that were causing that division.   Today we turn our attention to the rest of the chapter where we see that the church is God’s holy temple and that to cause division within it is a very serious matter indeed.   We’ll begin in vv 16-17 and then come back to verse 9 and work through the passage systematically.   The church is God’s holy temple 16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?   Don’t you know that....   Paul uses this 10 times in this letter - 3:16, 5:6, 6:2, 3, 9, 15, 16, 19, 9:13, 24.  Given their own emphasis on wisdom and knowledge this may be more than a rhetorical device.  Rather, Can it be that you who boast in your knowledge do not know that.....?             you yourselves are   Note the plural.  Elsewhere the individual is described as the temple of the Spirit (6:19), but here it is the gathered church that is referred to (cf. Ephesians 2:22).              temple   The Greek is naos here, rather than hieron.  This suggests that the inner shrine is thought of rather than the whole temple.  The church is the innermost sanctuary of God - the Holy of Holies   Causing division in the church has serious consequences   17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.   To destroy the local church is to ‘touch the ark’ (cf. 2 Samuel 6:6-8).  Their divisions were pulling the church apart. Barrett sees the activities of the Judaisers here.  In holding their view they destroy the basis of their own salvation.   We are God’s fellow workers and he uses us in building his church 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.   Cf Mark 16:20. But here supernatural confirmation of the word is not in mind. Our being co-labourers with God is one aspect of our identification with Christ.  Compare 2 Corinthians 6:1 and the verses that precede it.   We must therefore be careful how we build 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.   expert builder   The Greek architekton does not mean architect but rather suggest one who superintends the work of building, a master of works             I  laid a foundation      i.e. Christ (v 11)             be careful   Who should be careful? Probably those who were currently leading the church. The foundation is all important but in itself it’s not enough.  It’s what’s built on top that matters.  Christ is the only possible foundation for the Christian church (v11) but even with a right foundation it’s possible to build a useless superstructure.   The church must be built on no other foundation than Jesus Christ 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.   It is vitally important that we build with the right materials 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is,   Paul list 6 building materials, 3 durable, 3 perishable.  Gold, silver and precious stones occur in the OT to describe the building materials of the Temple.  Paul may well see the Church as the fulfilment of OT prophecies about the Temple.   The Day is coming when our work will be shown for what it is 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.   Paul is clearly talking about a judgment for Christians, but it is not the man who is to be judged, but his work.  Neither is it his sin that is to be judged, for that was judged at the cross.  But the Day is coming when every Christian’s work will be shown for what it is by the fire of divine judgment   If what we have built survives, we will be rewarded 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.   The person who has built with durable materials such as gold, silver etc (i.e. has built with the things of eternal value) will receive a reward (literally, wage).  Nowhere are we told what the reward is, but in 4:5 Paul talks about receiving praise from God (cf. Matthew 25:21, 23 ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’).   he will suffer loss   The man who has lived for the perishable things of this world will receive no wage.  His work will be lost - but not his soul. See below.                 one escaping through the flames   The Day is marked by conflagration.  The workman, caught in the flames of his own badly constructed house runs the risk of being engulfed.  In fact he will escape, but as one who dashes through the flames.  The important thing is to understand that this is a metaphor, pure and simple.  Could this be a reference to the Judaisers who built with bad materials on the foundation of Christ?   Summary so far:   The church is God’s holy temple Causing division in the church has serious consequences We are God’s fellow workers and he uses us in building his church We must therefore be careful how we build The church must be built on no other foundation than Jesus Christ It is vitally important that we build with the right materials The Day is coming when our work will be shown for what it is If what we have built survives, we will be rewarded   But finally -   Boasting in human wisdom is totally inappropriate in light of the amazing privileges we have as being part of God’s church 18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness" 20 and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." 21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future - all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.   In verses 18-20 Paul returns to the theme of wisdom again. In v 21 he says Don’t glory in men. All things are yours. Don’t limit yourself to one teacher. They’re all yours.  The whole ministry is for the whole church.       v18    Do not deceive yourselves   Paul warns that if you think you’re wise, you’re deceiving yourself.  In their pursuit of human wisdom and knowledge the Corinthians were actually deluded because they were ignoring the wisdom of God   v19    the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight   Note that Paul has completely reversed the order of 1:18-25 where God’s wisdom is foolishness to the world   v21    all things are yours....   The Corinthians had been saying I belong to Paul.  Now Paul says I belong to you!   Verses 22-23 could be summarised as follows:   Why are you quarrelling when everything is yours?  All the ministries of the church are yours. The world is yours! Life is yours. Death is yours (the gateway to heaven). You have everything in Christ.  You belong to him and he belongs to God. In the light of that, how petty our differences are!

Paul’s Preaching Ministry Ephesians 3:1-11 October 4, 2020 I. Introduction: A. Moraine Valley Church, did you know someone is watching us right now? 1. Note I did say church – which means that those who are watching are not so much watching what we do as individuals but what we do corporately, how we do church together 2. And they are not watching to be entertained but to learn! B. Moraine Valley Church – the way we relate to one another and the way we operate as a church has a much larger purpose and much more important part of God’s eternal purposes than we could ever imagine! C. Turn to Ephesians 3 where we will pick up on this portion of our study of Ephesians that we are calling “This is us.” Today we will learn a bit more about us together corporately as a church rather than who we are individually. D. Joel taught us a few weeks ago God’s solution to the deep tensions between the Jews and Gentiles was not to fix some of the laws but to create a whole new thing called the church, a place where Jews and Gentiles are equal, the very dwelling place of God. E. Now Paul picks up on this idea and continues by telling us that he specifically had a ministry to the Gentiles to preach to them about this new way of relating with God, rather than through the Mosaic Law with Jews, it is now through Jesus Christ with all peoples, the church! • Let’s start by looking at II. The content of Paul’s preaching A. He starts by telling us that what he preached was a mystery, biblically a mystery is not something that is mysterious but rather something that was not known in the Old Testament times before Christ came.   1. Note as I read this section Paul says he already wrote to them about this mystery – I believe that was a reference to chapter 2, what Joel taught us 2 weeks ago and when we consider that it helps us understand the heart of Paul’s message 2. Read v1-5 B. Then in verse 6, he reveals what that mystery is! 1. Read v6 2. The message that Paul preached is that the Jews and the Gentiles now are members of a new group - the one new man, the church, the body of Christ - with equal status and equal privileges and equal responsibilities! 3. Specifically that they are: a) Fellow heirs of all of God’s promises b) Fellow members of the body of Christ c) Fellow partakers in the promise in the Messiah Jesus Christ C. This was revolutionary truth to the Gentiles and the Jews of that day –the Old Testament told them 1. That the Gentiles would be blessed by God (Genesis 12) 2. That the Gentiles would bless God (Psalm 73) 3. That they would be saved by the Messiah (Hosea 1:10, Amos 9:11ff) 4. Even that they would receive the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29) 5. However, no place in the Old Testament were they told that God would create a completely new vehicle for the Jews and Gentiles, the church where they are fully equal and equally blessed! That is what was new and revolutionary to both the Gentile and Jew. 6. That was the mystery that was not known before but now has been revealed D. Then in verse 8, he tells us about two major categories that he talked about when he preached about this. 1. Read v8 a) First, the unfathomable riches of Christ – unfathomable means it is impossible to understand. Simply the riches that God had for the Gentiles were so great that man can not completely wrap his mind around them even with the best of preaching   2. Listen to the second thing he focused upon – read v9 (note “and” at start of verse 9 – indicates the second thing he preaches about) a) Simply how this new man, the church made up of Jews and Gentiles are to manage their affairs as they walk together and serve the lord together. b) That is what administration means – simply how you manage your affairs! Paul preached to them about how the church is supposed to operate • Then finally we see III. The purpose of this preaching ministry of Paul’s A. Watch for it as I read v10 1. Note “so that” at the beginning – here he is going to reveal to us the purpose of why he is preaching on these things! 2. Read v10 3. Did you catch it? B. The purpose of his preaching was so that the many sided and diverse wisdom of God may be made known through the church. 1. God is using His church to display His wisdom. 2. The way we operate as a church, the way we manage our affairs as a church is meant to display God’s wisdom. 3. We find out in God’s word the heart of what Paul had to say about how God wants His affairs managed in the church. The Bible is God’s constitution for the church. a) Simply MVC do we run our affairs according to how the Bible says we should or do we take our lead from some other authority or expert we look to like: self-help books, the business world, physiological world, the political world, what other churches are doing what church experts are saying? b) That question must be asked regarding our: preaching, worship, leadership, the way we structure our ministry, roles and relationships among genders, relationships between one another – especially those who are different than us 4. Regarding leaders in the kingdom Jesus said this: read Matthew 20:25-26 a) Key words “it is not that way among you”   b) In God’s church, the way He does things is different than the world does. It is not that way among you applies to so many areas of the church life and the Christian life. c) God defines for us the unique ways His people and church operate in His operations manual called the Bible! C. All of this matters deeply and eternally because of who God is displaying this wisdom through the church to 1. Read v10c 2. To the angels – a) Did you catch that? b) Let it sink in! IV. Communion A. This morning God is using MVC as we meet together and also the way we meet throughout the week, whether here in the building or outside in our personal mission fields, as an opportunity to be an object lesson to teach His angels of His great wisdom on how people who are different from one another (racially, gender wise, financially, looks, etc.) relate to one another and to God! B. So as you go to communion this morning and remember that Jesus shed His blood for the church ask yourself this question, “What are the angels learning from me if I am the one they are watching at MVC today or this week?” 1. What are they learning? a) The importance of regularly worshiping with the rest of MVC? b) The way you honor God with your giving? c) Your commitment to serve others in the body and in your sphere of influence? d) Your partnering with others in the church for each other’s spiritual welfare? e) The way husbands love their wives and lead their families in the ways of the Lord? C. All of these are important things for the church in God’s operation manual   1. Are you taking your lead from His manual in these areas and what are the angels learning as they are watching you and me? 2. Meditate on this before Josh leads us in taking communion together. D. Josh, lead us in prayer for communion when you feel the time is right!

Pastor Frank Bennett shares the benefits of the Gospel of Jesus.  He explains that Paul has finished his argument, in chapters 1-4, that nobody can be made right with God by following the works of the law of Moses.  Now Paul turns a corner, to describe what we have gained in being justified by faith. It's true that we have escaped the wrath of God, but being righteous before God means so much more than just not being punished for our sin.

For 13 years Paul and Tussanee ran Integrity Lash, a premier 7-digit lash salon in Southern California. Over the years, Integrity Lash was recognized by Vanity Fair, Los Angeles Magazine, Pasadena Magazine, Pasadena Weekly, Brides.com as well as by others as one of the best of SoCal. For four years, Salon Today chose Integrity Lash as one of the Top 200 salons in North America. Now Paul and Tussanee host the top-rated podcast LashCast as well as host webinars tailored for lash artists. The twosome aims to educate and uplift lash professionals on how to be better lash artists as well as competent business owners. Paul and Tussnanee founded The LashConference in 2019 where almost 300 lash artists from all around the world gathered to learn how they could better market and run their businesses. When they aren’t running their own events or training, they also speak at trade shows like ISSE and IBS as well as lash conferences all over the world.An important lesson that we can all gain from this episode is the opportunity in pivoting during challenging times. In this long talk, we discuss everything from the marketing strategies Tussanee used to build her clientele in the beginning, how they created an unmatched customer service experience, re-evaluating touch points to improve customer experience, and how they grew from closing their lash salon to now hosting the largest lash business conference - LashCon!To learn more about Paul and Tussanee Luebbers please visit - https://lashcastproductions.com/Follow them on Instagam at: https://www.instagram.com/lashcastpodcast/

The longest sustained encouragement in the New Testament to give money is found in 2 Corinthians 8–9. Today I shall reflect on some of the emphases in 2 Corinthians 8.(1) Paul encourages the Corinthians to give by referring to the generosity of the Macedonians, who lived in the province to the north and were often viewed by those in Achaia, including the Corinthians, as a slightly inferior breed. Relaying evidence of the grace of God in the lives of some brothers and sisters in Christ can become an incentive to others to conform more closely to Christ.(2) Paul stresses that the Macedonians were not only generous in the context of their own “severe trial” (2 Cor. 8:1–3), but that their financial giving was a function of the fact that “they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will” (2 Cor. 8:5). The apostle does not think nearly so much of the kind of gift that is a substitute for giving oneself in principle to the Lord Jesus, and, derivatively, to his servant-leaders.(3) There is considerable stress on perseverance and consistency in this matter of giving. Apparently the Corinthians had pledged the year before to give a certain amount. Now Paul sends Titus to encourage them to bring to completion what they began so well. So today: planned, regular, generous giving is better than the big binge that is wrung out of you by one emotional appeal, in part because the former is a better index of a heart consistently devoted to Christ and his work.(4) Paul judges that Christian generosity is one of the things in which Christians as a whole should excel—along with such virtues as pure speech, knowledge, complete earnestness, and love for godly leaders (2 Cor. 8:7).(5) Paul does not want Christian generosity to be the result of a new legal demand: “I am not commanding you,” he writes (2 Cor. 8:8). The highest possible incentive to be generous, in a self-denying way, is found in the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). For Paul, it is unthinkable that anyone who really delights in knowing this Christ could be stingy.(6) Paul wants the Corinthians to know that although this money is going to help other believers (2 Cor. 8:13–14—presumably the poor believers in Judea), this is not to make them rich as Croesus, but to relieve their poverty.(7) Paul takes extraordinary pains, even by his choice of the emissaries he sends to transport the money, not only to do what is right in financial matters, but to be seen to be doing what is right (2 Cor. 8:16–24). This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Inside Edition reports…Senator Rand Paul and his wife were mobbed by more than 100 people as they headed to their car after the Republican National Convention. Now Paul is talking about the moment, saying if not for DC police he could have been killed. And, First Lady Melania Trump stood on the stage with the president and his children…including Ivanka. Some observers detected a power struggle based on their respective convention speeches, and a new book claims behind the scenes things are really frosty. Plus, the former pool attendant at the center of the sex scandal that lead to the downfall of Jerry Falwell Jr is breaking his silence. He claims the former president of the Conservative Christian Liberty University encouraged him to sleep with his wife telling him to “go for it., an allegation Falwell denies.

As we conclude this message, we also conclude our study of the Book of Ruth. The story of Ruth should enhance our trust in the providence of God. Truly He is working all things toward the good as we are promised in the book of Romans. Now Paul doesn't say in Romans 8 that all things are good. He doesn’t even say everything works to your good, he just says they work to the good. The promise is that our trials and hardships can be redeemed and work toward the good. How do all things work to the good? As we have seen in the Book of Ruth God in His providence can combine our bad circumstances with other circumstances to redeem those bad circumstances into a good result.

Title: Law: What is it Good For? Text: I Timothy 1:8-11 FCF: We often struggle using the law of God correctly Prop: Because the law is the first half of the gospel, we must use the law for its intended purpose. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Timothy chapter 1. Last week Paul expressed his purpose for placing Timothy in Ephesus. Paul made himself quite clear. The purpose for Timothy being there was to squash any and all false teachings, particularly those that mythicized the Old Testament and endlessly prattled on about various teachings that they laced into the text of the old testament. Instead, Paul’s desire for Timothy is to cling to the gospel of Christ. The gospel alone promotes the administration of God throughout time, and the gospel alone can produce love from a truly changed soul. Today we will learn a little more about how these myths and endless genealogies were being used to lay unnecessary weight on the shoulders of God’s people, rather than using the law properly. Having already addressed the uselessness of myths and genealogies, now Paul illuminates us on the proper use of the law. It is something we must understand if we are to preach the gospel effectively to those who desperately need to hear it. I am in I Timothy chapter 1 and I’ll start reading from verse 3 through verse 20. I am reading from the NET which you can follow along in the pew bible on page 1337 or in whatever version you have. If you don’t have a bible be sure to take a pew bible home with you. Transition: There is so much to cover today and so much of it depends on things we have covered already and will cover next time. Pray the Lord will give us grace to understand most of the threads here as we go along. I.) The law is not intended for the righteous, so we must use the law for its intended purpose. (8-9a) a. [Slide 2] 8 – But we know that the law is good if someone uses it legitimately, i. The law is not useless. ii. Just because you cannot specialize in or be a teacher of the law, does not mean it is of no value. iii. There is a proper use for the law, which Paul in other books has revealed. He will do so again here. b. [Slide 3] 9 – realizing that law is not intended for a righteous person, i. As we put the context together in I Timothy – we get a progressively clearer picture of what these certain teachers were doing. They were adding myths and endless discussions of genealogies into the law of God in order to add more restrictions upon God’s people while simultaneously loosening restrictions the law actually did impose upon His people. ii. In short, they were using mythologies about the law to preach to and correct people who were declared righteous and living righteously in Christ. iii. Paul corrects this outright. Before he gets to the actual, legitimate purpose of the law, he excludes a group from that purpose. iv. A righteous person has no need for the law. v. Having already corrected their mythologies and endless talk of genealogies – now Paul instructs on the proper use of the law. vi. The law without myths and legends added to it is by its nature instructive, corrective, and judicial. It informs, restricts, and applies penalty for violation. vii. But what are the foundations of that? viii. The presuppositions of forming a law is that 1. People won’t know it naturally. 2. People won’t do it naturally. 3. And that people won’t enforce it justly if given the choice. ix. But a person that is righteous is one who knows the law, does the law, and desires the law to be justly applied. God speaks this way of His children after having been united with Christ. x. They have His law written on their heart, not needing to be taught of Him. They live in light as He is in light. And they desire His Kingdom to come and His will be done. xi. This is not to say that the righteous discard the law, or find no use in it. But rather the righteous have already benefitted from the primary purpose of the law, by being shown their sin and need of a savior. xii. The law is primarily for the spiritually blind, who do not see their own sin, or are not humble enough to see it. The law rebukes such thinking, and reveals sin. So, for a righteous person, one who has seen their sin and corrected their behavior in Christ and with His Spirit – such purpose for the law is now unneeded. c. [Slide 4] Passage Truth: So although Paul’s point is not one that we can take to the extreme, as some do, we can still see that in a very real way the law’s primary purpose and intent from God, is not toward a person who is obedient and pure in heart. Although the law is not of no use, it certainly cannot be used in this way for the righteous. d. Passage Application: So in Paul’s defense of the law, he is driving at a specific purpose for anyone, including Timothy to use it. So far, one way he cannot use it is toward the righteous person. e. [Slide 5] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out from this we see the writer of Hebrews urging his readers to go beyond the elementary concepts of doctrine, like repenting of dead works. Dead works in Hebrews 6 is the vain attempts to live righteously enough to be accepted by God. Someone who has already repented of their vain attempts to keep the law and recognized that they cannot keep it, someone who has repented and found in Christ grace to actually begin to live the law of Christ, these kinds of people no longer need the law preached to them in this way for this purpose. The law is still good for them, but not as a schoolmaster to drive them to repentance and faith. This they have done and continue to do because the Spirit of Christ compels them, and the law of Christ constrains them. f. Broader Biblical Application: As is often the case we do things backward of what they should be done in scripture. So often to unbelievers and pagans we are quick to share with them the love of Christ and His mercy to forgive them and cleanse them. To Christians we blast them with the law, guilting them into feeling shame and sorrow over their sin and seeking for them to merely change their behavior. Children of God need more than this! Why? Because there is now therefore no condemnation in Christ! Because true children of God will easily see their disconnection between God and themselves. They know that they are not who God wants them to be quite yet. And so, to be told that they have sinned, should not be surprising or farfetched. Indeed, they should welcome correction and instruction. Why? Because they are supremely discontent with how they are not like their Savior. A righteous person has God’s law written on their heart. They don’t need to be instructed anew to the holy standard of God. What they truly need is to know their Savior gave them an infinite alien righteousness and paid their full penalty for their sin. This means that they are not condemned for their sin and they have been given all they need for life and godliness. In short, it is the righteous, the believer, who needs to be told again and again of the mercy and grace, the forgiveness and cleansing of Christ. The law they know , it is unchanging and immovable – but God’s mercies and graces are new every morning. Transition: So if the law is not for the righteous – who is it for? II.) The law must be used to reveal the sinfulness of sinners, so we must use the law for its intended purpose. (9b-10) a. [Slide 6] but for lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane i. Therefore, the law is given to reveal, restrain, and rebuke mankind’s natural tendencies. And therefore, it is given to inform, correct, and enforce a standard upon, what is theoretically only those who are in this list, but what is practically all men by nature. ii. So, to be a teacher of the law – what exactly are you an expert at teaching? Is it how sinful you are? Perhaps it is how self-righteous you are? How can anyone be an expert in the law? iii. Paul is arguing that the law is not something in which you can gain expertise. The law is not something that you can expertly teach, but rather, the law itself IS the expert teacher and all mankind is its student. iv. What does it teach? v. The true nature of man. What are they? Paul gives examples. vi. Let us now, spend some time defining the examples Paul lists here, because there are a few. 1. Lawless and rebellious - The law is for those who have no law and are by nature anti-law. So… everyone from birth. 2. Ungodly and sinners - The law is for those who are anti-God and law breakers. So… everyone from birth. 3. Unholy and profane - The law is for those who are not by nature set apart for a godly use and are instead wholly secular… and worldly. So… everyone from birth. 4. Why do you think we must be born again? Born anew? All in birth are under the law. All in new birth under Grace through faith in Christ. vii. Now Paul moves into specific categories of which he lists a few examples. The three categories are those who are violent, those who are fornicators, and those who are liars. These three groups of people need the law. Why? viii. Because everything Paul mentions is traced back to the 5th -9th commandments in the Decalogue. ix. Honor Father and Mother, Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness. x. Let’s look specifically. b. [Slide 7] for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, i. Patricide and Matricide. Workers of this deed can hardly do it more than once. We wouldn’t call this a practiced sin per se. ii. But then Paul goes on to include homicide as well. iii. A person who takes the life of a person without a just reason such as war, defense, or to enforce the law… such a person needs the law. Why? iv. The law will show them not only that murder is wicked – but that even the thoughts of murder are wicked. v. As our Lord said – hatred is the seed from which murder flowers. Thus, even hatred is deserving of judgment from God. Indeed, the same judgment as murder itself. c. [Slide 8] 10 – Sexually immoral people, practicing homosexuals, kidnappers i. The next two for sure deal with sexual sins. ii. The first is a word that is the broadest possible expression of sexual deviance that you can have in the Greek language. Anyone who practices unlawful, ungodly, unsanctified sexual activity needs the law to rebuke them for their debauchery. iii. Once again, as our Lord explained, the law was designed not only to show that these acts were wicked – but even the lust to commit these acts is also wicked. iv. In short one biological man and one biological woman in a marital relationship engaged in sexual union with one another exclusively for the duration of their natural lives, is the sum total of sexual activity this word does NOT include. Any who deviate from this in word, thought or deed need the law. v. The second word is a compound word for man and bed. The usage of this in this culture was to describe men who performed sexual acts with other men. There is some disagreement as to whether this is speaking specifically to a particular type of partner or not. However, contextually I think it is being used not in a restrictive sense but a broader sense and means what the NET has translated here – practicing homosexuals. 1. This leads us to a little bit of a rabbit trail – but one I think we should take given our current culture. 2. We live in a world where identity and practice do not have to go hand in hand. That even if I lack all provable components of a particular identity, I can be that identity. 3. There are some who might take this Greek word and see a loophole in the text. The loophole, they might say, is that one can be a homosexual, but simply not practicing. That only practicing homosexuals need the law. That non-practicing homosexuals are righteous. Meaning that two people of the same gender can have a romantic relationship with one another without committing the sexual act and therefore not need the law for correction. 4. I wish we had time to get into Paul’s conversion testimony in verses 12-17 today. We don’t. But Paul smashes this argument to pieces. What does he say? I was FORMERLY a blasphemer, persecutor, and arrogant man. 5. In verse 13, Paul does not still identify himself as a blasphemer, just not practicing. He does not still identify himself as a persecutor, yet not practicing. He does not still identify himself as an arrogant man, yet not practicing. He formerly was this. He has not only rejected the practice of this, but even the identity of this. So, what happened to make that change in him? 6. Verse 15, Christ came to save sinners – and here Paul does identify himself as the first sinner, or the greatest sinner. So, what is the difference between saying I am a sinner that Christ saved and saying I am a non-practicing homosexual that Christ saved? 7. Being a sinner is an all-inclusive status term that refers to the corruption of man’s nature. We are not sinners because we sin, but sin because we are sinners. So, in a real way, the problem of our identity as sinners, cannot be fully dealt with until we are resurrected into Christ and given our new bodies free of that sin nature. 8. However, homosexuality is a particular sin. It is not the all-encompassing status of being corrupted by sin, but rather a particular expression of sin. One which Paul says in I Corinthians 6 – we have been washed, sanctified, and justified from and something we FORMERLY were. 9. So really the difference is, that our sanctification is the process of killing off particular expressions of sin in our lives, while that won’t be fully accomplished until we are glorified. And homosexuality is one of those particular sins that ought to be killed off. 10. It is therefore, theologically deviant and logically foolish to identify ourselves as a particular sin yet not practicing. None identify themselves as a non-practicing liar saved by grace or a non-practicing murderer saved by grace. Rather we ought to agree with God about our sin. Loathe it. And want to not be associated with it ever again. We are Christ’s not sin’s, and although we are unfortunately still a sinner and can not truly claim not to be – we do not want to be. We long for the day of being completely free of this identity. 11. So whether a person commits the sexual act or not is irrelevant. In the 1st century there was no separation that existed between being identified as a homosexual and practicing homosexual acts. Not only this, but in Romans 1, Paul seems to indict not only the sexual act but even the pursuit of relationships that are not cross gender. 12. At this – all modern interpretations of this word and the bible’s teaching on homosexuality falls woefully short of any semblance of scholarship in the language or culture of the 1st century Roman world. The plain meaning of scripture is this… Homosexuality, its act and identity, is something the law is necessary to correct… because it is wicked. vi. The last one in this list is kidnappers or man stealers. And we are confronted with a dilemma. vii. As I stated before, it seems like Paul is forming a list of three categories with examples of each. The category we have just seen is sexual sin, and the one following is liars. So here is the question – which category does man-stealers go into? viii. Obviously, it could be its own category conforming to the 7th command not to steal. However, Paul seems to have grouped these into at least groups of two – yet we are met with an odd number here. So, what do we do with this one? ix. Certainly, there is a good bit of deception involved with kidnapping someone. However, just like the word fornicators, this word could be interpreted in its broadest sense which would be to use someone against their will for selfish purposes. x. [Slide 9] In which case – we could see this apply to both sexual sins and deception. Indeed, a more far reaching pandemic in this country that exceeds COVID 19 is the hotbed that our country and even our state is for sex trafficking. xi. And recently I was awoken to the truth that when we talk about sex trafficking we are not dealing with organizations or crime syndicates that kidnap and sell children into slavery – although this is certainly part of it. But the most common sex traffickers are parents and family members, selling the children’s services for money. My friends… xii. I think it goes without saying – those who are involved in this trade… need the law. d. [Slide 10] Liars, perjurers i. Those who do not speak the truth ii. And those who do lie to either save themselves from due justice or incriminate the innocent. iii. Those who omit certain details that are truth are the same as those who invent something they pass as truth. iv. Honesty is a dying virtue that so many transcend. They rebrand the term lie as embellish, exaggerate, minimize or forget. v. Those who cannot speak the truth, are least like Yahweh – who is truth. vi. Indeed, lying lips are among the few sins God says he hates. Sins that are abomination to him. vii. Homosexuality is abomination. In your mind if homosexuality is worse than lying – you see sin differently than God does. Because lying is abomination. viii. Every week I read my sermon to my wife on Saturday night. After reading this point she relayed to me how amazing it is, that our little girls, their first expressions of sin are so ugly and raw. Selfishness, pride, lying, violence, trying to turn parents against each other or against their sister. When you get a chance you should look at Proverbs 6:16-19. God lists 7 sins that he hates and are abomination to him. It is stunning that each of these sins – at least in their unnuanced state – are present already in my 5 and 3 year old. ix. Therefore, such people NEED the law. e. [Slide 11] – in fact, for any who live contrary to sound teaching. i. Paul then summarizes. ii. Any person who lives contrary to sound teaching… needs the law. iii. Any person who can stand opposed to Godly requirements upon the moral character of humanity – needs to be rebuked with that selfsame teaching. They do not need a new law – they need the same law that they have rejected. iv. “Sound” here would be the word healthy. Or even, health producing. v. Teaching that leads to regenerative growth is what is in view. So, any teaching that leads to people being conformed to Christ – if someone lives opposite of that teaching – that is who the law must be given to. f. [Slide 12] Passage Truth: Paul explains to Timothy, perhaps to combat the accusations of those certain men who wish to be teachers of the law, that the law IS good when it is used properly. And the proper use of the law, is to reveal the sinfulness of sinners. The law is the schoolmaster showing someone their sin. g. Passage Application: So Paul’s message to Timothy is to use the law for its intended purpose. To reveal the sinfulness of sinners. h. [Slide 13] Broader Biblical Truth: Tracing back to early church fathers and found on the pages of several Pauline works, we do find the 3-fold purpose of the law. Its first and primary function is to reveal, like a mirror, both the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. It does this by imposing impossible standards of God upon men – standards they could not hope to keep. The second purpose of the law is to restrain society from imploding in lawlessness. The law cannot change the heart but it can keep people in check to delay total moral decay and thus, societal collapse. The third and final purpose of the law is to guide the righteous to good works that God has planned for them. It tells His children what pleases God. It is as some have described “a family code.” So, for the godless, for the wicked, for the pagan, for the lawless – the first two purposes of the law endure as the primary purposes of the law. And such we have seen from this text. i. Broader Biblical Application: So for us, by way of application, to the unsaved and pagan, we should preach the law and that God is holy and will judge rightly all men according to their works. They are still under the law and thus will be judged by the law. Such a proclamation will elicit fear in those who are being regenerated by the Spirit… fear enough for them to cry out for mercy from God – and in faith they will repent and believe the gospel. And in those who are not being regenerated, they may still be kept in check by the holy expectations of God, and restrain their more vile expressions of their sinfulness. We need not tell the ungodly of any stripe that an alien righteousness exists for them if they see no need for it. We have no business telling the ungodly that forgiveness exists for them, when they have not seen their desperate need of it. We do them harm to preach the gospel to them before we adequately preach the law to them. Transition: [Slide 14(blank)] But how do these balance? The law and the gospel? Are they at odds then? Are they two things? I thought we were only given one message. III.) Revealing the sinfulness of sinners is a necessary component of the gospel, so we must use the law for its intended purpose. (11) a. [Slide 15] 11 – This accords with the glorious gospel of the blessed God that was entrusted to me. i. What is the sum total of health producing teaching? What is the foundation of health-producing teaching? It is the glorious gospel of the blessed God! ii. We talked about this last week! We want to see people change? What do they need? THE GOSPEL! iii. But many people set the law and the gospel in opposition to one another. iv. However, the law itself is not in opposition to the gospel but rather is in harmony with the gospel. v. The law itself is the schoolmaster teaching the dire need for the glorious gospel of our wonderful Lord. vi. The law reveals the sinfulness of a sinner. The law reveals that we are all great sinners. And yet the gospel reveals that Christ is a great Savior. vii. This is the gospel that was given to Paul to preach. The same message he preached to Timothy and that he is commanding Timothy to preach to the church in Ephesus. The same gospel he is charging Timothy to protect. viii. So what is the gospel? Paul will get to it next time in I Timothy – but for now – Christ came and died for sinners. ix. Inherent in this expression is the realization that we are sinners… not because we sin, but that is who we are. That is our identity. But the good news there – is that Christ came to die for who?... Sinners! x. That is why the law and its proper use is in accord with the gospel – because it proves first that man is a sinner. And later, after that same man has received mercy and grace from God through Christ, that same man is shown to be righteous because he lives in accordance with God’s desires, loves the law, and has it written on his heart. b. [Slide 16] Passage Truth: Paul to Timothy reveals that the law and the gospel go hand in hand. They are one. The law reveals the sinfulness of the sinner – and Christ is the message of good news from God providing an answer for the sinner. Paul will dive headlong into that next time in I Timothy. c. Passage Application: Paul’s clear point for Timothy is to use the law properly in conjunction with the glorious gospel of God. d. [Slide 17] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out from this we see that this is true throughout the Old and New Testaments. The old testament whispers of a time when the law will be written on people’s hearts. When no one will need to be taught who God is – they will know Him. They will be His people and He will be their God. The New Testament reveals that mystery in that Christ has fulfilled the law and provided an alien righteousness whereby sinners can truly keep the law and be made righteous. And the first step to all of that is to realize the sinfulness of our sin. e. Broader Biblical Application: And so we too ought to understand that the first part of the good news – is the bad news. Without preaching the bad news until someone understands – there is no hope for them to ever understand the good news. God’s grace illuminates the mind in regeneration to see clearly their guilt and shame for sin against a holy God and thus their powerlessness to ever appease Him. And once that is made plain – God will gift them repentance and faith to cry out to him for mercy and believe the gospel. Transition: [Slide 18(end)] So what can we learn from this? How should we live differently because of this? Conclusion: Well last week our conclusion was that the one arrow in our quiver, the one weapon in the arsenal of the church is the gospel of Jesus Christ. What Paul adds in the text this morning is how to be proficient in wielding such a weapon. How to aim for the heart with such an arrow. It all starts with the law. Many in Christianity have rightly stated that we are free from the law – but they have wrongly implied that we are free from obeying the law. There can be nothing further from the truth. God set Adam in the garden and gave a covenant to him. A covenant whereby Adam could obey and live or disobey and die. It was a covenant defined by Adam’s works. Adam failed. That covenant of works has not changed. The Mosaic Covenant – the law – is only a more detailed expression of the covenant of works. Mankind must be perfect as God is perfect. Adam was our representative. Adam failed and doomed us all to walk in a covenant agreement whereby we have no way of keeping or fulfilling our end of the bargain. Therefore, the Mosaic law, is God’s way to illustrate this fact to the Israelites. They can’t keep it. They need a perfect sacrificial substitute. When the scriptures declare that Christ did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. That is the sense of the word fulfill. It means that Christ held up the contractual obligations levied on mankind, which was to obey the whole law. Christ then became our perfect substitute and traded places with us by paying our penalty for failing that contract and giving us the eternal success in keeping that contract. Therefore, we are no longer under the law, in that our only hope of salvation is to keep it perfectly. Why? Christ has done it for us. It is done. Completed. Instead we are under grace, in that God personally intercedes and brings us to life and appropriates a new covenant to us by faith in Christ’s work. We trust and depend on what Christ did – and are therefore accepted into that new covenant. And in that new covenant what do we do? We, by grace, keep the law. Therefore – the first message of the gospel is… you are under the yoke of the law! But the ongoing message of the gospel is… you are free in Christ to keep the law – specifically the law of Christ. To love God and one another. My friends the law is not cast aside. The old testament does not need to be abridged or unhitched from our faith. Indeed, the old Testament is just as much the gospel as the new testament. That covenant of works – although producing only despair – is a necessary covenant for someone to understand if they ever hope to understand the covenant of grace. Sinners need the law. And the righteous need grace. And so the preaching of the law to the lawless ends with their doom and judgment until they show signs of regenerated understanding and seek mercy. But the preaching of the law to the righteous does not end with doom but ends with hope that in Christ we do keep the whole law legally (justification) but also do continue to keep the law practically (sanctification). And one day we will only know a perfect law keeping existence (glorification). The covenant of grace continues, forevermore. My friends may we be preachers of the complete gospel message. To the unbeliever: the law to reveal the sinfulness of their sin. To the believer: grace to overcome the presence of sin.

Morning: Job 31–32 Job 31–32 (Listen) Job's Final Appeal 31   “I have made a covenant with my eyes;    how then could I gaze at a virgin?2   What would be my portion from God above    and my heritage from the Almighty on high?3   Is not calamity for the unrighteous,    and disaster for the workers of iniquity?4   Does not he see my ways    and number all my steps? 5   “If I have walked with falsehood    and my foot has hastened to deceit;6   (Let me be weighed in a just balance,    and let God know my integrity!)7   if my step has turned aside from the way    and my heart has gone after my eyes,    and if any spot has stuck to my hands,8   then let me sow, and another eat,    and let what grows for me1 be rooted out. 9   “If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,    and I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door,10   then let my wife grind for another,    and let others bow down on her.11   For that would be a heinous crime;    that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;12   for that would be a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon,    and it would burn to the root all my increase. 13   “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,    when they brought a complaint against me,14   what then shall I do when God rises up?    When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?15   Did not he who made me in the womb make him?    And did not one fashion us in the womb? 16   “If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,    or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,17   or have eaten my morsel alone,    and the fatherless has not eaten of it18   (for from my youth the fatherless2 grew up with me as with a father,    and from my mother's womb I guided the widow3),19   if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,    or the needy without covering,20   if his body has not blessed me,4    and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,21   if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,    because I saw my help in the gate,22   then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,    and let my arm be broken from its socket.23   For I was in terror of calamity from God,    and I could not have faced his majesty. 24   “If I have made gold my trust    or called fine gold my confidence,25   if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant    or because my hand had found much,26   if I have looked at the sun5 when it shone,    or the moon moving in splendor,27   and my heart has been secretly enticed,    and my mouth has kissed my hand,28   this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,    for I would have been false to God above. 29   “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,    or exulted when evil overtook him30   (I have not let my mouth sin    by asking for his life with a curse),31   if the men of my tent have not said,    ‘Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?’32   (the sojourner has not lodged in the street;    I have opened my doors to the traveler),33   if I have concealed my transgressions as others do6    by hiding my iniquity in my heart,34   because I stood in great fear of the multitude,    and the contempt of families terrified me,    so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—35   Oh, that I had one to hear me!    (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!)    Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!36   Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;    I would bind it on me as a crown;37   I would give him an account of all my steps;    like a prince I would approach him. 38   “If my land has cried out against me    and its furrows have wept together,39   if I have eaten its yield without payment    and made its owners breathe their last,40   let thorns grow instead of wheat,    and foul weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended. Elihu Rebukes Job's Three Friends 32 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. 3 He burned with anger also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. 4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. 5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger. 6 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said:   “I am young in years,    and you are aged;  therefore I was timid and afraid    to declare my opinion to you.7   I said, ‘Let days speak,    and many years teach wisdom.’8   But it is the spirit in man,    the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.9   It is not the old7 who are wise,    nor the aged who understand what is right.10   Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;    let me also declare my opinion.’ 11   “Behold, I waited for your words,    I listened for your wise sayings,    while you searched out what to say.12   I gave you my attention,    and, behold, there was none among you who refuted Job    or who answered his words.13   Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom;    God may vanquish him, not a man.’14   He has not directed his words against me,    and I will not answer him with your speeches. 15   “They are dismayed; they answer no more;    they have not a word to say.16   And shall I wait, because they do not speak,    because they stand there, and answer no more?17   I also will answer with my share;    I also will declare my opinion.18   For I am full of words;    the spirit within me constrains me.19   Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent;    like new wineskins ready to burst.20   I must speak, that I may find relief;    I must open my lips and answer.21   I will not show partiality to any man    or use flattery toward any person.22   For I do not know how to flatter,    else my Maker would soon take me away. Footnotes [1] 31:8 Or let my descendants [2] 31:18 Hebrew he [3] 31:18 Hebrew her [4] 31:20 Hebrew if his loins have not blessed me [5] 31:26 Hebrew the light [6] 31:33 Or as Adam did [7] 32:9 Hebrew many [in years] (ESV) Evening: Acts 13:1–23 Acts 13:1–23 (Listen) Barnabas and Saul Sent Off 13 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,1 Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia 13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with2 them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Footnotes [1] 13:1 Niger is a Latin word meaning black, or dark [2] 13:18 Some manuscripts he carried (compare Deuteronomy 1:31) (ESV)

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 29–31 1 Samuel 29–31 (Listen) The Philistines Reject David 29 Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel. 2 As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish, 3 the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.” 4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? 5 Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,   ‘Saul has struck down his thousands,    and David his ten thousands’?” 6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. 7 So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” 11 So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel. David's Wives Are Captured 30 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all1 who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul,2 each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. 7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” 9 So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. 11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, 12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. 14 We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15 And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.” David Defeats the Amalekites 16 And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. 18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. 20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him,3 and said, “This is David's spoil.” 21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” 23 But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. 24 Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” 25 And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day. 26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” 27 It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, 28 in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, 29 in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, 30 in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, 31 in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed. The Death of Saul 31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. 8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. Footnotes [1] 30:2 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks and all [2] 30:6 Compare 22:2 [3] 30:20 The meaning of the Hebrew clause is uncertain (ESV) New Testament: Acts 13–14 Acts 13–14 (Listen) Barnabas and Saul Sent Off 13 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,1 Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia 13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with2 them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,   “‘You are my Son,    today I have begotten you.’ 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,   “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,   “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed3 from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41   “‘Look, you scoffers,    be astounded and perish;  for I am doing a work in your days,    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” 42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews4 saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,   “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Paul and Barnabas at Iconium 14 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.5 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4 But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. 5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, 7 and there they continued to preach the gospel. Paul and Barnabas at Lystra 8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,6 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. 11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them. Paul Stoned at Lystra 19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria 24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples. Footnotes [1] 13:1 Niger is a Latin word meaning black, or dark [2] 13:18 Some manuscripts he carried (compare Deuteronomy 1:31) [3] 13:39 Greek justified; twice in this verse [4] 13:45 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 50 [5] 14:2 Or brothers and sisters [6] 14:9 Or be saved (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:97–104 Psalm 119:97–104 (Listen) Mem 97   Oh how I love your law!    It is my meditation all the day.98   Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,    for it is ever with me.99   I have more understanding than all my teachers,    for your testimonies are my meditation.100   I understand more than the aged,1    for I keep your precepts.101   I hold back my feet from every evil way,    in order to keep your word.102   I do not turn aside from your rules,    for you have taught me.103   How sweet are your words to my taste,    sweeter than honey to my mouth!104   Through your precepts I get understanding;    therefore I hate every false way. Footnotes [1] 119:100 Or the elders (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 16:10–11 Proverbs 16:10–11 (Listen) 10   An oracle is on the lips of a king;    his mouth does not sin in judgment.11   A just balance and scales are the LORD's;    all the weights in the bag are his work. (ESV)

The Judgement of the Cross – The Judgement of the World In John Chapter 12, Jesus makes a statement that should challenge the hearts of all believers. “John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”NOW was now over two thousand years ago. In Christ it is still now to us who come to see Him and understand His judgement. What does He mean Now is the Judgement of the World? If He be lifted up, He will draw all mankind to himself? This is the Judgement of the Cross. The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 6, “I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me.” Catch what He says, I am crucified. He doesn’t say I was crucified as He did in Romans 6, when He declared we died with Christ at the cross. The judgement that had come in Paul’s heart was I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me. What does that mean? It means I am dead to the world and the world is dead to me. However, is that our concept of life that the world has no hold on us? Now as I say this, I have to define the world. What is the world? It is not simply planet earth. This word used for world is kosmos, (2889 in the Strong’s), which means the orderly arrangement. The orderly arrangement of the world was sin and death, the law, the pride of life, the functions of the flesh, etc. The arrangement had to do with everything in the old man. Paul is saying that He is crucified to the world, to its arrangement and order. Then He said it is crucified to Him. Now Paul was not crucified. Even those who were crucified literally, could not say what Paul did. Only one could make this statement true and real. The one who is the Lord Jesus Christ. In Paul’s knowing of Christ, he had come to the seeing and comprehending of being dead to the world and the world being dead to him through the work of Jesus Christ, and through the reality of Christ that was in him. The only way this becomes real to us is through the knowing of Jesus Christ and His judgement upon the world at the cross. In His powerful work of the cross Jesus took me and you with Him and He died, pronouncing judgement on the world! In this judgement we are to come in our hearts to living unto Christ and not to the world. Unfortunately, many of us have no concept of this. We have been taught that we live the best lives we can, and someday Jesus will take us away from the world. At the cross He did just that. He took us in His death, and brought us forth in His resurrection to be a people who manifest Him and not the world. If we do not understand this, and see this by the Spirit of God, we will not manifest Him. He must be revealed in our hearts. We must come forth unto Him. Glory to God!  

Acts 13:13–52 (ESV)   13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “ ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, “ ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41  “ ‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’ ” 42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.  

When members of Paul Everitt's family purchased the 1970s home of best-selling author Richard Bach (Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Illusions), they got more than just a house — the eccentric writer and pilot left behind signed photos, his writing desk, model airplane kits, original and purchased artwork, books, letters, and other mementos of his flying and writing life. Now Paul hopes to find new homes for the items that have remained in his family for more than four decades.   RB Memorabilia web site • The Hanne Howard Fund (beneficiary of the items' sale) • Opening theme: "Keepers" by Still Flyin' • Closing theme: "Slow Draw/Feeling In My Heart" by Eric Frisch • Additional music by Marcin Grochowina, Belle Arché Lou, and Albosel • www.forkeepspodcast.com

Podcast: Are You Thriving or Just Surviving?In this video: 00:33 – Paul Tillman was here in NZ last week01:12 – How we made profit from the Coronavirus news02:06 – The stats show that only 5% make good money03:05 – The system and strategy works in all market conditions03:35 – What do you need to do in order to become a thriving trader?05:02 – I’ve re-opened a link for you to follow06:19 – Shows the results that you can achieve with low riskAs a forex trader, are you thriving or are you just surviving? Let's talk about that and more, right now.Hey traders, it's Andrew Mitchem here, the owner of The Forex Trading Coach with video and podcast number 357.Now, I want to talk about the difference between the very few who are thriving, and the majority who are just surviving in the forex market.Paul Tillman was here in NZ last weekBut first, also want to update you regarding last week's video and podcast where I had Paul Tillman here with me in New Zealand. Now Paul works with me, he's based out of North Carolina in the States and he covers the American live webinars that we hold and also he helps run and moderate our forum site. But it was great to have Paul and his family here for 10 days with my family here in New Zealand and it just goes to show what can be done with trading. We carried on exactly as normal. Paul brought his laptop and things just continued as normal. Another one of those great benefits from trading.How we made profit from the Coronavirus newsBut also on that video and podcast, you'll remember, and if you've not seen it, go and watch it, that we talked about how we profited from the monthly charts by selling the Australian yen and the New Zealand yen at the beginning of February. Now, right now with early part of March and the coronavirus news and the threats and the story is going mad, not so much here in New Zealand, but globally. And the important thing is is that we saw the Japanese yen, particularly the yen strength, but also some strength in the franc and the US way back in at the end of January. And it just shows that if you can read the charts properly and you know what you're doing, how you can profit from that and become one of those thrivers.The stats show that only 5% make good moneySo we know the stats that you hear and see out there, that probably only around 5% of forex traders make good money. And we are one of those, in those groups, of the 5% and we're definitely thrivers because not only have we made good returns from this most recent news event and the strength of the yen and the weakness in the Aussie, the Kiwi and the Canadian especially. Not only is that something that we've done well from recently, but we've done well from all sorts of different events and market conditions for years and years now. I've been trading nearly 16 years, and over that time you kind of go through all the different conditions and news events and political events. Nothing really makes too much of a difference once you know what you're doing.The system and strategy works in all market conditionsSo when people say, "Oh, does your system work in this kind of market condition?" Well, yes, it works in all kinds of conditions because it's proven to have done that over those years. But the problem is, and we find this all the time from emails that we get from people who are struggling out there is unfortunately, 95% of the people are the survivors. And to be honest, most of those people end up giving up because it's just too hard. It's too difficult. It's not working for them.What do you need to do in order to become a thriving trader?So really, if you're one of those survivors and you're not a thriver,

Acts - Chapter 17 (Episode 16)Paul's Second Missionary Journey is well underway as Paul crosses the sea to speak the Gospel to those in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. But Paul's journey doesn't end there. Now Paul is sent from harm's way to the great city of Athens where he encounters a very different audience. But even here Paul questions and challenges the Athenians to open their eyes to the possibility that the God Paul proclaims is real.You can find handouts from our class at https://www.stpaulslutheran.net/bible-study/bible-studyFind out more at https://growingtogether.pinecast.co

01 December 2019 | Pastor Evan Curry | Acts 13-15 | Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel. Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them. But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples. But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’ Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Through the preaching of the Gospel, those outside the Jewish nation can now be heirs, members, & partakers [v.6]. Paul’s teaching on this signified a momentous shift in the nation of Israel’s understanding of salvation that had stood largely unchanged for thousands of years. Now Paul is coming and telling churches everywhere that God’s promises are still for His chosen people, it’s just that he's redefining who His chosen people are. Paul is saying that God’s chosen people are all who are in Christ, all who believe. [Gal. 3:24-29] This unification of Jew and Gentile is how God’s multifaceted & perfect wisdom is revealed - through the church. Is it any wonder, then, that Satan & his demons work hard to keep the church focused inwardly and not on the lost world around us? The enemy loves to see the church out of sync with Scripture, because in that state it denies the wisdom of God it’s supposed to be portraying. From the newest believer to the most seasoned saint, regularly rubbing elbows with Christians in the church keeps us humble & accountable, and it clearly proclaims God’s wisdom. Believer: because of Jesus Christ you can go to the throne of God yourself with boldness, confident that He hears you and provides grace to help in your time of need. [Heb. 4:14-16]

Through the preaching of the Gospel, those outside the Jewish nation can now be heirs, members, & partakers [v.6]. Paul’s teaching on this signified a momentous shift in the nation of Israel’s understanding of salvation that had stood largely unchanged for thousands of years. Now Paul is coming and telling churches everywhere that God’s promises are still for His chosen people, it’s just that he's redefining who His chosen people are. Paul is saying that God’s chosen people are all who are in Christ, all who believe. [Gal. 3:24-29] This unification of Jew and Gentile is how God’s multifaceted & perfect wisdom is revealed - through the church. Is it any wonder, then, that Satan & his demons work hard to keep the church focused inwardly and not on the lost world around us? The enemy loves to see the church out of sync with Scripture, because in that state it denies the wisdom of God it’s supposed to be portraying. From the newest believer to the most seasoned saint, regularly rubbing elbows with Christians in the church keeps us humble & accountable, and it clearly proclaims God’s wisdom. Believer: because of Jesus Christ you can go to the throne of God yourself with boldness, confident that He hears you and provides grace to help in your time of need. [Heb. 4:14-16]

COMMENTARY Beginning in Philippians 2:19, Paul shares about his plans to send some of his ministry partners to Philippi. This is a common feature in Paul’s letters. Paul often updated his readers on whether he or someone else would be visiting them. What is uncommon about this particular travel report is its size and its location in the letter. Paul’s travel reports are usually short (e.g., 2 Corinthians 13:10; Philemon 22). Also, they typically occur near the end of his letters (e.g., Romans 15:22-29). This particular update is unique because of its length, encompassing a full 12 verses, and because of its location at the very center of the letter to the Philippians. This has puzzled many scholars and has led some to suggest that this particular letter to the Philippians is actually a combination of multiple letters with this travel report marking the end of the first letter. This is not a necessary conclusion because this travel report serves as more than just a future travel itinerary. Falling on the heels of the command to imitate Christ in Philippians 2:1-11, this travel report also highlights individuals who have demonstrated how to have the “same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). This is especially clear in the first half of Paul’s travel report which we will read today. In this passage, Paul writes that he hopes to send Timothy to visit the church in Philippi. In his description of Timothy, Paul points out that Timothy doesn’t look out for his “own interests” but shows “genuine concern” for others (Philippians 2:20-21). Timothy therefore embodies the instruction in Philippians 2:3-4: “In humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Paul also points out that Timothy has “served” with Paul in the work of the gospel (Philippians 2:22). In this way, Timothy has followed in the footsteps of Jesus who became a “servant” in his own work of the gospel (Philippians 2:7). What we learn from this travel report is so much more than the historical facts about the travels of Paul’s ministry partners. It reveals to us that living with a mindset like Jesus is possible, and is perhaps the best way we can encourage and build faith in those around us. This is incredibly relevant for us. The last thing our world needs is more Christians who promote the gospel with their words and undermine it with their actions. What this world craves and pays attention to are authentic people who live by what they say. The Via Egnatia, an international highway which passes through Philippi The Via Egnatia, an international highway which passes through Philippi SCRIPTURE PHILIPPIANS 2:19–24 TIMOTHY AND EPAPHRODITUS 19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. REFLECTION 1. In Philippians 2:22, Paul notes that Timothy previously served side-by-side with Paul “as a son with his father.” Now Paul plans to entrust the church at Philippi to Timothy’s care. What does Paul’s example teach us about how to disciple others? 2. Who has been like a Paul for you, helping you mature in your faith? Who is like a Timothy for you and how are you helping them grow into a future Christian leader?

We continue our study in Acts 17, Paul has reached Athens and no confronts a very intellectual and religious people. The city is filled with false gods and idols. Now Paul must find a way to use this to introduce Jesus as the Christ into the heart of the people. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/christian-cornerstone/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/christian-cornerstone/support

My guest, Paul Cox is a documentary photographer with a beautiful mission. Born in Zimbabwe, Paul moved to the UK in 1988, and after experiencing many different careers he finally found his life purpose in documentary photography. Now Paul aims to make a difference in Ulan Bator, by sharing stories of many families who live in ‘yurt’ tents. If you want to hear some of the incredible stories from Paul’s trips to Ulan Bator and how his career and life have been galvanized by this experience, stay with us. Paul's website: c8x-photography.com IG: @c8x-photography Arta: www.artaapp.com IG: @artaapps Gallery - www.oilingantiques.com

As we open Romans 13 we see Paul continue the theme of how christians are to lives of sacrifice. Now Paul talks about how Christians who are saved by God's grace should interact with governments and loving their neighbor.

Download Sermon Slides Acts 13Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,[a] Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,“‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed[c] from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:41 “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish;for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.45 But when the Jews[d] saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Dru Fess I Ephesians 5:21 - 6:9 In Ephesians 5 and 6 Paul switches his attention to how the gospel influences the home. The Greco-Roman world had a particular way in which households operated. Now Paul is sharing how relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, and master and servants work as the new humanity. Listen to more teaching at http://mypraxis.church/teaching

Mike Erre (via video) I Ephesians 4:1 Ephesians 4:1 is the verse in which the whole letter of Ephesians turns. For three chapters Paul has been declaring who the church is in Christ and how God's work has brought Jew and Gentile together as one new humanity. Now Paul declares that we are to "live a life worthy of the calling we have received." Listen to more teaching at http://mypraxis.church/teaching

Last week, with Pastor Jono, we looked at the general principle of being living sacrifices; to be transformed in thinking and behaviour so we no longer conform to wrong cultural norms. Now Paul, in Romans, follows that up with specific applications. He is giving some specific ideas and concrete ways in which we can carry out the principle. In the verses today, Paul focuses on the right way to think about ourselves. With that foundation laid, he moves on to right thinking about others, especially in relation to the church. Together we will explore these two life-transforming, counter-cultural ways of thinking.

SUNDAY, 4/28/19 PM: Paul has thoroughly explained why the Thessalonians should not believe they are in the Tribulation. Now Paul is moved to challenge and pray for the people to stand fast and not be easily shaken regarding the consolation and good hope given to them.  The post Stand Fast appeared first on Anthony Baptist Church.

Increasing Knowledge of God’s Love Does God really love us? He showed His love on the cross, but does He still love us? If so, why do we still experience pain and suffering? How can that be good? Show Notes: If the only characteristics that were true about God were the elements of His power, as well as His justice and holiness, there would be no hope for humankind. In fact, we never would have lasted this long. Without God’s love for us, He would have wiped humanity from the face of the Earth, maybe to make room for a race less obstinate and fickle. Fortunately for us, though, God is not only the most powerful being in the world—star-breather, life-former, thought-knower—He also cares for us. While He seeks His own glory in all things, He equally seeks our good. These two goals are not at odds with each other. God receives glory from us when we enjoy Him, so when He seeks our ultimate good, He is also seeking His own glory. And when we seek God, which is our highest good, we are fulfilled and happy. If you are interested in learning more about this particular topic, I would highly recommend John Piper’s Desiring God. As he puts it, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Each outcome leads to the other. I have found that many Christians either believe the things I said about God in the last episode but they do not really believe that God loves them, or they believe God is loving but forget how big and powerful He is. This is the cause of a lot of fear. If you know God is loving but don’t really believe He’s powerful enough to take care of you, anything could happen. If you believe God is powerful but don’t really believe He loves you enough to always make decisions based on your best interests, then He might take care of you when it’s convenient but choose to do something that puts you at risk when it suits Him. Today we’re going to look at the trait of God’s love and how it is manifested toward us. Before we go any further, we need to define love. The world would tell us that it is an unpredictable feeling, one that may or may not last very long. Once it's gone, it doesn’t often come back. Just about any popular romance movie will exemplify this definition. Even we in the church fall prey to this description, and I believe it has distorted our view of God and His love. In 1 John 3:16-18, the apostle John tells us what love looks like as believers. “This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brother. If anyone has this world's goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need – how can God's love reside in him? Little children, we must not love in word or speech, but with truth and action.” Many people read just the first of these verses and conclude that love means being willing to die for another person, but there is so much more to it than that. John says that we know what love is because Jesus “laid down His life for us,” and we should “lay down our lives” for our fellow Christians. In the next verse, he gives us an example of what that looks like—giving away what you have for the sake of others. Jesus laying down His life didn't just include His death; it was a life-long process of taking care of those around Him and generally being about His Father's will. It is the same for us. The main component of love is sacrifice and self-forgetfulness. As C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity, “If we were to meet a truly humble person, we would never come away from meeting them thinking they were humble. They would not be always telling us they were a nobody (because a person who keeps saying they are a nobody is actually a self-obsessed person). The thing we would remember from meeting a truly gospel-humble person is how much they seemed to be totally interested in us. Because the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.” (Mere Christianity, 1952) And so, we aim to think of ourselves less. But to what end? John answers that question in the next verse. We are to fill the needs of our fellow believers. If we summarize, according to John, love is spending our lives sacrificially filling other people's needs. Though he goes about it differently, Paul says the same thing in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: “Love is patient, love is kind Love does not envy, Is not boastful, is not conceited, Does not act improperly, Is not selfish, is not provoked, Does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness But rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, Hopes all things, endures all things.” True love, according to the Bible, is not a feeling or in any way related to sexual desire or fulfillment. It is seeing other people’s needs and taking care of them, all while forgetting that you exist. That’s not to say that we don’t practice good self-care. But the point of healthy self-care is that we will make the most of ourselves and our time for the sake of others. It is not selfish. It’s like studying for a test and realizing that you are so tired that you’re not going to be productive any longer, so you set your alarm for a couple hours earlier than normal in the morning so you can finish studying then, and you get some sleep now. We should rest, eat well, exercise, and not over-work ourselves so that we can be more effective in serving and loving other people. Having defined love, we are now equipped to look at God's love. If love is sacrificially filling others' needs, what is it that we need? According to Ephesians 2:1-10, we are dead and in need of life. Through the sacrifice Jesus made by His life and death, God has given us that and more. He has seated us in Heaven with Jesus, given us good works to do for His glory, and promised to show us kindness for the rest of eternity. If you’ve grown up in the church, you probably don't have a problem believing that God loved you through the cross. You’ve heard it all your life. The issue is now. Does He love you today, yesterday, and tomorrow, or did He just show His love once through the cross so He could save you but then use and abuse you at His whim? In the book of Romans, Paul spends the first seven chapters explaining how no one measures up to God’s standard of righteousness but how God, in His love, provided a way for us to receive the righteousness of Christ through His death on the cross—in essence, the gospel. Now Paul has moved on to sanctification. He’s about to answer the question I just posed. Does God still love us? The whole of chapter eight is a glorious exposition of God’s continued love for the believer, but I’ll just hit the highlights: “Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death…. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you…. All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him…. “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. For those He foreknew He also predestined… and those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified. “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?... “…Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Romans 8:1-2, 8-9a, 14-17, 28-29a, 30-32, 35-39, emphasis mine) What beautiful, live-giving truths. One of Paul’s greatest arguments here is in verse 32, which says, “He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?” Paul must have known that there would be this temptation to slip away from believing that God loves us in the here and now. He argues that God did the big thing; He laid aside His glory and came as a human being, then He died in the place of sinners. This is incomprehensible. If God went to that extreme to save sinners out of love (John 3:16), how could he possibly stop loving us? Even still, we forget. When we don’t remember how great God’s love is for us, our trust in Him begins to slip. Without trust, fears creep into our lives. Why do we forget so easily? What can we do to remember? I have found that the fastest way to forget how much God loves me is to take my righteousness into my own hands. I have a tendency that I think many believers share, and that is to look at the cross and say, “Yes, I’m in! God has brought me into His family and secured my eternal destiny. Now I have to make sure I stay here.” Then I try to do well and keep God happy with me, all the while feeling both guilty about how I’m failing and superior to those who are messing up more visibly than I am. This is called self-righteousness, and it belittles the work of Christ. It says, “Yes, God, Your work was good, but it wasn’t good enough. Let me help.” But we are incapable of helping, and we have nothing good to offer God except what He’s already given us and enabled us to do. When Jesus died on the cross, two very important things happened. First, He took upon Himself all of the sin of every person who would ever be saved. All the ugly, stinky, abhorrent nastiness of my sin and yours was placed in the body of the Son of God (1 Peter 2:24). Second, God the Father exerted all the force of His wrath for all of that sin on Jesus. When we become believers, we receive the righteousness of Jesus in place of the sin He paid for (Phil. 3:9, 2 Cor. 5:21). This is called justification. What does this mean? It means that as believers, there is no wrath left for us (Rom. 5:9-10). There is nothing we can do to make God punish us or even be disappointed in us. He knows everything that we have done and will do, and He paid for it all. We have been brought near to God (Eph. 2:13) and are called children and heirs of God (Rom. 8:17-19). In John 15:9, Jesus tells His disciples that just as much as the Father loves Him (that would be infinite and incomprehensible love), so Jesus loved them, loves us. This is what justification means for us. There’s something some of you are probably thinking that flies in the face of this, right? To one degree or another, we have all experienced loss, pain, and disappointment. A lot of bible teachers dismiss this by saying, “Well, those are the result of sin in the world, and they’re not God’s fault. God wants good things for you.” But that doesn’t actually solve the problem, because it makes God out to be this kind person who wants good for you but doesn’t have the power to give it to you. He’s not really sovereign and in control of everything. If He’s not in control, then we still have reason to be afraid. And as we looked at last week, God really does have the power. So why does He allow us to hurt? In Genesis 50:20, Joseph is talking to his brothers in Egypt. He is the second most powerful man in the world, and his brothers sold him into slavery when he was younger. Now he has the power to get back at them if he wants, and they are terrified. Instead, Joseph takes the long view. He sees God’s hand in the situation and tell his brothers this, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” This word “good” means the same thing as it does coming from Joseph’s lips. Did Joseph suffer? Did he experience loss and pain? Of course. So how can he say it was good? How can Paul in Romans say that everything works together for good when he experienced terrible things over the course of his ministry? The reason we have a hard time reconciling this is because we have a skewed perspective of good. God created us to know Him and to be fulfilled in our relationship with Him. When sin entered the world, that relationship was lost, and all of human history pointed to and waited expectantly for the time when it would be possible to restore that relationship. When Christ died on the cross, it became possible again for human beings across the globe, from all walks of life, of all ages to have a fulfilling, joyful relationship with their Creator again. That’s what we were made for. But because of sin, we think that avoiding pain, loss, and suffering is our best good. That’s how we structure our lives, to experience the least physical and emotional discomfort as possible. But if you look around you at the people who have the most means for keeping themselves from experiencing pain and loss, are they happy? They’re not. For one, they’re never satisfied; they always want more comfort, more ease. For two, they’re terrified that something is going to happen and bring it all crashing down. On the other hand, when those who really know God experience hard things, how do they react? What does it do to them? It brings them closer to Him. Our natural, sinful tendency is to put our trust in things that are not God. We trust school, government, our car’s safety features, locks on our doors at home, etc., etc. to keep us safe, and we trust friends, family, work, hobbies, etc. to give us joy and fulfillment. God loves us enough to send hard things our way to strip us of those trusts, because He knows that our ultimate source of security and fulfillment comes from Him. God doesn’t promise us an easy life, in fact, He promises us a hard one. But He also promises that He will be with us, has a plan for us, and will turn anything we may think is bad in the moment to good in the end. As you go through your day today, think about how God has used things you did not enjoy, things you might have labeled as ‘bad’ when they happened for your good in the end. Remember that He will always do that and fear not. Thanks for joining me on the podcast today. Next week we’re going to wrap up the series on fear with a few more practical steps, examples, and stories. I hope you’ll join me then.

The notion of having to pay sales tax across the United States in each individual state has sent many sellers in an uproar. Many states have begun passing or attempting to pass legislation in tax reform to acclimate to e-commerce sales, and these new “Nexus” rules are making many of sellers nervous about being audited or penalized by state governments. Paul Rafelson of the Online Merchants Guild is an attorney well-versed in state tax law and has joined in the fight to protect sellers from predatory tax tactics by local and state governments. States demanding tax money from Amazon sellers has become a hot-button issue, and Paul offers great insight into the nitty-gritty of the problem and how sellers can navigate this changing tax landscape. In episode 16 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Helium 10’s Success Manager Bradley Sutton and Paul Rafelson discuss: 00:46 - Paul’s Expertise in Taxes and Being a Seller on Amazon 01:52 - Misconceptions About Taxes 02:51 - What is Nexus in Relation to Taxes? 06:18 - Paying State Taxes as an Amazon Seller 08:26 - Collecting Sales Tax Outside Your Home State 12:02 - Does Amazon Collect State Taxes on Behalf of Sellers? 12:37 - Problems with the Tax Burden on Sellers From the States 15:45 - What Can Sellers Do Right Now to Avoid Tax Complications? 18:04 - Lessons Learned in Amazon Taxes 19:41 - What Irks Paul the Most About Taxing Amazon Sellers Today 22:55 - How to Contact Paul About Taxes on Amazon Enjoy this episode? Be sure to check out our previous episodes for even more content to propel you to Amazon FBA Seller success! And don’t forget to “Like” our Facebook page and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you listen to our podcast. Want to absolutely start crushing it on Amazon? Here are few carefully curated resources to get you started: Freedom Ticket: Taught by Amazon thought leader Kevin King, get A-Z Amazon strategies and techniques for establishing and solidifying your business.Ultimate Resource Guide: Discover the best tools and services to help you dominate on Amazon.Helium 10: 20+ software tools to boost your entire sales pipeline from product research to customer communication and Amazon refund automation. Make running a successful Amazon business easier with better data and insights. See what our customers have to say.Helium 10 Chrome Extension: Verify your Amazon product idea and validate how lucrative it can be with over a dozen data metrics and profitability estimation. SellerTradmarks.com: Trademarks are vital for protecting your Amazon brand from hijackers, and sellertrademarks.com provides a streamlined process for helping you get one. Transcript Bradley Sutton: What does Sales Tax Nexus mean? What about that letter I got from California saying I owe them state tax? We're going to answer these questions and more all about taxes and Amazon in today's episode. Bradley Sutton: How's it going, everybody? This is Bradley Sutton, and this is the Serious Sellers Podcast. We have an amazing episode for you today because this is a topic that is freaking out Amazon sellers around the United States, around the world, anybody who's selling in America is freaking out about this topic. It is the t-word: taxes. So with me today, I have Paul from the Online Merchants Guild. Now Paul, first of all, why the heck should we care about your opinion or who the heck are you and why should we listen to you about taxes? Paul Rafelson: That's a good question. Yeah. So, I have a lot of experience. I used to work at H&R Block, and then I decided I was gonna help a bunch of sellers. I thought that was good. So, I'm just getting started. I've been practicing tax law for almost 10 years. And just to give a little background, before I went into law, I actually was a seller. I was a pre-FBA seller. So we're talking, you know, '02, '03, '04, I started retail arbitrage one Black Friday and realized that I can get wrapped in.

Christ Must Be PreachedActs 13:13-52March 17, 2019Pastor Tony Felich----more---- Acts 13:13-52 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, [14] but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. [15] After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it." [16] So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. [17] The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. [18] And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. [19] And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. [20] All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. [21] Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. [22] And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.' [23] Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. [24] Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. [25] And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.' [26] "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. [27] For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. [28] And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. [29] And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. [30] But God raised him from the dead, [31] and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. [32] And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, [33] this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, "'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.' [34] And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.' [35] Therefore he says also in another psalm, "'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.' [36] For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, [37] but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. [38] Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, [39] and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. [40] Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: [41] "'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'" [42] As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. [43] And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. [44] The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. [45] But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. [46] And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. [47] For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" [48] And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. [49] And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. [50] But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. [51] But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. [52] And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. A model sermon for the ages - Christ is preached. Introduction: Historical setting (13-25) Substance: The resurrected Christ (26-37) Appeal and warning: Believe on Christ (38-41) Responses: By God’s appointment (42-52)    

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: For the first 25 years of his life, Paul Fishman let fear hold him back and pushed his own happiness aside in favor of pleasing others. When he finally set boundaries and took ownership of his own life, he quickly stepped into his true purpose. Now Paul serves as an advocate for all people who need support honoring and loving themselves. On this episode, Paul talks about taking ownership of your life, showing up fully, and cultivating self love—and why these things are so important to create the business and life you really want.   For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at www.theinfluencerpodcast.com. And don’t forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me (@julssolomon)!   To dive deeper into each episode with myself and other podcast listeners and receive exclusive bonuses relating to the show come join the Influencer Podcast Facebook group.   One more thing! Make sure you subscribe to the podcast to stay up-to-date on the latest influencer insights and strategies.

Spirit Empowered MissionsActs 13:1-13March 10, 2019Pastor Tony Felich----more---- Acts 13:1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [2] While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” [3] Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. [4] So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. [5] When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. [6] When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. [7] He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. [8] But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. [9] But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him [10] and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? [11] And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. [12] Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. [13] Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,   Sending people (witnesses) into areas of the world where the name of Christ is not known and God is not worshiped is a major part of the church’s mission. Features of a sending church (1-2) The leading of the Holy Spirit in missions (2-4) The work of missions itself (5-13)

Paul's message to the Galatians can be summed up broadly as "Jesus plus nothing equals everything!" and "When you receive the gospel, you are truly free!" Now Paul says there are two critical questions that can help us take an inventory of where we are at: "What are you sowing?" and "What are you boasting in?" Paul is first calling us to think like farmers. Every day we plant seeds. So, what seeds will you choose to plant today in your everyday life? Paul is also saying we each have seeds of the gospel to sow. The church needs more workers and givers, not just consumers. God has given us countless resources to be sown like seed to further his love and grace in the world. If you only sow your seed for yourself, you're going to reap destruction. Then Paul says, "what are you boasting in?" Everyone boasts in something. So what should you boast about? Paul says, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." In Christ, your successes (which can near earn you God's love) and your sins (which separate you from God on their own) don't even enter into the equation! The best way to show our appreciation is to keep planting seeds!

We spent the first message in our 1st Corinthians 12 study discussing spiritual gifts. Now Paul will give us a framework to understand how spiritual gifts work in a practical way and in real life. The ultimate truth he is conveying to the church is that the gifts are not given to make the recipient superior, but rather to make them useful. The gifts are not for their enjoyment or boasting, but for their contribution to caring for others, using the very gifts God has given them! The picture? A human body! You are—we are—the most complex machine that exists on the face of the earth. Who could possibly estimate how many functioning parts our bodies have and how many unique functions are performed on a moment by moment basis. Think of that extrapolated out to our entire lifetime! We are, in fact, a “complex unity.” Our bodies have 600+ muscles, 206 bones, 600,000 miles of circulation, and 12 systems that all cooperate when the body is healthy. In any given moment, all of these various parts of the body are working together—fighting disease, adjusting to stress, accomplishing the simplest of tasks, replacing cells, using energy, and on and on and on. Some parts are visible and external, but many of the most important functions happen invisibly, hidden from sight. Some parts have great and important functions and others less significant. But each part is there for a reason, by design and the whole functions as one complex but unified unit! How does the church work like a body? What does a healthy church look like? Listen in as we open up the great truths of 1st Corinthians 12 together!

02.10.19 - Paul urges the church in Corinth to complete the offering they had promised to make for the Christians in Jerusalem. They had begun to collect the money, they had all made their pledges. Now Paul was encouraging them to finish what they had started. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

Epistle Titus and Letter to Philemon pt2 | www.warn-usa.com | WIBR/WARN Radio |Warn-Usa.com The heathen or Gentiles were a law unto themselves. They were out of touch with the Jewish promises, covenants, and hope. Now through Christ Jesus the heathen unbelievers are now believers and justified by faith in Him who died for us all. As God showed his love to all men, including the heathen gentiles; so did he to the Jews. As God showed loved, so should we now today; to all those without the camp. We are now in chapter three of Titus and Paul sums up his message. For the heathen Gentiles to whom Paul was sent are now believers and received the kindness and love of our God and our Savior Jesus Christ. It was not our righteousness that we had done, but through his mercy we are saved. Now Paul leaves a message to Titus to take this message to those around him and in this the Apostle gives practical advice and warnings. In all things, be careful, be faithful, and maintain good works in all you do.

Both the farm dog and the house dog are worthy animals. However, they each have their place and will fair far better in the appropriate situation. Are you a farm dog or a house dog? It might be a good time for you to make a change. If you like the show, please check out our Official Morning Mindset Merchandise! Episode Transcription [INTRO] ♫ Trenches by Pop Evil ♫ *Alex* Welcome to Morning Mindset. A daily dose of practical wit and wisdom with a professional educator & trainer, Amazon best selling author, United States Marine, Television, and Radio host, Paul G. Markel. Each episode will focus on positive and productive ways to strengthen your mindset and help you improve your relationships, career goals, and overall well-being. Please welcome your host; Paul G. Markel. *Professor Paul* Welcome back to yet another episode of the morning mindset podcast. I'm your host Paul Markel, and I'm excited to talk to you today. Today we're going to talk about dogs. Now when you’re a kid, when you’re a child, we've had dogs, I grew up with dogs. I grew up in a dog type household from the time my first memories, and I don't know how old you are. When you first start remembering things three or four years old or five or so, but my first memories in my memories of our houses, we didn't have a lot of money, but we always had enough.- We always had a dog or sometimes two dogs or you know, depending on circumstances, but I grew up in a doghouse household that had dogs now when you're a kid you pick a dog based upon what? Based on how it looks and baseball and whether or not it's friendly or and all puppies are friendly and all puppies are cute, and it doesn't matter what the breed of dog is when you know, when you're young or if you're inexperienced, you could be an older person to be an experience all puppies are young and playful and cute and so we get our dogs often based upon whether or not we think they're cute.-Right, they're cute dog, or maybe you're a little bit more advanced and you know, maybe your mom or says we're not getting a long-haired dog because they shed everywhere and or we're going to get a short-haired dog because this or we're going to you know, large dog, small dog, whatever but if you have experience with dogs, if you are a dog person if you're serious about it, if you've been a trainer whatever, you know that different breeds behave and perform differently and I know that seems like stating the obvious, but it's not just about how they look, they're wired differently.-Some dogs are perfectly content to lay on the porch. You know porch dogs, we've all seen this the old hound dogs in movies and TV and you know, and you walk up on the porch and the dog doesn't even get any lift his head. It might shift its eyes, look at you and like “Hey, what's up there buddy? You know I'm taking my nap, leave me alone.” I sleep 20 hours a day and then there are other dogs that are extremely energetic. We live in cattle country right now, and there are a lot of there are specific breeds of dogs that are cattle dogs, and why are they cattle dogs, why are they farm dogs?- Well because they're bred in there is part of their DNA to be very energetic and outgoing, they're intelligent, they're smart dogs. Yes, believe it or not, I know that you probably look at your little puppy down there or you look at your dog and you think that your dog is the smartest dog and whole widest world. But the fact is there are differences in breeds now a farm dog who has a lot of energy and is a working dog a high-end.-No, they're not really going to be happy in New York or Chicago or they're not going to be happy living in an urban area. Right and that can be having a happy living in an urban area where you leave them in your condo or your apartment all day long, right is they want to be out in the wide open spaces now are there dogs that are perfectly content to just take a nap lay in the sunbeam and you know, you know hang out while you're at work and then, you know, you come home they get excited for 20 minutes and they go lay back down again. Yes, there are and shape all this is Morning Mindset. What why we talked about dogs. Are you a farm dog? Or are you a house dog? Are you City dog?-You farm dog, and the reason I ask that is you may currently be very happy with your career situation your job situation, but you may not be, and if you're not happy with your current living conditions, if you're not happy with your current job situation, it could be because you are not wired for that job. Now. You may have thought that you were you may have thought, you know when that would be the ideal situation for you many times people will buy when I was a young kid. I was probably kindergarten or first-grade time frame, and my parents were young people obviously because you unless you have five-year-olds, you're young a young couple in your 20s and somebody offered my parents a husky puppy and it was, of course, it was cute as beautiful blue eyes.-Husky puppy, playful and all that. Well in the dog grew up Huskies, if you know anything about husky dogs, they're very active. The very smart dogs and even though we had a large fenced-in backyard, my dad could not keep that dog fenced in that dog would dig under the fence that dog would climb on stuff that dog. He ate our as little kids. He ate our socks like he'd eat one sock consume an entire sock, and then there would be socks in the backyard in dog poop how we had to give him away. We had it seemed like a good idea at the time.-Seemed like you know, we had kids, you know, we were little kids and we had a backyard a fenced in a large fenced-in backyard, but that dog needed more he needed to be out now when you guys hear me tell you this I'm not joking. I'm not being glib and we actually when I was a kid a little kid, we had a Milkman. Yes, there was actually a truck that came around and it had a route in the guy stopped in front of your house, and you could buy and it wasn't just milk. It was all kinds of other things like for instance juices and popsicles and ice cream and so forth.- We legit had a Milkman, right? I know that's you know gone the way of the dodo but we did and the Milkman lived on a farm and so we arranged for this dog to go live on the milkman's farm, and I know it sounds totally cliche and you're like bulk. Now Paul your parents just told you that actually, we went there. We visited the farm and I saw the horses and cows and all this stuff, and so the dog was way happier there because he didn't even have to be in a fenced-in yard. He could just run and Rome and bark at the horses and cattle and so forth, and he was very happy.-Now originally we thought you know that it was a good idea, my parents, I didn't have any idea that I was five or six. They thought it was a good idea turned out it wasn't but the dog was way happier, and we were way happier we change situations. You might not be happy with your current job situation. You maybe you thought when you got that job or you entered that career field may be at the time it seemed perfect to you. It seemed like a great idea, perfect idea. I'm going to do this. I'm going to be happy and then a few years down the line you realize that you're not, and you're frustrated and you may not even know why like why am I frustrated?-Why don't I like this anymore? Why don't why do I dread going to work every day, and what is that maybe because you're a farm dog it living in a condo? Maybe you're not wired for that. Maybe you need to make a change. Now could we have and unfortunately, the sad, sad reality of our modern world is what people will do if their dog is super hyperactive or what have you or wants to be outside or if they get a working farm dog, and they want to live in a condo they go to a veterinarian and they get special pills to calm their dog down and they medicate their dogs so that they're calm, and maybe in your situation you're like well, I mean, I don't really like this job.-You know, I can I can live with it I can deal with it. I can find a way around it. It could be better just to make a change now is changing easy. No, it's not, it requires dedicated effort and it may be a little scary. You know, you might have to take a risk. But it could just be that what you thought was a good idea originally for you. What you thought you were going to be a good fit is not and you need to make a change you need to realize you like and you know the house dog if you put a house dog on a farm, you totally expected it to work. It probably wouldn't like that either. So if you switch situations neither one of them are going to be happy. You may be a house dog. You may be a farm dog. You might be a working dog and you may need a different change.-I had a different change, a different setting and different venue might need to make a change in your life, and if you do you may be way happier more productive. So I thought that was a, you know, it's a worthwhile conversation, and yes, we had many many dogs over the years and we had some dogs that were perfectly suited for kids houses and so forth and there were times that we lived on a small farm and we had dogs that could just free room. Just depends on your situation. Maybe you're in a situation where you need to make a change. Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining me today. I am your host Paul Markel, and I will talk to you again real soon. [OUTRO] ♫ Trenches by Pop Evil ♫ *Alex* Thank you for spending time with us today. To get show notes, submit a topic request, for more from your host Paul G. Markel, visit MorningMindsetPodcast.com. That’s MorningMindsetPodcast.com. Please leave a review of this podcast on your favorite podcast player, we appreciate your time & effort, and we look forward to reading your honest feedback.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 9, Paul is on the defensive with the unreasonable, stubborn, and proud Corinthians! Paul has just challenged them that love is more important than knowledge, and that more knowledge leads to a greater and more Godly love. It seems that they have challenged Paul and his authority to even tell them what to do! Now Paul takes a whole chapter to show them that he is not asking them to do something he is not willing to do himself. But first, he establishes certain rights he has as an apostle, and that he is (in fact) an apostle. Then he shows them how he has given up his rights. With nineteen rhetorical questions and an amazing array of support from the Old Testament and from common sense, Paul argues for his rights. But in an interesting turn of discussion, he argues for his rights so that he can demonstrate his willingness to give them up and not so he can enforce them. In the midst of the chapter, we have a great encouragement for evangelism and a great example of athletic competition! This has long been one of my favorite chapters in the New Testament. Listen in to this masterful argument from the apostle Paul through the power of the Spirit and the word of God!

As the final installment in our "miniseries" on marriage, we complete 1st Corinthians chapter seven, with Paul's answers to the Corinthian's questions about marriage. Next week chapter eight picks up with a new question and a new topic. The last section of this chapter has some difficulties. The difficulties exist because Paul is addressing some very specific questions they had and we don’t know the questions! It’s like Corinthian Jeopardy — we have the answers but have to guess at the questions. Another challenge is that we don’t fully understand the context — what was happening in Corinth at the time. In fact, Paul refers to a “present distress” and we can only guess as to what that distress might have been. But despite that, Paul's answers are based on some sound and insightful principles and truths that are clear and relevant to us today! Paul has addressed two married believers, a believer married to an unbeliever, widows, and the previously married (now divorced). In the last section he discusses “virgins”, or those that have never been married — the single folks! He laid the foundation by saying that we can just live our Christian life right where we are. We must not imagine that some change in circumstance will open the door for us to be more Christian. Now Paul applies that wisdom in comparing the single life to the married life. For Paul, the bottom line is our freedom and ability to serve the Lord. For the single person, there is one less potential distraction — marriage! Is Paul “anti-marriage”? Is marriage and family a “disability”? Maybe and maybe not. Has family life distracted you from serving the Lord? Listen in as Pastor Steve unpacks Paul's answers and opinions, as well as godly wisdom we find as we unfold this passage.

Acts 13:13-4313 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up withthem in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,“‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:41 “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish;for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

Acts 13:1-14Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia

Paul has been making it clear to the Galatians that we are saved y grace alone. It's not what we've done that saves us - It's Jesus alone. Now Paul is going to start to deal with the objections - and there are some good ones. This morning we'll look at the question of whether being saved by grace alone means that we can sin all we want.Support the show (https://pushpay.com/g/hillsidechgr?src=hpp)

Paul JacksonJr. has appeared on the recordings of  Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, B.B. King, Selina, Jennifer Lopez, Luis Miguel, Jewel, Amy Grant, Bebe & CeCe Winans, Boney James, Kenny Rogers, Al Jarreau, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Joe Sample, Barry White, Chicago, and many others. Also on the underscore of many motion pictures such as “Get On Upâ€, “Zootopiaâ€, and “The Color Purpleâ€. More recently, Paul contributed his playing styles and composing chops to the Daft Punk CD, which garnered 5 Grammy Awards, was the #1 album in 104 countries and garnered Paul Grammy recognition for his contribution to the Album. He attributes all of his success to his Lord Jesus Christ, and the sacrifices made by his mother and father. His current CD, “Storie From Stompin Willie” garnered him 2 #1 singles at jazz radio. He was nominated for a grammy on his first solo project “I Came To Play”. Now Paul is working on a new solo CD entitled “More Stories” as well as a new project for the group Jazz Funk Soul featuring Paul, Everette Harp and, Jeff Lorber. http://pauljacksonjr.com https://www.facebook.com/PaulJacksonJrFanPage/https://twitter.com/pauljacksonjrhttps://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=paul+jackson+jr 

Paul Winfree spent a year as one of the Trump administration’s key policy leaders, with a bunch of big titles — he was Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, the Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council, and the Director of Budget Policy. Now Paul’s back at the Heritage Foundation, and he caught up with POLITICO’s Dan Diamond to share his view into Washington’s policy battles and what he learned from working in the White House. On the podcast, Paul explains why he took the job amid all the scrutiny of Trump (starts at the 1:26 mark), what it was like inside the administration during the ACA repeal-and-replace debate (5:30), what the White House should’ve done differently on health care (14:10), how Paul thinks about the ACA now (22:00), his thoughts on entitlement reforms (27:20) and what he learned from his time in the administration (30:40). We'd appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

Niching, SEO, blog and website design----these are concepts we need to be familiar with as clinicians, but don’t they tend to be confusing? How do they fit together—or do they? Today’s show will break down the terminology and answer your questions about how these aspects of your practice can work in your favor. We’re talking all about niching and how it connects with our website and how everything factors into search engine optimization. My guest is Paul Steinke, LPC in Colorado, and the owner of the Karibuni Center. If you know Swahili, then you know that “karibuni” means “welcome.” Paul has created a private practice where he works with people and their relationships around marriage and couple issues. Interestingly, Paul is a former wedding photographer who transitioned into the therapist’s chair, and his former career taught him a lot about marketing, web design, and visual images. Now Paul is all about helping couples in crisis, especially through affair recovery and divorce. Don’t miss my amazing conversation with Paul! www.sellingthecouch.com/session154

Paul Kersey has lived a peaceful life for years in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, his daughter, and his housekeeper. Yet his tranquil existence will once more be shattered by a group of criminals who will assault his family. Now Paul is back on the streets, stalking the streets of Skid Row, looking for revenge. Does this Death Wish hit as hard as the original? Listen to this episode of Now Playing to find out!

Denise Haynes:                     Welcome everyone. I'm Denise Haynes from R & R Property. Today I'm interviewing Paul and Sarah Chambers on R & R Property's podcast number 15. Paul and Sarah are living in a shipping container home which Paul built himself. Hi Sarah and Paul. Sarah Chambers:                 Hi Denise. Paul Chambers:                   Hello. Denise Haynes:                     Congratulations. Now, you guys are a YouTube sensation and have also written two highly successful eBooks called, 'How to build a shipping container house'. It all started when Paul was offered a career move in 2005 from Scotland to Australia. Paul Chambers:                   Yes definitely. It started a big adventure. Denise Haynes:                     You went off on a new adventure in your life and initially you were living in suburban Australia. Sarah, I understand that you then initiated the move to a rural area of Booral. Can you tell me what fuelled that decision? Sarah Chambers:                 When we were living in Scotland we lived in the Highlands and we lived in the middle of nowhere basically. We'd been living in that location for 20 years. When we originally got to Australia in 2005, it was a bit of a culture shock. Paul Chambers:                   I've never seen houses where the roof lines are nearly touching. That puts your neighbours in very close proximity. Denise Haynes:                     It sure does. Now Paul, you had a little sideline project of building shipping container accommodation located on friend's farm. Where did that idea come from? Paul Chambers:                   Either myself or myself and a friend thought we'd conceived the idea of using a shipping container house, but I think the idea is actually as old as the hills. It's just that some people stumbled across it for the first time. Sarah Chambers:                 We were very interested in sustainable living and basically getting out of the system. There were several options that we looked at that we could do this with, but shipping containers seemed to be a structurally sound option. Paul Chambers:                   It's a nice standing start and my idea was to build something, and I didn't know what it would be, that was sustainable. Sustainability was what I like. I like the concept of solar power, collecting drinking water and we'd been introduced to the composting toilets. I thought that sounded fabulous but what I didn't know was, was that realistic for someone like me to actually pull off, so I was experimenting. Denise Haynes:                     Once you had sold your home in the city area, you decided to relocate using your half started shipping container home to live in. Paul Chambers:                   Yes. I came home one day and Sarah said, "I've put the house on the market. I've called in your promise that we can move out of suburbagatory." Which is what Sarah called it. Denise Haynes:                     That's a great name for it. Tell me, is the project finished now and how long has it taken you to get to this point and under what circumstances have you had to do it in? For example, do you work? Paul Chambers:                   I work full time. I'm an engineer and I've got a full time job. Sarah works full time but she's got a variety of careers. Sarah Chambers:                 This is going into our 6th year of being in Booral and it's taken that long because we have both been working. Paul initially obviously had to start off just working on weekends. He didn't stop for five years. Paul Chambers:                   No, for three years it was just continuous. That's because I was working full time. That got us to viable- Sarah Chambers:                 Well we didn't have a bathroom for three years. Denise Haynes:                     Right. That sounds like a challenge. Paul Chambers:                   Yeah. Sarah Chambers:                 I think that if anybody was thinking about doing this. If were to go and to do it again I think that we'd probably do it from scratch but have it in a different location to where were living. Whereas we'd actually moved in, were doing it as we were going. Denise Haynes:                     Working around yourselves. Paul Chambers:                   We made it much harder by trying to live in it whilst we built it. If you could build it and then live in it, that would be much easier. Sarah Chambers:                 This came about by the fact that the house in suburbia was put on the market and it sold within a week. Denise Haynes:                     Oh okay. Sarah Chambers:                 We thought it's going to be on the market for a while and you'd have time to bring the containers up to scratch for living in, but no. Within five or six weeks we had to move. Denise Haynes:                     The best laid plans….. Paul Chambers:                   Yes. We were setting out to have an adventure. This wasn't just a house move or relocation. This was an adventure. Sarah started hinting that she wanted to go rural and I thought that she wasn't going to make it and I did not want to buy a house and then her say, "I don't like rural." Denise Haynes:                     Okay. Paul Chambers:                   I was actually having a social experiment on myself to go, could we do this? It turns out absolutely. Sarah loves it. Denise Haynes:                     Oh that's great. Sarah Chambers:                 Well city life does not suit everybody and it certainly doesn't suit me. I need to be in nature. Denise Haynes:                     I think a lot of people think the idea of living off the grid sounds like a great idea. One which they'd like to try but they are daunted by the prospect and don't really understand how it works. Can you clarify a few things for us. For example, are you connected at all to mains power? Paul Chambers:                   No. Not a bit of it. No. We've got solar panels. We've got a battery bank that collects the sunshine and then we draw it back in the evening. What we do differently is we live according to our electrical means. We use the electricity when the sun shines and we only use a modest amount in the evening when the sunshine goes down. It's a very simple trade off. Denise Haynes:                     So you live around it to make it work the best that you can? Sarah Chambers:                 When you've got full solar power during the day, you can run anything. I make bread in the bread making machine. Denise Haynes:                     Okay that's great. Sarah Chambers:                 There's nothing that you can't run when it's on what's called float, which means it's just pure energy. Denise Haynes:                     Right. So you don't have special appliances or anything to suit solar? Sarah Chambers:                 No. Paul Chambers:                   No. Sarah Chambers:                 We've got freezers, fridges. Paul Chambers:                   We bought all of our white goods from suburbagatory. Denise Haynes:                     Okay. Paul Chambers:                   We use the same stuff. You can either go down the 12 volt line which for the RV, camper vans and things like that, which use 12 volts or you can make enough electricity to run real devices and we picked that option. Denise Haynes:                     Okay. Paul Chambers:                   I've got a back up generator but with the exception of the amazing summer that we've just experienced it largely doesn't go on. Denise Haynes:                     Right okay. Paul Chambers:                   In actual fact I've got a kilowatt of solar panels under tarpaulin that I just haven't bothered to put up because truthfully, I don't need them. Denise Haynes:                     That's really good. If someone wanted to be connected to mains just as a back up. They could though, couldn't they? Sarah Chambers:                 Yes. Absolutely. Paul Chambers:                   They could but….. Sarah Chambers:                 You could take our shipping containers Denise, and you can make them into a granny flat next to your house. You could make it into an independent living accommodation. Paul Chambers:                   Or an office or anything. Sarah Chambers:                 Have it on the mains or not on the mains. Denise Haynes:                     Sure. Paul Chambers:                   If you're trying to connect to the grid, then you're looking at $10,000 per power pole. My whole solar setup is about $12,000. Denise Haynes:                     Wow. Okay. Paul Chambers:                   and very few ongoing bills. If you'd like to put your off gird house set a long way back from the road on a large acreage. You could spend $30,000 or $60,000 connecting it. Sarah Chambers:                 Easy. Paul Chambers:                   If you went shopping with $30,000 for a stand-alone solar system, you're going to run a palace. Sarah Chambers:                 It's not about the solar system. It's about learning how to used it properly. It's about learning not to drain the batteries. It's about learning actually how sustainable energy works and how to use it to the capacity that you need it. Denise Haynes:                     Have you just learned that from trial and error? Paul Chambers:                   Absolutely. Denise Haynes:                     Research maybe? Sarah Chambers:                 Research yeah. Paul Chambers:                   YouTube. The university of YouTube. I love it. You just say, what about this? Then you watch videos of people doing it and they show you step by step. The universe is now a different place. You have all of this wisdom and experience and you watch real people do it and it's not that complicated. Denise Haynes:                     Okay. You're also off the grid for water. How does that work? Paul Chambers:                   It's very simple. Australians have understood this for a very long time. It rains, you collect it, you filter it and you drink it, you're done. It's that simple. Sarah Chambers:                 All our water is filtered. Paul Chambers:                   We filter it to a very high degree. We filter for our normal water just for the washing up down to about 10 microns. The stuff that we drink, we filter to about half a micron, which is probably better than tap water. Our water doesn't have fluoride in it. Sarah Chambers:                 It takes any bacteria and parasites out. Sarah Chambers:                 And of course heavy metals which people get from tin roofs. Denise Haynes:                     Right yes. It takes all of that out. It's incredibly healthy then? Sarah Chambers:                 Absolutely. Paul Chambers:                   We think so. Sarah Chambers:                 Much better. Denise Haynes:                     That's good. You said you use a generator or you have one but you don't really have call to use it so that's good. What about gas? Do you use gas for anything? Sarah Chambers:                 We have gas bottles that we use for cooking. Paul Chambers:                   For cooking. Tall gas bottles with a change over valve. It's very simple, you're done. Denise Haynes:                     Yeah, that's good. I know a lot of people do prefer the gas for cooking so that's good. Okay. We've just come out of a few weeks of extreme heat in New South Wales. How did you cope with that in your shipping container home? What do you have for heating or cooling? Paul Chambers:                   Well, we've got solar panels that provide the energy during the day. When the sun is shining it's producing the energy to run the air conditioning because we do have an air conditioner. Denise Haynes:                     Wow. Paul Chambers:                   The sunshine drives it. Paul Chambers:                   We don't do what a lot of houses do. We're not trying to cool down a shopping mall. We cool down a small little area and when the sun goes down we were still experiencing phenomenal temperatures that Australians just haven't experienced for as long as they could remember. I think we saw 49 degrees. Sarah Chambers:                 52 it was up there. Paul Chambers:                   52 on Sarah's car thermometer. Denise Haynes:                     Yeah, that's crazy. Paul Chambers:                   That really is crazy. To be honest, we just put five litres into the generator and went “go”. At the end of the experience I think we'd spend a few dollars on petrol that we wouldn't normally have. Sarah Chambers:                 That wasn't during the day. Paul Chambers:                   But it was over and done with. Sarah Chambers:                 That was in the evenings when we had it on in the evenings. Paul Chambers:                   Australia's electricity bills are still to come in. They're going to be big. Denise Haynes:                     You'll be laughing all the way. Okay, and heating? Do you have a little fire? Is that right? Sarah Chambers:                 Paul made us a log burning stove out of- Paul Chambers:                   An old safe. A Chubb safe. I converted it. Sarah Chambers:                 It's awesome. Paul Chambers:                   It's absolutely amazing. Paul Chambers:                   It produces an insane amount of heat and what we do is that we just use firewood. I'm very proud of the fact that we haven't cut down a single tree to provide our fire wood. Sarah Chambers:                 Just natural falls. Paul Chambers:                   Nature pushes them over for you and we've got them spread around the house and you just go along after they've seasoned, you snip them up and they keep you warm in winter. Denise Haynes:                     Keeps you warm. That's great. Paul Chambers:                   Nature provides what we need. It's been brilliant. Denise Haynes:                     All right, with the build. Did you use recycled building material or did you use some new, some old or all new? Sarah Chambers:                 I think we used a bit of both. Paul Chambers:                   It's a mix. Sarah Chambers:                 It is a mix of stuff. Paul Chambers:                   Wherever I could get recycled materials, I would use it. One of my mistakes was spending my money upfront to buy new without realising that I could have done it with a lot of recycled. When I ran out of money, then I started doing that. I went, "Oh I should have done this before." Denise Haynes:                     Right. Paul Chambers:                   There are some things that you do need new, but I'm a real believer in recycling and we've done a lot of that. Denise Haynes:                     Okay. That goes back to with your heating and cooling. You've got the whole place insulated as well? Paul Chambers:                   Oh yes. Denise Haynes:                     Sarah, from a women's point of view. I'd be interested to know, do you have enough space to live in and especially wardrobe space. How do you cope with that? Paul Chambers:                   I'd like to know how you cope with that. Sarah Chambers:                 Actually its fine and the job that I do, working with herbs, means that you don't really need to power dress. Coming from suburbia where we were in an environment where yes I needed lots of different clothes to wear. Don't need it. Denise Haynes:                     Don't need it anymore? Sarah Chambers:                 You just downsized totally. I've got clothes packed in storage if I need them. The clothes that I have for every day, I just have in a wardrobe and I just use those.  Denise Haynes:                     You're happy with that? Sarah Chambers:                 Absolutely. Paul Chambers:                   One container is about the size of a one bedroom unit in Sydney. Denise Haynes:                     Okay. Paul Chambers:                   We've got two of them. Paul Chambers:                   That puts it in perspective. You take a major city and a one bedroom unit. That's our living container and then we've got that again for the kitchen and the bathroom and the laundry. Sarah Chambers:                 How much space do you need to cook in? Denise Haynes:                     Yes that's true. Sarah Chambers:                 If you've got everything around you, you're not having to walk. Denise Haynes:                     The more space you've got the more mess you make, I think, anyway. Don't you? Sarah Chambers:                 It's back to how much stuff do you need? Denise Haynes:                     Exactly. Sarah Chambers:                 You downsize, you don't need it. Denise Haynes:                     Good excuse to downsize isn't it? Sarah Chambers:                 Absolutely. Get rid of it. Denise Haynes:                     Now, do you grow your own veggies? Sarah Chambers:                 We have a closed in veggie garden that Paul built and we've got big- Paul Chambers:                   Planters. Sarah Chambers:                 Planters. We grow vegetables in there. We've been very successful yes. Paul Chambers:                   The only thing that we had to do was to make a cage to keep everybody else from shopping in our garden. Denise Haynes:                     Right. Yeah. All the freeloaders. (birds and animals) Paul Chambers:                   Yes. Sarah Chambers:                 It's worked very successfully. Denise Haynes:                     Oh good. Now has the whole project been cost effective? I know you said about the solar. The whole thing? Paul Chambers:                   We set out to have an adventure, not to build an investment home. If somebody's looking for a financial savings then living in a shipping container is probably not the direction you go in. But we've been having an adventure. We've been comfortable, we've had a lot of fun and it's been tremendous and we haven't had the bills that go with the conventional living. It's been brilliant. Sarah Chambers:                 It's sustainable living. It's got to be the way forward. Denise Haynes:                     Yeah. Sarah Chambers:                 Solar has got to be the way forward. Denise Haynes:                     The way things are going, that's for sure. Sarah Chambers:                 We haven't had any utility bills for nearly six years. How much money have we saved? Denise Haynes:                     That's right. It certainly would have added up over the years. Yeah okay. You obviously enjoy your lifestyle now. More so than the city life? Sarah Chambers:                 Oh absolutely. I would never go back. Paul Chambers:                   It's different. We love different. Sarah Chambers:                 Love Booral. Love it. I don't want to live anywhere else. Denise Haynes:                     Good. That's what we like to hear. Okay. Do you think you're far more relaxed and healthier from the lifestyle that you have now? Sarah Chambers:                 Totally. I was absolutely beginning to be very ill in suburbia. Denise Haynes:                     Okay? Sarah Chambers:                 It's the energy of it. Paul Chambers:                   My first three years were working very hard. I will confess to that. Sarah Chambers:                 Yes. Paul Chambers:                   When I was doing the building I did work very hard. Any owner/builder would be able to relate to that experience. Sarah Chambers:                 Yeah. It's good exercise too. Paul Chambers:                   We've traded noisy neighbours for wallabies. Sarah Chambers:                 Noisy wallabies. Paul Chambers:                   Wallabies that look through our bedroom window to see what we're up to. Denise Haynes:                     Gorgeous. Sarah Chambers:                 The birds. The birds they just come down and look at us. Denise Haynes:                     Can I have some photos of that please? Sarah Chambers:                 Yeah. Denise Haynes:                     Okay. Finally, would you do it all again? Paul Chambers:                   Absolutely. Denise Haynes:                     Yeah? Paul Chambers:                   I came for an adventure and we've been living an adventure. That was the whole point. it was an experiment in - do we want to live sustainably off grid in a natural environment? The answer is, yes. Sarah Chambers:                 Oh totally. Paul Chambers:                   Now I know. Now I know that you can do it. Sarah Chambers:                 yes, we've done it. Sarah Chambers:                 It's been hard work, there's no doubt about it. I don't think every woman could actually have lived like I lived to start with. Being in the environment that we were in, on the top of the mountain with all that nature was better than that I didn't have a shower and I was washing in a bucket, rather than living in suburbia. Denise Haynes:                     Sure. Sarah Chambers:                 There was no comparison. Denise Haynes:                     It's small sacrifices. Sarah Chambers:                 Absolutely. It's all come around. We've got a beautiful bathroom now. Sarah Chambers:                 I don't really want to go back into living in a house. I want to find the right location to put the containers. Denise Haynes:                     Great. That sounds good. All right. We'll try and help you with that. We'll put this up as a blog and we'll provide links to everyone to your eBooks and also to the YouTube link. Sarah Chambers:                 Wonderful. Paul Chambers:                   Thank you. That's very kind. Denise Haynes:                     For everybody to have a look. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing story with us and hopefully ... Even if it helps one person just to take that next step that they've been dreaming of. I think it will been, well worth it. Sarah Chambers:                 Well if anybody's interested in how to build a house from containers, it's all in the eBooks. Denise Haynes:                     Great. Sarah Chambers:                 Step by step with videos on how to do it. Please remember to get permission from the council. Denise Haynes:                     Sure. Okay. Go the right way about it. Sarah Chambers:                 Yes, because they're very open and they will help you. Denise Haynes:                     Well that's good to know. Because a lot of people do ask, what's the council like to deal with. Sarah Chambers:                 Don't do it without council permission. Sarah Chambers:                 We do know somebody that can do the plans for shipping container houses. Denise Haynes:                     If anyone has any questions, they can come to us and we can refer them on to you if you like. Sarah Chambers:                 Absolutely yeah. Denise Haynes:                     Okay great. I just wanted to finally say thank you so much for being here, for being part of our community. We love having you guys here. We're so glad that you chose Booral. Sarah Chambers:                 We couldn't choose anywhere else. It's just a fabulous place and it's so up and coming. It's beginning to get that cosmopolitan feel isn't it? Denise Haynes:                     It is isn't it? It's starting to be discovered. That's what we do at R & R Property. We specialise in tree changes. We help people coming from the city to the country. Sarah Chambers:                 Well you do an excellent job of it Denise. Denise Haynes:                     Thank you so much. Paul Chambers:                   Thank you Denise. Denise Haynes:                     Thank you. Thank you for being here.

Colossians 3:18-4:1 Watch Video Listen to MP3 Download Handout Download Manuscript → Click to view the Sermon Outline 3 keys to living out your roles in everyday life I. Committing to work for the glory of God in all aspects of life A. In your deeds Colossians 3:17 - Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. B. In your heart Colossians 3:22 - Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. C. Always giving thanks Colossians 3:17 - Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. II. Glorify God in your most common relationships A. Submission is a common biblical theme B. In the marriage relationship Colossians 3:18-19 - Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. C. In the parental relationship Colossians 3:20-21 - Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. D. In the workplace Colossians 3:22-4:1 - Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven. III. Remember that you will reap what you sow Colossians 3:24-25 - …knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. A. There is to be a focus on rewards B. There is also to be a focus on consequences Outlined Manuscript As we continue our series in Colossians and our yearly theme “In Christ Alone”. I have two questions. one serious, and one less serious. First question. Have you ever taken those closest to you for granted? Ever said, well, they know I love them. That won’t bother them. It’s just so and so…. Do you ever treat your familiar relationships as familiar, and not as purposeful as you should. Second question. Do you mind it if your food touches? As a kid, I couldn’t handle it if everything got mixed up. How about you, are you a KFC bowl, or a Tupperware everything sort of person. Sometimes we like to separate things. Regardless of your plate preferences, Sometimes we do that with God. Here are my church friends, here are my work acquaintances, this is my family, and I just function differently, and nothing really ties them all together. This passage today helps us think about both of those issues. Loving those you see everyday, and recognize that God is to be woven into all aspects of your life, and all of you. Please turn with me to Colossians 3:18-4:1. It is on page 158 in the bible in the chair under the seat in front of you. Let me start in verse 17. With our time remaining lets focus on Faithfulness to Christ at Home and Work: Three Keys to living out your Roles in Everyday Life. I.             Committing to work for the Glory of God in all aspects of life (Col. 3:17, 22) [TRANSITION] At the beginning of Colossians 3, we are called to set our mind on the things above, because we have been raised up with Christ, we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in in God. The text also says that Christ who is your life is to be revealed and you will then be revealed in glory. So the text has focused on our identity, that we are in Christ, that we are raised with Christ, we died with Christ, we will be revealed with Christ. In other words all aspects of Christ life and our life are intertwined. (KFC Bowl) There is nothing about me that can be separated from Christ, and so as Pastor green pointed out. That includes what I put off, renew my mind, and then put on…this applies to all aspects of my life. So what Pauls point is going into this next section is that all of you is intimately connected to Chirst, and that needs to impact all of you, your whole life, each day. God is not satisfied with just some of your time on a Sunday, and wed night. He wants all of you, everyday. What does that all consist of. First it is… In your deeds (Col. 3:17) Colossians 3:17  17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Notice how he says “do all in the name of the Lord Jesus”. We are to think about ourselves in a way that all of our deeds have a name tag attached to them. -If you believe you have died with Christ, been raised with Christ, hidden in Christ, and will be glorified in Christ…then those core truths of who you are need to come out in what you do and say each day. What you say and do reveals who your Lord is, and who you are serving and how you view yourself in light of Who He is and what He has done for you. -“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?...Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:14, 17–20) That is why Growth is so important, we are to be putting off actions that displease God, changing how we think about God, ourselves, and others, and put on God honoring behavior. If there are some behaviors you have participated in this week, that simply cannot hold the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you need to put them off, change how you think about them, develop a good hate for what dishonors God and does not bear his name well, and put on words and deeds that reveal that your mind is set on things above. This also goes beyond your deed and as it applies… In your heart (Col. 3:22) Colossians 3:22  - 22Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. I will talk a bit more about this passage alter, but for now notice the focus on the internal, the heart, rather than just the external, what people see. That is why Pastor Green sermon about renewing you thinking is so important. Col 3:15 says let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. And vs 16 says let the word of Christ richly dwell in your heart. We know that the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart (cf. Mt 15:18) The only ways you can do all to the glory of God, is for all of you to be aimed properly, and that means what you think about, what you value, what you care about and what you love. That is why the Christian life is about so much more that right behavior, it is focused on right desires. [THE POINT]: God is interested in both your actions and your heart.       -You can’t have the heart without actions       -you can’t have the actions without the heart. Always Giving Thanks (Col. 3:17) Colossians 3:17 17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Notice that we are to give thanks through Him to God the father If our heart if thinking about being in Christ and that is of supreme value in my heart, then my mouth will give thanks. Notice that it is through Him to God the father…my thankfulness is tied to my identity in Christ, that is the basis that I give thanks. [TRANSITION] Now, Paul’s point is that whatever you do you are to do in the name of the Lord. Your relationship with Christ is to impact all aspect of you, down to your thinking. So it is incredibly comprehensive. Now Paul wants to get specific, and address your most common relationships. If you are to glorify God in all aspects of your life, then that must for sure include those you see the most frequently.     II.        Glorify God in your most common Relationships. -When we use common, we are not using it in a bad way, rather we are using it in the way that means every day, normal. The people you see everyday. -how we function in these everyday/common relationships will tell us and the world a lot about who we are. -Do you notice when you meet someone for the first time, you often are on your best behavior, your really nice, hospitable, friendly… because you want to make a good first impression. But after you get to know someone, you stop asking them where they want to go to eat, you stop giving them the best seat to watch the movie, you don’t offer them the last cookie. You scarf it up in front of them, because they are your buddy and you feel comfortable eating the last delicious cookie in front of them. -Gary Thomas tells the story about how his professor (a renowned Greek Scholar) had him and his wife over during seminary.             -prof took care of pregnant wife unlike he had ever done. -this professor, who is a big deal, after meeting my wife for the first time took better care of her than I did at any time throughout our marriage.       [POINT:] we often treat the common relationships not very special. That is not a good thing. - they say familiarity breeds contempt, but that is not how it is to be in the Christian life when you are focusing on doing all in the name of Christ, and that definitely applies to those you see every day. *Honey, I just want to let you know that due to conviction I will be making lunch today after church, and I promise I will not eat the last cookie in front of you…I will definitely cut it in half. So before we get into the details of these everyday relationships, let us talk about an important biblical truth that links them all together. Submission is a Common Biblical Theme Submission is not popular today But it is not a bad thing. We see Jesus submit “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”” (Matthew 26:39) “When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28) All humans that we submit to will be sinful, imperfect people We are all called to Submit to others Cf. Eph 5:21 Jesus will be only the person who we are able to submit to that is not stained by sin. GOD KNOWS THIS TO BE TRUE!!! --[POINT]: you can’t go looking for the perfect person to submit to. But God still calls us to submit. So why does God give us submission? It is a tool that God uses to get work done. It doesn’t always mean that the person in authority is better, smarter, etc. It just means that God has placed that person in charge It is also a recognition that we all need to submit to God, and these various roles give us an earthly picture of our heavenly relationship to the Lord. Notice in each of the various roles, we always start with the one who submits first. It is important to point out, that if you are a believer in Christ, you are the bride of Christ, you are the child of Christ, and you are the slave/servant of Christ. Also, these roles and structure were a bedrock of cultural stability especially in Roman culture. That said we find that Paul addresses these role’s and roots them firmly in the people’s identity with Christ. Just a caviat, we are called to submit to the Lord above all, so that does not mean that if someone instruct us to sin, we obey them and disobey the lord.  “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) So if you are married you are to do all in the name of the Lord especially… In the Marriage Relationship (3:18-19) Colossians 3:18–19  18Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.             So we start with the Wife’s role. Wife: In middle voice, indicates willing submission. Notice this is directed to the wife’s…I know that is obvious. But this is not directed at the husband…husbands make sure your wife submits. It is a command for wives to put on as they want to please God. The point is they can honor God in everything they do, and one of the ways they do that is willing choose to submit to their husbands leadership. This resembles Christ-like humility One of the best passages on a wife’s submission is 1 Peter 3:1, and it is directly linked to Christ’s example of How he entrusted Himself to the Father’s plan. This is fitting to the Lord. In other words, this is in line with a wife who bears the name of Christ. This is Christ-like, this is fits like star shaped kids toy fits in the star shaped lid cutout… so a godly wife who is in Christ will of her own volition submit herself to her husband. That is what fits, what the role is supposed to look like. ?C.f. Eph. 5:21 Notice The husband is never told to make the wife submit. The wife is called to do this herself as she lives our her role. It is the only institution that God sets up where the person who has authority has no means by which he exercises his authority. Some say, yeah I will submit, if I agree…that is not submission, that is called agreement.  When everyone agrees there is no problem there is no need for submission. That is also not always what happens. Submission is when you willing place yourself under the leadership structure the Lord has provided, particularly when you would do something differently. [REFLECTION QUESTION:]       -Wives how are you doing this willingly?       -Do you make submission a begrudging issue?       -are you modeling this for others? Kids, friends, co-workers?       - Are you making it easy for your husbands to provide leadership? Question: wives when is the last time you joyfully followed your husbands leadership even though you disagreed? When is the last time you undercut his leadership. Husbands: Buckle up your seatbelt, because God’s word come quick and direct at men at this part of the text. Husbands are Called to love their wives. Agape not used anywhere outside the Bible to talk about a love that a man has for wife. [1] In roman society, a husband was to do a lot fo thing, he was to be the leader of the household, but interestingly in secularly culture, he was not called to love his wife. A leader often is viewed as the one who gives the instructions, and everyone else sacrifices to carry those instructions out, but Paul goes to a whole other level. Husbands loving their wife’s That is something that God bring to the husbands role as that is what Christ did for us, and we even though we are men, are part of the Bride of Christ, and so we are to reflect His love for us, to our bride. Not simply because it helps the family, the community and the state be strong, but because it honors the Lord. Love is not simply to have strong feelings of affection for my spouse, although we are to cultivate those in our thinking. More importantly, love is a willingness to give up our wants to serve her. Cf Eph 5:25 – husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. So wife’s are called to submit and follow…husbands are called to sacrifice and die. Why does God need to instruct men to love their wives so much…I think because it does not come naturally and we need to be reminded. Have affection for someone we find attractive comes naturally, loving and serving someone else as you sacrifice your desires does not. So this is not easy to lead and be responsible for someone else, and regularly give up what you want for someone else. And so there is a Natural tendency to grow bitter, Question: but why? Perhaps wife doesn’t treat husband well as he sacrifices Perhaps she takes advantage of him Perhaps she doesn’t submit like he wants her to. Question: Husbands, when is the last time you lovingly gave up what you wanted to serve your wife…did you grow bitter about having to do that or did you see it as part of your identity in Christ. This idea of being bitter toward your wife, is like water being bitter or poisoned and a person drinks it and it is harmful to them. So this is about a husband using his strength, his power and his position to be harsh and cause harm to his spouse. This would be the culture of Rome…if Rome wants something they take it, if Rome is offended, they lash out and put down any rebellion. Rome was all about forced submission of others. So men who had become Christians now need to have a completely different approach to their wife’s, one where bitterness and harsh domineering leadership was replaced with the loving leadership personified in Christ. So you see, a husband and wife who are setting their minds on things above, will function in a way toward each other that is personified by Trust, sacrifice, doing all esp. their roles because of their relationship with Jesus Christ. Followers of Christ were also called to glorify God … In the Parental Relationship (3:20-21) Colossians 3:20–21 20 Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. 21Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. Her is a crazy idea…Children are supposed to Obey. In other words, they are not to inform the parents what they want and what they do not like, they are to glorify God by recognizing their role. This is actually a different word that Submit— that is why it is translated as Obey, the text shifts to a higher level of instruction. The wife is to place herself under and follow the husbands leadership, whereas the child is to take the instructions from their parents and obey. So with a husband and wife, there should be a discussion, prayer, working through options, input, feedback, preferences, and then ultimately if there is not agreement the husband needs to decide and the wife needs to follow. There is not that same process with our children. Do you prefer to put your clothes away and brush your teeth and shower regularly….no, you don’t ok, let me think and pray and weigh the pro’s and cons about if you should clean your room. This is not cruelty, it is teaching them to follow authority that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. And may actually preserve their lives. It is also most importantly, well pleasing to the Lord. They are to do this in all things, as they see their role as most important than the actual task, and how while they are under the protection and provision of their parents house, they are to be completely under the instructions of their parents. Children are to obey ultimately because the Lord commands it and He is pleased when children obey their parents in all things. C.f. Eph. 6:1-3 Fathers, We need to admit that It is easy to exasperate children and cause them to lose heart We don’t know why Paul shifts from Parents to father here. But it is clear that mothers give instruction to children as well. But perhaps since the husband is the leader of the family, he is in a position where he is most likely to exasperate. He may not use his authority to lead and serve but rather quarrel and exasperate. Exasperate: other words: Embitter, arouse, provide, to cause someone to react in a way that suggests acceptance of a challenge[2] it would be like walking up to someone on the street and saying, You are nothing, you can’t do anything right, and I am bigger than you and stronger than you and I can crush you…what are you going to do about it. The temptation is to rise up and meet that challenge. Other us: 2 Cor. 9:2 ---stir up a parent has more resources than a child, and has a position of authority over them, so they can really make life difficult for their children if they want to. So if they are embittered, they try to lash out, and the parent doesn’t submit to God, it is easy to just give up (lose heart). Question: How can this happen? Not encouraging them? Only pointing out faults Being harsh and not allowing for freedom controlling using fear or manipulation. Need to remember that parenting is more than just a formula; it is a relationship where I am to focus on pleasing God with my whole being in how I raise my kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Glorifying God with Our whole being also applies … In the Workplace (3:22, 4:1) Colossians 3:22–4:1 22Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. 1Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven. The principle is how do you relate to someone else who is in charge of the work you are to do everyday, and in our culture that is often our boss.  I want to make sure it is clear that we are in no way condoning slavery, after all it was on the basis of Christian principles were used to abolish slavery in this country… It is very important to understand that slavery in Bible times was not like slavery in places like, for example, the United States of America. - that certainly doesn’t make it right, but it does make it different. - Slavery in America was a permanent condition, a life sentence with little hope of freedom. In the ancient world, unless a person was a criminal, a slave had every hope of emancipation. Usually it was a 10 to 20-year condition. - In American society, slavery was racial, with African slaves and white masters. In Greco-Roman society, it was impossible to distinguish a slave on the basis of clothing, color, or race. - In American society slaves were segregated socially, but in Roman society it was usually difficult to distinguish a slave from other people by the slave's friends, a slave's occupation, or the worship patterns - Slaves in our country had no legal rights. Under the law they were regarded as only 3/5 of a human being. Slaves in the ancient world had many legal rights including the right to appeal to a higher authority in the case of harsh or unfair treatment. - In America, slaves were on the lowest rung of society. In the ancient world, slaves were often of higher status than people who were free, depending on their masters. - Slavery in America was degrading and dehumanizing. In ancient Greece or Rome, slavery was often viewed as an opportunity. Large numbers of people sold themselves into slavery to find a better life than what they had as free people. As slaves, it was possible to secure special jobs and to climb socially. - In America slaves did only menial work. In the ancient world slaves often held high positions in civil service and in the business world. They served as physicians, nurses to their owners, they taught the children and were companions to the elderly. Slaves were writers, accountants, bailiffs jailers, overseers, secretaries, sea-captains. - In America it was illegal to educate slaves. In the ancient world slaves were often well educated, acting as tutors or advisors to their owners. - Slaves were not allowed to own property in America. In the ancient world slaves could own property, and they could maintain savings, anticipating the time when they would be set free. In some cases, slaves even owned their own slaves. - American slaves had no hope of a normal family life. In the ancient world, slaves often maintained a separate existence from their masters. They even held down outside work to increase their savings. - Slavery in the USA was completely detestable. It was the result of kidnapping. In ancient Greece and Rome, slavery was often freely chosen. Being free was frequently a disadvantage for the slave and financially advantageous for the master. - however, it would be incorrect to read our country’s experience with slavery back into this text, or any NT passage on this topic…that’s why it is very appropriate for us to use this passage to discuss employee/employer relations today, because slavery in Bible times was in many ways closer to our working relationships today, than it was to slavery in America. - So the principle here is that in every relationship, someone has to have the final say…someone has to be in charge and someone has to be under. How are we to function in those roles to the glory of God. Employee/Slave First, it is remarkable how Paul addresses slaves. He puts them on equal ground as everyone else as they have responsibilities to the Lord even in their circumstances. Paul never condones slavery, but he helps someone who is in that situation to still focus on living for the Lord. Notice how he says, those who are your masters on Earth. He is laying the ground work, that those who are in charge are not ultimately in charge. He says not to do it with external service only. It is sort of like when you just look like you are working hard when your boss walks by. And inevitably you could work really hard and take a 5 min break and that is exactly when you boss comes by. Or have you ever gotten to work early, been getting after it, then mid morning forgot you left your lunch in the car, so you get bundled out and get your lunch in your car, grab your lunch and then and it looks like you got to work at 10:00 The point is to not worry about that either way, but to work from the heart when you are seen or not seen. Because you have a fear of the Lord, not of man, even those who are earthly masters. Whatever work we do, we are to work heartily unto the Lord, because even earthly people we serve, we are really serving the Lord. Do you ever think your everyday tasts you do for others, is actually for the Lord. God wants your whole being to be devoted to him, even the tasks you do for those in charge of you. Paul specifically reminds them to do it with all their heart, knowing that working for someone that way is very hard. Question: When is the last time at work you did a task or responded to a person, and said to yourself, Lord this is for you. That is something that should be a regular part of a believers work day.   Employer: While you might not own your own business, you might be placed in some sort of authority one day. The text says If you oversee someone, you should always seek to promote justice and fairness. This is not just what you think is just and fair, but it is a recognition that there is something right outside of just who you are as a boss… Because we are told that we all have a higher authority—God If a follower of Christ is in charge of others, they are to do so with Justice and Fairness that comes from an understanding of How God brings about justice and fairness throughout redemption history. They are to recognize that they have a master. The third key would be…   III.        Remember that you will reap what you sow (3:24-25) Colossians 3:24–25 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. There is to be a focus on Rewards In this life, you can lose anything and everything. When you work for the Lord, you can’t lost anything – your life is hidden with Christ. A slave, would not have an inheritance like a son would, but God puts them on the same level, as we have an inheritance from the Lord as his bride, his child and his servant. That is to motivate us at the heart level, not just if someone sees us and rewards us in the earthly life.   There is also to be a focus on Consequences All will be made right, either the good or bad you have done. There will not be favoritism or partiality based on your position or external appearance, for God judges righteously. A believer cannot lose their salvation as it is secure ion Christ, but that does not mean there are not the consequences of lost rewards if we treat others in a way that does not honor the Lord. So in conclusion, the Lord wants all of you all the time, because you are intimately connected to Christ and that is to impact every relationship each day, but especially the people you see the most…your spouse, your kids, and your boss/supervision. We are all to work heartily for the Lord rather than for men no matter what role or stage of life you are in because  if we are raised up with Christ, we are his bride, his child and his servant. Let’s pray.   [1] Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 44: Colossians, Philemon (223) [2] William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 391.

We asked you to tell us your favorite all time Comic Book Movies of all time and ranked them based on your preferences. Now Paul, Scott and Bill start the countdown. In this episode, we look at the movies ranked 100 through 76. Thank you very much to Michael Bailey, Scott Ryfun, Arthur Ratnik, Jason Sandberg, Kirk Greenfield, Mike Zummo, Jason Wood, Alan Middleton, David Pascarella, Ryan Daly, Charlie Niemeyer, Chris Tyler, Lee Busby, Andrew Leyland, Russell Bragg, Derek William Crabbe, Kim Sedano, Al Sedano, Mark Kalmbach, Kyle Benning, Jon Wilson, Theresa Pascarella, W. Blaine Dowler, Melissa Spataro, Shagg Matthews, Gene Hendricks, Michael Sciddurlo, Micheal Leyland, Derek Coward, Scott Shearer, Chris Franklin, Brian Hughes, Ian Levenstein, Zaki Hasan, Matt Hunsworth, Jason Jaconetti, Jim Dietz, Kris Keith, David Price, Jan-Roman Pikula, Tom Panarese, Luke Jaconetti, Blake Petit, Jonathan Crites, Dario Gonzalez, Ruth Sutherland, Darrin Sutherland, Dave Atteberry, Paul Smith, Christopher Warden and the Solid Gold Dancers for making this list possible! Feedback for this show can be sent to: bins@twotruefreaks.comTwo True Freaks! is a proud member of BOTH the Comics Podcast Network (http://www.comicspodcasts.com/) and the League of Comic Book Podcasts (http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league/)!! Follow the fun on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/113051642052970/ THANK YOU for listening to Two True Freaks!!

We asked you to tell us your favorite all time Comic Book Movies of all time and ranked them based on your preferences. Now Paul, Scott and Bill start the countdown. In this episode, we look at the movies ranked 100 through 76. Thank you very much to Michael Bailey, Scott Ryfun, Arthur Ratnik, Jason Sandberg, Kirk Greenfield, Mike Zummo, Jason Wood, Alan Middleton, David Pascarella, Ryan Daly, Charlie Niemeyer, Chris Tyler, Lee Busby, Andrew Leyland, Russell Bragg, Derek William Crabbe, Kim Sedano, Al Sedano, Mark Kalmbach, Kyle Benning, Jon Wilson, Theresa Pascarella, W. Blaine Dowler, Melissa Spataro, Shagg Matthews, Gene Hendricks, Michael Sciddurlo, Micheal Leyland, Derek Coward, Scott Shearer, Chris Franklin, Brian Hughes, Ian Levenstein, Zaki Hasan, Matt Hunsworth, Jason Jaconetti, Jim Dietz, Kris Keith, David Price, Jan-Roman Pikula, Tom Panarese, Luke Jaconetti, Blake Petit, Jonathan Crites, Dario Gonzalez, Ruth Sutherland, Darrin Sutherland, Dave Atteberry, Paul Smith, Christopher Warden and the Solid Gold Dancers for making this list possible! Feedback for this show can be sent to: bins@twotruefreaks.comTwo True Freaks! is a proud member of BOTH the Comics Podcast Network (http://www.comicspodcasts.com/) and the League of Comic Book Podcasts (http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league/)!! Follow the fun on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/113051642052970/ THANK YOU for listening to Two True Freaks!!

Jesus disrupted Paul's life and took hold of him. Now Paul wants but one thing: to take hold of Jesus and become more like him in every way.

Find all the messages from this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/corinthians/ This past week Rusty was telling me that on their vacation he decided to try body boarding and that he got caught in the wave. I told him I refer to that as the spin cycle. I experienced that in a big way when I was 14 or 15. There was a hurricane that came through the Virginia Beach area and it brought huge waves and surf. I had never been in waves life that… When you’re surfing or body boarding, you’ve got to be going fast enough to “Catch the wave” or it will go right under you, or if you are a little ahead of it, it will crash down on you. One crashed on me and then tumbled me over and over. I lost all perspective of what was up and down. The next thing I knew, I was dumped onto the beach and my board was trying to wash away a little further down. I stood up and said, whoa. That was crazy powerful. Occasionally a passage of scripture will hit me like that- it will be so much more powerful than I was expecting and send me tumbling. This passage has done that to me this week. I hope it hits you hard today, not that you wind up sore, but that you’ll walk away saying, wow that was powerful Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Underline that phrase in verse 23. For the gospel’s sake. Brian- What are you doing? Um, I don’t know… Now Paul has just recently talked to them about Money, Meat offered in pagan temples, Marriage, Sex, and each one of those scenarios Paul has explained the issue, then said, now this is what I do, or this is how I’ve chosen to live my life. Here in this passage he explains WHY For example he said that it’s right that the church would provide financial support to their leaders, then Paul explains that he doesn’t take any financial support because he can go further faster for the gospel. Before that he talked about Marriage- that it was a good thing, that people should get married, that it was especially better than to live in immorality, but then Paul explains that he has chosen to remain single because he believes that he is able to give more of himself to the ministry of the gospel that way. In these instances he doesn’t say that they need to be just like him, but that he has chosen to live this way For the Sake of the Gospel. Here’s the first main truth this morning-  Paul devoted his life to the communication of the gospel. This wasn’t just something that Paul claimed in his letters, it’s what he lived out as recorded by Luke in his history of the early church. What we read about Paul is that he tirelessly went from city to city proclaiming the gospel. He would preach until he was thrown in prison or had planted a church, often he would do both. Then once he was thrown out of a city, he would go to the next city and start sharing the gospel to establish a church there. Paul didn’t just ride in and preach the gospel and ride out, he developed leaders and elders. He set up Bible Studies and Small Groups, he organized a team that would carry on the work once he was gone to the next city. In Acts 17 we read that Paul was establishing the church in Thessalonica and some people got upset and ran him out of town. So he went to a place called Berea and started establishing a church there. The people in Thessalonica heard that Paul was in the next city doing the same thing so they came to Thessalonica and went before the officials of that city and began to stir up crowds, so Paul was run out of Berea but he was separated from the rest of his team, they stayed there to continue the work because they were much less noticeable. Paul is sent to Athens to wait for them. 16Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.  17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Paul’s just been run out of two towns and separated from his team. They tell him to wait in Athens and they’ll be there shortly. But Paul can not simply wait. His Spirit Provokes him. He must preach! Do you remember what we read in verse 16 last week. The end of verse 16 Paul says, “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” Paul was so  dedicated  to the communication of the gospel because he was so  passionate  about the gospel. In verse 23 Paul tells us this, he says, I do all of this because of the gospel. I do all of this for the sake of the gospel. There’s the passion. There’s the drive. There’s the why. So you need to understand how Paul came to know the gospel. Paul was a religious leader in the Jewish tradition. He was the type that believed in his God and was willing to compel others to believe as well through violence. When the disciples of Jesus began to share the message of the gospel- that Jesus was not a criminal who had been executed but instead Jesus is the Son of God who died for the purpose of forgiving our sin and offering us new life and now He has risen from the dead demonstrating that He is able to offer forgiveness and restore lives- When the disciples began to preach this and people were believing in Jesus by the thousands, Paul began rounding up anyone they knew to be a Christian. He threw people in prison. He stood by while people were executed. He was a hatchet man. He was an old school terrorist. Then he gets permission to expand his mission, he’s going bigger and better after more Christians in other cities and Jesus appears to Paul. Paul is gripped by the power of God’s grace and this angry, judgmental, cynical, violent man is overwhelmed by the mercy of Jesus- it picks him up and tumbles him over and before he know it, he’s in the dirt of that dirt road asking what he must do to be forgiven of the horrible things that he has done. Paul’s experience was powerful, but no more powerful than the experience people in this room have had when the love and mercy of Jesus knocked them backwards and left them on their knees asking for forgiveness and restoration. Paul’s experience was like mine, when God gripped the heart of an angry, arrogant, rebellious teenager and left me on my knees asking God to forgive me and fix me. Paul’s experience was like that of any sinner who is made a saint by God’s grace. Because it was so powerful, Paul was dedicated to share it with everyone. Now this is crazy- Look at what verse 19 says. Though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all. When Paul met Jesus he was headed to another city because he had gotten permission from his bosses. Paul had been living in a system where he was told what to do. Paul had been living in a system that was full of rules and yet he had never done enough. Paul had not been free. Now he was. He was now free from the rules and the to do lists and even though he was no longer living to please those masters, he felt more at peace than he ever had before… So he was free. But he chose to live as a servant to take the gospel to all people. Not because he had to in order to feel worthy- but because he had been freed from that life he wanted everyone to be free. Paul viewed his God given freedom as an opportunity to free others. So, Paul never made a decision based merely on what he wanted but rather he based his life upon a simple question: What will give me the greatest opportunity to free the sinner with the gospel? So when it came to the question of whether or not to eat meat that had been offered in the temple, Paul was asking what will work best for the spread of the gospel? When it came to the question of whether or not to get married, Paul’s question was which manner of life will best serve the gospel? When it came to the question of offerings, Pau’s question was what will best serve the communication of the gospel? Paul was not as concerned with these issues-  to him they were petty religious and cultural issues. Paul was concerned with reaching people with the gospel! “We are not keepers of the aquarium. We are fishers of men!” -Mountain View Church So that’s the why of what Paul was doing,  let’s talk a minute about how Paul was doing this. There were some Jews in Corinth, but not many. So perhaps in Corinth Paul had done things that would have made it difficult for a Jew to accept as normal behavior, and then when Paul was ministering to Jews he was following their customs and traditions and when this got back to the Corinthians, they were confused. They were wondering why Paul was being a hypocrite. They wondered why he acted one way with them and another way with other people. Paul wasn't being a hypocrite, but he was attempting to respect the culture and traditions of the people that he was trying to reach with the gospel. Paul wasn’t sinning- Paul wasn’t participating in sin just to put people at ease, but when it came to cultural and religious issues, he made the gospel the main issue. Paul never changed the message or faltered in his mission, but he adapted his methods to the culture. by the way, Paul was uniquely qualified to do this. He was a Jew. A Pharisee of the Pharisees he once said of himself. He was an educated Jew so he was familiar with the Old Testament and Jewish customs. Did you notice what we read about him from when he was in Athens? He reasoned daily in the synagogue. He could be a Jew to the Jews. Paul was a Roman Citizen, which many Jews were not. He was a Jew, but he had some exposure to the greek culture and way of life. He knew how to talk with Jews and Romans. He knew where to start with each of them. Paul says, to the Jew I am a Jew. To the weak, I am weak. To the strong, I am strong. I am all things to all men so that by all means I might win some. The Message is sealed in blood. The Mission is engraved in stone. The Methods are sketched in pencil. In Acts 17, when Paul is in Athens and starts sharing with them because his heart is provoked. He shares in the synagogue, which had done before. Then he shares in the marketplace, which he had done before, then he notices all of these idols. They even had an idol to the unknown God. So he called people to this little amphitheater type place to talk to them about the unknown God. Paul had preached in the synagogue before. He had preached to greeks in the marketplace before. He had never preached like this. This was new. To reach people who had never heard the gospel before,  Paul did something he had never done before. So what does this look like for us? Several year ago Jim Collins put together a research team that studied companies that were good companies that became top performing, great companies. They put out a book with their findings. One of the principles that they found in each of the companies that made the leap had a similar characteristic. They found the convergence of 3 attributes. What they were good at- What they were passionate about- What was profitable- Companies that had something they were good at, they were passionate about, and was profitable were incredibly successful. I think that’s just merely a secular illustration of the way God made us. I believe that God has uniquely gifted all of us, given us all a passion, and a mission to share the message of the gospel. I believe that whenever we find the convergence of 3 attributes we are effective as a church- What we are uniquely gifted to do- what we are passionate about- what we are called to do. Let me give you an example. Our church is unique in the fact that we have many young kids. We have like 6 kids that are starting kindergarten this year, for a church our size, that’s pretty crazy. So we’ve got young families. We are passionate for young families and about teaching the Bible to children. And we are called to train the next generation- so we’ve been effective at reaching and impacting other young families. Our church is unique in the fast that we have several people who have been saved from a life of addiction. We are passionate about reaching addicts. We are called to reach addicts… In the convergence of those 3, we’ve found an effective opportunity to reach addicts with the gospel… We are all called. We are all uniquely gifted. But we are not all passionate. Paul wasn’t more gifted or more called than others, Paul was more passionate. Passion beats polish! (Paul devoted his life to the communication of the gospel) Paul devoted his life to the application of the gospel. Quickly lets look at verses 24-27 i think Paul was worried about the Corinthians. If they were not willing to make changes in their lives for the sake of the communication of the gospel, would they willing to make changes in their lives for the sake of the application of the gospel? Would they change when God called them to live differently because it’s what he expected? Paul gives them an illustration. He points to the greek games. He says, look at how disciplined and passionate they are! What if we worked as hard to apply the gospel as they work to train for the games? Paul says, only one of them is going to win and the prize he wins doesn’t even last! Our reward lasts forever. Even their fitness goes away! Paul was passionate about the communication of the gospel because he was still active in the application of the gospel in his own life. When was the last time God restored a broken piece of your heart? When was the last time that the gospel reshaped you and molded you? Paul says here that he isn’t living his life haphazardly or accidentally, but he is intentionally, persistently pursuing the work of God in his own life. Paul says, God forbid that though I’ve preached to others that I myself would become a castaway-. God forbid that I would forget the very truth I proclaim. If you’re not passionate about the gospel touching new hearts, it’s been too long since it touched yours.

Have you ever played or heard of the game bigger and better? You start with something small and keep trying to trade for something bigger and better. The bigger, the better. Bob Goff tells the story of one time his son and his son’s friends played this. They all started with something small and went out into the neighborhood. Golf’s son started out with a dime. The first house he went to he said, I’m playing bigger and better and I was wondering if I could trade you this dime for something bigger or better? The man who answered the door yelled to his wife,  Honey we are playing bigger and better! What do we have that we can trade for a dime? They had an air mattress that they were no longer using- so they swapped that… Now that’s pretty great. A large air mattress is pretty big. However, he kept going. He traded the air mattress for a ping pong table. He traded the ping pong table, and made a dozen more trades as he made his way through the neighborhood… When he came home, he drove home in an old pickup truck, that he had traded for!  Goff said, he didn’t need a truck so he gave it to a local church to give away to a person starting over… That trade was the best, because trading the dime up for bigger and better all the way to a pickup was nothing in comparison in trading the pickup for the great sense of joy and love that came from helping someone in need. In this section of Corinthians, Paul talks about money and how we can trade it for something bigger and better. God is always giving us chances to trade up and be part of something bigger and better than ourselves. Money often creates controversy, and it was causing an issue between the Corinthians and Paul. But it’s not what you would expect. It was creating a problem, not because Paul was requesting funds but because he was refusing them. What? Let’s read this passage and figure out what’s going on. Read 1 Corinthians 9:1-14 Intro: Paul hadn’t needed funds from the Corinthians. He had a means of support that he had worked out through tent making with Aquila and Priscilla- and some of Paul’s critics were using this against him. They were saying that he wasn’t the real deal- that he wasn’t even a full time minister- that he couldn’t be a real apostle if he wasn’t doing this full time. Paul responds defending his apostleship and saying that he did deserve to receive material goods, but that he had forsaken that right because he found he could go farther, faster without relying on the financial support of the church and God had given him an alternative means of income in making tents. Paul’s point is that he not any less of an apostle because of this, he has simply chosen to fund his own ministry efforts. Currently in the FWB partnership of churches we have 2 churches that are on the rebound. They were very near the brink of closing. They had large amounts of debt and had lost just about all of their people. In both instances the pastor who came there had been uniquely gifted in that they had great skills for and opportunities in the secular workplace. James Lindsey in Ft Wayne runs a furniture factory. Travis Penn is a an IT guy and run the IT department for the school corporation in North Indy. Both of these men are not less than pastors. We do not look at them any differently except that we admire their willingness to pastor these churches and work regular work weeks at the other job. Because of their skill set and unique calling, the church is able to afford to move forward. Paul’s response to his critics is strange because he starts by saying I deserve to be paid, even though I’m not. Paul was defending his authority as an apostle, but he wasn’t trying to establish a precedent that all church leaders should find other employment. So he builds the case for his apostleship and the support of church leaders. So the first point here in chapter 9 is Material goods should be supplied to church leaders. 4Have we not power (the right) to eat and to drink? 7Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? 9For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. 13Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? 14Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. Verse 9 is a quote of Deuteronomy 25:4 Refers to the practice of an ox dragging a sledge over grain separating the kernels from the stalk. They were not to muzzle the ox so that he could reap benefits from the grain he was treading. Then Paul asks, is God concerned for the ox? Paul is saying, If God is concerned about the ox, I’m sure he’s concerned about people- about the leaders of the church. Paul is saying, if God wants to make sure that the ox who helps harvest the grain gets a share of the fruits of his labor, surely your spiritual leaders and pastors should receive a share in the harvest- the fruits of his labors. In this passage Paul highlights that fact that every church leader is different, every scenario is different. Paul mentions that some of the apostles had wives that they were bringing along with them in ministry. Obviously Peter’s responsibilities were different than Paul’s. Paul had argued that though he didn’t marry, that was well within the rights of a believer. Paul is now arguing that though he doesn’t receive financial support from the church, that is well within the rights of the church leader. The next two points are what I want to get to… Material goods pale in comparison to Spiritual Benefits. 11If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 12aIf others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? In verse 11, Paul uses yet another rhetorical question- if we sow unto you spiritual things, is it a big deal that we reap or harvest carnal or material things? In other words, Paul is saying the seeds that we have planted in your lives are producing peace, joy, love, restoration, and purpose. All of these are much greater than what we ask for to support our families and take care of ourselves. Now Paul isn’t calling this a trade. You don’t get the spiritual help because you give financial support. You don’t have to give an offering to receive spiritual benefit. If you call me for counseling and help, I will not discuss payment plans with you first. When you come to the altar, your benefit is not contingent upon the offering. So it isn’t a trade, however, Paul is saying that if we compare what we receive with what we are asked to give, the deal is a pretty good one. However, many people fail to see it this way. For many, because the spiritual benefits are intangible- they can’t bring themselves to give their money which could purchase them tangible things- something that they can hold, or sit on, or ride in, or watch. None of the tangible stuff you have purchased in this life comes close to the value that is in the intangible goods you receive through God’s grace.  We struggle with this. We struggle to give and make an investment in the kingdom of God because we can’t see what we are purchasing. “Faith isn’t a formula or a business deal. In Short there’s nothing on the other side of the equal sign, just Jesus.” - Bob Goff We’ve traded our broken lives for something bigger and better. If we’ve trusted Jesus with our lives and received something far greater- why don’t we trust him to trade our material goods for something bigger and better? My phone is broken. It’s messed up. I can see messages and calls and sometimes I can answer them, but often I can’t. I went to the store to see about getting it fixed. They said, well you’ve got 4 months left on your contract so we’ll let you upgrade, but you have to trade in your phone and since it’s broken, we don’t want it. Well, if it wasn’t broken I wouldn’t need to trade it in… but because it’s broken I do need to trade it in but can’t. When we come to the Lord with our broken and shattered lives, he doesn’t say, “uh, well, I was actually looking to take an exchange on a moderately used life, not a broken one….” When we come to the Lord with our broken and shattered lives, he accepts us, no questions asked. If the Lord is willing to take your broken life- what sense does it make to not trust him with your money? If you are willing to trust God with your very life, why not trust him with your stuff?  Why not trust him with your funds? “You know your trusting God when you trust Him with your money.” - Nieuwhoff. You say, well I’m poor. I hardly have any money. That’s what’s great about the Lord- you don’t have to give a certain amount to qualify- you don’t have to reach some tier of giving- you just need to give.  The Lord calls us to give 10% as a tithe. For some of you, 10% isn’t very much, but it’s still obedience. For some of you, 10% is quite a bit but that means your 90% is still quite a bit. Though our income levels vary, we can all be obedient. Got a small paycheck, you can still be obedient. In fact, Jesus made it clear that the woman who had less to give exercised great faith because she gave out of need, not out of abundance. Though our gifts differ, we can all be part of something bigger and better than us. Then notice what verse 12 says, if others are partakers with you, are not we also? Paul is referring to other church leaders and teachers who had come through that the Corinthians had supported. Paul said, if they are worthy of your support, aren’t we? We established your church and introduced you to the gospel and now we are doing the same thing in another city, doesn’t that qualify as worthy of support? Now think about this in 2 ways. You pay people all of the time. You pay people to work on your car, you pay for tires, you pay for gas, you pay for cable and internet, you pay for fast food, you pay someone to cut your hair, you pay for everything. Paul says, if you are willing to pay for all of these things, shouldn’t you be willing to pay to support the people who lead you in a relationship with Jesus? If the Spiritual is more valuable than the material, why would we only pay to support those that provide the material?? Paul and Silas had established the church in Corinth and were now doing the same thing in another city that didn’t have a church. They were working so that another group of people could experience what they had experienced of the forgiveness and redemption of the Jesus. Our church exists because Free Will Baptists sent funds and offerings to support Bob Helms as he established a new church. We are here because God worked through the generosity of other churches to make this possible. There are missionaries who are doing the same thing right now, they are taking the gospel into cities where it is not represented. They are establishing new churches in places like Eerie, PA, and Irvine, CA and Tokyo, Japan, and India. They deserve our financial support. Last week at the NAFWB we ended the week with the missions service as we do each year. All missionaries who are able to be present come to the stage and are recognized, new missionaries are prayed for and commissioned. It’s very moving. Then this week I read of a missionary couple to Tokyo who are resigning and coming home in September because their funds have dwindled. Material goods are not a motivating factor for noble church leaders. 12bNevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. 15But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. 16For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 17For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. 18What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. Paul only used money to reach the next opportunity to preach the gospel. We are not in this for the money,  we are in this to preach the gospel. verse 12 says we suffer all things lest we should hinder the gospel… 16 - I do this out of necessity. - Woe is me is I don’t preach the gospel. Paul was saying, give or don’t give, I’m still going to preach the gospel. Paul says, I’m compelled, I’m called! I must preach the gospel. I do not lead the church because I want the pay- I lead the church because I love the gospel and I must proclaim it! You will not be consumed with money if you are compelled by the gospel. Paul said, I’ll walk away from money to preach the gospel. Paul had traded money and stuff for something bigger and better, the gospel. Some of you, you love money. You cling to it. It consumes you. You are always angling to get more, make more, some of you- money consumes you because you spend it so fast on all the stuff that you want and all the stuff you so desperately want… Let me invite you to trade it for something bigger and better.

Romans 5:1-11 Paul has already dealt with two great doctrines in the preceding two chapters of this great epistle to the Romans, the doctrine of justification by faith and the doctrine of redemption.  Now Paul comes to another great doctrine and pillar of the Christian faith, namely the doctrine of reconciliation which results from the other two.  Can it be, that we who were formerly at enmity with God have been brought into a state of friendship?  This is the great clarion call of the Gospel; be ye reconciled to God!! This sermon lays out this wonderful truth and encourages believes who are enduring trials of affliction to lift up their heads heavenward and to fix their hope on the eternal prize laid up for them in Christ!!      

Millennials, the 54 million Americans born after 1980, now account for more than a third of the workforce in the United States. Perhaps more than any generation, millennials stand out for wanting meaningful, purpose-driven careers. And they have brought new ideas about decision-making, management style, and work-life balance into the workforce. Millennials face challenges, too. Many started work in the middle of the Great Recession, which may result in up-to $100,000 of “lost” wages during their lifetime. Those lucky enough to find jobs were often overqualified. And there’s a stereotype that millennials are high maintenance and overly demanding. This week on Find Your Dream Job Mac talks with Paul Angone, an author, career coach, and advocate for millennial workers. Paul has dedicated himself to helping millennials overcome their fear of insignificance and find purposeful work. He believes that the secret to a great job is building your “signature sauce”--aligning your strengths, skills, and values around a need or problem that can be solved. In this 34-minute episode you will learn: The myriad motivators for millennials workers (it’s not just about a paycheck!) Why failure can help clarify your passions How to build genuine relationships when you network The recipe behind your own “signature sauce” Why you should watch out for OCD--“Obsessive Comparison Disorder” The best thing millennials can do to get a job they love This week’s guest: Paul Angone (@PaulAngone | LinkedIn)Founder, All Groan UpAuthor, All Groan Up: Searching For Self, Faith, and a Freaking Job! and101 Secrets For Your TwentiesSan Diego, Calif. Listener question of the week:  How can I stand out as a recent college graduate? Do you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to Cecilia Bianco, Mac’s List Community Manager at cecilia@macslist.org. Resources referenced on this week’s show: Answering the Three Career Questions: Your Lifetime Career Management System AllGroanUp.com SignatureSauce.com All Groan Up: Searching for Self, Faith, and a Freaking Job! 101 Secrets for Your Twenties Twentysomething Problems--as Told By Eggs Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) - 2016 Edition If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org. -- Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. -- FULL TRANSCRIPT Mac Prichard:    This is Find Your Dream Job, a podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want and make a difference in life. I'm Mac Prichard, your host and publisher of Mac's List. Our show is brought to you by Mac's List and our book, Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond). To learn more about the book and the updated edition we're publishing in February, come to our website. Just visit macslist.org/ebook. Millennials, the 54 million Americans born after 1980, who came of age in the New Millennium, now account for more than a third of the workforce in the United States. Perhaps more than any generation, Millennials stand out for wanting meaningful careers, and lives that balance career and family. They are also the first generation digital natives. Millennials face challenges, too. Many started work in the middle of the Great Recession, and entering a labor market during a recession can mean up to a hundred thousand dollars in lost wages during a lifetime. Those lucky enough to find jobs were often overqualified, and there's a stereotype out there of Millennials as high maintenance workers who are overly concerned with titles and status. This week on Find Your Dream Job, we're talking about Millennials and the search of meaningful work. Joining us for our interview segment is Paul Angone. He's an expert on Millennials and the author of 101 Secrets for Your Twenties. Ben Forstag has a book for us that any generation can use to map out a career for meaningful work, and Cecilia Bianco has a question from a new college graduate just beginning a career. But first, let's check in with the Mac's List team. I think we have all three generations represented here. Ben Forstag:    I think you might be right. Mac Prichard:  For the benefit of our listeners, do people want to self-identify? Cecilia Bianco:  I'm a Millennial. Mac Prichard:   Okay, good. Ben? Ben Forstag:   I was born in '79, so I'm right at the cusp between Generation X and Millennial. Mac Prichard:   I'm a solid Boomer. I was born in 1958, so we have good representation here. Let's move on with our topic this week. Ben, you're out there every week looking around the internet and what have you found for us this week? Ben Forstag:       Mac, can you hear this sound? Mac Prichard:   That's very analog of you. Ben Forstag: It is, yes. I'm sure they have this book in digital format as well, but this week I'm talking about the physical book, and it's called Answering the Three Career Questions: Your Lifetime Career Management System, and this was a book that was recommended to me by Russell Terry, one of our long time listeners. The book is by author Bruce Hazen, and it's a really interesting read. The author has a very clear goal with this book, and it's to help people avoid the one-job-in-a-row trap. Too often, people see their career as simply the narrative of all their jobs, one after another, and you sometimes see that in their resume. Hazen says that people should really see their career as something different than the sum of their jobs. It's really a holistic narrative about what you find important, what you find interesting, engaging and satisfying as a professional. In a sense, he's flipping this on its head. The career should dictate what jobs you have and not vice versa. This is a concept I know we've talked a lot about in the podcast. In episode 2, Dawn Rasmussen called your career "the stream that runs beneath your current job", and even some of the practical tips we've provided around branding, resume building and interviewing, you can see this recurring theme of your career being a driving narrative behind your professional life. In his book, Bruce Hazen frames career management around three questions that professionals should regularly ask themselves. Those questions are: One, is it time to move up? In other words, do you need a development strategy to progress in your current organization? He makes a really interesting distinction between promotion and progression here. Promotion is about moving up in an established organizational hierarchy; getting a promotion essentially, while progressing is about improving your own subjective satisfaction with your job. He has this great quote: Up has dimension and not just direction, so moving up could mean adding complexity or authority to your work, enriching the job you've got, a lateral move to a job you like more, changing location, or even in some cases, moving down the hierarchy to a job that you prefer. Mac Prichard:    I think as people think about their goals, it's important to remember titles alone aren't going to bring you satisfaction. Sometimes I think people think the only change that's a good one is one that has you moving up the hierarchy of your organization, but sometimes you might have other goals. I think for example, when I was working in the governor's office, I had an opportunity to take a position in politics with a group of state legislators and I turned that down to work for the State Purchasing Bureau. People said, "Why would you do that? Isn't that a step down?", and it was actually what I needed at that time, which was steady work, well-paying work, and it was a great opportunity for the year that I did that. Eventually it led me to another position in communications, which has been my career, but people I think here, Ben, shouldn't get hung up on just always moving up and up and up. Ben Forstag:  Yeah, and I know in my own career, there have been a couple of times when I've taken a step down the hierarchy, or at least as it looked on paper or as it played out in my paycheck. At the time, a lot of people scratched their heads and I even questioned that, but in the long run, that ended up being the best possible move I could make because I ended up liking the new job more, and it helped me transition into new fields that I might not have been able to do so otherwise. The second question here is, is it time to move out? Is it time to move to a job that better aligns with your interests, passions and needs? Do you need a strategy to transition into this new organization or field? The question here is really fit. Does your current job or organization fit with who you are as a person? Hazen provides different tools to ascertain fit, with a lot of tests around measuring work values and ethics and things like that. He also outlines strategies for professionals who realize their current position isn't a good fit for who they are. Cecilia Bianco:  I think this one's great and it would be so good if people would sit down and do these tests before they start looking for a job and interviewing, because if they know what they want as far as fit, they're going to have a much easier job search. Ben Forstag:  Yeah, I think fit is so important, and I know I've been in jobs where I just haven't been a good fit for the organization and it wasn't my fault or the organization's fault, it just wasn't an alignment. If you can get clear about what a good fit is before you start the job, that's clearly a benefit. Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah. Ben Forstag:     The third question here is, is it time to adapt your style for greater success? That is are you in the right position, but not getting the right traction or the right results in that position? This question is really aimed at people who have the right technical skills to succeed, but need a new approach to their colleagues or to their organization. Hazen shares a couple of different strategies for using your skills in interacting with others, all with the intent of improving your productivity and satisfaction with your current job. When I talked to our listener Russell about this, I asked him why exactly he liked this book so much, and this is what he said: "I found it helpful to break things down to three basic questions and to emphasize that through our careers, we keep coming back to these same three questions." I really, really liked what Russell said here, and I totally agree with him. I think the strong point about this book is that it does bring all these questions back into the center of the conversation over and over again, so I strongly suggest to anyone who is looking at career management tools, check out this book. Again, the book is called Answering the Three Career Questions: Your Lifetime Career Management System, and it's by author Bruce Hazen, and we will have a link to the book in our show notes. Mac Prichard:  Thank you, Ben, and thank you, Russell, for that suggestion. Do you have a book or a podcast or website that has been helpful to you in your job search or managing your career? Let Ben know about it. You can write him directly, and his email address is Ben@macslist.org. Now let's turn to you, our listeners. Cecilia Bianco, our community manager is here, and she answers one of your questions. Cecilia, what do you have for us this week? Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah, our question this week is how can I stand out as a recent college graduate? I personally think the best way to stand out as a recent grad is to have an established and strong personal brand, so your goal should be, if an employer looks online for you, are they going to view you as a professional or a college student? Obviously, the goal is to look like a professional, even if you haven't graduated yet. Are they going to be able to tell what your career interests are based on what they find about you online? Something I was required to do in my college program before I graduated was to create a personal website that showcased my experience and my goals for the future, and this was a great way for me and my classmates to really stand out. It made us look a bit more polished and prepared to start job searching because it forced us to figure out the type of job and industry that we could realistically apply for and have a good chance of getting. Beyond just building your personal website, your social media profiles, your resume and cover letter and your business cards should all fit with this personal brand that you're building for yourself. One girl in my program I was very impressed with. She created a logo for herself and used it to build a template for her website application material and it really made her stand out. She had no trouble getting interviews because her branded materials made her look like a seasoned professional rather than a college student or a recent grad. Mac and Ben, what are your thoughts on how college grads can stand out? Ben Forstag:   I think the number one way that anyone can stand out, whether you're a college grad or an established professional, is good writing. It is so rare to find someone who can write concisely and clearly nowadays, and anyone who does that is a real valued commodity I think in almost any organization, so whether that writing shows in your portfolio or the writing sample you submit as part of your application or even the language you use on your website, the more you can showcase good writing ability, the more you'll stand out with employers. Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah, that's definitely true, and building a personal website is one way to get your writing and your message about yourself really clear. Ben Forstag:   Yeah, and definitely good writing is part of the brand that you present about yourself. Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah. Mac Prichard:   Yeah, I think good writing is always effective, no matter what your age or what stage you are in your career. For recent college graduates, it's a tactical tip, but one thing that can make them stand out I think, Cecilia, is just having a business card. It's old-fashioned, but it fits in with your earlier point about having a strong personal brand. When I meet recent college graduates, often they don't have cards, but they either ask for mine or would I offer them a card. There's an opportunity there to be on equal footing by sharing a card of their own. It's easy to do and is a way of distinguishing yourself. Cecilia Bianco:  Yeah, definitely. The people in my program, since we all had cards, when we would get sent out to networking events, we would talk about how some of the employers, they would be shocked when we handed over a business card, and we hadn't graduated yet, so that's definitely really important. Ben Forstag:    Two points about business cards: One is they do make you feel like a professional when you have them and you start handing them out. You feel like hey, I've made it. The other one is you can get business cards really cheaply online, like ten dollars will buy you five hundred business cards, so it's definitely a good investment and a really cheap investment as well. Mac Prichard:  Yeah, and you can get them for free. There's services that do that, but they're branded by the company that produces them, and I think spend the five or ten dollars it takes to get one with your own personal brand. Ben Forstag:  Definitely. Mac Prichard:  Okay, well, thanks, Cecilia. That was a great question. If you have a question for Cecilia, you can email her. Her address is Cecilia@macslist.org. I noticed today on Twitter, Cecilia, one of our listeners was tweeting at both of us, and she said that she'd sent you several questions. Cecilia Bianco:  Oh, yeah, I already got her questions. Mac Prichard:    Terrific. These segments by Ben and Cecilia are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond). We're making the complete Mac's List guide even better. We're adding new content and we're making the book available on multiple e-reader platforms. In February, we'll launch a new version of the book, and you'll for the first time be able to access it on Kindle, Nook, iPad and other digital devices, and for the first time, you'll be able to get a paperback edition. Thank you, Ben, so whatever the format, our goal's the same. We want you to have the tools and tips you need to get meaningful work. For more information, go to our website. Visit macslist.org/ebook. You can sign up for our e-book newsletter, and when you do that, you'll get publication updates, exclusive book content, and we'll provide you with special pre-sale prices. Now let's turn to this week's guest, Paul Angone. Paul is a leading voice to and for millennials. He loves helping millennials uncover their unique signature sauce to find where their passion, purpose and career collide. Paul is a best selling author of 101 Secrets For Your Twenties and All Groan Up. He's also a national speaker and the creator of AllGroanUp.com, which has been read by millions of people in more than 190 countries. Paul, thanks for joining us today. Paul Angone:      Oh, thank you for having me. It's an honor being here. Mac Prichard:   Yeah, it's a pleasure to have you on the show. Now Paul, millennials stand out for a number of reasons, but what is most striking I think about this generation is their desire for work that has purpose. Why do you think it's such an important value for millennials? Paul Angone:     Yeah, that's a great question. You're right. When I look at all the research I've done over the years, all the blog articles I've written, all the emails I've received from millennials, really all over the world. I don't think this is just solely in the United States where we're at, but I think this is worldwide. If I distill it down I think one of millennials' greatest fears is insignificance. Is this feeling of I'm doing work that has no point and my life is kind of meaningless. I'm just showing up everyday going through the motions. I think millennials are truly at their core for the most part really driven by trying to find this meaningful work. Trying to find purpose and trying to do something that feels like man, this really means something important to me and I'm not just getting a paycheck or working for the corner office. Millennials really aren't wired that way. They have different motivators than just a pay hike. They really want to find work that is drenched in purpose. Mac Prichard:  How do you see millennials get clear about that purpose? What do people who are successful at chasing their purpose do? Paul Angone:   That's the million dollar question, isn't it? That's the tough one. It can become very difficult. I know for myself it was a very frustrating process in a sense because I loved hearing about I want to follow my passion, I want to do work I'm passionate about, but I was really struggling with how do you figure that out. How do you find what you're passionate about? I didn't have a clue. I was going through college doing all the right things, getting the good grades, trying to pick the right major, pick the right internship, taking these steps. I felt like if I just kept taking the right steps up there somewhere was going to be success. Up there somewhere was going to be my passion. Yet when I got up there I still felt as lost as ever. Maybe even more lost because I didn't know what my passion was. For me, and I think for a lot of millennials going through the same kind of process, is that it is a process. It takes time and it takes one thing in particular that I don't think a lot of us think about or want to think about, but I think one of the really big clarifiers to finding your passion is failure. I didn't really want to hear that or understand that when I was searching for my passion, but I think failure becomes that great clarifier. Because when you've failed at something but yet you want to keep doing it, well then you've found something, there's something there that you're really truly passionate about. Mac Prichard:  Let's explore that because I think that's one thing that many of us are taught to avoid at all costs is failure. Paul Angone:      Exactly. Yeah. Mac Prichard:   Why do you think it makes such a big difference for people who are trying to find their purpose? Paul Angone: I think it's easy to say that you're passionate about something or you're excited about something that you are achieving a lot of success in. Or maybe you're getting accolades for or getting good grades or you're getting money to do it, but when those externals start going away or in my case I really wanted to write a book. I was passionate about wanting to help specifically twenty-somethings that were struggling in kind of the what now of life after college. Yet for years I couldn't get a publisher to say yes to anything I was writing. I couldn't get people to return emails. I thought my email was broken at one point because I couldn't get anybody to return an email of mine. I quickly realized that I was truly passionate about this topic, about helping twenty-somethings, about trying to write and speak to them because even through all the no's and rejections I still kept showing up and I kept writing and I kept pursuing it and hammering away at it. I really figured out that that was something I was truly passionate about. Where other ideas that I had, other pursuits, business ideas, things that I did when I hit those first couple of obstacles like all of us will, I quickly quit. I quit that dream. I went another way because really I wasn't in it for the right reasons. I wasn't truly passionate about that endeavor. Like I was when I was writing and trying to really reach twenty-somethings. Mac Prichard:  Okay, so there's a big difference between enthusiasms and passion. Tell us how can you figure out what is your passion. Does it require failure or is there a shortcut? Paul Angone:   Well, I think we'd all be lying to ourselves if we thought failure wasn't a part of it. You know? Mac Prichard:  Okay. Paul Angone:  Just like any good entrepreneur, and I've actually tried to infuse more of this in my lifestyle, I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur before, but I've kind of become and entrepreneur through circumstances. I'm trying to develop more of what I call an entrepreneurial mindset. I think what entrepreneurs are really good at and what they understand is that failure is just that learning process and when they release products even in the business realm they beta test products. They release version 1.0. Basically they release something that they know is not complete, that they know is not perfect, that they know in some respect will fail and that's kind of the point because they know that they'll learn so much through the process and the feedback and the test groups and those kinds of things that when they create version 2.0 it's going to be better. I think for all of us, whether we're an entrepreneur or not, when you're pursuing something and you feel like yeah, this is something. I feel alive when I'm pursuing this. I feel passionate, these words that we say. It's not having that fear that you're going to fail. Because the possibility for greatness and embarrassment both exist in the same space. You really can't have one without the other. Mac Prichard:    Okay. For millennials who want to pursue their passion, and I meet many every day who do, they should expect fear and that failure will be part of that process. It's a good feedback mechanism. It shows you that you're on the right path particularly if you persist and you keep getting up even when you're knocked down. Now, once people have figured out they need to follow that passion and be persistent about it, what are some of the other career challenges you see for millennials? Paul Angone: Yeah and I think following your passion and pursuing that, it's such a big overwhelming word. Mac Prichard:    It is, yeah. Paul Angone:      I even have to break it down. That's why I love talking about this metaphor of finding your signature sauce because it gives me a great mental image of what I think the metaphor looks like. When I talk about finding your signature sauce I mean the blend of ingredients that are coming together within each person to create that kind of flavor, to create that passion, to create that signature sauce that they want to serve to the world so to speak. I think even in this idea of finding your passion, I think we can unpack that even more for millennials or for really anybody and break down I think some key ingredients that go into that. For one of those as millennials are pursuing their career and trying to find jobs that align with that, one I think it's really a simple way is finding something that your strengths and your skills align with. I think for a lot of us we become passionate about something and we want to keep pursuing it when we feel like we're good at it, when we have some skill sets that resonate with that, that we have some strengths that we really lend to this arena that makes us feel good when we're doing it because we're achieving some sort of success in that endeavor. It doesn't have to be all about failure, you know? There is the skills and strengths that are a part of that. Then another crucial ingredient I think that aligns with that is your values. Mac Prichard: Lets talk about values and the difference they can make, Paul. Paul Angone: Yeah. Yeah, to make it personal for me and when I started realizing this is I felt like a strength of mine, and this can be up for debate and your listeners can debate this if they want, but I felt a strength of mine was communication. I felt like I loved speaking, I loved writing, I loved communicating ideas. I always thought I should try to do a sales job because then I'd be in front of people, I'd be speaking, I'd be using that strength of communication. Yet I took a couple sales jobs and I was absolutely terrible as a salesman. I was just terrible and I hated it. I didn't enjoy it. I started realizing that I had a value of being authentic. Authenticity was a really crucial value of mine. Actually in a couple sales jobs when I felt like I was selling something that I didn't really believe in and I felt like I was being inauthentic it actually kind of undercut my strength. My strength was no longer that strong because my value was more important to me. Really it was that value of authenticity aligning with my strength of communication and then that was where my sweet spot was. When I really get passionate about something like helping people, helping twenty-somethings, giving them hope and truth and hilarity, I get excited about that because I really believe in it. It really ties in with my value. Mac Prichard:   Okay, so I want to move onto some other topics, but before we leave this idea of the secret sauce and the ingredients, you talked about the importance of skills and strengths and recognizing values. Are there one or two other key ingredients you want to share with people? Paul Angone:     Yeah, I think another really big one that was really the driving force behind me pursuing and pushing through obstacles is I think people when they find a passion and when they talk about something they're passionate about, a lot of the times it directly relates to a need or a problem that they really want to fix. We see needs and problems very differently depending on our background, our story, where we're at, the way were raised. All the different intricacies that make us us. Even you and I mac, we might see problems and needs in a very different way. I think for all of us, when you're pursuing something that is bigger than yourself, and it doesn't have to be huge. You don't have to be changing the world here. Maybe it is, but maybe it's even a problem that you see in your current job. Maybe you see something that can be optimized and could run smoother. Or maybe it is that you see homeless people in your community and you see that as a huge need that you want to do something about. I think sometimes when we take our strengths and our skills and we take our values and then we align those with really serving or trying to solve a need or a problem, man, I think that will push you through more obstacles than anything. That's really what my story was about was pursuing a need and a problem where I felt like there was a lot of people that needed this information and needed kind of this hope and insight. Even if I was getting rejected I felt like this is such a big issue, I'm going to keep doing it because if I'm not going to do it, who else is? I have to keep hammering away at this. I think something will work out. Mac Prichard:   I think that's excellent advice both from a strategic point of view, but for job seekers in general because when employers are looking for help they've got a problem. They have a need that has to be addressed. Understanding that need and knowing how your strengths and your skills can help solve that problem I find puts candidates who can do that at the front of the crowd. So excellent advice Paul. Paul Angone: Exactly. Mac Prichard:  Let's talk specifically about millennials and maybe some tactile things. Is there one thing that you recommend every millennials do to get a better job? Or just a job. Paul Angone:     Yeah. Yeah, there's so much nowadays and I guess I'll hone in on one thing. Typically when we're talking about the job search and all this it can be very overwhelming, but we all know that a lot of job opportunities, we've seen the stats, they'll come through networking or through relationships. I know for myself, networking was always challenging for me because again, it's kind of that value of authenticity, but I think a lot of millennials feel this way where it can kind of feel inauthentic. Or you're going to a networking event and maybe you feel like that used car salesman that's pushing your business card to everybody and trying to get an opportunity or trying to make a pitch, your elevator speech so that you can get that job. Really for me, when I started thinking about it more as what I call relation-shipping, so not networking per se, but relation-shipping. Why I call it that is because I feel like when you're focused on building just relationships and giving to people and adding value and when you're meeting people you're not just pitching them on your elevator speech about how amazing you are, but you're just asking them questions about how amazing they are for the first five minutes. You don't say anything about yourself. That becomes such a more effective way to build relationships, but also in a turn, a byproduct of that is people like you more. They want to help you. Now when they have a job opportunity maybe they think about your first because people love being able to talk about themselves. If you can ask them good questions and focus more on relation-shipping, building value added relationships, man, I think that's really going to set you apart instead of talking about yourself and being a me monster at a networking event. Mac Prichard:    Yeah. I think that goes back to your earlier point, Paul about thinking about the needs of others and their problems and how you can help solve them. Paul Angone:      Mm-hmm (affirmative). Mac Prichard:    Not thinking just about your own needs. Paul Angone:    Exactly. Mac Prichard:  Yeah. Well, your first book was 101 Secrets For Your Twenties. Can you do a lightning round of those secrets for us? Paul Angone: Oh sure. Yeah, there's 101 of them so it's always hard to pick my favorites. I think one of them that has resonated with a lot of people is to watch out for what I call the new OCD. Which it's not the OCD as we typically think of, but it's obsessive comparison disorder. I think for a lot of millennials especially this is so prevalent nowadays, especially through social media. I think for any of us that is going through transition, that is maybe trying to change jobs or you feel like well, I'm not doing my passion right now. I'm working in a coffee shop or I'm selling insurance. I'm not really that excited about my life. It can become very hard when you're looking at social media and you're looking at the perceived amazing-ness of everybody else's lives and what we're showcasing on social media. Which isn't always the most accurate truth that I think most of us know, but it doesn't feel that way sometimes. Watch out for what I call obsessive comparison disorder. Because if you're always measuring yourself up to the images that people are putting up on Instagram or are on Facebook, you're always going to feel lacking or you're always going to feel like I'm not enough. I think that's a really big one. Mac Prichard:   Okay. Excellent advice. We're coming to the end of our interview, Paul. Tell me, what's next for you? What do you have coming up? Paul Angone:   Yeah, for me I'm really excited actually about an online course that I've started called Finding Your Signature Sauce. I just took my first group of students through it just now and it's been amazing to be able to walk through this process with people and go on a deeper level than just through blogs or books, but actually have a personal relationship and get to know a lot of people. That's probably the thing that I'm most excited about right now is just refining that and really helping people through that process of finding your signature sauce and all that entails. Mac Prichard:  Great. Well thank you, Paul. Tell our listeners how they can find you online. Where can they learn more about you, your books and your work? Paul Angone:     Yeah, they can find me at my main website is AllGroanUp.com and groan is spelled like you're groaning in pain, All Groan Up. I like to say that it's pun-derful, is my go to joke. Yeah, All Groan Up. They can find me on Twitter at Paul Angone, A-N-G-O-N-E or they can find me at SignatureSauce.com. Any of those websites or through Twitter. Reach out if you have questions. Id love to connect with you. Mac Prichard:    Great and we'll be sure to include those links in the show notes. Thanks for joining us this week, Paul. Paul Angone:  Thank you, Mac. Mac Prichard:   Well, we're back with Cecilia and Ben. Tell me, what do you think we're the most important points you heard Paul make? Cecilia Bianco:  I really liked his point about how to tell what your real passions are. He mentioned that if you fail at something and you keep doing it because you enjoy it so much, that's how you can tell that you're passionate about it. Following that I think is really key when you're a millennial trying to find the career you want. Mac Prichard:    Yeah. I identified with that too. In my 20s and 30s I worked on a lot of election campaigns. I worked on a lot of losing campaigns and I kept showing up every election cycle. We won some, but I was so passionate about that work and the opportunity it offered to make a difference I kept signing up for campaigns even when we lost. Ben Forstag:       I liked his point about finding a problem that needs to be fixed. I know for me personally that resonates because I find the most enjoyment in my work when there is this problem. It doesn't need to be a giant problem. It could be how to increase the open rates on an email for example, but having that problem to explore and to test things out, that really animates a lot of where I find enjoyment in work. Mac Prichard:   Good. I think that was good advice not only for millennials, but for any generation. Well, thank you all for listening. We'll be back next week with more tools and tips you can use to find your dream job. In the meantime visit us at MacsList.org where you can sign up for our free newsletter with more than 100 new jobs every week. If you like what you hear on our show you can help us by leaving a review and a rating at iTunes. This helps other job seekers discover the show. It helps us help more people. Thank you for listening.

Ephesians 4:1-6 For the first half of the letter to the Ephesians Paul has been telling us who we are – we are in Christ, we are saved by grace, we are part of a new family. Now Paul starts to tell us what that means. How will our lives look if we really have been saved by God’s grace? For the rest of the summer we’ll be looking at Paul’s answer to that question.Support the show (https://pushpay.com/g/hillsidechgr?src=hpp)

Sales coach, founder of Actus Sales Intelligence, host of Boss Academy Radio and sales academy leader, Paul Kirch started in Gallup and moved around in research organizations. He knew he was strong in sales and that he wanted to be an entrepreneur. However, he said his fears held him back. He accepted a great sales job instead. That’s where he learned to build relationships and trust, because that is what great sales is all about. Things were sailing along fine and he moving up the ladder in his industry. Then something shifted. The company was bought out almost overnight the company culture shifted to something that made him and his wife who also worked there miserable. That was the push he needed to head out and start his own company. Paul says his wife was eight months pregnant at the time, yet she was very supportive of his move into entrepreneurialism. Actus, Paul’s company, is the brainchild of that decision to take control of their own life and finances. Now Paul reports being happy and fulfilled. In this Cash Flow Diary podcast interview, Paul shares with us the steps he had to move through to shift his mindset to doing what he really wanted to do to start a company where in his first year he paid himself nothing. There was a lot of risk, but he did it anyway. The outcome was to create a successful company. One of his very first steps once he took the leap, Paul wrote an article titled “The Cowardly Entrepreneur.” And just like the lion in the Wizard of Oz, Paul discovered that everything he needed to be a successful entrepreneur was already inside him. Listen to Paul as he walks us through all the steps he took to get where he is today. He promises you have what you need to replicate his journey. It will take some courage. Learn more.

In our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Romans, in chapter 10 the Apostle Paul has been making it clear that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a simple message that is simple to receive, and that God is involved in every step of the process. Now Paul goes on to tell us about how that gospel message is to be shared. Let’s join Pastor Brian now as he picks up our study at Romans chapter 10, verse 14, and gives us “A Call to Witness.”

Now Paul turns to the issue of submission in the Christian family and the proper relationship between fathers and children.